Best cabin for seasick prone person

[snorkler8]

Hello all. I am taking my DIL on her first cruise. She gets car sick on a straight road lol But she wants to try cruising. We are going to book a 4 day cruise out of Florida (Miami to Nassau and Bimini...cant risk HMC or Princess Cay because it being tendered.) in February to see how she does.  I know "low and center" on the ship is best, but I wonder if it would be better if she had a window verses a balcony verses an inside cabin??  

Also, since it is in February would a cruise out of Galveston be more calm seas??   I've mostly done cruises out of Galveston...pretty calm waters. TIA!

[canes20]

Most of the time you do not even notice the ship moving unless looking out the window at the horizon. I would say inside. Which ship, the bigger the better with movement. And yes, middle and low.

[VentureMan_2000]

Center of ship between front and back, and center deck.

Look into daughter taking ginger in capsule form.  Ginger helps a lot with motion sickness without all the side effects of Dramamine or patches.

[Joanne G.]

My suggestion would be balcony for fresh air.  I believe window would be next best, as it is my understanding motion sickness comes from your body  (inner ear) sensing movement that your eyes don’t see.  I’ve read suggestions for people feeling motion sickness to resist the urge to lie on a dark room and instead get out on deck so that the body sees and feels the movement together, if that makes sense.

 

Good move to avoid tenders. They can bounce around a lot. 
 

I admire her courage in wanting to try cruising. One of my sons, who as a child would get car sick pretty much before we hit the end of the driveway, has no interest whatsoever in getting on a cruise ship, even though he outgrew the worst of his motion sickness. 
 

 

[snorkler8]

I wondered if seeing the ocean would make it worse...thanks!

 

13 minutes ago, canes20 said:

Most of the time you do not even notice the ship moving unless looking out the window at the horizon. I would say inside. Which ship, the bigger the better with movement. And yes, middle and low.

e only cruised out of Florida once, many years ago...

[snorkler8]

14 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

Center of ship between front and back, and center deck.

Look into daughter taking ginger in capsule form.  Ginger helps a lot with motion sickness without all the side effects of Dramamine or patches.

I discovered ginger powder works best after a rough PNW cruise years.  I shared it with everyone at my table and they were very grateful lol

[JDCMN]

Years ago on the TV show Mythbusters, they tested multiple anti sea sickness remedies. As VentureMan mentioned, ginger capsules were the winner. Ginger capsules are easily found in any pharmacy (e.g., Walgreens) in the vitamin section. I've even taken them when feeling nauseous at home and they worked pretty fast. 

 

Two other helpful items are:

- Eating a green apple (can usually be found in the buffet). This was mentioned by the Carnival employee conducting the ship's tour.

- Looking at the horizon (something to do with equilibrium). This may help decide whether to go up on deck or to get a balcony/ocean view stateroom. 

 

As for stateroom location, as others have mentioned, low and mid ship has the least movement. 

 

Wishing you and your DIL all the best on your cruise!

[canes20]

1 minute ago, snorkler8 said:

I wondered if seeing the ocean would make it worse...thanks!

 

e only cruised out of Florida once, many years ago...

The captain will always try to avoid bad conditions. if swells are not over 8' to 10' we do not pay much attention but we have been on several cruises. I take a Bonine every morning when I get up, no matter the sea conditions. My wife has not had any problems, she did do the patch once but said never again because of how she felt after the cruise was over.

[snorkler8]

3 minutes ago, Joanne G. said:

My suggestion would be balcony for fresh air.  I believe window would be next best, as it is my understanding motion sickness comes from your body  (inner ear) sensing movement that your eyes don’t see.  I’ve read suggestions for people feeling motion sickness to resist the urge to lie on a dark room and instead get out on deck so that the body sees and feels the movement together, if that makes sense.

 

Good move to avoid tenders. They can bounce around a lot. 
 

I admire her courage in wanting to try cruising. One of my sons, who as a child would get car sick pretty much before we hit the end of the driveway, has no interest whatsoever in getting on a cruise ship, even though he outgrew the worst of his motion sickness. 
 

 

Hmmm, I may have to rethink this. She says she honestly doesnt know which would be better for her...seeing the ocean or not. I sent her a link of a youtube to watch about one of the ports.  Just the guy walking as he videoed did her in lol

Yeh, after watching some youtube videos I decided that would be a nightmare for her to be on a tender boat!

[snorkler8]

4 minutes ago, JDCMN said:

Years ago on the TV show Mythbusters, they tested multiple anti sea sickness remedies. As VentureMan mentioned, ginger capsules were the winner. Ginger capsules are easily found in any pharmacy (e.g., Walgreens) in the vitamin section. I've even taken them when feeling nauseous at home and they worked pretty fast. 

 

Two other helpful items are:

- Eating a green apple (can usually be found in the buffet). This was mentioned by the Carnival employee conducting the ship's tour.

- Looking at the horizon (something to do with equilibrium). This may help decide whether to go up on deck or to get a balcony/ocean view stateroom. 

 

As for stateroom location, as others have mentioned, low and mid ship has the least movement. 

 

Wishing you and your DIL all the best on your cruise!

Thanks!  

I tried the green apple once..nope.  Didnt help at all! I take a little bottle of ginger powder just in case because it really works for me.  But I havent needed it for the last few cruises.

[OneLuckyMom]

Seeing the horizon helps. Per an article I found, "doing so helps your eyes 'see' the motion, which will then send signals to the brain more in alignment with what the inner ear is 'telling' the brain".  So balcony cabin is best in my view, ocean view otherwise. No inside.

 

Otherwise, center low as you said.  If center not available, aft is better than forward.

Edited July 28, 2023 by OneLuckyMom
spelling

[ObstructedView2]

3 hours ago, snorkler8 said:

I know "low and center" on the ship is best, but I wonder if it would be better if she had a window verses a balcony verses an inside cabin?? 

 

Hi @snorkler8🙂

 

Middle of ship; Lower deck; Balcony Cabin (fresh air)

 

Have a terrific sailing!

 

 

 

🍹

[Drazil65]

DH very prone to motion sickness in anything that moves 🤥, so always center/middle of ship, balcony.  He needs the fresh air if he starts feeling bad and the horizon.  Plenty of Bonine and Dramamine (non drowsy) and we always keep ginger ale in cabin as well.  He starts the Bonine or Dramamine first thing the morning of embarkation and uses it about every 3-4 hours for the first couple of days.  After that, it is as needed throughout the cruise, he keeps the chewable type on him so he can pop one quickly at the first sign but truthfully, he really does not need the pills much after the first couple days (unless bad weather).  

 

We also avoid the aft section of the ship if things are rocky (like the MDR) as that seems to be the worst area for rocking/motion.  We just prepare a little more and if he does start to feel a little queasy, he just goes to the cabin to lay down for a little bit and its all good.    

[Essiesmom]

On our first cruise we discovered we couldn’t lounge on our beds and read in our OV cabin with the heads of the beds under the window.  We had to leave the cabin and move around the ship.  I still find that true.  If I start to feel funny, I put on my sea bands and change position.  In which case, make sure the heads of your beds are not against the outside wall.  So you don’t want to book an inside or OV cabin with upper bunks because the beds will invariably be under the window.  EM

[john91498]

I wouldn't take her at all. My nephew got horribly sick and we watched him suffer for 3 days. Needless to say, he'll never cruise again.

[ngrund]

Have her ask her MD about patches.

[JoseyP]

I have been on over 40 cruises, 4 being transatlantic.  I figure i have gotten seasick about 10% of the time. Not too bad.  But i DO get inside cabins. I am a real stickler about being midship. I will even count the cabins on a deck to see where exact mid is! (not necessary). If you get an inside, there is always the prominade deck, which is usually on a lower floor. All the fresh air you want. Looking at the horizon and breathing in deep, fresh ocean air helps a lot.  Of course the sea conditions are the main thing, and there is no predicting that.

I am glad she wants to try cruising.  She may find it opens a whole new world for her. Didnt take my first til i was about 48, and then got hooked, even with some sea sickness. The cures mentioned really help. Best wishes!

[Chief93]

My personal experience has been that cabins with beds that are not aligned to the ship are better....lemme try to splain it....almost all cabins have beds aligned so that your body is in line with ship, so when the boat moves up and and down so does your head.  But a few cabins have the beds perpendicular to the long axis, and the movement of the ship feels different.

 

My wife swears by the scopolamine patches.  Fun Google fact, scopolamine has existed since the middle ages and is the source of the depiction of witches riding brooms, tho the reason why may not be safe for work.

[ober134]

Bonine!

[Ashland]

If she gets that ill she needs to consult her primary care physician. Only they can offer her what would work best knowing her medical history.

[MBP&O2/O]

Car sickness and motion sickness at sea are totally and utterly different kettles of fish.

 

If she is that concerned then staying at home could be a preferred  option.

 

Whilst trying to avoid any overly bad weather is normal, sometimes you can't .... luck of the draw.

[shipgeeks]

A balcony cabin will be on a high deck, so that deletes the benefits of being low.  Medical centers on ships are always on the lowest deck, and center, for stability reasons.

[K32682]

If she's that predisposed to motion sickness the best cabin for her would be a luxury suite at a nice resort. The differences among cabins in different areas of the ship would most likely be inconsequential for someone seriously vulnerable to sea sickness.

 

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by K32682

[mom says]

As someone who has suffered all her life from motion sickness on just about every form of vehicle, I will disagree with the previous 2 posters above. Cabin location on the ship  does make a difference. The higher up, and the further forward or aft, the greater the amount of movement. The lowest balconies are generally around deck 6. On a ship with 12-15 (or more) decks, this is proportionally plenty low enough to reduce (but not necessarily eliminate) movement, and can make a big difference in comfort level.

Until she can determine for herself how she will react to being on a ship, it's best that she prepares herself in advance for the need for preventative and remedies. The first step is to consult her health care provider for suggestions for both pharmaceutical  and non-pharmaceutical methods. Bonine/Less Drowsy Dramamine (generic name Meclizine) is an OTC med often recommended by sea sickness sufferers as a preventative. It is also the med often supplied by the ship for those with motion sickness. Any medication should be tested at home for untoward side effects before being used at sea.

[YourWorldWithBill]

On 7/28/2023 at 3:13 PM, snorkler8 said:

I discovered ginger powder works best after a rough PNW cruise years.  I shared it with everyone at my table and they were very grateful lol

My wife has fairly strong motion sickness. What others have said about the middle of the ship and not upper decks is correct about the best areas. The ear patches cause extreme dry mouth, so that my wife stopped using them. She takes Dramamine, but as @JDCMNsaid, studies have shown that ginger is the most effective. 

 

I have some degree of motion sickness, and found that taking a couple of strong ginger tablets work wonders. I found that contrary to what is supposed to work looking outside, doing the opposite and just staring at the wall, being very careful not to see any indication of the ship's motion, works for me. Last cruise I was standing in the ship's casino area, no easy outside view, and I got through some rough seas pretty easily.