Are you worried about Seasickness?
Folks who have never cruised, always ask about it. At the same time there are people who suffer from seasickness but cruise anyway. Can you imagine? It must be a really great experience if they are willing to risk being sick on vacation to do it, right? Not so fast! Maybe there isn’t a risk after all. When you Travel Like an Architect™ you are prepared for almost anything, because you already thought all about it!
What would you say if I told you there was a science to cruising in calm seas?
Would you believe me if I told you that there was a reliable prevention or cure for Seasickness?
Have you ever really stopped to think about it?
Since windy weather is the cause of choppy water, choppy water is the cause of seasickness. We all know that many aspects of weather are seasonal. Therefore it makes sense that you can predict when the sea might be rough as opposed to when it is likely calm. Large ships handle motion better than small ships. New ships have better stabilizers than old ships. In a broad sense, cruising the Caribbean in North America’s Winter will be almost motionless, as opposed to cruising the Caribbean in the Fall, when it can be quite rough. Cruising around the horn in South America is always rough – the dining tables are chained to the floor and they wet the table cloth to prevent it from sliding off. Everyone who cruises there should be aware of this and prepared! If you’ve never cruised before asking a Travel Agent for advice is good practice.
Do you also worry if your kids will get sick? The first time we cruised with our kids we picked a short cruise. Because we didn’t want to get there and find out that one of our little darlings was susceptible to seasickness. We deliberately booked an inexpensive Carnival 5 Night cruise out of Miami. Being stuck on a ship for longer than that with a motion sick kid, didn’t sound fun to us at all. We figured that it was worth the small investment to test the girls tolerance for the motion of the sea. They were 8 and 13. You could do the same, if seasickness is of concern.
As we suspected Suzee and Amy were way too excited about cruising to give the motion a second thought. We had purchased “sea bands“, and made them wear them – at least at first. By formal night you can see that they weren’t wearing them any more.
I myself have never been seasick. I also have never personally sailed with anyone who was seasick. I have been on a ship in rough seas, where many went to bed early, and there were missing faces at the dinner table. It was difficult to navigate the guest corridor, kind of like being drunk. I’ve had a little practice – haha. I believe seasickness is a real thing, that can have several causes. I have seen people who wear a patch that they obtain from a doctor at home. It is a small adhesive circle that is placed behind their ear. I have also heard of people who obtain medicine from the ship doctor, when they cruise unprepared.
The following article was published by Royal Caribbean’s Chief Medical Officer in December of 2014.
But let me tell you more about how those “Sea Bands“ work.
Sea Bands worked for Rob really well. Rob does almost all the worrying for our family, and he’s proud of it. I myself worry more about fashion. Rob has been cruising since before I met him. Often times I find myself referring to “the other wife” when he shares his cruise memories. When Rob and I embarked on our first cruise together, he was proudly sporting his “sea bands“. He had brought some for me too… but I only wore mine long enough to look in the mirror. I decided that if I felt sick I would put them on, not a moment sooner. But Rob didn’t want to risk it. He wore them day after day, cruise after cruise. Until one of our more adventurous itineraries, when he apparently FORGOT! When leaving the Amazon River we could tell when we were officially in the ocean, because the sea was ROUGH!
No Sea Bands here! Surrounding Devil’s Island are some of the roughest seas we have experienced…
Days into the trip I found them in our toiletry bag. “Hey – you haven’t been wearing your Sea Bands” I said. “Hmmm….. you’re right” Rob replied. “I guess I don’t need them!”!! (He hasn’t worn them since!)
We can come to two conclusions… both the same, Sea Bands work and there is no need to worry about Seasickness!
Sea Bands are designed to work with a pressure point applied to the wrist. A similar concept to acupressure – a little pressure in just the right spot – prevents seasickness. In fact the company claims that they are effective drug-free relief from motion sickness, morning sickness, chemotherapy related nausea and post-operative nausea…. They claim that Sea Bands work for many different kinds of nausea, not just Seasickness!
I think Sea Bands worked for Rob in a different way…. Since Rob likes to worry, he was legitimately worried about seasickness. Many people are. Maybe you are one of them. Rob loves to cruise, so Sea Bands were his reliable compromise. Sea Bands enabled Rob to cruise without worrying about Seasickness! He cruised for many years worry free wearing his preventative bands! Soon being worry free became normal, at least as it related to seasickness. Once Rob stopped worrying about being seasick he didn’t need the Sea Bands any more.
Now it could be true, that he would have been seasick in the beginning, if he had not worn them… or maybe he would have been fine, like me. We will never know. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that he has been all over the world on cruises instead of being scared to cruise because he might get seasick!
He has never been seasick once!
Is the fear of seasickness writing your story? Here are your real options.
Cruise to a place where the water is calm and you will experience “Smooth Sailing”. A River is almost NEVER rough. There are amazing River Cruise options! 310 to be exact.
Cruise at a time of year when the sea is calm. Rob and I recommend January to March in the Caribbean to first timers.
Test yourself out on a short cruise first. There are 3-5 night options from many ports of call. Starting at just $179.00 – woo hoo!
A Travel Agent can help you select a stateroom that is located in a place with the least amount of motion. An Architect Travel Agent really understands the floor plan and the motion – please give us a call! 815-516-0300. Myself, I am addicted to the rocking of the ship at bed time. It makes me sleep like a baby. Maybe you will love it too!
Get some Sea Bands and take a giant leap out of your comfort zone! Because, in the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take… You might feel the motion but you also might be just fine, like most of us.
Visit your family doctor for a prescription for an oral medication like Dramamine and Meclizine, or Scopolamine patches to place behind your ear. These are tried and true. Why suffer or worry, when you don’t have to?
There are so many options to consider before letting fear stop you!
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