Cruising and the Motion of the Ship

     A good friend this week has asked me to help her plan a vacation to Italy for her 50th birthday.  I think that is an awesome place to go for a milestone celebration.  I know she does not like to fly, so I asked her if she would be interested in cruising there instead of flying there.  She told me she gets extreme motion sickness, so getting it overwith in 8 hours would be preferential.

     I had never considered this aspect that keeps people from cruising.  The perception that cruise ships constantly sway back and forth and side to side would keep even one who does fine in the air and in a car from boarding, especially if they were going to be on board for 8 days straight.

     When Barbi and I boarded our very first cruise, Norwegian Cruise Lines, in Miami 2000, we truely did not know what to expect.  We were attending a meeting in a room at the very front of the ship, that had windows looking forward.  When we left the shelter of the harbor and entered the Atlantic, the front of the ship almost immediately started to rise and lower.  It wasn't that we felt it, as much as we saw it.  But because of being fascinated by the sight, we soon found ourselves feeling queezie!

     There is an aspect of being on a ship that all sailors and seasoned cruisers will tell you about.  It is "Getting your sea legs."  On that first cruise, we were able to tough it out knowing we would be in Nassau the next morning.  Interestingly, as I now look back on that trip, the day after Nassau, we were not able to get off the ship at NCL's private Island because the seas were too rough, so we circled out in the Atlantic for the day.  I remember not feeling sick at all. Ahh. Sea Legs.

     Our 2nd cruise, on the Grand Princess in 2007, we came prepared with motion sickness medicine.  This would be a 7 day cruise, with the whole first day at sea, crossing the Gulf of Mexico.  As we left Galveston, we were out on deck watching the scenery pass by, knowing there would be no troubles since we took our little pills.  Two hours later, we were falling asleep.  The next day, again after taking the pills, we could hardly concentrate on what was at the buffet, we were so drowsy.  We at length determined this really sucked, and gave up on the pills to give it a go.  What motion?  This is awesome.

     There are 2 things at play here that I want to share. 

1. The first is the Sea Legs I mentioned before.  In all the cruises we have taken since, the first day has always been the only time motion has bothered us.  On subsequent days, we continue to notice it, but our bodies quickly adapt to the movement, and we move with the ship. We are the ship. The ship and us are one!  When we get off the ship, we continue to sway, even though the land under us does not.  This can be freaky and interesting at the same time.
2. Ship Design.  I have never been able to confirm this, but I strongly believe it had a lot to do with the differences between Norwegian 2000 and Princess 2007.  The Grand Princess has Wings!  Really!  They are really called stabilizers.  When the ship encounters swells that the captain determines is causing too much movement in the ship, he deploys the stabilizers.  These wings extend from the ship, giving the appearance of wings under the water, greatly reducing the movement of the ship side to side and up and down.

     Should you give cruising a try, but are worried about motion sickness, come prepared. Whether you take an over the counter pill, have your Dr. prescribe a patch, or you use pressure wrist bands, you always want to insure your vacation will be an enjoyable one.  I would also say, once you feel comfortable, try it without any of these items.  I believe you will find your sea legs quickly and you will begin to laugh as you try to walk down the hallway, but you cannot do it walking a straight line.  There is a cruise ship joke about that.  The drunk man can walk straighter than one who is not drunk.



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