Ali: Cruising

Let's start this off by saying I suffer from motion sickness, badly! I get sick on 15 minute ferry rides, long winding car trips, turbulent flights and definitely can't handle motion simulators or rides that spin. But I have noticed, thanks to the 10+ cruises I've done, I think I'm beginning to handle it better.

So, if you're thinking of going on a cruise and don't know if you'll suffer from motion sickness/sea sickness, here are a handful of tips that should help you avoid feeling sick at sea.

Tip #1
On my very first cruise I got very sick, and you might not know this but generally once you begin to get sea sickness and start being physically ill, it's hard to stop. I couldn't keep food day, tablets down, liquids down and it was pretty much at every bump or big movement of the ship, I was nauseous, it wasn't fun.

So off I went to the medical centre. (Guys important reminder, GET TRAVEL INSURANCE, this place is expensive and you don't want to be caught out). There were like 50 other people queued up all waiting for the one thing, a cure to us all being sick. In I went and the doctor gave me a jab of Phenergan - my lifesaver! Within 10 - 15 minutes I already felt better, he then gave me Phenergan tablets and told me to take them every 8 hours and it worked!

I now take Phenergan on every cruise I go on, and for Australian's you can purchase this at the chemist, no script needed and it's behind the counter.

Before all my cruises now I start taking Phenergan the day before, this is key with any sort of travel sickness medication you take, it just means it's already completely in your system before you board. I then take a tablet every 8 hours, I even have a system 7am, 3pm and 11pm - this is when I'd take a tablet.

The worst sea day, leaving Australia anyway, is always the first day, so if you were going to be sick it'd be then. I noticed both times I cruised the Caribbean I barely felt the ship move, so I haven't bothered to take anything after deciding the seas weren't that rough. Pretty much if I felt good and the seas weren't that rough, I wouldn't take anything, but as soon as I felt anything I'd grab a tablet straight away.

Keep in mind, if you do choose to take Phenergan, it can make you sleepy. Straight after I take one I try and do some sort of activity so I can push past that 15 - 20 minute period of sleepiness.

Tip #2
The bigger the ship, the less it rocks. So maybe if you're fearful of getting sea sickness on a cruise, try and go on a bigger cruise ship first? Also the most modern ships have great stabilisers that help the ship not to move as much.

Tip #3
Something to consider when booking rooms, the higher level up the ship, the more you sway. If you have a cabin on Deck 12, compared to someone on Deck 6, the person on Deck 12 will feel far more motion than the person down further. I always aim to stay somewhere in the middle.

Tip #4
If you can afford it, get a balcony room! When you start to feel sick there is nothing worse than being a stuffy room. A balcony allows you to open the door and let the fresh air in. It really helps if you feel sick and you can just sit out there and feel the wind in your face, which feels amazing when you aren't feeling well.

If you can't afford a balcony and you begin to feel sick, head for an open deck - just so you can get some fresh air.

Tip #5
Some people find ginger really works. I know people that take ginger travel calm tablets, some eat ginger cookies or some order ginger ale to settle their stomach. This doesn't help me, but it can help people who don't get sea sickness as badly as I do.

Tip #6
It didn't work for me, but a few other kids I knew tried the pressure bands that go on your wrist. None of them felt sick while wearing these, even though we went through rough seas. I definitely feel like these work better on kids, because I know adults that have tried them and they still felt sick (me for example). So still debatable if they actually work, but the kids I know to have worn them haven't been sick.

Tip #7
If you're American (not sure if it's sold in other countries?) grab some Dramamine. When I did my 2 cruises from America I used this instead of Phenergan and it worked really well. Granted, I don't think Caribbean cruises are anywhere near as rocky as cruises leaving Australia, but still I feel like they helped and tonnes of other people I know that cruise in America take this.

I also found this didn't leave me as drowsy as Phenergan, so there's that.

And there we go, these are my tips for helping to prevent sea sickness. Let me know in the comments below what you do if you suffer from sea sickness!

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1. It's affordable

Cruising can actually be a really cheap holiday. For example this year I've booked a 7 night cruise going to Papua New Guinea and stopping at 4 locations for $500 per person, so $2000 for an entire cabin. That's pretty damn cheap if you ask me.

This is your accomodation, food and entertainment all included for $2000. If you are a family of 4 that is a cheap holiday. Sure you have to pay for drinks but even then it wouldn't get too expensive.

Sure some cruises can be expensive, but wait for the deals. Sometimes booking really far in advance can save you a heap of money, other times deals will come out randomly because they want to fill the ship and pretty much cruises are always dirt cheap if you can leave in the next week or two - most people just can't do this.

2. Food!
Oh cruise food, I love you. On most cruise lines you have at least a buffet, speciality dining, room service and a sit down restaurant - and it's all amazing!

It's pretty much guaranteed most people gain weight while on a cruise, but it's okay guys it's worth it.

There is always a wide variety of food that would even satisfy the fussiest eater would enjoy. You could have italian food, asian food, burgers or just good old steak and don't get me started on the desserts - some cruises even have a free ice cream machine. If you're a foodie, go on a cruise I don't think you'll be disappointed.

3. So many activities
What do you even do on a cruise? So much my friend, so much. On cruises I turn into a bingo loving, trivia fanatic - which I don't do at home by the way.

On your cruise you can choose to participate in all the activities they have on and you can find about these activities every night via a little piece of paper that's left in your room. Different cruise lines call them different things but they are pretty much daily guides. They tell you what the weather will be like, what you should wear to dinner, the deals currently on and of course the acitivties that will be running.

Never fear, if you want to just watch movies or go to the spa or sit in a chair and read a book - you can still do that! But, there are a heap of activties you can choose to join in on too, and best of all most are free. So don't fear that you'll ever be bored on a cruise, you might even be like me where all of a sudden there is too much on that you want to do and your have clashes.

4. You unpack once
This is definitely one of the best parts! You can travel to 10 different places and each time you don't have to unpack your bag, it's so nice. You get onboard and unpack once, you can feel settled and know you don't have to worry about jamming everything back into your bag the next day.

5. The destination
Cruises nowadays stop at so many amazing destinations. I know they usually only stop in port for one day, but I actually like this. I get to get off and decide if it's worth me coming back here one day, maybe to do a longer holiday. It also really helps you tick off a bunch of destinations in the one holiday.

Of course you can also choose to not get off the ship, heck you might lobe cruising so much you just don't want to get of and that's fine.

6. Experience new ships
So this might be something you begin to appreciate more as you do more cruises, but it's actually one of my favourite parts now, experiencing a ship I've never been on. Sometimes I actually get more excited about the ship rather than the destination.

Cruise ships are mind-blowing. So many times I've been left standing on the ship thinking how on earth does all of this fit in here. Different cruise lines have different designs and it's fun learning the ins and outs, experiencing the different styles and seeing what they have to offer. Some ships have ice rinks, some have rock climbing walls, so have over 20 restaurants and some even have bars where robots make your drinks. Cruise ships are just amazing guys.

7. Great for big families
Yes, yes and yes! I've been on some cruises where I have had over 50 family/friends onboard. It may sound crazy but it works. You can all do your thing but you're still so close together.

You don't have to plan a holiday and try and think how on earth to entertain everyone, on cruises and everyone can keep themselves entertained but you can still do many things together as a family because truly you're never too far away from each other on a cruise - but you can also spend an hour or two looking for a single family member, yes this has been me before.

8. Entertainment
Finally the entertainment. Cruise ships have broadway style shows of a night time with fantastic singers and dancers. Some nights they have comedians, other nights they might have a hypnotist, they also have really funny guest game shows which are not to be missed. Not to mentions some cruise lines (not that I've experienced it) have ice skating shows and shows in a aqua theatre with divers.

Other nights you might have themed nights which can be a tonne of fun such as island night, rock 'n' roll night, a white party, glow party etc etc. The entertainment onboard a cruise ship is not to be missed.

These are just some of the reasons I love cruising. Are you a fellow cruise lover? Let me know in the comments below why you love cruising!

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