Getting seasick on a cruise is the worst feeling. The problem with being seasick is that once it sets in, it’s hard to recover. However, despite all the best planning to prevent seasickness from happening, sometimes you get caught off guard and that dreadful seasickness feeling creeps in! So, what should you do if you start feeling seasick on a cruise? Here are some tips to stop feeling seasick so you can start feeling normal again as quickly as possible!
How to Stop Feeling Seasick on a Cruise
Don’t Exercise
Never exercise if you are starting to feel seasick on a cruise. Skip the fitness class, and resist the urge to jump on the treadmill or elliptical as the movement can make you feel worse. It’s best to stay away from the gym when seasickness starts!
Don’t Read a Book
One of the worst things you can do when you start feeling seasick on a cruise is to sit down and read a book. Reading a book will definitely make your seasickness worse. Just imagine being in a car and trying to read a book – it can make you feel dizzy and sick!
Put Away All The Screens
If you start to feel seasick, it’s best to put away your electronic devices, such as iPads, Kindles, and even laptops. Avoid browsing the web, playing games, typing, or reading e-books, since looking at screens can worsen your seasickness.
Never Have an Empty Stomach
I know this sounds counterintuitive, but one of the most effective ways to prevent seasickness is to never have an empty stomach. If you start feeling queasy, it’s a good idea to eat something, even if you don’t feel like it.
Having a few crackers or some bread can really help settle your stomach and prevent it from being empty. Personally, I always make sure to grab packs of crackers from the buffet and keep them in my stateroom, so I have something to nibble on if I start feeling seasick.
Watch What You Eat
Avoid fatty, acidic, and spicy foods when you’re seasick. These can make you feel sick even more. Don’t eat fried or oily food—stick to bland foods like bread, rice, and plain pasta.
Stay Away from the Front or Back of the Ship
If you start feeling seasick on a cruise, it is important to avoid areas of the ship that will worsen your symptoms. Stay away from unstable parts of the ship, such as the front or the back of the ship.
If there is a pool at the back of the ship, don’t go there. Go to the mid-ship pool instead. Stay away from the observatory lounge in the front of the ship, head to the atrium in the mid-ship instead.
No Alcohol
If you start feeling seasick on a cruise, it’s best to avoid alcohol. Drinking alcohol can affect your balance and worsen your seasickness.
Don’t Look at the Water
Don’t stare at the water if you’re feeling seasick. Watching the waves and feeling the movement of the cruise ship will only make it worse. Personally, I make it a point to avoid sitting at tables near the window in the main dining room when I’m feeling seasick.
Balcony
Only go to your balcony, if your cabin is located mid-ship. If your cabin has a private balcony at the back of the ship, it’s best to stay away! It won’t be as stable and will make you feel more sick.
And while you’re on your balcony, focus on looking out at the horizon rather than down at the waves. The waves will make you feel sicker, but looking at the horizon should help you with your balance. Make sure you take deep breaths on the balcony—the fresh air will do you good.
Deck
It’s a good idea to get some fresh air when you are feeling seasick, but make sure you are smart about where you go. Head to the deck located mid-ship and not a deck close to the front or back of the ship since that can escalate your seasickness and make you feel worse. Again, once you’re at the deck, avoid looking down at the waves; just focus your vision on the horizon.
Avoid Stuffy Places
Fresh air and good airflow will make you feel less seasick. Avoid stuffy, enclosed places like interior staterooms and elevators with poor airflow.
If you have a balcony cabin, open the balcony door to let in fresh air. In an interior stateroom, use a fan to improve airflow. Personally, I always bring a personal fan when staying in an inside cabin. Here is a portable magnetic fan that can hang on the stateroom walls.
Suburbs 101 participates in affiliate programs including the Amazon Associates Program and may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Timing of Anti-Seasickness Medication
It’s important to remember that anti-seasickness medications don’t work instantly. They can take an hour to kick in, so be smart about when to take them.
If you’re prone to seasickness, it’s best not to wait until you start feeling sick to take the medication; instead, take it before you feel seasick.
On days when the cruise ship is sailing at sea, that’s when you might start to feel seasick. Take anti-seasickness medication on sea days, just to be safe.
For example, I’ve found that the ship tends to rock more when we sail across larger bodies of water like the Atlantic or Pacific oceans. So, when I know we’ll be sailing on the Atlantic Ocean for the day, I take anti-seasickness medication in the morning to prevent feeling seasick. Because once seasickness starts, it’s hard to climb out of it, prevention is key!
Check out these free cruise printables
12 Things to Bring from Home to Save Money on Your Cruise
11 Anti-Theft Cruise Tips that Every Cruiser Needs to Know
Everything You Need in Your Cruise Toiletry Bag & Cruise First Aid Kit (Free Packing List)