How to deal with motion sickness on your first cruise
Will you get sick? Read what I have to say about the topic.
- From Mykonos to Delos. Photo from Carrie Finley.Bajak
When I was a travel agent, I would frequently get asked about motion sickness. Primarily the people asking me about the likelihood of seasickness were newbies thinking about taking their first cruise. It was always a difficult question to answer because the reality was that I just did not know.
What I did know is that people who suffer from motion sickness in the car are very likely to feel the movement on the ships. What I told people is that the ships have stabilizers and that they should book a cabin in the middle of the ship as low as possible to reduce the motion.
I have only been stricken by motion sensitivity once on a ship. The cruise was sailing in the Western Mediterranean heading toward Barcelona from Corsica. The pitching and rolling of the ship (a Disney Cruise Line vessel) was so bad that I had to remain in bed while we rode out the storm.
My answer to people considering their first cruise who think they might get seasick is to not go. I know it’s a little extreme to recommend not taking a cruise on the chance that you might get sick but….. the answer lies within. If you are sensitive to motion sickness in a car, chances are you will feel the movement of the ship. If you do feel uncomfortable in a car, but can take preventative measure to relieve your symptoms, then you can expect that your body will respond in a similar fashion on a ship. Ask you physician about medical remedies and check out some of my suggestions below for dealing with motion sickness.
Survival tips for seasickness on a cruise
- Bring and use wrist bands (the acupressure or magnetic-type) they might help (they helped me when I was sailing while pregnant with morning sickness on a cruise ship).
- Go for the ginger: bring chews with you (some ships like Silversea offer candied ginger), or drink ginger tea or ginger ale.
- Ask room service to bring you chicken broth and crackers.
- Help trick yourself that you are not seasick, look at the horizon because it is a stationary object and will help your balance.
- Call the reception desk and get some Dramamine or Bonine.
What do you think? Leave me a comment or a suggestion for how people can avoid seasickness.