Question About Sea Sick and Xpedition

[seacruiserla]

My partner is easily sea sick, but we had no problem at all on big cruise ships (e.g. on Century last year). We are booked on Xpedition for January 6, 2013. We are wondering if other people who have been on board the Expedition and the zodiac they use for tendering (and who might be easily sea sick) can tell us their experience on this ship. What was helpful to avoid sea sickness without getting too drowsy with having to use medications. Thanks. --Terry

[Phxazzcruisers]

The Galapagos was the BEST cruise ever. I get very motion sick, even in airplanes and cars. The only way I can cruise is with the Scoopolomine patch. We do not have bad reactions to the patch at all. We actually did not need it in the Zodiacs or for most of the Galapagos cruise. Most of the time the water was very calm. The only time we got sick was when everyone was on the top rack trying on scuba gear. It seemed to effect most of the people on the cruise. I guess it was a combination of bending over and slightly rough seas. Again, the patch saved us !! Enjoy the cruise. Again, it was the very best my partner and I have ever been on !!! We will definately do it again

[Merriem]

I totally agree. It is one that I would do again. Calm seas, beautiful weather. You will be fine

[seacruiserla]

Thanks for the tips. --Terry

[phoenix_dream]

Sorry, but just because someone else has calm seas and beautiful weather does not mean you will. Wish it were true, but it is not. These ships, due to size, will have more motion than larger ships in similar seas. That is not an opinion, it is a scientific fact. The patch does work wonders for some - for me it did not do the job on a small-to-mid cruise ship with the 20' seas we had. I took it off and used regular Dramamine and survived (with some difficulty:(). I am not trying to tell you to go or not go - I would love to go myself but have the same concerns as I am very susceptible to motion sickness. You also can't really tell how someone would handle a particular cruise just because they did well on another cruise/ship. How they did may have directly related to the seas that time, in addition to the ship. I have been on cruises approx. 30 times and I have been on the same ship and had seas like glass with no issues, and at other times on that same ship had to fill up on meds. It all depends. The scientific facts are that those ships will cause one to experience more motion than a large cruise ship for the same seas. That said, if you get lucky and the seas are calm then everyone will be happy:)

[Mysteryreader]

I hesitate to say that my experience must be the General Rule. Nevertheless, here goes. We did a Xpedition cruise in early Dec. Motion sickness is a familiar state for me. Let me count the ways.... I got seasick on a Baltimore Bay tour. :-( But this was a cruise I was willing to suffer. I always take the chewable dramamine before/during a cruise. And I continued to do that during this cruise.

 

But I'm not sure I would have needed it. The ship is small, yes, but it's also close to the water. There wasn't that "high on the cork on the water" feel ... ever. The zodiaks were never a problem b/c I was looking around; keeping track of the horizon is the key to avoiding motion sickness.

 

I have a big problem w/ the patch ... I get drunk. My one and only experience w/ the patch was my last. But there was never a moment on the Xpedition that I thought for even for a second that maybe the patch was needed. The ship is almost always w/in sight of land; movement was less than I expected.

 

And above and beyond, this is a cruise you absolutely want to take. Motion sickness should not be your concern.

 

M/R

[MicCanberra]

Ginger lollies, pieces, cookies, and tablets, etc are what is best for myself and my wife. We prefer to steer clear of the drugs and stay with natural products if possible. That said we carry kwells (motion sickness drugs) just in case. :D

[phoenix_dream]

I have also had good results with ginger products for some degree of motion - it is certainly worth a try. Unfortunately I have never found that to be enough if the seas are moderate to very rocky, particularly if there are big swells. I would personally advise on these ships in particular to start out taking some meds and then drop them if you find they are not needed. Once motion sickness kicks in it is much harder to stop than it is to prevent in the first place. Not sure why, but that is what medical authorities advise.

[ghstudio]

First...take the cruise...it will be the best cruise of your life. It is most likely that there may be a little rocking of the ship and perhaps a little more motion on the Zodiac's, but take the trip.

 

I can almost assure you that since you are raising the question of "will I get seasick", you are going to get seasick. You see, the only way to get to the boat is on a zodiac...the eXpedition doesn't actually dock anywhere. You are going to be worried about being seasick, focusing on it, asking yourself.."am I starting to get seasick" with every movement of the zodiac and you will convince yourself that you are getting seasick. Don't feel badly about this..you are not alone

 

When we were on the eXpedition, about 1/3 of the passengers skipped the first dinner because they were feeling "queasy". Guess what....100% of the passengers showed up for breakfast the next morning. The seas hadn't calmed...yes, they were pretty calm to start with...but so many worry about getting seasick their mind creates the sensation of getting seasick, unrelated to any ear/balance real causes. No one missed a shore excursion due to being seasick.

 

You should take medication or whatever you believe will help prior to getting on the plane in the morning...so you are fully "medicated" by the time you get to the ship to embark. If you think a copper bracelet will stop you from being seasick, wear it; if you think that a rat's paw (or you pick it) is in your pocket will keep you from being seasick, put it in your pocket. (these work because you beleive they will work...). Or wear a patch, take a non drowsy bonine/dramamine or whatever. By the second day, you'll likely not need that medication.

[ariawoman]

Ginger lollies, pieces, cookies, and tablets, etc are what is best for myself and my wife. We prefer to steer clear of the drugs and stay with natural products if possible. That said we carry kwells (motion sickness drugs) just in case. :D

 

I did the best on ginger pills, twice a day, 2 550mg pills each time. I've tried the patch and ended up needing physical therapy for 6 months after it for dizziness (vestibular therapy -- no clue why but the only tie i have is taking off the patch then the dizziness beginning). On my next cruise I tried dramamine, no good. Made me feel weird.

 

I too will try to stay with natural products from here on out. Also, if you do feel seasick, getting out on deck is better than laying in your cabin, even though all you'll want to do is lay in the cabin. I do still feel the seas, and do get a little queasy, but i was happy to report that I was able to be up and about on every day of my last cruise, while taking the ginger. I had at least 1-1.5 days of seasickness on every other cruise on the medicinal things.

[phoenix_dream]

First...take the cruise...it will be the best cruise of your life. It is most likely that there may be a little rocking of the ship and perhaps a little more motion on the Zodiac's, but take the trip.

 

I can almost assure you that since you are raising the question of "will I get seasick", you are going to get seasick. You see, the only way to get to the boat is on a zodiac...the eXpedition doesn't actually dock anywhere. You are going to be worried about being seasick, focusing on it, asking yourself.."am I starting to get seasick" with every movement of the zodiac and you will convince yourself that you are getting seasick. Don't feel badly about this..you are not alone

 

When we were on the eXpedition, about 1/3 of the passengers skipped the first dinner because they were feeling "queasy". Guess what....100% of the passengers showed up for breakfast the next morning. The seas hadn't calmed...yes, they were pretty calm to start with...but so many worry about getting seasick their mind creates the sensation of getting seasick, unrelated to any ear/balance real causes. No one missed a shore excursion due to being seasick.

 

You should take medication or whatever you believe will help prior to getting on the plane in the morning...so you are fully "medicated" by the time you get to the ship to embark. If you think a copper bracelet will stop you from being seasick, wear it; if you think that a rat's paw (or you pick it) is in your pocket will keep you from being seasick, put it in your pocket. (these work because you beleive they will work...). Or wear a patch, take a non drowsy bonine/dramamine or whatever. By the second day, you'll likely not need that medication.

I will agree with you on one point - thinking you are going to get seasick makes you more susceptible to it. Beyond that, I find your post insulting and condescending. I could quote specifics, but why bother. You obviously don't get seasick and clearly display a superior attitude towards those who do.

[MicCanberra]

Sea sickness for some people, is a very serious issue. Everyone is different even some drugs / natural products etc, will affect people differently. Thinking positive will help and so will taking product whatever helps. Mic:D

[3littlepigs]

Think positive!

I think your cruise will be so amazing you won't even notice the motion of the boat.

I think you are less likely to have a problem on a zodiac than on a cruise ship because you are out in the fresh air with a breeze on your face, a great cure for seasickness I have found!

Enjoy your cruise, I am very envious!

[ghstudio]

I will agree with you on one point - thinking you are going to get seasick makes you more susceptible to it. Beyond that, I find your post insulting and condescending. I could quote specifics, but why bother. You obviously don't get seasick and clearly display a superior attitude towards those who do.

 

Actually, I have been extremely seasick and continue to get seasick when the water is very rough...I have been seasick on my own boat when fishing. I also know, from experience, that if the ship is not pitching so much and I feel a little queasy, I'm not going to get violently ill so I just put something in my mouth to give me a good taste (could be ginger, could be a lifesaver) and unless things get worse, I generally don't get sick.