Which itinerary/cruise is best for motion sickness?

[SFMommy]

Our DD10 really really really really wants to go on a Disney Cruise. I get VERY motion sick and especially sea sick. I am doubtful that we will ever go on a cruise. BUT...just in case...which itinerary (anywhere in the world) is the best for motion sickness? i.e. Which route goes through the calmest waters?

Thanks!
SFMommy , DH , DD10
and our pup Jessie

May 2016 - Boardwalk Villas - First WDW trip
November 2014 - Paradise Pier Hotel
September 2012 - Fairfield Inn
November 2011 - Paradise Pier Hotel
May 2011 - Hojo's (1st trip with DD)
October 2004 - Hojo's (1st trip with DH)
1970's/1980's - a few family trips (always Hojo's, except one magical stay at the Disneyland Hotel)

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Our DD10 really really really really wants to go on a Disney Cruise. I get VERY motion sick and especially sea sick. I am doubtful that we will ever go on a cruise. BUT...just in case...which itinerary (anywhere in the world) is the best for motion sickness? i.e. Which route goes through the calmest waters?

Thanks!
SFMommy , DH , DD10
and our pup Jessie

May 2016 - Boardwalk Villas - First WDW trip
November 2014 - Paradise Pier Hotel
September 2012 - Fairfield Inn
November 2011 - Paradise Pier Hotel
May 2011 - Hojo's (1st trip with DD)
October 2004 - Hojo's (1st trip with DH)
1970's/1980's - a few family trips (always Hojo's, except one magical stay at the Disneyland Hotel)

The smoothest cruise we've done to date was our Med cruise.

 

[wilkeliza]

No way to guarentee smooth sailings 100%. However I would imagine the Mediterranean cruises as they are in much smaller bodies of water than Carribean and Bahamas. That does mean you would need a perfect weather cruise as winds and rain can make sailings rougher.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

I have no idea, but just wanted to say that I am really really prone to motion sickness but had no issues on the cruise. As a kid I would get sick taking a school or city bus. I still get motion sickness if we have a tourbulent flight. On small boats. In the back seat of a car.
Up until 2 years ago I was not even willing to try a cruise. I got talked into it and other then feeling a bit "off" the first day of our very first cruise I was totally fine. Even cruising in somewhat rough seas didn't bother me. (That was Eastern Carib.)
I don't know what it is! I do chew one Bonine tablet every 12-24 hrs as a precaution, but I forgot to take it a few times with no issues so not sure if it even does anything.
Anyway, I don't know that you will have the same experience but you may be pleasantly surprised.
If I were you I would do a 3 or 4 night cruise with only one sea day. That way if cruising really bothers you it won't be a 7 night ordeal.

 

[Jennifer777]

I get terrible motion sickness and that was one of the reasons we chose a 3 night Bahamian sailing for our first Disney cruise. I liked the idea of the ship being in port for a good portion of the cruise so I could get my feet on solid ground, with no sea days and I liked knowing that if I did get sick, it would be over in a couple days. There are a number of over the counter and prescription medications that could try to help alleviate symptoms. If you know you're very prone to it, talk to your doctor about what might work best for you.

 

[Dug720]

Alaska with the Inside Passage is super calm.

The Med is generally calm, but if you get a pop-up storm like we did my last night on the Brilliance of the Seas, it is ROUGH. We were like one step below hurricane conditions that last night and really rocking and rolling. And it was supposed to be smooth sailing.

 

[anricat]

Alaska was very smooth for us. I have pretty severe motion sickness. For our first cruise (3-day Dream Bahamas) I was okay with a Bonine every day, but not 100% (I found out later that it's safe to take up to two in a 24 hour period so I should have done 1 every 12 hours).

For our second cruse (5-night Magic Caribbean) I used the patch and was much better, though it can have some strange side effects. I tried it out a couple months in advance on a small boat harbor tour we took in Seattle and it was amazing. I said to DH, "So this is how most people feel on boats! How amazing!"

For our third cruise, since I knew Alaska would be smoother, I decided to go back to Bonine, though I took patches, but this cruise was so smooth, I actually forgot my Bonine a couple of times and then realized some hours later I was supposed to take it! With the exception of a couple of times, I didn't even know the ship was moving!

 

[Boopuff]

I have inner-ear issues and horrible motion sickness (I always had to use the "barf bag" on planes) My doc prescribed Transderm Scope its a patch that you wear behind your ear and I'll be darned if it didn't change my life! I can fly with no issues! I went on a catamaran cruise and was just fine! You leave it on for 3 days at a time. it's a lifesaver!

 

[disneyholic family]

if i were you, i would try a short cruise first just to 'test the waters' so to speak...
that's what we did since both DD and i have terrible motion sickness, both on land and at sea (and in the air and on a train and in a bus and in a car...sounds like green eggs and ham.....and just walking around on some days)..

anyway, we found that sea bands work for both of us....in all situations (including on land when we have bad attacks - seriously bad....when we can't get out of bed without...well....no need for gruesome details)..

anyway, we've found sea bands to be our lifesavers....we use them often...(both of us carry them around with us at all times, so that they're with us if we have an attack)..

and they also work for us on the ship.....it's amazing really...

according to research, sea bands work on about 60% to 70% of the people who try them....so you need to try them on dry land first to see if they'll help...
and of course, you should also take with you on the cruise the various medicines that are recommended...
the medicines were terribly unsuccessful for us...even the non-drowsy formula put us both to sleep...

but luckily we don't need them as the sea bands work (even on my cruise through hurricane sandy!!)...

but i would try a 3 or 4 day cruise first to see...
our first cruise was 3 days long - to the bahamas and castaway cay....just to see if we could do it..

.

 

[Geomom]

We did our first cruise this August, the Alaska one. Only 1 of us needed any seasickness medicine, DD16, and that was only when the boat faced the open ocean on one side (first day, sea days, morning of glacier day)--it was fine when we were going from port to port--the sea was like glass on the inside passage. DD16 only ended up taking 3 of the meclizine tablets (free samples I grabbed from a bin near health services), DD16 did wear seabands the whole time as well. I felt queasy shortly after we got underway, but ginger ale at dinner settled my stomach and I was fine the rest of the trip. The funny thing is DD12 felt next to no movement on the ship--but get her on an airplane with the slightest bit of turbulence and she feels sick.

 

[SpaceSquirrel]

Any cruise w/ Bonine and seabands is a good cruise. I get motion sick at 3D movies so I feel your pain but w/ bonine and seabands I'm good to go. The patch made me really sick. (just bring two pair of seabands so you have a wet pair and a dry pair)

 

[jeepnjudy]

Any cruise NOT during hurricane season!

 

[Savikins]

I have bad motion sickness issues especially when it comes to boats. Before I started taking Bonine it was a serious issue on my past cruises. Bonine has proven to be a lifesaver, and in lighter seas ginger gum does the trick. Sea bands don't work at all for me and neither does Dramamine. Before I tried Bonine, the first night and day of a cruise was was terrible and I would always be so nauseous that I'd essentially lose a day. I'm glad I never had to try the patch or any of the prescription only motion sickness stuff because they have scary side effects.

 

[mischief32]

I also get motion sick and was concerned about getting seasick. The only time we had problems was when the ship was moving fast. By that I mean when we left port and got a good speed going to get to Nassau the next day. We took Dramamine but the first night was a bit miserable for me but I was okay after that. We did a 4 day Disney cruise to the Bahamas. We are planning to cruise again. I think I will try Bonine this time.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Of all the cruises I have done I find it is the sea / ocean that makes a difference. So far for me I found the med the calmest. But you will still see me on the Bahamas 4 night cruise most years ! It very rare to get it really bad. Nothing that has stopped my love of cruising!

 

[clten]

From purely a motion perspective, my recommendations would be Alaska or the Mediterranean. But I'd recommend Alaska over the Med from a cruising/motion perspective. The Med can be port intensive so you don't really get the full cruise experience with a good mix of port days and at sea days. Alaska you have that blend so you can see which parts of cruising you like as well as see how you handle a little motion.

 

[Dug720]

Our DD10 really really really really wants to go on a Disney Cruise. I get VERY motion sick and especially sea sick. I am doubtful that we will ever go on a cruise. BUT...just in case...which itinerary (anywhere in the world) is the best for motion sickness? i.e. Which route goes through the calmest

Thank you for providing one answer to a question that I've always wondered about... Why would someone who knows they get seasick purposely choose a cruise for vacation? Because I make it a practice to not willingly do something that makes me sick - like go to a seafood restaurant because just the smell of fish makes me nauseous. So I was curious as to why people pay to do something that makes them ill.

 

[hanscarlet]

Bahamas

 

[anricat]

Thank you for providing one answer to a question that I've always wondered about... Why would someone who knows they get seasick purposely choose a cruise for vacation? Because I make it a practice to not willingly do something that makes me sick - like go to a seafood restaurant because just the smell of fish makes me nauseous. So I was curious as to why people pay to do something that makes them ill.

Well, for me, I get very motion sick, but it's easy to control with medication (either OTC or prescribed) and we love everything a cruise has to offer. The first thing, for us, is that we can go to multiple destinations and have all different types of adventures. We like busy and active vacations with a lot of variety and a cruise is exactly the type of vacation that provides that. Logistically, setting up a vacation like the one we had in Alaska on our cruise would be very time consuming and difficult with a lot of unpacking/packing.

 

[Dug720]

Well, for me, I get very motion sick, but it's easy to control with medication (either OTC or prescribed) and we love everything a cruise has to offer. The first thing, for us, is that we can go to multiple destinations and have all different types of adventures. We like busy and active vacations with a lot of variety and a cruise is exactly the type of vacation that provides that. Logistically, setting up a vacation like the one we had in Alaska on our cruise would be very time consuming and difficult with a lot of unpacking/packing.

Cool! Thanks!