Motion question

[Happy Teach]

Hi everyone, this will be me and my husband's first cruise and I'm concerned about the motion of the ship and noise in our cabin. We are currently booked on the Elation in cabin E210. Can anyone tell me if this is a good choice and also tell me how much motion is normally felt?

[sparky-elpaso]

Welcome to CC and the great world of cruising. Just a hint - it's a good idea to mention the cruise line when asking a question about a specific ship. I had to look up Elation to find it was Carnival. :)

 

Your cabin in towards the stern of the ship so you may feel a bit of motion if the seas are a little rough. Think of the ship as a teeter-totter - midship has the least motion. Cruise ships are really quite stable - it takes some pretty good size waves to cause much movement.

[cb at sea]

Large cruiseships are not like fishing boats or even, ferries! If it's rough, though, you will feel it! We've been on ships where it's been hard to walk up and down the stairs because it was so rough!

 

Bring some Bonine or Dramamine...something, just in case!

[Happy Teach]

Welcome to CC and the great world of cruising. Just a hint - it's a good idea to mention the cruise line when asking a question about a specific ship. I had to look up Elation to find it was Carnival. :)

 

Your cabin in towards the stern of the ship so you may feel a bit of motion if the seas are a little rough. Think of the ship as a teeter-totter - midship has the least motion. Cruise ships are really quite stable - it takes some pretty good size waves to cause much movement.

 

I was thinking that E210 on the Carnival Elation was more toward the aft of the ship...since it's our first time I want to try to take every precaution to prevent either of us getting seasick but I'm hoping it's smooth sailing!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Buy some sea bands

[Ehpride]

Unless either one of you typically suffers from motion sickness in other forms, you should be fine. If you do, you should have a pretty good idea of your triggers already.

 

I have had motion sickness from before I can remember. My triggers are when I can feel motion but not see it. The cabin location isn't as important to me because I don't spend all my time there anyway. Much of my time there is spent sleeping anyway. I get a balcony so that I can see the horizon and have fresh air. In the dining room and show lounges, I try to sit facing the way that the ship is moving. It helps balance my inner ear when I can't see the motion.

 

Bonine helps prevent. So do ginger capsules, but start them a few days before you leave so they can build up. If necessary, I'll drink a sprite or ginger ale to settle my stomach.

 

I don't use sea bands because I'm not willing to risk enjoyment to test them. I would also want to remove them for evening and don't want to risk suffering then.

 

That's probably way more than you need to know, but hopefully it helps someone!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mom says]

I was thinking that E210 on the Carnival Elation was more toward the aft of the ship...since it's our first time I want to try to take every precaution to prevent either of us getting seasick but I'm hoping it's smooth sailing!

 

You are both correct. The terms aft and stern are often used interchangeably, even though they are technically not the same. The stern is the back end of the ship. Aft is a direction- as in " you have to go aft to reach the stern".

 

As well as your location fore or aft, your deck level plays a role as well. The higher up on a ship you are, the more movement you will feel. This is one reason why we always try to get a midship cabin on one of the lowest balcony decks.

 

Most modern ships are amazingly stable, and once you have gotten your sea legs,you will quickly become accustomed to the usual movements and noises of the ship. I would also recommend, however, that you bring along some Bonine or Dramamine just in case.

[OCruisers]

The "motion of the ocean" can be a good thing ... sort of rocks you to sleep! :)

 

Expect to have a great time on your cruise! :D

 

LuLu

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[Happy Teach]

Thanks for all of the comments. This will be our first cruise and I want it to be great, not spend it sick or scared to death! We will be going to Progreso, Yucatan and Cozumel. Any suggestions on what to do at those places that will allow us to go at our own pace and relax when we want but not be bored?

[mom says]

Thanks for all of the comments. This will be our first cruise and I want it to be great, not spend it sick or scared to death! We will be going to Progreso, Yucatan and Cozumel. Any suggestions on what to do at those places that will allow us to go at our own pace and relax when we want but not be bored?

 

You should spend some time on the ports of call forum. Lots of info and opinions there from those who have BTDT. Also ask opinions on your roll call thread.

[bbwex]

Will there be some motion? Yes. Will it bother you? Who knows. Nobody can make a blanket statement one way or the other as to your cruise since the motion on any given ship at any given time is extremely complicated. While a cabin somewhat towards the stern will move more than one amidships if the ship is pitching (bow and stern going up and down), the most common motion is rolling (side-to-side) and in that case, you distance along the bow-to-stern axis is irrelevant. Now it becomes a question of how high or low your cabin is with respect to the Center of Motion -- again very complicated, and not readily available information.

 

So the question really is, will you get seasick?

 

First of all, most people don't get seasick, and if you do, it almost always passes in a day, once you get your sea legs. Yes, I know, there are some people (a very, very, very small number) who seem to take several days to get over it.

 

Seasickness is primarily caused by a conflict between the eyes (if they are not seeing the motion) and the inner ear which detect the motion. So, prevention is somewhat easy -- stay someplace where you can see the motion until you get your sea legs. Staying out on deck and watching the horizon is the cure, and the fresh air will help as well. If you are inside, stay near a window so you can see the horizon. If you are not feeling well, do not go inside and lose sight of the seas. The other thing is to eat normally. While this seems counter-intuitive, an empty stomach is not the answer. Keep away from greasy foods and don't overeat, but eat normal meals at normal times.

 

As for the remedies:

 

Ginger is clinically proven to dramatically reduce or prevent all motion sickness. You can take ginger pills (available in any drug store), eat candied ginger or ginger snaps, or drink real ginger ale (though you might need a lot). This is a natural remedy obviously, but proven to work. Start taking or eating it just before the ship gets underway, but you do not need more than an hours' time for it to get into your system.

 

Some people, as noted in a previous post, swear by the seabands, others notice no effect whatsoever. Again, no medications, but not always effective.

 

Bonine and dramamine are OTC medications available everywhere. They will work for most people who get seasick. They should be started before getting on the ship. Ships also dispense generic forms of these pills.

 

For cases of severe seasickness where nothing else has worked, there is the patch. The most common side-effect is dry mouth, but there can be some serious side-effects as mentioned and including hallucinations. If you know you are going to get seasick, and you have tried other medications without success, and your doctor recommends it, get the prescription filled in advance and try it for a week on dry land first -- you don't want to start hallucinating as you walk along the rail while you are at sea.

 

Perhaps most of all, don't worry yourself into it. If you don't get motion sick in other situations, you are likely to be fine or will be fine after a few hours. While cruise ships do move in the seas, and rough seas can cause a lot of motion, bear in mind that they are not anything like small pleasure craft that bob and bounce along all the time. Motion on a cruise ship tends to be much, much slower and less dramatic. If it were a really common problem, you wouldn't see so many cruise ships out there. For most passengers, the gentle motion is calming. Cruise lines try to avoid rough seas when they can, though that is not always possible, and the seas are not always coming from the right direction (Mother Nature can be soooo finicky). For the most part, though, relax and enjoy. Odds are that you are going to be just fine, and the initial prevention suggestions should be enough by themselves.

[JimAOk1945]

Thanks for all of the comments. This will be our first cruise and I want it to be great, not spend it sick or scared to death! We will be going to Progreso, Yucatan and Cozumel. Any suggestions on what to do at those places that will allow us to go at our own pace and relax when we want but not be bored?

 

It's a good idea to visit the cruise line website and see what types of shore excursions are offered for your sailing.

 

Cozumel has a lot to offer. It's a good place to window shop near the port area where the ship docks if you don't go on a shore excursion.

 

Are you a history buff? Consider going to one of Mayan ruins in Progreso. We have visited Uxmal and Chitchen Itza on Carnival shore excursions. It was an all day visit on two different cruises, but we thought they were both worth the time, effort, and expense.

[obnurse]

Happy Teach, Welcome to Cruise Critic and congratulations on your first cruise. You are sure to have a wonderful time! On our first cruise we had an arsenal of over the counter remedies for just about everything. You probably won't need anything, but be prepared just in case and have a great cruise!