Carol’s new husband wants to take her on a cruise but she is worried about seasickness.
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Q. Carol
I have recently re-married and my new husband is a massive fan of cruising holidays (he has been on around 18 cruises). He is now keen for me to go on a cruising holiday with him, but I fear that I will be seasick. I have only ever been on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry from Melbourne to Devonport and I was quite unwell on that journey. Are there things I can do to try and find my sea legs and combat my seasickness?
A. There are few things worse than going on holiday only to feel sick and unwell for the majority of the time. Your experience on the Spirit of Tasmania, however, is not necessarily indicative of how you will fare on a larger passenger liner. These modern passenger liners are much more stable and with the use of the stabilisers that are used in large cruise ships you would not even know that you are on the water.
Seasickness can also disappear once your body has acclimatised to the motion of the boat. However, if you do decide to go on the cruise with your husband there are some things that you can do until your body is used to the motion of the ocean:
- book a mid-ship cabin where you will experience the least amount of motion
- get plenty of fresh air
- drink plenty of water
- keep vertical, as you will be more prone to feeling the motion of the sea when you’re lying down
- getting involved in activities will help keep your mind off the feelings of dizziness and nausea
- walking around will help combat the effects of the motion of the sea
- eat little and often – light meals will be easier to keep down than a full-on three course meal.
If these tricks don’t help, there will be an experienced physician on board who will have many clever cures for seasickness, but it’s probably worthwhile visiting your own GP to ask for some advice.
Only you will know how bad your seasickness is and whether or not you think you’ll be able to combat your nausea, but hopefully, it won’t stop you giving cruising a go.
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