How To Prevent Seasickness on Your Next Caribbean Cruise

Cruising to the Bahamas or Jamaica can be a dream come true. The exciting nightlife, excellent food, beautiful beaches and bustling shopping areas all add up to a perfect vacation. If you’re prone to travel sickness, you may have never dared to make your way to St. Maarten or St. Thomas via cruise ship. Luckily, there are numerous remedies for sea sickness that can make cruising the delight it’s meant to be.

Choose Your Stateroom Wisely

Before you even set foot on a Caribbean cruise, you will have to choose your stateroom. You may be tempted to pick a room on an upper deck for its proximity to activities or a forward or aft facing room with a balcony for sweeping views, but if you’re prone to motion-activated nausea, your best bet is mid-ship. The steadiest rooms are the ones on a low deck even below the water level. If all you plan to do is sleep in your room, then this might be the cheapest and safest option to avoid motion sickness.

Pack Natural Remedies

There are plenty of natural remedies for motion sickness that range from old wives’ tales to tricks your mother taught you. You never know which ones are going to work for you, so pack them all and keep trying different ones until your nausea subsides and you can enjoy all the shipboard activities.

• Ginger is one of the oldest remedies for motion sickness that dates to ancient China. Ginger candies, tea or capsules can be taken daily to alleviate your symptoms. Many studies have shown ginger to be an effective natural remedy for an upset stomach.
• CBD gummies derived from hemp plants help you relax so that you don’t waste your time worrying if and when sea sickness will strike. CBD gummies also help you sleep so that you are well rested and ready for your shore excursion to the market in Fort-de-France, Martinique.
• Chamomile tea can also help you sleep better, but more importantly, it can help reduce acid in your stomach and relax your stomach muscles. There is no reason not to throw a couple tea bags in your suitcase along with your bikini.
• Licorice root lozenges may not suit everyone’s taste buds, but anecdotal evidence suggests that these herbal drops can help an upset stomach.
• Plain saltines and a glass of a carbonated soda was the tried-and-true upset stomach remedy for many people when they were children. The reason your parents gave it to you is because it worked, so don’t discount this simple combination just because you’re an adult.

Use Alternative Medicine

Anti-nausea or pressure point bands rely on the traditional Chinese medical practice of acupressure which asserts that energy flows through different areas of your body and can be manipulated by pressure. The knitted bands generally have a small plastic dome attached to them which pushes on the P6, or Nei-Kuan, acupressure point inside your wrist. Clinical studies have proven that wearing these bands can help relieve nausea in some people.

Aromatherapy has also gained supporters from those suffering from sea sickness. Some people swear by a combination of ginger and lavender in a personal diffuser or roll-on applicator, but peppermint is the most widely used.

Get a Prescription

Scopolamine patches go right behind the ear and work for up to three days. They require a doctor’s prescription. Likewise, promethazine, an antihistamine that also helps with motion sickness, can be taken before you embark on your cruise. Before to check with your doctor about possible side effects such as drowsiness and dry mouth.

While you’re waiting for your various motion sickness remedies to kick in, go on deck and breathe in the salty air. Keep your eyes on the horizon and avoid looking at your phone or other nearby objects. Avoid cigarette smoke, spicy food and alcohol until you get your sea legs. If you plan on catching up with your reading during your cruise, consider audio books instead that you can enjoy while walking around the outdoor track in the sunshine. Before you know it, you’ll be in Cozumel or San Juan living your dream vacation.