What if I get seasick on my Alaskan cruise? - Page 2

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

@kaydee50 wrote:
Choose your stateroom carefully. Midship on a lower deck. It is unlikely you will get seasick on an Alaskan cruise. There are no really long stretches of open sea and the ships have stabilizers. We have taken many cruises and I have gotten nauseous on a few. I take dramamine and stay in bed until the seas calm down. Rough waters don't usually last more than several hours. The ship's doctor will have medicine for this but I have never used it. Of course, you can get off the ship at the next port but this will be at your own expense. Bon voyage!!!

@kaydee50. Wrong! My sister and I left Seattle on an Alaskan cruise. The ship headed right out to the open sea. I felt sure stabilizers were not being used as they slow the ship and the captain seemed to be in a big hurry. We both got really sick and were unable to eat dinner. Still felt sickly the next day in Juneau. I was so angry about it, I wrote to Princess Cruises but never got the courtesy of a reply.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

beadsNthings · ‎01-12-2011

Sea bands are sold at most pharmacies. My cousin and I used them on a Mexican Riviera cruise.

The sea bands are like a stretchy bracelet. No one will even notice you are wearing them. Also they don't make you drowsy.

Enjoy your cruise!

AnnieBelle · ‎05-12-2017

We took our first cruise ever in May to Alaska. We sailed from Whittier south to Vancouver. Those who say you won't get sick on an Alaskan cruise aren't quite correct. There are less opportunities for rough seas on an Alaskan cruise, but it still happens. Our first night, we had gale force winds. My husband was seasick the first night into mid-day the next day. It wasn't nausea, but dizziness/lightheaded. There are many options to prevent/treat it. The patches work for some – but have some unpleasant side effects. There is Bonine, a non-drowsy over-the-counter anti-nausea medication. We also used SeaBands, which work on pressure points in your wrist. You can get green apples anytime on the ship – they were recommended to us by the crew. Also, bring along some ginger snaps or ginger candies. Don’t let the possibility of seasickness prevent you from taking an Alaskan cruise – it’s absolutely breathtaking. Just be prepared!

sweetee2 · ‎06-21-2015

Please try the Sea wristbands from WM. I have horrible motion sickness. We went on this same cruise last fall. One night the sea was so bad there were white caps on the waves and I managed ok with the wristband.

When I fly overseas I'll take Dramamine and just sleep the whole way.

riley1 · ‎03-10-2010

I know they do sell a patch for this or over the counter meds. You might want to start them before you sail and take them with you (even though I'm sure they will have something on the ship). My friend always swore by eating something salty if you felt queazy.

Eileen in Virginia · ‎08-25-2010

I get sick watching a merry-go-round, so you know I’ve tried a few remedies in my time. My in-laws used to love to cruise and they occasionally treated us to cruises. I’ve used the transdermal patches that go behind your ear very effectively. They’re intended to be used for no longer than a couple of days before removing them. They were great when we took a cruise from NYC to Bermuda (removing them while in port) or when I had to fly for a few hours for business. I haven’t taken Dramamine for a long time, mainly because it made me drowsy. I’ve used the SeaBands. They worked well, but made my arms numb if I left them on longer than 3 or 4 hours. Our waiter on one of the Bermuda cruises recommended sliced Granny Smith apples (with the skin) to our group once (I was wearing my patch). The others were feeling queasy in some choppy seas and said they felt much better shortly after eating the Granny Smith apples. I hope you find something that works for you so you can enjoy your cruise when you take it!

World Traveler · ‎02-02-2015

I loved the Alaskan cruise and didn't have a problem with seasickness. The waters were pretty calm.

3blackdogs · ‎03-12-2010

We went on our first cruise in Sept. I did wear a RX patch behind my ear and was fine even it was really rocky our first night. I noticed lots of seabands on other passengers. I’ve heard that the tender board can be a problem, but we were able to walk off the ship at port. Recently I’ve been under the weather and used the ginger candy we took but never used. It helped me so much with some nausea. I hope you have a great time!!! We did!

JeanLouiseFinch · ‎10-03-2011

@depglass wrote:
If and when we sell our old house we are planning on a cruise to Alaska. I am a fan of Alaska The Last Frontier and Sunday's show was about Atz's dream of living on a converted barge. He was terribly seasick on the boat that took him to his mooring place. So I'm thinking, what happens if I get seasick on our cruise? Is there pharmaceutical help for this? If it isn't correctable can I get off the ship and get a refund? You can tell I haven't done much research on cruising.

@depglass I did research this before DH and I went on our first cruise this past February. There are some natural things you can do but experienced cruisers were recommending Bonine. Ultimately I purchased multiple boxes of Bonine on Amazon so I was in good supply, far more than we actually needed for ourselves. It turned out to be a good idea, though, because I was able to help some other friends on the ship. I strongly urge you to get this product. Start taking it before you board and follow the package directions, continuing to take it throughout your cruise. DH felt great within a day or two and stopped taking it. I eventually quit about halfway in. IMO, starting before you board and continuing proactively is more successful than getting sick and trying to conquer it. And no, your ship fare is not refundable if you get seasick.

There's a website called cruisecritic dot com where you might find some helpful info about cruising and the ship you'll be on. You can also look around on youtube for videos of your ship and cabin selection.

Sammijo10 · ‎05-14-2011

DH and I took our first (and probably last) cruise to Alaska this past May. I didn't know what to expect, so brought all three items with me, sea bands, dramamine pills and had a patch prescription.

The second day out was an 'ocean' day and boy did I feel it. I started with the bands and then the pills, wanted to take the least 'invasive' method to conquer the dizziness (I did not have nausea). I had to use the patch and it was a god send!

Don't mess around, get the patch. The only side effect I could feel was dryness - perpetually thirsty! But I could take my head off the pillow and participate in the cruise. Which is the reason you took it in the first place, right? Suffering through one or two days by not being able to do ANYTHING is a sad waste of money, and one of the many reasons we probably won't take another.