It's almost time for my cruise and I am scared..

[V2000]

I am days away from paying my cruise in full. I am getting a little scared. I never been on a cruise ship before. I guess I am afraid to be out in the middle of the ocean. I also worry about sea sickness.
Tell me about how you got over your fears to cruise!

Also, do you recommend the sea sick bracelets or pills?

 

[mandylovesdisney]

I was the same way when I took my first cruise. I made sure I had every remedy for seasickness there was, and I was terrified of being on open water like that.

Fast forward 3 years later: I am about to take my 6th cruise. LOL

What I learned on my first cruise: I was WAY over prepared for seasickness. I felt a little off (not sick) the first night, then I was fine. I took bonine every morning just in case...I have an inner ear problem so I didn't want to chance it. I still take it on every cruise as a preventative. I also have to take it for a few days after my cruise so I don't feel motion on land.
Being on the "open water" was awesome! Sea days are my favorite.

Relax everything will be fine and you will have so much fun you won't even think about anything else.

Edit to add: My husband begged me for years to cruise....I tell him now that I bet he wishes he never did that b/c he created a monster! lol

 

[Jess_S]

I don't have a fear of boats, so I can't speak from personal experience. However, my husband is very afraid of boats and I have dragged him on 3 cruises. On our first cruise, he told me after he boarded the ship that it was nothing like he expected. (His actual words were, "This is just like Disney World.") He didn't have any issues with fear once he was actually on the ship.

I do get sea sickness. For me, the bracelets do absolutely nothing. I take bonine and that helps a lot. We sailed right after the tsunami in Japan (back in 2011) and the seas were super choppy and I felt the motion, but not in a sick way. Bonine does make me drowsy if I take it during the day, so my strategy is to take 1 pill every night before I go to bed (starting with the night before embarkation). I also pack ginger chews and an aromatherapy oil that helps with vertigo (I think it's called devertigo). I generally only need those if we do smaller boat excursions like snorkeling and whale watching.

 

[Cirlonde]

I can't speak from experience but I can sympathize! We are getting ready to take our first cruise in May and I am already anxious. To help me feel more comfortable with it, I've been reading trip reports on these boards and watching various youtube videos of people on their Disney cruises. It helps me get excited and reminds me that if so many people love cruising so much, it can't be that scary!!

My husband has tried the SeaBands to combat motion sickness that he sometimes gets on rides and they were useless (for him). Other people swear by them. Dramamine does help him with carsickness, but often makes him sleepy (even the non-drowsy kind). When we do our cruise, he's talking about looking into getting the patch if possible but our fall back is going to be doping him up with Dramamine at night and hope it lasts through the day without drowsiness. I've also read that starting the meds a day or two before your cruise is beneficial.

 

[Justacruiser]

You can get over the fear of the cruise by continuing to read posts on the website. It will really help you to read the different topics and get others opinions.

Take some Bonine and start taking 24 hours in advance. That way you are covered, you can stop taking once on board if the seas are calm.

 

[MUN]

I am days away from paying my cruise in full. I am getting a little scared. I never been on a cruise ship before. I guess I am afraid to be out in the middle of the ocean. I also worry about sea sickness.
Tell me about how you got over your fears to cruise!

Also, do you recommend the sea sick bracelets or pills?

I don't get sea sick and I calm my fears by drinking quite a bit of booze. Unless you're on a transatlantic cruise, you won't really be in the middle of the ocean, but you will be surrounded by plenty of water. I don't blame you for being scared, I've been on 6 cruises and I have a bit of anxiety about being surrounded by that much water. However, most of my cruises have been pretty smooth sailing and sea sickness doesn't really impact me. If you don't drink, perhaps try Xanax or valium.

Bon Voyage!

MUN

 

[V2000]

I was the same way when I took my first cruise. I made sure I had every remedy for seasickness there was, and I was terrified of being on open water like that.

Fast forward 3 years later: I am about to take my 6th cruise. LOL

What I learned on my first cruise: I was WAY over prepared for seasickness. I felt a little off (not sick) the first night, then I was fine. I took bonine every morning just in case...I have an inner ear problem so I didn't want to chance it. I still take it on every cruise as a preventative. I also have to take it for a few days after my cruise so I don't feel motion on land.
Being on the "open water" was awesome! Sea days are my favorite.

Relax everything will be fine and you will have so much fun you won't even think about anything else.

Edit to add: My husband begged me for years to cruise....I tell him now that I bet he wishes he never did that b/c he created a monster! lol

You are so cute. Thank you!

 

[V2000]

I don't have a fear of boats, so I can't speak from personal experience. However, my husband is very afraid of boats and I have dragged him on 3 cruises. On our first cruise, he told me after he boarded the ship that it was nothing like he expected. (His actual words were, "This is just like Disney World.") He didn't have any issues with fear once he was actually on the ship.

I do get sea sickness. For me, the bracelets do absolutely nothing. I take bonine and that helps a lot. We sailed right after the tsunami in Japan (back in 2011) and the seas were super choppy and I felt the motion, but not in a sick way. Bonine does make me drowsy if I take it during the day, so my strategy is to take 1 pill every night before I go to bed (starting with the night before embarkation). I also pack ginger chews and an aromatherapy oil that helps with vertigo (I think it's called devertigo). I generally only need those if we do smaller boat excursions like snorkeling and whale watching.

Oh, so you recommend taking the night before? Is that because it takes a while to kick in? Okay! That's a good suggestion.

 

[V2000]

I can't speak from experience but I can sympathize! We are getting ready to take our first cruise in May and I am already anxious. To help me feel more comfortable with it, I've been reading trip reports on these boards and watching various youtube videos of people on their Disney cruises. It helps me get excited and reminds me that if so many people love cruising so much, it can't be that scary!!

My husband has tried the SeaBands to combat motion sickness that he sometimes gets on rides and they were useless (for him). Other people swear by them. Dramamine does help him with carsickness, but often makes him sleepy (even the non-drowsy kind). When we do our cruise, he's talking about looking into getting the patch if possible but our fall back is going to be doping him up with Dramamine at night and hope it lasts through the day without drowsiness. I've also read that starting the meds a day or two before your cruise is beneficial.

Good point. Maybe I am more anxious than scared. Lol. But I am nervous because our family has never cruised before. I keep telling myself that the ship is so huge and i won't feel in danger.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

I have been on 8 cruises and sailed in the ocean growing up on tiny boats and I still feel a bit nervous as we pull away from the dock! The ocean is large and deep and sometimes unforgiving. But you are in a sea worthy vessel with the best at the helm. Once you get going, you relax and have nothing but a wonderful time. As for sea sickness, I do not suffer from it, but my son does. We used bands and pills. This trip our doctor prescribed the patch. That seemed to do the trick. Hope you enjoy every minute of your trip!

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Good point. Maybe I am more anxious than scared. Lol. But I am nervous because our family has never cruised before. I keep telling myself that the ship is so huge and i won't feel in danger.

THIS. The ship is VERY large. Think of it more like being at a seaside resort than on the ocean.

I do find the Bonine to be very helpful. I end up taking it the day before anyway, because fly or drive, I'll need it for the trip. I get a lot of motion sickness from lots of things, but on cruise ships, only once on very high seas (as the ship went around a hurricane) and by the next morning, even that had subsided.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I woke up after nightmares of water pouring onto a ship or falling off the ship before my first cruise. I was the one who pushed to go, though, so I wasn't going to let my fears get to me. When I got on the ship, none of the things that I was afraid of - the blackness of the ocean or movement or sense of not being on land, ever bothered me even once. It was wonderful. Yes, stuff happens, but mostly, it doesn't. You should have a great time. The ship is very stable and they take great pains to make sure you are comfortable and happy.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

I'm an old sailor in the US Navy, so the 'at sea' part for me is a joy. DW was very reluctant due to concerns re: sea sickness for herself and the 3 kids. No problems. 1st cruise, they never noticed the ship motion. 2nd cruise, there was 15 foot cross seas on day 2 as we headed south on the E Carib cruise. While we all noticed the gentle lurch here and there, there were no issues with sea sickness. That's it. If you're very sensitive, Bonine and other over the counter medicines work well, but as a PP said, you'll need to start them before you get under way. The side effects of drowsiness are real. Which cruise are you taking (Canada coast, Bahamas, Caribbean...)? Even though Harvey is violently thrashing the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and Bahamas should be OK. Canada coast is fine (just checked the other day, 1m swells). For a ship the size of the Dream Class or Magic Class, that's not even worth mentioning. Of note: the Dream Class displaces more water than a US Navy Aircraft Carrier. They're that big. Magic Class is smaller (85K tons vs 133K tons) but still enormous. I can tell you from personal experience, there's not a lot of motion. Take it for what it's worth

 

[jdg345]

Good point. Maybe I am more anxious than scared. Lol. But I am nervous because our family has never cruised before. I keep telling myself that the ship is so huge and i won't feel in danger.

It's neither anxiety nor fear, it's excitement!

Just take some Bonine as others have suggested and wear the seabands. Ginger-Ale is a helper too!

 

[Jess_S]

Oh, so you recommend taking the night before? Is that because it takes a while to kick in? Okay! That's a good suggestion.

I take it the night before because it makes me drowsy. If I take it in the morning, I need a nap by mid-afternoon. If I take it at night, I sleep through the drowsiness.

 

[jrabbit]

As far as Sea Sickness meds - here is a post that gives you a LOT of info about the various meds.

Note about Dramamine - It can and does make people drowsy (not me) that is why people recommend taking it before going to bed. On the other hand there is the less drowsy Dramamine that you only need one dose every 24 hours - that one also does not make me sleepy. It's the one that I take. And now I use it as a preventative (daily)

And not trying to freak you out about being out on the ocean - on our first 7 night Eastern caribbean cruise, the noon report by the captain stated we were over 35,000 feet of water. Wasn't freaked out before the announcement, was more than a little bit wierded out afterwards. But now that I have sailed over 20 times, doesn't bother me at all!!

 

[Shanti]

I am days away from paying my cruise in full. I am getting a little scared. I never been on a cruise ship before. I guess I am afraid to be out in the middle of the ocean. I also worry about sea sickness.
Tell me about how you got over your fears to cruise!

Also, do you recommend the sea sick bracelets or pills?

Bring pills with you, but don't take them unless you start to feel ill, as most people don't need any medication. I get motion sick in other contexts, but never have on a Disney ship, even in rough waters.

The ships are completely safe. Don't worry.

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

My wife and I take the 24 hour less drowsy Dramamine each night. We start taking it the night before we fly and continue to take it until we get back home. My wife has always been pron to motion sickness and if things get rough enough I will start to feel ill. We have never had a problem while using Dramamine.
As far as having some fear out on the ocean, neither of us have had an issue with this. In fact we prefer sea days.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I was nervous, too, which is really silly because I have been on boats, particularly sail boats, since I could walk. I think it is the idea that IF you are to get sick, you can't remove yourself from the situation. The only place on the boat that I felt movement was in the theater.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

You sound like me on our first cruise. I was so scared, nervous, excited all in one. The minute I walked on that ship it all went away. We haven't missed a year cruising since then. I know it sounds easier to say than do but stop thinking about it and enjoy the anticipation of a great cruise.