Cruises! I am very "gently" looking in to doing our 1st cruise and from those that have been on whether 100x or 1x to give any advice about avoiding seasickness. This is one of my biggest worries as it would literally ruin the vacation if I'm in the room sick. So I have been reading what I can but would the experts to confirm and also to give any tips I have not already figured out.
1) I will not travel during hurricane season so I assume that will help with calmer waters?
2) bigger ships should help as well?
3) get a cabin in middle of ship and lower level I have heard?
Thanks everyone. Leaning towards Royal Caribbean as I have been told by someone that has been on several that it was the best overall line, especially for her kids; even over a Disney cruise they went on the kids had more fun the RC cruise. Open to itinerary suggestions as well as I though I read somewhere some itineraries are better than others for calm water.
Thanks all!

Ask your healthcare provider about a scopolamine patch. You will have a dry mouth but you won't be sedated and it works!

These are available over the counter at any pharmacy

There are also sea bands you can buy at any pharmacy that work on the pressure points on your wrists

A friend of mine uses these and she has awful motion sickness. Can not be a passenger in a car even for short drives, she must drive!
She has been on numerous cruises and has never gotten sick.

Sea bands, Also ginger gravol helps and meclizine or Bonine really helps if it gets rocky. Low and midship for sure. Where are you wanting to go? Alaska is good inside passage except for a few hours north of the queen Charlottes. Caribbean can be ok. Baltic is great. Mediterranean can vary dramatically.

Second ginger capsules and Alaska for low movement. Also aim for mid ship cabins. Also river cruises have almost movement, especially at night, which is when you’re most likely to suffer (but note that serious sea sickness is quite rare and if you do suffer they ships typically have patches and bands to help you). River cruises aren’t generally the best for kids, however Adventures by Disney is now offering them and I hear they are amazing for adults and kids (these are not actually Disney cruise ships.. they just have Disney guides doing activities and guiding you)

Get a cabin as low as you can. Honestly ive always sailed during hurricane season and never had a problem. Remember ships are mobile they will steer clear of any storms coming. Spend alot of time outsideand even in the pool. They do have sea bands if you eant to take precautions but they also have them on board. The ships now a days are very stable.....they have huge stabilizers in them you can hardly feel them moving. I LOVE sailing Carnival personally.

I went on a cruise last year and was terrified I was going to be sea sick all the time. I wasn’t at all. I had sea leg tablets, ginger gravel, sea bands, travel patches etc I had all my sea sicknesses covered. And I get sick just watching waves, don’t do motor boats etc. Nothing. It wasn’t my choice to go on this cruise as I won it. I can’t swim either!!! We had an interior room on the 11 Th floor of a 19 Th floor ship. Friends of ours were on the 5 Th floor on the outside so they just had a port hole they didn’t enjoy hearing the waves crashing when the seas were rough.
I didn’t get sick once. I was so worried about getting sick and didn’t even when having a few drinks, eating lots etc. Nothing and I have a weakness with sea sickness.
Food is unbelievable on these cruise ships. Enjoy yourself, experience new things that you have never done before, their entertainment is absolutely amazing, and something different for every kind of person.
If I had the chance I’d do it again for sure.
Go on Pinterest and they have lots of tips for first time cruisers. I thought lots of it was a joke before going on the cruise but realized when I was there they knew what they were talking about lol. Make sure you take items like ibuprofen or Tylenol or pepto etc as they r very expensive on the ship. Sometimes you need it now not when u r at port. It’s a great experience. Enjoy and go for it.

I always get sick, even on calm waters. Only thing that helped was Bonamine. Compounding pharmacy can make it for you.

I agree with getting a cabin low in the boat...also have it in the center of the boat.

If you’re at sea for a couple days at a time- ie not stopping everyday it’s more likely to get a little rocky and you may feel a little green. Norwegian has some great bigger ships too with kids (climbing walls, bungee jumping, mini putt, etc). We love cruising!

We have cruised 4 times,3 different lines and favorite was Celebrity. I always start my cruise with patches behind my ears and pressure bands on my wrists and remove them by day 3. I’ve never had a problem, even on rough seas. Go for it and enjoy! The Eastern and Southern Caribbean are fabulous!!

Mid ship is best. Sit out on deck as much as possible.

Look for a larger newer boat. They tend to have better stabilizers and reduces the amount of rock or sway.
If you’re prone to sea / movement sickness, grab the patch and start it before you’re even on the ship (about 12 hours)

Middle of ship but higher up NOT lower. When eating don’t sit looking at sea . We love Royal Caribbean . Pick an Itinerary where you do not have to tender in on small boat to shore .

You may be fine. I am fine with motor boats, but get seasick when I go into the hull of a sailboat, so I was worried about our RC cruise. Had no issues whatsoever. I did notice that the onboard doc does have pills that everyone said worked better than anything you buy on land. We were in adventure of the seas, mid ship, 8th floor. No issues. Have fun

There are a variety of prescription medications that will help. If you’re feeling ill, the last place you want to be is in a confined space like your cabin. Stay on deck or inside near large windows where you can see the horizon. That often helps to “normalize” your brains interpretation of the unusual movements. Choosing appropriate destinations is important; if you’re concerned about choppy seas, a trans Atlantic crossing should probably come off the list. Alaska is one of the smoothest voyages you can take; mirror calm except for 4 hours near the Charolettes. Indonesia is also generally calm. You can hit bad weather anywhere, but modern ships has so much stabilization technology on board it’s seldom an issue

Agree with mid ship and lower. I get motion sick just looking at waves. Sit with back to window while dining. Gravel, sea bands help. Also if you get queasy, a tip from a serve staff on a cruise, eat a apple. Works every time. Green is better, but any apple will do

following

Cruisecritic.com has a ton of information
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Lori
If you cruise the Mediterranean in Summer the water is very calm, you'd never know you're on a ship

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Book an inside cabin ... lower level ... mid ship. Ask to be seated away from the windows in the dining room (...not a big deal but helpful if it is a bit wavy) ... when you are out on deck look out at a distance, ...not down at the water. Ships avoid bad weather. A great way to start out is our of New Orleans.. almost 12 hours on the river in the way out and back to port.

Great tips Norma. Christin, work with a cruise specialist that will help you pick the right line for you. There are so many questions a good cruise specialist will ask you to qualify you and find the right fit. Cruise Pricing is a very complex thing and fluctuates daily. I've been on over 40 myself and been in the travel business for almost 30 years, so I know what I'm talking about.

Start with a three day cruise to see how you handle it. I did that before I signed on for week-long cruises.

3 days cruise can be very deceiving, as they often are on older ships, much smaller, where you will feel more of the motion.

Gravel and ginger chews just in case

We just got back from a Royal Carribean cruise in August. The ships usually steer away from rough waters if they are able. Also you can buy scopolamine patches you wear behind your ear for seasickness. We didn't have to use them but lots of people had them on. Cruising is such a wonderful way to travel and see new places.Would highly recommend RC to cruise they are the best. Have fun!

I get sea sick as soon as there is the slightest motion on the water. Previously, the only thing that I could do was take gravol, which totally eliminated sea sickness, but left me completed groggy. Nothing else worked. A few years ago, a friend told me about Bonine, which is a travel sickness pill that you take just once a day. You have to get it in the States though. It makes me a bit tired, but nothing like the effects from gravol. It works perfectly for me. Without it, I could not cruise, and we usually cruise once or twice a year. Royal Caribbean is our favorite line, especially with our kids. Also really like Celebrity, which is the same company as RC, but better suited for adults, I’m my opinion. Cruising is the best.

I’ve cruised many times and my 6 and 3 year old have both been on two cruises (booked for their third in May). I’ve been on some very rough seas and none of us ever have been sea sick, my daughter gets airsick and car sick and never even noticed at sea! Bring some gravol just in case and I heard sea bands work really well. I wore them on a cruise where I had morning sickness and it helped! Midship in lower level will keep you from feeling much. Enjoy!!

I’ve been on 3 cruises and am scared of water. Was very seasick deep sea fishing but I took gravol when the boat was entering the bay. Never got sick at all. Go for it. Cruises are awesome.

I am on a cruise right now...my go-to for motion sickness is 12 hour gravol... take it in the morning and one at night. Start off with a short cruise as your first one. There's some short ones out of L.A., Houston and out of Ft. Lauderdale that I can vouch for. On a 4 nighter to the Bahamas currently. You can't always count on the weather but usually every ship runs into a bit of "turbulence" even just tilting side to side. We've been on a bunch of different itineraries...Alaska, Western Mexico, Eastern Mexico, Eastern Canada, Mediterranean, Greece, Bahamas, and each has their own pros and cons. Depends on time of year as well for each route...some cruise lines don't run all routes all year long. Even though I get sea sick, I like to have a balcony so I can have larger windows and be outside ...for me it helps...but don't watch the waves! Closer to the centre and the lower the better for less movement. There are handles everywhere to hold onto while walking around if the ship does start to move. Have lots of suggestions-tips but might not be enough space on here...so feel free to messagr me and ask specific questions!

I found that Gravol and ginger pills help with the motion sickness when the ship is leaving the port, and didn't take anything else for the rest of the time because I found that I was fine the rest of the days. Bigger, newer ships will have stabilizers, which help immensely to reduce the rocking of the ship.

Make sure you get a cabin more in the middle towards the back of the ship. Gravol patches that go behind your ears will also help

These bracelets work like magic!
https://well.ca/products/sea-band-adult_30245.html...
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Sea-Band Adult

I use these as well.

Take nausea medicine and you’ll be fine

Skip the meds. Seabands are all you need

Our first cruise last year was with Oceania, got prescription for nausea and cabin was at a higher level mid ship. Got up the first night to see if the ship was moving!

Dramamine - from the states but it’s non drowsy. My first time using it was actually on a cruise as that’s what they gave me in the clinic when I went to see them about my sea sickness. I use it for all travel now!

we used expediacruiseship center they have offices all over the city and you get some good perks too they are your long time agent if you want some friends i have had agents for 18 years!!

Do a river cruise no sea sickness at all

Acupuncture will cure your motion sickness drug and side effect free.

Bonine - is available only in USA but can be ordered on line. Very effective, nondrowsy and does not give dry mouth like scopolamine patches do. I have serious issues with motion sickness on planes and have used Gravol in the past with good effect but it caused me ‘restless legs’ which is horrible on a long flight!
had no problems at all on our cruise when using Bonine.

The Mediterranean in November was smooth, and I was terrified of being on the water. I didn't need a thing. We were on Norwegian Jade and had a great time.

I get sea sick and for me sea band are the only way to go. I love cruises and sea bands have been completely effective for me. I would recommend taking transdermal Patches as well just in case but sea bands are likely all you will need. Drug free too

Try the cruise to Alaska. Very little open water. And the only time I needed to take any gravol was one night before bed.

That was the toughest cruise I’ve ever had! Vancouver to Alaska. Even the Captain apologized for what we were experiencing on that one!!

Sharon Doyle we’ve done it a couple times with Celebrity. Smooth sailing. We sailed in August.

My first cruise was 17 days long! I was crying on the way to the port so sure I would be sick for the entire trip. I got on the boat, Norwegian from San Diego to Chile. The second day I was like WAHOOOO. I did need some seasick pills one day but that was it.

I personally haven’t been but my mom has and she would get sick just thinking about going on a boat. She SWEARS by what they give you. I don’t know what it is called but when you get on the boat ask the desk for the sickness meds. Don’t wait to get sick. Start them right away.

Transdermal patches and wrist bands work for me. I also chew ginger candies

I have been on many cruises....and travelling with a special needs child I dont want to give extra meds to and we all get seasickness. This is what we do and it works....I give my son the pressure point bands---they are Terry cloth sort of and work well. My hubby eats crystalized ginger and I use the little patches that go behind your ears----one det good for 3 days. Try and get a lower deck on the ship and in the middle...this will help.

Take the cheapest interior room without windows as low to the centre of the ship as you can get. The least rocking and super quiet!

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Thanks Norma!

Get a balcony. If you do get sick, it's insanely helpful to have cool fresh air on your face while laying in bed. Avoid itineraries with long patches of open water if at all possible.
Three cruises (Alaska, Norway, St. Lawrence) got sick on all three. It was awful. I'm hoping a river cruise might be better... but....
I've used: Gravol, ginger tabs, acupressure wristband, a prescription drug I have to have compounded, patches, ginger chews, and accupressure. Nothing works 100% for me (though the prescription is the best of the lot)

Take sea sick pills before you get on for first 24 hours, should be good after that. Prevent

Ginger gravol. It is non drowsy

My dad swears by soda crackers. Might be a placebo, but whatever works!

Transdermal scop - a patch you put behind your ear. You still get meds even if you vomit. I didn’t get sick, I felt a little off but everyone on my tiny boat was violently ill. I consider it a win!

Gravol.

I read recently that eating a dinner bun helps. Not entirely sure why.