Top tips to combat seasickness on a cruise
Seasickness is like the Police Academy film series. Not fatal, but not a lot of fun.
And it can be the death knell of an enjoyable cruise experience. So instead of bemoaning the fact that you’re feeling a bit queasy on your cruise (unless it has less to do with the sea sickness and more to do with the 20 prawn cocktails you ate at the buffet) take advantage of the remedies mentioned in this article and start feeling better.
Drug remedies
There’s a range of options available if you’re a serious seaksickness sufferer. Over the counter drugs that help fight seasickness include:
- Dramamine
- Meclizine
- Diphenhydramine
Most ships will have versions of this freely available if you haven’t managed to get out to a pharmacy prior. When you’re taking these drugs though it’s important to remember there are side effects which can be exacerbated by alcohol.
Drug-free remedies
That being said, if you’re not a big fan of taking drugs you don’t have to be sad and sea sick on a luxury cruise. There are a range of useful drug-free remedies that many regular cruisers swear by, including:
- Sea-Band wristbands, an easy-to-wear acupressure-inspired product with a plastic bead that presses against a pressure point on the palm side of your wrist. It might sound a little bit kooky, but tonnes of regular cruise goers swear by the system.
- Ginger, which studies have found to alleviate nausea associate with motion sickness.
- Green apples and crackers. Again, sound kooky, but many cruisers swear by them.
Other tips
There are a number of tips also designed to help you acclimatise yourself to sea life:
- Spending plenty of hours on the deck at the start of your cruise.
- Booking an outside cabin in the middle of the ship – the natural balance point.
- Having a window that gives you a consistent view of the horizon point.
- Picking a large, modern ship or a cruise with a port intensive itinerary.
Related links:
12 most luxurious cruising suites in the world
10 images from the golden age of cruising
8 reasons to go on a cruise by yourself