Cruises - tipping and sea sickness.

[Alan]

In the North Atlantic, I have found that, except in extremely heavy sea states, once you go below 150 feet you don't feel the motion.

If I stop posting here it's probably because I've gone below 150 feet.

 

[Parr0thead98]

Best cruise info website I use is Cruise Reviews, Cruise Deals and Cruises - Cruise Critic to pick up tips and info. We have 23 cruises under our belts and use this site extensively to research ships, activities, ports, excursions, etc.

For sea sickness, drink...seriously! ;-) Nothing like putting a lil' Capt Morgan's in ya' to steady the sails! Just sayin'.

 

[urn2bfree]

We were in Bermuda this past summer and our cruise departure was delayed by several hours by a couple who,did. Or make it back to the ship in time and they were NOToff on any ship related tour. Their secret? I think it was because they had left a minor child on the ship and the ship would neither leave without the parent nor would they leave an unattended minor n shore and depart....so not always true that they will leave without you if you are late.

 

[meekie]

I use the sea bands and have very good luck with them, they work by hitting an acupressure spot on the inside of your wrists. They probably aren't enough if you get really seasick, but for milder issues it's a nice drug free way to go. I also eat candied ginger and drink ginger ale.

I've heard of a lot of people having problems with side effects with the patches, and that you can cut the patches in half to get a smaller dosage with less side effects.

 

[Badger]

The least amount of movement on board ship is an inside cabin on the lowest deck in the middle of the ship. The higher you go on the outside cabins fore or aft the more motion. Motion = potential Mal de Mer.

Cheers!

 

[ronocnikral]

ask the cpt to steer the ship. That worked for me when sailing in the GoM.

 

[braumeister]

Utterly irrelevant to cruise ships, but two anecdotes:

When I was young, my father used to take me deep sea fishing. While I loved the fishing part, I usually got violently seasick. These were boats 80-110 feet long, and swells were often 20 feet or more, especially in winter.

Eventually, I figured out the secret, at least for me. Keeping my stomach full was the key to avoiding nausea. I ate a huge breakfast and brought plenty of sandwiches for the day on the water. Once I started doing this, I never got seasick again.

Another:
My mother had a weak stomach, and generally got seasick even going out on flat water in the bay. We got her Bonamine, which always solved the problem. Then one day I happened to notice that the Bonamine pills looked exactly the same as Bufferin tablets, so my father and I replaced the pills in her Bonamine bottle with Bufferin. She never noticed, but never had a problem either. The placebo effect at work!

 

[ls99]

In the North Atlantic, I have found that, except in extremely heavy sea states, once you go below 150 feet you don't feel the motion.

You also don't get to see the spectacular northern lights.

 

[dmdunca44]

I've tried every motion sickness remedy out there. What works for me is the wristband that emits very tiny electrostatic shock (barely perceptible).

Too late now, but I always try to get a cabin close to the middle of the boat and the lower the level, the less motion.

 

[Alan]

Thanks again for all the replies, which DW has also reviewed.

The booking agents were very good and advised cabins in midships low down, which was something we had not considered before calling them.

 

[CoolChange]

...
Eventually, I figured out the secret, at least for me. Keeping my stomach full was the key to avoiding nausea. I ate a huge breakfast and brought plenty of sandwiches for the day on the water. Once I started doing this, I never got seasick again....

This should be very easy to try on a cruise. Maybe this also explains why I am rarely seasick.

 

[bssc]

The cruise ships these days are so big that you only feel the biggest swells although we also book midships. Keep in mind, the Bismarck was 41,000 tons. The last cruise ship I was on, the Norwegian Star, is 91,000 tons. That being said, I have taken the old standby Dramamine.

I also recommend the Cruise Critic boards for discussions of what to do in each port.

 

[Buckeye]

If you want to try non-drug alternative, DW & I have used these accupressure wrist bands with good results-
Buy Sea-Band The Original Wristband, Adult, One Size & More | drugstore.com

And watch the alcohol. Booze (esp hangover!) makes motion sickness worse

I get seasick very easily and the bands do a great job keeping me feeling well.

 

[Buckeye]

Utterly irrelevant to cruise ships, but two anecdotes:

Another:
My mother had a weak stomach, and generally got seasick even going out on flat water in the bay. We got her Bonamine, which always solved the problem. Then one day I happened to notice that the Bonamine pills looked exactly the same as Bufferin tablets, so my father and I replaced the pills in her Bonamine bottle with Bufferin. She never noticed, but never had a problem either. The placebo effect at work!

It took me a few years to try the bands because I had a hard time believing they would work. I became a believer when I saw it was not just the placebo effect. We were on a catamaran trip in St. Thomas (cruise ship excursion) and several of us were turning green and feeding the fishes. One of the passengers was wearing bands and he shared one with a girl who was as miserable as I was. The guy spoke English and the girl didn't so he couldn't explain to her what the band was for. Within 10 minutes of putting on the band, she was fine. Typically, you wear one on each wrist but he wasn't giving both of them away no matter how pretty she was! My stomach is doing flip flops just thinking about that boat ride.