I know that fall is traditionally hurricane season in the Caribbean, but when I checked into Bermuda they stated they are rare. All of a sudden I am hearing people talking about giant waves, etc. Is it likely that in September, even if there is no hurricane, that we will encounter that? Should I be bringing motion sickness meds? I'm guessing that we will have no idea if we would get sick or not until we actually get out there. Do many people get sick? If so, how long does it generally last?

Take some over the counter meds like Bonine. Crossing to Bermuda can be rough anytime!

Claudia

Loon,
Maybe I was the one talking about giant waves? Just back and the way down was stormy as was the way back. They did not allow the pool to be open on those days as the water was flying high out of it!! You needed to walk hanging on and we all took seasickness pills which were provided.
The staff said they didn't usually experience this and I can tell you that I have been two other times with NO problem at all, so please do not worry. It was probably just a bad weather week for us. Look forward and enjoy!!

Just today I was in line at the store buying bottle water and some OTC drug for any possible motion sickness. All of sudden everyone was giving me advice from those bracelets to the patches behind the ear. Would one of those be better? If the OTC is the way to go, how large of a package should I get? The other customers didn't think I was buying enough! How scary is that?????

Loon:

Out of college, I went to sea working with the Navy. I didn't know if I would get seasick so I bought dramamime. I figured if I needed one, I would need a lot. So, I bought a bottle of 100. Two years later I threw away the unopened bottle.

Radisson has bonine at Reception Desk. My mother, and others, swear by the basic bands (not the electric shock variety). They also can be purchased onboard.

Bonine (meclizine) works pretty good for most people without major side effects. It's cheap when you buy it generic (a bottle of 100 tablets for around $5-10 depending on where you get it from). The patch (scopolamine) which is only available through a prescription does work better but also has more side effects (dry mouth, sleepiness, constipation) depending on your sensitivity to it. Other people swear by acupressure methods such as Sea Bands (non electric) or the Relief Band (electric). I have a Relief Band and tried it on our Navigator cruise but our cruise was so smooth, didn't really get a chance to see if it would work or not.

I carry meclizine and the scopolamine with me on cruises and normally use the patch with meclizine as a backup.

Masaki

I was so happy when I discovered Bonine 5 or 6 years ago. It was the first thing that worked for me without side effects. Thanks, Masaki, for the tip re generic form (meclizine). I did not know this was available. I just paid $2.93 for 8 tablets of Bonine at Wal-Mart (which was a bargain compared to the drug store chain prices in our area).

Electric bands? I had to come back to this. Being a little gullible, people sometimes like to kid with me. I'm trying to imagine this and failing. Hmmm. Maybe I'll just take what I bought and pray hard - or go to the reception desk if I run out. I tend to be rather sensitive to drugs so am not certain that I want to try a patch and sleep through the cruise. Think good weather for us the first week in September!

Loon,
Last week, the motion sickness pills were handed out freely at the reception desk when you asked. On the second sea day they were placed in our room when the weather acted up again!

I never get seasick, but (how OCD is this?), when I board, I always run down to the desk to get the bonine tabs they hand out. I never end up taking them, and I now have a small stockpile of them. I guess it's better safe than sorry.

:)

p.s. I am so glad we have our resident traveling doctor, Masaki, with us! Thanks for all your professional advice Masaki!

Loon - really! They're like wrist bands that you wear with a metal plate against the inside of your wrist. It releases a small electrical jolt every now and then that's supposed to help settle down motion sickness nerves (don't ask me how it's supposed to work, I'm an allopathic doctor, not an Eastern medicine one). Kimmi swears by it so I figure it works at least for some people!

Kathy - sometimes you need to ask the pharmacist for the generic Bonine (meclizine). They sometimes have it behind the counter (as opposed to under the table ;) ).

Sheri - awwww ... that's very sweet! Looking forward to sailing with you on MINT!

Masaki

We now have THREE packages of the OTC stuff. And I just read an article about another ship that was just in Bermuda with all kinds of bad weather and it wasn't yours, tennispretzel. I guess it really is true that it can be bad no matter what time of year you go.
It just so happens my husband has the OCD thing down really well, so I guess he will be the first person the staff at the reception desk meet. Unless of course he's out buying more of the the OTC stuff right now.
Do you suppose those electric bracelets ever malfunction and jolt you non-stop????

Loon - if it does, you could always just unstrap it and take it off ... :)

Masaki

Loon:

I understand you concern. We were on a ship of another line in Sept. '99 Boston to Canada, and were caught in Hurricane Floyd all the way. But first, hurricanes are not common as far north as Bermuda. Second, if a hurricane were projected in the path of your cruise, Radisson would have the sense to cancell or re-route (which the other line didn't, and now we sail Radisson!) And third, the Navigator is a cruise ship built on a military hull, which means she can take it!

While the Navigator has a problem with vibrations (mainly in calm seas) low and to the stern (as in the show lounge), she rides the waves with little roll from side to side and little pitch from bow to stern, in my opinion. And it is very unlikely that you will have any vibration problems in your suite at all. And if you can feel any vibration there, it will be very minor.

I hope you will stop being concerned about seasickness and hurricanes, and will simply look forward to your cruise. When it is over, we will all look at these concerns and laugh! My wife and I have been on about 12 cruises, 7 of them Radisson. If we were to chose a ship to cruise into "rough water", it would be the Navigator. That is because the Navigator hull was originally built as a Russian military ship hull, that was purchased by Radisson after the colapse of the Soviet Union. So when I say that the Navigator is "built like a Russian Tank" (meaning, very strong) HER HISTORY PROVES IT!

If this is your first Radisson cruise, you should instead be looking forward to service, food, and drink beyond you imagination. We have cruised on the Navigator twice, and believe she is the perfect size and guest capacity for a cruise ship. In other words, the "Rolls Royce" of cruise ships. As you await you cruise, please think of these things, and not the remote possibility of seasickness or hurricanes. They won't happen, but a great cruise will!

Enjoy,
Richard :) :) :)

One of my best friends has an inner ear problem. It's vestibular. She can be walking down the street and suddenly lose her balance.

She took the electrical "watch" with her. The day we boarded, she couldn't even look at the water without being sick. She turned it so it pulsed about once a second.

By day five she was hanging over the balcony looking at the flying fish.

It seemed to have residual effects. She didn't have any problems for months and months after she got home. She swears by it now.

Loon:

By the way, don't buy any bottled water to take on a Radisson cruise. Bottled water, soft drinks, and a lot of "hard drinks" are included at no additional cost.

Hope this helps,
Richard :) :) :)

Nicely said, Richard!

Claudia

I'm afraid that my impulsive humor sometimes gets me in trouble. I have an extremely dry sense of humor and I was kidding about the non-stop electrical jolts. I apologize Masaki. I have been really touched with all your assistance. You are such a sweetheart! I really am a little worried about bad weather, but if everyone else can deal with this, so can I! After all, how many days could we possibly be sick? (That is a serious remark. Does anyone have a serious answer?)

richard,

Your analagy of the Navigator as the RR of
Cruise ships just pumped me for our December
Cruise..ditto with what Claudia M said above.

ColonelWes

Loon,
My oldest daughter is very prone to seasickness and I bought her the electric relief band as this came highly recommended (I bought it on line for around $75). As it turns out she never once needed it and it's only use was when she and my other daughter played games zapping each other! BTW, do you have your cabin # yet?

Masaki, we are so lucky to have our resident Drs. on this board (can't forget Amanda) with all your sound advice!! So looking forward to meeting you both on MINT!

Loon, I am seasick prone, and would probably rather take a plane to Bermuda, and do my cruises elsewhere in calmer waters. That being said, when I was in Chile, there was a day where I was inflicted with mal de mer. I took the medications offered at the front desk and they did the trick. Those on the recent VOF cruise last October in the med had a terrible "hurricane-like" experience and Kimmi said her relief bands (the electrical ones) helped her after she was already sick. If you have never cruised, you just don't know how you will react. Your decision whether to buy these things or not. I think I am going to do so for my cruise in January in New Zealand, since my cabin in farthest forward on the ship!

I'm so looking forward to meeting ALL of you since we've only had the pleasure of meeting capt. john and Christina so far from LCT ... (oh, and DougW ... can't forget Doug! ;) ). With so many of you that have met (and cruised together) before, I'm hoping that it won't feel like crashing a party! (just teasing, folks)

I'm typing this as one of our cats walks across the laptop keyboard and nudges my hand, demanding attention.

Loon - don't worry, I'm never completely serious either ... as everybody around here can testify! :D

Masaki

Hi Marcie -

Yes, we've had our cabin number since we booked. We're on deck seven in one of the suites that are in the center, so that should help. I continue to find out so many wonderful things. Like I don't have to bring any books because of the library. More room in my luggage!