The Travel Professor
Join me on a journey across the broad spectrum of interesting travel topics. We’ll discuss destinations domestic and abroad, some familiar and some off the beaten path. We take a look at suppliers like cruise lines, air carriers and tour operators and find their bargains and special offerings. Got questions? Email thetravelprofessor@gmail.com.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Cruising and motion discomfort

The cruise questions continue to sail into my email inbox. Here’s one Sally from Kenova asked: “What about getting sea sick? I’ve heard that it is common occurrence on board a cruise ship”.

Sally the story that just about everyone gets sea sick is a myth. I won’t deny that some people may experience motion discomfort but the odds are you won’t. If you can travel in the back seat of a car through the windy roads of the Tri-State then chances are very good that the motion of the cruise ship will not affect you.

The party cruises out of Myrtle Beach and the U.S. Navy’s ships are not designed for passenger comfort and you will experience the motion of the ocean. It’s not a fair comparison between leisure vessels and today’s mega liner.

Today’s state-of-the-art mega gross-ton ships are huge, equipped with stabilizers, which makes cruising much different and more comfortable than before. With modern navigation equipment the ships can sail around bad weather and high seas instead of sloughing through it.

Another way to greatly reduce the impact of the ocean is to sail on the calmer waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Coastal Alaskan and Mexican Rivera sailings also hug the coast lines which reduces the impact of the ocean’s current. If you this is your first cruise and you still have doubts avoid the more open water sailings like New York City to Bermuda. There’s plenty of open water between ports which can mean more pitch and roll.

In the outside chance of motion sickness, there are many proven methods to remedy the situation. There’s always a physician and nurse on board available to help if needed.

There are plenty of over the counter medications and alternative treatment methods like acupressure bands. Discuss these treatments with your pharmacist and/or travel agent.

Keep firing away with your questions to
thetravelprofessor@gmail.com.

Happy travels.