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Scared to cruise


Happydays56
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i have always been scared of boats and terrified of going on a cruise, but my husband really wants to, so in the end we have booked one. Now I am terrified as I have read something about mal d’embarquement.and am scared I will get that. It says it affects middle aged peri menopausal women and that’s what I am. Has anyone had this

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It can affect anyone....but usually you will have no after-affects! I got it on my 1st cruise and 3rd cruise,,,but nothing on any other cruise. IF it happens, you'll know what it is, and you won't need to freak out...just know it will gradually go away. I only noticed it when I was in small spaces, like the shower or a small closet....took about a week to resolve. It's not a huge deal. Sometimes, antihistamines will help.

 

If you are "terrified", perhaps cruising isn't for you. 99% of the time, you don't even know you're on a ship. I think you need to calm down a bit, and realize that a cruise is ONLY A VACATION!!! It's supposed to be fun!

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I suspect this question is just leading us on. If it is legit, I apologize and suggest you talk to your husband about forcing you to do something that terrifies you. If you truly feel that way then refuse to go.

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I think your concern is a tad irrational.

 

Mal d’embarquement doesn’t ‘affect middle aged peri menopausal women’; it’s a rare condition and of the few people who get it, middle aged women represent a bulk of affected people. The same could be said of breast cancer, cervical cancer, and a whole host of various medical conditions. 20 million people cruise a year, if this was a common outcome you would see a lot less middle aged women cruising.

 

 

 

 

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i have always been scared of boats and terrified of going on a cruise, but my husband really wants to, so in the end we have booked one. Now I am terrified as I have read something about mal d’embarquement.and am scared I will get that. It says it affects middle aged peri menopausal women and that’s what I am. Has anyone had this

 

I've gone on more than 20 cruises and only had that once. Nothing to really worry about. Concentrate on positives instead.

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i have always been scared of boats and terrified of going on a cruise, but my husband really wants to, so in the end we have booked one. Now I am terrified as I have read something about mal d’embarquement.and am scared I will get that. It says it affects middle aged peri menopausal women and that’s what I am. Has anyone had this

 

I am neither female or middle aged. I get it. For me, it goes away in a few days and it is no real problem.

 

DON

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Both my wife and I got it after our 1st cruise. We had never heard of it or expected it until it hit is. It is not horrific, and didn't stop us doing our day to day tasks and certainly didn't stop us booking our next cruise as soon as we got back.

 

My wife was a bit worried before out 1st cruise as she is not a great traveler and tends to feel motion sick and brought a load of potions along to stop her feeling ill...We brought them all home unopened and unused. Enjoy yourself and please dont get worked up as once on board I am sure you will have a fantastic time.

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There are so many positives, and you can't live by "what if". If you did, you would never do anything. As others have said, spend your time looking at options for excursions, things to do on the ship, what to pack for your cruise, etc. This will give you more fun distractions while waiting for your cruise to be here. :)

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Just go, you will have a wonderful time. I have never heard of this mal d'embarquement thing and I have been on nearly 40 cruises including many during my middle-aged, peri-menopausal time. I think you are worrying over nothing. As others have said , be positive. Go, and have fun!!:D

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Thank you for all your replies. As you can probably tell I have an anxiety disorder and the thing that scares me the most is feeling dizzy. So I was googling to see if I would feel dizzy sleeping on a ship when I read about a woman who had mal d’embarquement and it never went. This is what set me off. I really want to do this for my husband. We have been married 35 years and I won’t fly either

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I hope you overcome the fear and go on what should be a wonderful trip for you.

 

My husband had it after our 4th cruise, and we took precautions for our fifth a few weeks ago. He did not get it again. I recommend you do some research on treating the symptoms if you should get it, but worrying is adding stress no one needs.

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I'm an anxious traveller too. But for me it's not the physical travelling but the bit before hand. I would have panic attacks in the cab if I thought the driver was going the wrong way or was lost.

 

I went to cognitive therapy for my travel anxiety, but the best thing that happened to me was the time I missed my flight. The world didn't end. I coped perfectly fine. It was not a pleasant experience but no where what I had been imagining.

 

I am still anxious before travelling but I can handle much better.

 

You may feel anxious now. But the relief will be great once you are away and nothing happens to you 😀 and you will feel less anxious the next time you cruise 😉

 

I recommend talking to your doctor about sea-sickness remedies and what to do if you feel dizzy.

 

Being proactive can help too with the anxiety, but try not to fixate on it too much (I know easier said then done)

 

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Thank you for all your replies. As you can probably tell I have an anxiety disorder and the thing that scares me the most is feeling dizzy. So I was googling to see if I would feel dizzy sleeping on a ship when I read about a woman who had mal d’embarquement and it never went. This is what set me off. I really want to do this for my husband. We have been married 35 years and I won’t fly either

 

I have panic disorder and agoraphobia and I just booked cruise number 35.

 

 

Yes I was anxious before my first cruise. But for whatever reason the first time I stepped on a ship all my fears went away. I cannot tell you if it would be the same for you I honestly never thought about it again the whole cruise because I was having so much fun!!

 

 

Because of cruising I have been able to see so many wonderful and beautiful places so I hope you will focus on the positive and try to make this cruise. If you do you will be so proud of yourself and you will find another whole world is out there waiting for you!!

 

Only those who have true anxiety issues can understand, so trust me....I do understand!! God bless you whatever you choose!!!

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If you are concerned about motion sickness I would take a preventative. I have horrible motion sickness and take bonine twice a day in the day leading up to and then throughout the cruise. I still get a touch when seas are rough but it’s very manageable.

 

I actually find that I feel the best when I lay down to go to sleep. When you are on your feet you are dealing w balance and walking with the movement along with all the visuals. When I go to bed all of that goes away and it’s more like being rocked to sleep in a hammock.

 

 

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My mum is scared of water, with not even drive over a long bridge. I got her to come on a cruise and she loved it. There was so much to do, things to see etc that she completely forgot about the concerns. Go with a relaxed mind, enjoy and I know it’s easy to say but don’t worry.

 

 

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The rocking feeling goes away after a couple of days (sometimes less). We just laugh it off and say that our bodies are still on vacation! Think of all of the fun parts of the trip, focus on the good stuff and let the not so great things slide, and you're sure to have a great trip!

 

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Vertigo and inner ear issues (like mal d'embarquement) can happen on land and appear out of nowhere. You will also read that for some very rare instances, it can affect people for years - but then if you worry about the excess possibilities, one just won't get out of bed in the mornings. I am sorry about your anxiety - it must make life and new experiences challenging; but I hope you look at the positive and build excitement rather than fear.

I used to do a lot of day sailing on various sized boats and after a few years realised that after a few hours on land, the world would sort of tilt - particularly when I was seated I would just tilt my body the same number of degrees and everyone suddenly became horizontal again.

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I used to get “land sickness” after cruises. It was weird (just felt like still being on a moving ship but on terra firma) but not debilitating or even that annoying - just weird. It would be mostly gone in a couple of days and two weeks or so post-cruise it would be completely over. I have heard that low doses of some seasickness medications starting a few days pre-cruise and continuing a couple of days after can help prevent symptoms for those prone to it, but for me it was never bad enough to consider medicating for. It was just a periodic odd sensation that never interfered with my daily activities.

 

 

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The most important thing is to relax and not worry about this "possible" condition as it is fairly unlikely to be much of anything even if you have it a little. I have cruised more than most -- I suspect that I have close to four or five years at sea -- some in the U.S. Navy, some on cruise ships, and a lot in my own sailboat. I have never had what I would consider to be mal de debarguement from a cruise ship. I have gotten off my sailboat and had an hour's period where I would wobble while on dry land, but it is more curious than debilitating, and it passes in the unlikely event that you experience it.

 

Many of our cruising maladies are partially psychosomatic. People get afraid that they will get seasick, and lo and behold they get seasick! I am sure that the same could apply to mal de debarquement. When you worry about something, it only magnifies any sensation that you do have. Some people talk about these things as if they are common. True some people experience a small amount of seasickness, but in something over 99.5% of the cases, it goes away in little to no time. If it were really a significant problem, you wouldn't see so many people cruising!

 

Cruising is safe and, frankly, lots of fun. Your biggest worry should be that you will enjoy it so much, you will want to do it often!

 

As Jimmy Buffett (or Zach Brown) say, your only worry in the world is whether the tide is going to reach your chair!

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There’s a name for that? I’ve always called it getting my land legs. I get my Sea legs and then it takes awhile to get my land legs. Carry Bonine for seasickness when you go.

 

 

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