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I have been invited to go on a cruise to Alaska with inside passage.

Posted , 8 users are following.

naomi68931
naomi68931

I have Meniere's Disease and wish to know if anyone has been able to do such a trip without getting vertigo.  Thank you for any help you can offer.

0 likes, 18 replies

18 Replies

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  • Sukey421
    Sukey421 naomi68931

    Posted

    I am also very curious about this as I've been on many cruises before my diagnosis but none since then.

    The only time I ever had trouble with is dizziness or being nauseous was when the seas were very rough but nowadays I have no clue so yes I'm wondering also about that and also flying. 😕

    • naomi68931
      naomi68931 Sukey421

      Posted

      I hope we both get answers to this.  As for flying, I've found that if I wear wrist bands (do you know about these?) and use Earplanes, I tend to do okay on planes.  The only time there is a problem is if there is a lot of turbulence.  Flying seems to go better than long car rides these days.

    • Sukey421
      Sukey421 naomi68931

      Posted

      Well now that I know about the wristbands I will definitely try them, thank you!!
  • sarita68311
    sarita68311 naomi68931

    Posted

    Hi naomi68931, I went on a boating holiday and I have never felt so ill in all my life, the vertigo, sickness, off balance etc etc lasted the whole time I was away and for the next nine long weeks. I have vowed I will never take this sort of holiday again. But flying I am ok with, it doesn't effect me in anyway x

    • naomi68931
      naomi68931 sarita68311

      Posted

      Hi sarita68311,

      Thank you for your reply.  I'm so sorry you were ill...vertigo is so horrible.  When I've had an attack it makes me want to crawl into a hole and stay there.  There is no quality of life at that point.

      Can you please tell me what kind of boat (ship) you were on? 

  • donna16710
    donna16710 naomi68931

    Edited

    If the boat is big enough so that you don't feel the water moving the boat too much you should be okay. I went on a river criuse in Europe and noticed some small difficulties, especially when the boat was moving. There were a LOT of windowed walls so you could enjoy the scenery. If I could see the movement of the water out of the corner of my eyes while I was walking, I would get dizzy. I would keep my eyes glued to the floor and hold my husbands arm until I could sit. I made a point to sit with my back to a window. It was okay looking across the room at the other window. There was no problem with flying, I have only flown larger planes so I don't know how things would go with small prop planes. I made a point to bring some over the counter sea sickness anti nausea pills with me but did not need them. I consider myself relatively stable on my medicationso that would be a plus for any one. If you are concerned as to how you might feel watching moving water, find a river with the water rapidly moving, if you can. Walking by it without directly looking at it should answer your question. Premedicating is also a choice, which is what I have done when I plan to be on a boat. I even tried diving in calm seas, it worked while in the water although afterwards I felt like I was walking leaning sideways. This told me no rough water and no waters with surge so I have had to give up diving as that is never a guarantee. Ask yourself how stable are you and would premedicating work for you. If you can answer yes to both of those then give it a go. I would certainly do it but then people question my sanity a lot.

    • naomi68931
      naomi68931 donna16710

      Posted

      I am most appreciative of your response.  Thank you for taking the time to reply.  I, too, was on a river cruise and did fine most of the time.  This time the ship will be in the inner passageways of Alaska and it will be a bigger ship.  Can you tell me what premedications you use?  It's been my experience that they make me feel sick...I seem unable to tolerate whatever I have tried.

    • donna16710
      donna16710 naomi68931

      Posted

      Dimenhydrinate is what I use for motion sickness. You do need to be sure to keep yourself hydrated as your blood pressure may drop a little low. I always tended to have a lower blood pressure and when I was started on dyazide for MD there was some issues with my blood pressure. I also will take the pills with a light breakfast or snack to slow down the absorbtion. I did not have MD when I went on an ocean cruise, but unless you are in a storm, you generally don't feel the wave action. You will also be in a very protected area in the inner passages so that is less of a concern (less wave action). Those areas are safe enough to kayak.

    • QueenSindel
      QueenSindel donna16710

      Posted

      I did my research on how awful my condition is and yeah, according to my Meniere's, I guess I can fly and be on at least a cruise ship. If I am on any boat smaller, my vertigo could get worse.

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