My husband and I are taking our first cruise, Western Carribean on Enchantment of the Sea, w/ our kids (14 & 10) and my mother, in a couple of weeks. My concern is how do I keeping my kids and mother from experiencing motion sickness, and should the seas be calm for boating this time of the year. Ports of call are Cayman Islands and Cozumel.

Hi mcgriff, and welcome to cruise-chat.com!

There are several remedies for seasickness, but please consult your doctors and the kids' pediatrician before trying any medications, even over-the-counter ones. The safest remedy, and one that works very well for me, is a green apple. This was told to me by a crew member years ago when I was traveling in my first trimester and couldn't take anything.

Are you doing any small craft boating excurions in the Cayman Islands and Cozumel? That might require a different strategy.

The Caribbean is a funny thing this time of year. Last Tuesday it was 35 knot winds and 8-10 ft. swells. Then two days later nearer to Cozumel it was as smooth as glass. Many things affect the surface conditions and they are hard to predict. Lisa is right in warning you about taking over-the-counter medicines without checking with your primary care physician. If you are currently on any type of prescription they may react negatively with your current medicine. Also, the vast majority of motion-sickness medicines don't fix the problem. They just merely put you to sleep for several hours. That being said, you will be able to obtain Bonine or something equivalent free of charge from a ship's infirmary.

Is there a history of motion sickness? My family has done three cruises. East Carrib. West Carrib and Bermuda. My wife has a history of car and air sickness and was a bit scared about a cruise. Our first one (east Carrib) was as flat as could be and she had no problems without any meds. The second (west carrib) was pretty rough. My wife did pretty well with no meds. My oldest son was sick one evening. The roughest night out (Not sure if it was the two dinners and the two chocholate deserts, the motion or both). The third (Philly to Bermuda) departed out the mouth of the Delaware Bay on the heals of a hurricane. I have heard many stories about this crossing without a hurricane so we both thought it prudent to take something. We used the dramamine patch. It was horrible. All we wanted to do was sleep. And it dried me out really bad. We pretty much just slept through our "day at sea". As it turned out the seas weren't that rough after all and we probably didn't need it. So I guess what I am trying to say is if you don't have a really violent history of motion sickness, try to go without. Just my $0.02 worth.

Good advice ricks, very few people will experience motion sickness issues and those who will usually know before traveling they have a problem. If riding in a car or watching the motion of a child on a swing make you queezy, you're prone to having an issue and need to prepare for a problem. If you don't have issues in your regular daily routine you're not likely to have a problem on a large ship. Unless that is, you experience very rough seas. Another factor is the size and age of the ship. The larger the ship the less felt motion. The newer the ship the better the stabelizer technology it will have.

For most with a minor onset, the green apple idea is a good one. Also Ginger tabs help many. Don't resort to prescription meds unless you feel you have to.

Cheers, Neil

We agree 100% with TrvlPro regarding the use of Ginger Pills and munching on green apples. We have been cruising over 55 years and they have neverfailed us or our shipmates. They have no side effects and are safe and natural to work with. We have brought the seasickness bands with us but have never had to use them!

Bon Voyage,

BillyBuzzy

I know people here have mixed feelings about medications, but I am very prone to motion sickness and I always wear a Transderm scopamine patch when I cruise. It works very well. The only thing is, there are some side effects. Obviously it varies person to person, but it usually gives me dry eyes. I consider it worth it for not feeling nauseous. Like I said, I get motion sickness in "real life" too

Just got back from a Western Caribbean on the Grandeur. Had rough seas all week long. Alot of the excursions in Cozumel and Grand Cayman were canceled The ship rocked the whole time. I was assuming it was because of the age and size of the ship. None of use got motion sickness but we still feel the movement and we got back on Saturday - how long does this usually last?

Normally, it's gone in a couple of days. Sometimes it will last for a week. I usually feel it most in the shower. I don't get sea sick, but after I'm off the ship it takes me a few days to quit feeling like I'm moving.

I have used the Transderm Scopamine patch with great success. The good thing is, you can leave it off until needed and that way you won't have to put it on unless you start feeling queezy. If the seas are rough or you start feeling a little "unsettled", just pop a patch behind the ear and in a jiffy you are good to go. These require a prescription. You can always try the ginger and green apples and have the patch in standby if needed.

quote:

The good thing is, you can leave it off until needed and that way you won't have to put it on unless you start feeling queezy.

I've heard that you need to put on the transderm scopolamine patch 24 hours before you think you'll need it, as it takes that long for it to work. I'm happy to know you've had success with it right away.

Sandy

Sandy,

That is what the packaging says to do but I went without it for a while and the first couple of days were really rough so I put on the patch and a few hours later, no queasiness at all. Now, I never really got sick before putting it on but just queasy.