Why not cruise? -pt2

Seasickness.

Today we will touch on another reason or excuse to not cruise.  That dreaded word...Seasickness!

You are afraid you will be seasick on a large ocean liner.  It is understandable.  If you have never been on a large ship before, you probably equate that with your ride on a ferry, or small boat.  Even in calm waters, those things can get a bit rough.  Or, you may have taken a cruise 20 or more years ago.

Today’s ships have state of the art stabilizers that I cannot even begin to explain how they work.  While I will agree that you might have a short period of adjustment (to get your ‘sea legs’), over all the movement of the ship is not all that noticeable.  In fact, several nights I have found myself at dinner when we were pulling out of port, and only realized we were moving because I happened to look out through the window. 

Some people find the movement of the ship helps them to sleep at night.  (While I cannot personally vouch for that, I did notice tons of people sleeping in deck chairs!)

But for arguments sake, let’s say you are still worried about seasickness.  I will tell you from someone who suffers from terrible vertigo, the only time it bothered me was when I would be sitting (like at dinner) and look out the window to see the port pulling away.  (or to be more accurate, we were pulling away from the port, but it seemed to be the opposite!) However, when we were on open sea I rarely even realized we were moving!

So, what can you do?  First action is to prevent it.  Some people swear by Sea Bands. I have never used them, but have a few clients that love them.  Again, I’m not sure how they work, but I believe it has something to do with a pressure point on your wrist.  I like the patches.  You have to have a prescription to get them, and each one lasts for a couple days.  Each patch lasts for 2 to 3 days.  Without insurance (because some will not cover it) they run about $70 at my local drug store.  Prices, of course, will vary depending on your local Drug Store.

Then there are the Dramamine pills.  These are available without a prescription, and are only a few dollars.  Several brands including Bonine are available.  Oh no!  You forgot to pack them?  They are available from the ship’s doctor.  And even for sale in most gift shops onboard ship.

If you don’t want to resort to medication (the Dramamine pills tend to make me very sleepy) there are several natural ways to combat seasickness.  Some work and some are just old wives’ tales.  The most common natural remedy is ginger.  Either in tea or candy form.  (this one has a scientific basis, but don’t ask me to explain it) 

But as more than one doctor has said, no one dies from seasickness (Even if you wish you could!) 

Next week, we are going to touch on ...Boredom!