You are planning your first cruise and you can’t contain your excitement. You want to take part in all of the onboard activities and some adventurous shore excursions. The last thing you want ruining all this fun is seasickness.
If you have a tendency toward motion sickness in cars, planes, or small pleasure boats, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to get sick on a cruise ship. However, it can’t hurt to take some precautions when booking your cruise because the fear of getting sick shouldn’t stop you from experience an exciting ocean cruise. Keep these tips in mind as you plan your cruise:
· Do not book a cabin on the inside of the ship without a window. The window will provide you a view of the horizon and help keep your sense of balance. This is important since seasickness is a balance-related problem. It is a reaction of the balancing system in the inner ear to the motion of the ship. The ship’s movement in the water results in stress on this balancing system.
· Book a cabin towards the center of the ship, which is its natural point of balance.
· Plan a cruise that has a lot of port calls with fewer days at sea. The open seas of a North Atlantic crossing are often rough. Avoid a Caribbean cruise during hurricane season.
· Select a large and modern ship. The huge megaships are extremely stable in rough seas. They are all built with stabilizers that cut down on most of the motion. You may find that you don’t even notice when they leave the dock.
· If you are prone to motion sickness, consider booking a cruise in places known for their calm waters like the Caribbean (any time but during hurricane season) and Alaska’s Inside Passage.
· When the cruise begins, stay busy and keep your mind off of the motion by spending a lot of time on deck. This will also help you get used to using the horizon as your point of reference allowing you to keep your equilibrium. Face forward rather than to the side if possible.
The Power of Suggestion
Keeping these tips in mind when planning a cruise and while on the cruise can be a big help for preventing seasickness. Keeping busy while on board is one of the more important tips since there are scientific studies that show that getting seasick is not only caused by rough water but by the power of suggestion.
Many people convince themselves that if they are on a ship they are probably going to get sick. Stay entertained, stay on deck, and enjoy yourself.
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