If you are planning on going on a cruise, there are some ways you can try staving off seasickness. Time Warner Cable News’ Valarie D’Elia filed this report.
Wind gusts of up to 70 knots and waves 20 feet high are a scenario that is not exactly ideal for a cruise vacation.
When Hapag-Lloyd’s Europa 2 hit very rough seas on a media cruise from New York to the Caribbean recently, and even with the stabilizers working overtime, the weather Gods were still against her.
”I enjoyed for one hour, let’s say. And then, that’s enough, because the whole business on the ship – it’s getting difficult, people are getting seasick,” said Captain Ulf Wolter.
“I talked to the ship’s doctor and he told me he had a lot of visitors yesterday,” he added.
We consulted with a travel medicine specialist back on dry land to describe what is happening to our bodies when the ship rocks and rolls.
“Mixed signals to the brain, we are seeing one thing and the vestibular apparatus in the brain is telling us something else. That gives rise to feelings of nausea, vomit and in some cases severe vertigo,” says Dr. Alexander Lupenko of Passport Health.
Seasickness, also glamorously called Mal de Mer, does not have a fashionable cure.
“Preemptively there are patches that are placed behind the ear - scopolamine patches. There are medications that are usually over the counter, such as Bonamine, Meclizine and several others,” says Lupenko.
Holistic remedies such as ginger candies or tablets can help, as well as being careful about your cabin choice. You can try to book mid-ship, close to the waterline, with a window, so you can focus on the horizon. It also helps to breathe fresh air.
Finally, consider choosing a port-of-call heavy itinerary to minimize days at sea.