Will a cruise trigger my seasickness?

October 31, 2006 9:49 AM

A good friend is getting married on a cruise ship. I get seasick on certain types of boats under certain conditions, but have never been on a cruise ship before. Am I going to toss my cookies during the ceremony?

I've been invited to attend my best friend's wedding on the "Majesty of the Seas" a Royal Carribean cruise ship that seems really, really big. I'd love to go, but if I'm going to spend the entire trip sick I'd rather beg off.

The question is whether this type of seafaring experience is likely to trigger my rather well-developed sense of motion sickness, which is very strong in some cases, but oddly non-existant in a few.

Situations where I'm OK include on a powerboat as it is cutting through the water, or on a sailboat on a windy day when it is really moving. I've even been on a scuba excustion on a large power boat (think one of those deep sea sport fishing boats) in very rough seas (people were tossed from one side of the cabin to the other, equipment was lost overboard) and was fine when others were getting very sick.

The following are *not* OK. No matter what remedy I try -- and I have tried all of them, multiple times -- I will get very sick:

Small craft that are not under power -- the slow bobbing, rolling, and swaying on 1'-3' swells will cause me to lose my lunch within 2-3 minutes. Every time. Riding in a big 1970's style American sedan with super-soft suspension and more than a little body roll is not comfortable. Landing in a big airplane under high winds where the plane tends to experience cycles of negative and postitive g-forces turns me a bit green as well.

The common theme seems to be that I'm OK with rougher, more violent motion (fast boats, small planes, sports cars = goodness) and not so hot with slow, rolling, swaying movement.

Which of those best describes what one would feel on a cruise ship? Any fellow sufferers of "mal de mer" able to shed some light?

posted by centerweight to health (21 comments total)

I would personally recommend that you go. Cruise ships are so big that any bobbing is minimal (although it probably will occur sometime during your trip; just hope it isn't during your friend's wedding).
posted by matkline at 10:05 AM on October 31, 2006

My cousin and his wife went on a cruise for their honeymoon, and his wife basically said the same thing-- when the ship was moving she was fine, but when it was at port and just bobbing in the water, she felt ill. Do you have the schedule of ports? Most cruises do most of their travel during the evening, but it's possible that you would have the opportunity to leave the ship whenever it is stopped, thereby avoiding the worst of the motion sickness.

I have pretty bad motion sickness, but when I went on a cruise (pretty large ship) when I was about 13, my grandmother gave me a pair of wrist bands for motion sickness, and they worked great. Not really the most fashionable accessory, but the only time I puked or even felt sick on the ship was the five minutes I had taken them off. I don't really know which is the stronger "medicine" in these: the acupressure point, or the reduction in my anxiety level.

I've also tried eating ginger, which worked okay, but I think I might have eaten too much, because at the very end of the plane ride I was on, I got sick. YMMV.

I wish there was a way for you to test out what would work best for you before the cruise!
posted by sarahnade at 10:10 AM on October 31, 2006

I recently attended a ship-board wedding where one of the guests was extremely motion sickness prone. She got a prescription for a scopolamine patch which seemed to work well.
posted by justkevin at 10:13 AM on October 31, 2006

I've had similar problems with motion sickness and the scopolamine patch worked great for me as long as I wore it for only one day. If I left it on for more than 24 hours, it started to interfere with my sense of direction- which is a problem for sailing and diving, but no big deal really if you are just a passenger on a cruise ship.

It's my understanding from my sailing buddies that if you are on a longer trip and can suck it up for three days of misery, your inner ears will finally adjust and you can enjoy the water with everyone else. I don't know how long this cruise will be or if you could get yourself on it three days earlier, but it's something to consider if you don't want to or can't go the scopolamine route.
posted by ambrosia at 10:27 AM on October 31, 2006

Motion sickness aside, if you don't want to throw up, remember to wash your hands after the buffet. (Not snark, I've gotten shipboard Norwalk and it's a vacation-killer.)
posted by escabeche at 10:29 AM on October 31, 2006

I've been on several of the larger ships (including, incidentally, the Majesty) and only in very rough seas was there any appreciable movement. On inland / Caribbean waters, in good weather, I found it difficult to tell that the ship was moving. An itinerary that just island-hops around the Caribbean is a lot different from a trans-Atlantic or Pacific route (going to Alaska or Hawaii, for instance).

I would encourage you to go, and get some of the anti-nausea wristbands (I have no idea if they actually do anything physiologically or if it's just a placebo effect, but whatever works) and some Dramamine. The little patches you put behind your ear seemed to work especially well for family members of mine.

If you want to test nausea remedies, I suppose you could try taking some Dramamine and then riding in a sedan or something else that sets you off, but I'm not sure this is really scientific. If you know you get sick in a car, the meds may not be as effective as they would be your first time on a big ship.
posted by Kadin2048 at 10:31 AM on October 31, 2006

I do not get motion sickness, but when I was on a cruise (I think it might have been that very ship, actually) I did find the constant bobbing a little dizzying. Rather, I kept feeling like I was dizzy and then realizing the room really was moving and not knowing if that meant I was or was not dizzy. So, I can't speak to the sickness per se, but you definitely feel the rocking.
posted by callmejay at 10:31 AM on October 31, 2006

I've never been on a cruise ship, but I have been on a very large ferry, which I imagine is of roughly similar size.

The eerie thing about it is that I had absolutely no sensation of motion when aboard it. It was a little bit weird looking out a window near port, because I could see piers and other buildings moving—but it seemed as if they were moving and I was not.

FWIW, I've only felt seasick on small boats in choppy water.
posted by adamrice at 10:32 AM on October 31, 2006

I get quite seasick as well. I don't have any remedies for you unfortunately, because I'm not on a boat frequently enough to remember what I used. For me, the wristbands did nothing, but YMMV. On both cruises I've been on however, I did start to feel "normal" after a couple days. Your body does get used to the movement. The first two days weren't all that fun nausea-wise, but once that settled down, the rest of the week was well worth the sacrifice.

Another way to look at the situation: Since cruise ships are essentially a floating never-ending buffet, I was actually kind of glad I didn't feel like eating all that much for the first couple of days. I think it minimized the amount of damage to my waistline.
posted by cgg at 10:48 AM on October 31, 2006

It depends a bit on the itinerary. On my Caribbean cruise, the boat never did anything more than vibrate slightly because the seas are very calm and the boats are very huge. You basically couldn't tell it was moving, and almost no one felt ill.

On my Panama cruise, there are some more open ocean passages with some pretty serious waves. The boat was moving appreciably during that time, and a lot of people felt pretty sick. They put sick bags all around the boat during those times. It was the rolling kind of illness inducing motion you'd probably have trouble with.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:48 AM on October 31, 2006

While I have never used them, I know people who had great success with the anti-nausea wristbands both on a cruise ship and while pregnant. My pregnant friend said the only time she threw up was when she had them off for a half hour or so.

You can also talk to your doctor about prescribing an anti-nausea patch or something of that nature.
posted by thejanna at 10:52 AM on October 31, 2006

Mythbusters tested some sea sickness remedies in Season 3, Ep. 43: "Sea-sickness - Kill or Cure?" Basically ginger pills were the only 100% method, but second place was placebo at 50%. The sample size was tiny but I'd think ginger pills are a safe bet, assuming you have no allergies to ginger.

I'm impressed you don't have your sea legs after all of this and it makes me wonder if anxiety or a physical problem is playing a role. It might be worth chatting with your doc or a therapist to see if that avenue is worth persuing. I imagine it's completely normal (see everyone above), but just in case.

A ship I served as a volunteer on as a child had a guy who had mastered the art of planting his feet on the deck and using his ankles, knees, and hips to keep his upper body absolutely even with the horizon. If you stare at the horizon while doing that your eyes and balance sensing widgets in your ears should synch up and reduce the sensation. It worked wonders for me, but I suspect it had more to do with distracting me than neutralizing the effect. It can be quite difficult to do at times. Anyway, it's handy on the subway too.
posted by jwells at 11:02 AM on October 31, 2006

I can attest to the Mythbusters' proven remedy - ginger has been a miracle for me. I have terrible motion sickness and it's the only thing that squashes the nausea and keeps me feeling normal (i.e. not sleepy or woozy). I start a couple of days before any trip, taking three ginger pills with each meal. I increase it to four per meal the day of travel and continue with three pills per meal for the duration of the trip. The minor hassle of toting around and swallowing pills is totally mitigated by the effects - no puking! Have fun at the wedding and good luck with your chosen remedy.

Disclaimer: I have never been on a cruise ship, but ginger has worked when I've traveled on planes, trains, and automobiles, as well as ferries, buses, and catamarans.
posted by killy willy at 11:32 AM on October 31, 2006

I was on a cruise to Alaska this summer with my family. My brother gets serious motion sickness, and he wore the patch behind his ear much of the time, which meant he spent a lot of time very lethargic if not actually asleep. All in all I got the impression that it was a very unpleasant experience for him, as far as motion sickness goes.

I wish you all the best, but if your question is really 'Am I going to have a problem, or not?' then I'm afraid that the answer is Yes.
posted by bingo at 11:39 AM on October 31, 2006

Thanks for all the comments. We will be travelling in the Carribean, and based on what everyone has said, I imagine that I'll probably be able to get by with some scopalamine patches and/or non-drowsy formula dramamine. As long as things stay calm, and I get off the boat when it's docks, I think I'll be ok.

If we get some rolling waves, I'll probably just have to suffer. I like to scuba dive and just accept the fact that once the power is cut on those small, rolling boats, I'm going to barf. No matter what I'm on (and I have dived with ginger pill, patches, dramaine, electric shock wrist bands, accupressure wrist bands...), the outcome is the same. I usually just get it out of the way so it doesn't interfere with my routine of checking my equipment. Which is why on my last trip, the dive master tagged me with the nickname "Fish food."

But it sounds like the odds are in my favor. Big ship + usually calm Caribbean sounds like a manageable combination. Thanks for the advice everyone.
posted by centerweight at 11:46 AM on October 31, 2006

centerweight wrote...
No matter what remedy I try -- and I have tried all of them, multiple times -- I will get very sick:

I'm not sure how other posters seem to have missed this statement. Allow me to answer the question you asked, instead of telling you what remedy worked for my friend's Aunt Susan.

The common theme seems to be that I'm OK with rougher, more violent motion (fast boats, small planes, sports cars = goodness) and not so hot with slow, rolling, swaying movement.

Which of those best describes what one would feel on a cruise ship? Any fellow sufferers of "mal de mer" able to shed some light?

You won't get any of the violent motions on the large ships. It will be slow rolling, or nothing.

As for which you'll get, I've found that it's entirely dependent on the seas.

I've done well on ships as small as the Normandy on calm seas, but found them to be a regular vomitarama on other occasions.

My one experience on a (relatively small) cruise ship is documented here. It was worth a try once, but I don't think you'll find me on a cruise ship again.

As always, your mileage may vary.
posted by tkolar at 11:47 AM on October 31, 2006

recently cruised with a motion sickness prone companion. the patch worked very well until it started messing with her eyesight. many others on the trip used it without incident.

dramamine worked after that, but the key is to take it regularly - not to take it right before you sailaway or when you start to feel ill. it did make her drowsy though.

the wrist bands also helped.

i could definitely feel the ship moving, but i have heard our pacific route makes for a rougher ride than the carribean.

cruise tips aplently !!!
posted by domino at 11:48 AM on October 31, 2006

apparently i got distracted and my link didn't post.

www.cruisecritic.com
posted by domino at 11:49 AM on October 31, 2006

Also, you'll probably want to get a cabin near the middle of the ship; there's less motion there than the fore or aft cabins. (According to this page, lower decks are better, too.)
posted by trevyn at 12:19 PM on October 31, 2006

Before going on the cruise, consider figuring out something before hand that you can use as a test to determine if a solution or partial remedy to your motion sickness works or not.

Now this does not work for everyone, but I purchased a Reliefband on ebay for $30. Best $30. I ever spent. I does not work for my friend, but works for me.
Essentially, it's a watch-like device you wear on your wrist that sends electrical pulses to the nerve in your wrist, thereby interfering with the nerve signals between your brain/inner ear/rest of your body. This apparently is enough to help reduce motion sickness.

I am generally very motion sick, especially here in DC on the metro train, since it's stopping and starting all the time. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being I'm actively throwing up, without any Reliefband, I'm normally at stage 7 within 20 minutes. If I'm dehydrated, I'm at stage 9 in 20 minutes. With the Reliefband on, I'm at most stage 2 in 20 minutes. It's helped a lot on my commute to work. Again, it may not work for everyone, but for some, like me, it's amazing. You have to make sure you can feel the pulses in your wrist, otherwise I've found it does not work as well.

If you consider such a device, consider trying it in a test scenario first before going on the cruise.
posted by jldindc at 5:04 PM on October 31, 2006

I think it depends on the weather. I am super-seasickness prone, but I took a Royal Carribean cruise to the Bahamas and the weather was good so I had no problem. Then a year later I took the same ship to Alaska and the weather was choppy, and suddenly I was miserable for three days, couldn't eat, sleep, function. It was enough to turn me off cruising permanently.

My advice is don't go unless these people are worth a few days of possible misery to get married. If the weather's good, you'll be pleasantly surprised, if not, you'll be resigned and prepared for it.
posted by np312 at 10:00 PM on October 31, 2006