Disney Cruise Line: Sea Sickness

Sea sickness, it happens, but be prepared and you’ll greatly reduce your chances. I was working with a family today and this topic came up, so I rummaged in our archives and found this great post.

If you have already made the choice to cruise with Disney, you have done the right thing. If you are still considering a Disney Cruise Line vacation, you are still doing the right thing. But with all of the magic the surrounds a Disney Cruise there is also that one thing that can steer people away from opting for cruising at all….SEASICKNESS!!

So let’s talk about it!

Do not let the fear of seasickness detour you from Disney Cruising, just make sure you are prepared so that you are not surprised when/if it happens to you or someone in your travel party. This is like any other situation, knowledge is power.  So we will start with the basics…what causes seasickness?

The reaction of your body’s inner ear balance system to the unfamiliar motion of the ship. The movement of the ship causes stress on the balancing portion of the brain. For example, your brain knows that an item such as a wall should not be swaying; this confuses the inner ear and causes stress which causes nausea.Linda Garrison About.com

Who gets it?

It is important to know that just because you have gotten sick on an airplane or a small boat does not mean you will get seasick on a large cruise ship.  However, with that being said it is reported that those prone to motion sickness are more likely prone to seasickness.  But it is more important to point out that everyone is affected differently, just because your neighbor became seasick on their cruise does not mean that it is going to happen to you.

Do

• Try not to focus on one point
• Step outside for fresh air
• Lay on the deck
• Sleep it off (yes this is true)
• Drink plenty of water
• Face forward on the deck rather than sideways
• Take deep breaths
• Be sure to keep your stomach full

Don’t

• Eat fatty or spicy foods
• Go to a lower deck
• Stare through binoculars or stare at one point for a long period of time.
• Read

Can you cure it?

There are remedies that are known to help alleviate the nausea associated with seasickness. It is important to know that not all of these will work on everyone so you will want to be prepared with several options. When I cruised for the first time I had Dramamine with me and the Seabands…good news is they are still in the package. ;0)

Common Remedies

• Dramamine and Bonine both of these options can be purchased over the counter at most drug stores such as CVS and Walgreens.
• Scopolamine is a common prescription drug patch that is worn behind the ear. This is a very effective prescription medicine. These patches last up to 3 days and the medicine is time released.
• Ginger pills can be purchased at health food stores. Some say that this is a very effective remedy.
• Seabands are another very common remedy. These bands can be purchased over the counter at drug stores such as CVS and Walgreens. The bands apply acupressure to relieve seasickness.

If these remedies do not work for you, you will want to call the ship’s doctor. They are equipped with shots and prescription meds that can help take away the sickness very quickly. The bottom line here is to cruise fully prepared…have some of the above remedies with you prior to boarding the ship so that you don’t have to spend double the amount once you board and also know some strategies to help you get through should you start to feel slightly disoriented. Do not let the fear of getting sick detour you from hopping aboard a magical Disney Cruise!!!

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