Grand Princess Next week...Scared

R

rns91294

Guest
Okay, This is my 7th cruise. I get really seasick though and need to wear the patch. My last cruise to Bermuda was rough and even with the Patch, I got sick, but it was a very small ship. On my honeymoon (carnival destiny), a 101,000 ton ship, I was actually amused by the people falling in to the walls in the 13 foot swells and I was fine. Now the patches I wore to Bermuda, I have two left and they are good through 2004. The doctor said there is no reason for me to get new ones, even though I did get sick on my last cruise. I just read on another message board on this site that a person returned from the Western Caribbean last week with 12-14 foot swells. I also hear the Grand Princess is one of the rockiest princess ships dispite its size. is this true? If so, am I in trouble? What else can I do (other than eating fruit which does help) to prepare myself for this? Can I take dramamine with the patch? Anything else? Do you think the seas could calm down by this Sunday? Thanks for the help!!
 
P

p.g.

Guest
First of all calm down, may-be one reason you didn't get sick on your honeymoon is because you had " other " things on your mind!!! LOL
Seriously , half of getting sick is a mind set ( no I don't mean you don't really get sick) it's like the emergency rooms at our local hospitals are the quietest on Christmas morning( cause everyone is opening their presents and ignoring their pain) .
You have the patch, it worked before, I don't think taking draminane(sp) with it is safe, ask the doctor ( or better yet a pharmasist they know thier drugs) if there is some other drug that is more effective.
Second we were on the Grand years ago and I didn't notice it being too bad at all, I only have a slight bit of seasickness so I'm may-be not super sensitive.Hopefully you got a cabin in a decent location ( mid ship , not too high) and may-be last time you were a bit run down so you suffered more. Try and rest and eat lightly before your cruise, and I really do hope that you don't suffer this time. It's awful having to drug your self up so much that you get drowsy( gravol does that to me) and miss out on the fun. The weather can and does change quickly so you may hit it lucky and have NO PROBLEM at all !!
Make sure you wear your patch before you feel ill, before you get on the ship, it's a lot harder to "stop " feeling sick than to avoid it in the first place( sort of like when you have a little headache so you don't take anything hoping it will go away but it doesn't , it gets worse, then even when you take an aspirin it doesn't work).
Good luck let us know how it goes!!
 
R

rns91294

Guest
I take the patch 4 hours prior to sailing. And I have been on 6 cruises before and have been fine, a little sick on some, but nothing going outside doesn't help me with. As for my room, it is mid ship, but all the way up, right under the pools. We ended up getting $300 off for that room versus a room on the lower levels, and we really can't afford the cruise to begin with (but don't care because it is a cruise, right?) so saving the extra money sounded good so we could have more money to spend on excursions and what not. Besides, I am barely in my room to begin with. Keep your fingers crosswed for me and I will let you know how it goes.

And I think the fact that my sinuses are acting up right now is not helping me either. Can you tell that I actually really need this vacation? Can't wait to get away.



Post Edited (11-04-03 17:39)
 
D

DJA

Guest
One method that works for a lot of people is not to have an empty stomach when the ship is rocking... keep some crackers or bread in your room.

A lot of people say the Grand is rocky, but I've been on it 4 times and hardly noticed anything. If anything it's mostly pitch not roll...if you look at the horizon you can see it but you don't really feel it.
 
L

Lady Jag

Guest
I don't think being seasick is a mindset at all. My son got very seasick on the Grand and he didn't even know what it was. He had never heard us speak of it before.

The two times we've been on the Grand, we noticed the movement. In D701 with 4-8 ft. waves - no problem. In E-733, fully aft with 18 ft. waves & 50 mph winds - yikes. It was bad to say the very least. Seems like the wind plays a huge part in the Grand's movement.

If your cabin is midship, you'll be FINE no matter what it is like. My mom's cabin was mid-ship on the Emerald Deck when we sailed with the rough weather. Her cabin hardly moved, just a simple sway - no loud smashes, cracks, moans, pitching and rolling like we had aft.

Nibble on food if you think it's going to be a rough sailing before you head out. Check out the waves pre-cruise at:

<http://www.fnmoc.navy.mil/products/WAM/natl_swht_000.gif>

Expect the worse and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! :) :)
 
P

p.g.

Guest
Lady Jag, I didn't mean that getting seasick is "all in your mind" ( I know it isn't ) I just meant worrying yourself too much about it can only make it worse( which is true!)

Rn91(shortened because it 's too hard to look up at your name again LOl) - Your sinuses can certainly make things worse, hope you can get that under control before you go. Are you flying to the port?? If so maybe think about taking something extra for them on the flight, the change in air pressure can really hurt and then you've go t a week of dealing with that!
Here's to hoping the weather is fine and all this was for nothing!
 
R

rns91294

Guest
I agree. I have been on six cruises in the past and have felt the motion on some and nothing on others. It really does depend on the weather. I do know that going outside always help me feel better so at least I know I can do that. Thanks for the other site info LadyJag. I am going to call the doctor for recommendations on my sinuses although I hope they clear up by then. I am about to start a new thread of something else I am bummed out about. Please read it if you see it. Thanks for all your help. And even if I get a little seasick like on my last cruise to Bermuda, I know I can still have a good time. I will expect the worse and be prepared, but no matter what, I will not let it ruin my vacation!!!!

And yes, I am flying



Post Edited (11-05-03 10:45)
 
R

rns91294

Guest
Lady Jag - Look at that site yuou told me to go to. Am I reading it right? Right now it is dark blue in the western Caribbean and the bar at the bottom says 0-3 for that. Does that mean that right now the waves are 0-3 feet and that is it?

Thanks.
 
W

william carson

Guest
we have sailed 18 times on princess==once each on grand and golden ==no problem==forget the patches and get 'Sea-Bands'==they streach around eacd wrist==on the inside with a small white button [ no medcine] and press on a nerve==works fine for my wife==costs about $9.oo==use them over and over==buy them on shore or ship==the william
 
R

rns91294

Guest
See, I would like to buy them to use with my patch. I have actually tried them on planes before (I get sick on planes too) and they didn't work for me. The patch seems to be the only thing. Any idea how much those bands cost on the ship just in case?
 
W

william carson

Guest
Re: Grand Princess Next week...Scaredtry to find them on shore==but can get the

you should be able to get Sea-Bands on the ship for about $ 10 to $12.00==wear them night and day==only take them off in the shower==the Grand Princesshas stablizers and rides the waves very well==you will have no problem==if you do go to the doctor on-board and he can give you a shot that will knock it out over-night===have a great cruise==The WILLIAM
 
G

gclark

Guest
You must let us know how it turned out for you when you get back!!!! I hope the motion of the ship is minimal and you have a great trip!!!!
 
R

Rosie

Guest
I feel for all of you who get seasick - I also suffer from it. I have't tried the patch, but heard it works well. I use the seabands and have never had a problem. I try to cruise out of hurricane season when the seas are calmer. i have not sailed on Princess, but have also read the reviews about the rocking of the ship. For me there seems to be a psycholocical aspect of seasicknes - no, it's not all in your head - the 2nd time I was out in a deep sea fishing boat, I was so careful about taking dramamine and not eating, and talked myself out of being sick while everyone around me was heaving. I have't been on a cruise ship in really big swells, so I just don't know.... rns, wear your patch and don't worry - I hope you have a great time on your cruise.

:wave

Rosie

:C@
 
L

Lady Jag

Guest
rns91294 - Sorry, I've been away from the board for a few days. YES, you're right. That's what the dark blue means - the calmest waters!! :thumb Check out that website before your cruise and I think it'll make you feel a lot better.

p.g. - Oh! Okay, got it. :) :) You're right. Worrying about seasickness does make it worse. That's exactly why we never told our kids about it because we figured they didn't need to know until it happened, IF it ever did. When my son did get sick, then we had to explain (and give him a double adult dose of Bonine!).

Don't worry, rns91294. If you're anything like me, you'd rather expect the worse 'cuz then you're usually pleasantly surprised when things aren't so bad! :grin Let us know how it is when you return.
 
B

Bluesky

Guest
I hope you have great weather and no seasickness especially since I believe we are going to be on the same ship, at the same time. My husband and I are sailing on the Nov. 16 sailing of the Grand Princess. I have been seasick once (on a cateraman) and once was too much. Good Luck!
 
J

jgoergen

Guest
Don't worry! I was on the Grand during a hurricane! It is a large ship and you will be fine!!!!
 
C

CaribbeanSun

Guest
Have been on Grand 4x and I found it to be one of the smoothest ships. You will be fine.
 
R

rns91294

Guest
I am back!!! The waters were extremely calm abnd the weather great. It rained half a day in Costa Maya. I only got a little seasick when we went out in Costa Maya on a small fishing boat, but we caught lots of Barracuda. I will write up a review in a couple days, but need to get out of the mess I am in at work (loads of work piled up to do). I will also start a new post at some point on the warnings of the sun. We laid out for 2 hours on our last day at sea and the next morning (when we flew home thank god it was the end of vacation) my husband woke up with sun poisoning on his chest, arm and ankles. I have a heat rash. He is out of work all week with third degree burns!!!! But like I said, the vacation was alread over. Now he gets pain pills and another week off of work. It will be okay. He is in pain, but they are not on his face or visible parts of his body so he is okay. And it is not on his back so her can at least slepp and sit down. Other than that, the cruise was great. Tim, the director was the best i ever had, the food was awesome and everything. I will mention a lot in a new post in case others have questions, but first, I need to catch up on work so I have some more time. Give me a couple days. It was defintely one of the best vacations I had. Thanks for all your support.
 
S

sodostan

Guest
We took the October 12th cruise on the Grand. Although my husband and I do not seem to be affected by the motion of any ship, several of our companions were really scared that seasickness might ruin their vacation. As it turned out, they needed no medication at all. The sea was very calm, only with 1 to 2 ft. swells, and the motion was barely detectable. Mostly, just have a positive attitude and have a great time.
 
Top