Going on a cruise with kids who get carsick.

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Forum -> Children's Health

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amother

Yesterday at 10:39 pm

Any advice? Has anyone ever done it successfully?
They throw up pretty often during car rides. Tried the motion sickness stickers you put behind your ears. My kids throw up if they take Dramamine.

amother

Amber

Yesterday at 10:42 pm

No advice for a cruise but my daughter who nothing helped for seems to be best with taking benadryl.

amother

Jean

Yesterday at 11:05 pm

Hmmmm why take motion sickness prone kids on a cruise?

amother

Mayflower

Yesterday at 11:12 pm

You might get lucky I’ve never done it but I’ve heard from other people that cruise ships are so big you don’t even feel it

I would second pp questioning the logic of taking the risk of providing a miserable experience for your kids at a time you’re presumably trying to give them an extra special fun experience

amother

Snowdrop

Yesterday at 11:21 pm

Why are you taking them on a cruise? Doesn't seem like a smart idea to me.
Though I did see an idea that supposedly helps with motion sickness. You put 2 bandaids in a criss cross over the belly button.

giftedmom ↓

Yesterday at 11:27 pm

As someone who gets motion sickness and whose kids get motion sickness… don’t do it. Just don’t. The world is big enough there is plenty to see and do on dry land.

amother

Firebrick

Today at 12:00 am

If my parents would take my carsick younger self on a cruise, I would not be appreciative of that. Sad

amother

Oxfordblue

Today at 12:32 am

I get motion sickness and have tried, and tried and tried again.
I have tried everything from green apples and ginger ale, to wrist bands, patches behind my ears, prescription medication……. Just plan a different trip.

amother

Seagreen

Today at 1:42 am

My daughter went after high school on a cruise and she gets super carsick. Yeah, she threw up often and the car as a kid and even older, but she was 100% fine on the cruise. She brought some motion sickness medicine, but in the end, she didn’t even need it. If it’s a huge cruise ship, tou really really shouldn’t feel it.

amother

Tanzanite ↓

Today at 2:01 am

I'm crazy sensitive to motion, and I've gone on cruises. Some were okay, some nights really not. Most cruises I've gone on spend a lot of days in ports when you're off the ship on land. In those times, the bulk of the days are obviously fine.

I never looked into if there was a way to predict this, but the worst for me was when the waves were really bad. If you can look into if there are times of year that's less likely and which waters are less choppy, maybe you can plan a cruise that's less likely to cause it. I'm not sure if that's a thing though.

The other really bad time is in port. That's when the ship isn't moving, the waves are kind of just pushing it back and forth in one spot. I'd recommend not boarding the ship early the day of departure. Board close to as late as you can (but not too late!) so your kid isn't already extremely sick by the time the ship pulls out.

Also, if your kid is ever feeling sick, try as soon as possible to take her to open air, at the part of the ship that's least nauseating. Don't make her wait until she's finished dinner, just take her there, even if that means you're eating dinner on a lounge chair on an upper deck.

bigbird

Today at 3:08 am

I got this tip from a flight attendant who used to work on cruise ships and use it successfully with my kids now on flights. Start Dramamine or whichever motion sickness tablet you use 24-48 hours before you travel. It has something to do with balance in the ears or something - regardless, it means that their body has adjusted well before travel.

amother

Apricot

Today at 8:38 am

I know someone with major motion sickness who went on a cruise and suffered the entire time, so some people do “feel it”

OP, just don’t even try it. Not worth the risk

Batsheva1

Today at 8:57 am

I was nervous about that myself the first time I cruised. I came prepared with motion sickness patches and Dramamine. It was a non issue. These ships are so massive like floating cities, it's not the same feeling as a small boat. The only time it was an issue, which is very unusual, was when there was some kind of storm. This happened once when we returned to NY from a cruise to the Caribbean. I didn't have my medication at that time as it wasn't my first cruise and thought I no longer needed it. The cruise ship provided Dramamine to everyone and we were all fine in the end. I do recommend you bring something along like patches or Dramamine just in case but you'll see everyone will do better than you expect. You'll have a great time! After our first cruise, my husband and I became hooked. It's a great way to vacation.

amother

Acacia

Today at 9:22 am

I don't get car sick and the first and last time I was on a cruise, I had motion sickness.
It sounds like it can go either way for your kids.

EPL

Today at 10:22 am

The advice I got before my first cruise is, do not go over to the edge of the ship and look out at the water at all on the first day. The 2nd or 3rd day, you can look out at the water from a distance. Do not go over to the edge and stare at the waves. By the 3rd or 4th day, I was pretty used to it and I was fine.

↑ giftedmom

Today at 10:29 am

EPL wrote:

This would make zero difference to anyone who gets sick from the actual rocking of the boat. If anything I get more sick indoors vs in the fresh air.

amother

↑ Tanzanite

Today at 10:36 am

Batsheva1 wrote:

I agree with your conclusion, but not all of the rest. I'm not sure if you got very lucky or you're not prone to motion sickness, but I'm pretty sure I've felt motion sickness on multiple cruises between NY/Caribbean or Florida/Caribbean. There are only a couple of standout nights where it was awful though because the seas were choppier.

Op, since my post earlier, I googled this and apparently there are some waters that are less choppy so better for motion sickness prone people.

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