Motion Sickness - How Do You Prepare / Prevent it?

[Model3 McQueen]

Sorry if this is posted on the wrong sub-forum.

I wanted to ask how you all prepare for a WDW, or any other theme park trip, keeping motion sickness in mind?

So here's a little more information: I'm planning a trip for sometime next year or so. The last time I was at Disneyworld I did a pretty decent job of overcoming sickness, but Flight of Passage really made me nauseous as did Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. I found Rock N Rollercoaster to be smoother, and believe it or not, I didn't really get sick except for the loops and twists sort of gave my head a run for its money.

All in all I'd love to know what you all do to prepare, if this is even an issue for you. Is there anything I can do at home to build a tolerance? Maybe a certain medication I can take before each day? Any help is appreciated!

 

[Lilofan]

Sorry if this is posted on the wrong sub-forum.

I wanted to ask how you all prepare for a WDW, or any other theme park trip, keeping motion sickness in mind?

So here's a little more information: I'm planning a trip for sometime next year or so. The last time I was at Disneyworld I did a pretty decent job of overcoming sickness, but Flight of Passage really made me nauseous as did Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. I found Rock N Rollercoaster to be smoother, and believe it or not, I didn't really get sick except for the loops and twists sort of gave my head a run for its money.

All in all I'd love to know what you all do to prepare, if this is even an issue for you. Is there anything I can do at home to build a tolerance? Maybe a certain medication I can take before each day? Any help is appreciated!

Whatever you do, don't immediately ride the intense rides after you just had lunch or dinner.

 

[DisAl]

As a precaution I usually take a motion sickness tablet in the morning before we go to the parks except for EPCOT. Nothing I do there bothers me. In addition to the "rides", we NEVER schedule the safari at AK within two hours after lunch - especially the Tusker House buffet! Some of those drivers can really give you a rough ride. And I stay off the teacups at MK. Nothing can save me from a protein spill on that.....

 

[UNCgolf]

Sorry if this is posted on the wrong sub-forum.

I wanted to ask how you all prepare for a WDW, or any other theme park trip, keeping motion sickness in mind?

So here's a little more information: I'm planning a trip for sometime next year or so. The last time I was at Disneyworld I did a pretty decent job of overcoming sickness, but Flight of Passage really made me nauseous as did Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. I found Rock N Rollercoaster to be smoother, and believe it or not, I didn't really get sick except for the loops and twists sort of gave my head a run for its money.

All in all I'd love to know what you all do to prepare, if this is even an issue for you. Is there anything I can do at home to build a tolerance? Maybe a certain medication I can take before each day? Any help is appreciated!

Definitely take Bonine or Dramamine. Bonine doesn't really work for me, but it does for some people and it's non-drowsy. Dramamine is stronger -- the drowsiness is annoying but it usually only lasts 20-30 minutes for me.

Also, don't ride two potentially motion sickness causing rides in close proximity. My last trip I rode Flight of Passage and was fine, then rode Expedition Everest less than an hour later and got so sick I had to sit/lay down for about 45 minutes before I felt like I could move around without throwing up. I've been on Everest before without getting sick, so I think the combination of the two caused the problem.

 

[cjack300zx]

I took Dramamine one time at Disney and it was a huge mistake as it made me so drowsy. I can ride Everest once ever two hours or so and it won't bother me but on my last trip to AK I rode Everest 3 times in 30 minutes and came really close to tossing my cookies. I could ride roller-coasters all day long when I was younger but not so much now that I am 49

 

[larryz]

The only time I've come close to ralphing on a roller coaster was the weekday morning I took about 7 non-stop round-trips on Kumba at Busch Gardens in Tampa. On the last trip, during the final brake run, I closed my eyes and dipped my head.

That was all for Kumba that day.

My point: even if you don't routinely get motion sickness, you can eventually push yourself too far. If you routinely get motion sick, and you know that only one round-trip will send you right to Greenland, why would you risk (a) ruining your day for two minutes of thrills, or (b) taking a drug that will ruin half your day for two minutes of thrills?

 

[lazyboy97o]

I don’t really need it at Walt Disney World but for other parks I’ll use Bonine. I’d suggest trying both Bonine and Dramamine on separate days when you can do nothing. This way you can see how they affect you. The last time I took Bonine I ended up rather drowsy. A single Dramamine will make me drowsy and two can knock me out for hours.

I also find that having something in my stomach actually helps. Even when I do start to feel motion sick having a snack can help.

 

[NickMaio]

My wife and I started to get motion sick a few years ago.
We found these wrist bands with a little ball in them.
You wear it on your wrist and put the ball on the inside of your wrist.
It actually worked. Something about pressure points.
Anyway you can get them anywhere.
We have a few pairs in our park hopping backpacks now.
It seems to get older with age.....who knew?

 

[NickMaio]

Some motion sickness drugs can make you drowsy. Be careful, everyone reacts differently.
No thanks. I need to be on my A game for park hopping.
Get a few pairs of motion sickness wrist bands. You will thank us when you get back.

 

[NickMaio]

Sorry if this is posted on the wrong sub-forum.

I wanted to ask how you all prepare for a WDW, or any other theme park trip, keeping motion sickness in mind?

So here's a little more information: I'm planning a trip for sometime next year or so. The last time I was at Disneyworld I did a pretty decent job of overcoming sickness, but Flight of Passage really made me nauseous as did Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. I found Rock N Rollercoaster to be smoother, and believe it or not, I didn't really get sick except for the loops and twists sort of gave my head a run for its money.

All in all I'd love to know what you all do to prepare, if this is even an issue for you. Is there anything I can do at home to build a tolerance? Maybe a certain medication I can take before each day? Any help is appreciated!

Travel Wristbands,Travel Motion Sickness Relief Wrist Band,Natural Nausea Relief,4-Pair: Amazon.ca: Health & Personal Care

Travel Wristbands,Travel Motion Sickness Relief Wrist Band,Natural Nausea Relief,4-Pair: Amazon.ca: Health & Personal Care

www.amazon.ca

We have used these for years now. Sounds hokey, but they work.
No drugs needed.

 

[Heppenheimer]

If you use a motion sickness medication, give it a trial run at home before going live at the parks. Most can cause some degree of drowsiness, which can vary in different individuals. You can split the tablets, if the drowsiness is too intense, but the efficacy of the medication might lessen.

Most people can take these medications without any issues, but if you have more than a few chronic health problems, you might want to consult with your health care provider first.

Personally, I like gravol for Disney parks. The drowsiness is minimal, and because few Disney rides are rarely intense, it works well.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Long ago when I started learning to Scuba dive, there were several students who got sick being on a boat. My diving instructor told them to put a couple of pieces of gum in your mouth and concentrate on chewing them while on board which helps take your mind off of the motion which is transmitting that queasy feeling to the brain that causes you to get sick. It worked there and also is a good remedy for motion sickness on rides as well. Be aware that Disney doesnt sell gum in their shops so you will have to pack your own for the trip.

 

[JoeCamel]

The motion sickness on sims comes from the disconnect between what your ears and eyes are telling your brain. I find concentrating on looking straight ahead and keeping my head still helps. Mild on FoP for me but FJ over at Universal does it to me now. Was fine when it opened but now the ride profile is different.

 

[Magicart87]

Can't do Dramamine. Even the non-drowsy kind. So this may sound weird but this works for me... natural solutions in the form of Tabasco hot sauce (a little mini bottle in a pocket) and 100% pure ginger chews. The ginger is a preventive and the hot sauce is to shock you out of the nausea feeling which I then follow up with another ginger chew if needed. It might sound gross but it works. And as others have said, chewing gum helps too!

 

[Magicart87]

Travel Wristbands,Travel Motion Sickness Relief Wrist Band,Natural Nausea Relief,4-Pair: Amazon.ca: Health & Personal Care

Travel Wristbands,Travel Motion Sickness Relief Wrist Band,Natural Nausea Relief,4-Pair: Amazon.ca: Health & Personal Care

www.amazon.ca

We have used these for years now. Sounds hokey, but they work.
No drugs needed.

Interesting product. Based on what I'm seeing it looks like a button and a band-aid would yield similar results. But not going to knock it if it works. I bet these can be had for about a $1.50 on eBay. Or homemade at a better price point. Regardless, I might add this to my arsenal. Couldn't hurt.

 

[thomas998]

Aside from taking meds prior to arrival at the park some foods are not going to be your friend. Stay away from milk that day not even with breakfast cereal, avoid eating anything greasy, don't drink too much at any one time and don't do anything that might cause you heartburn or indigestion like something super sweet... those are the rules we use for our daughter that has a problem with motion sickness and so long as she follows them we are good to go... the last time she broke the rules was having milk with cereal at breakfast and the result was her throwing up shortly after getting off teacups in mid-morning. It's also the rules she follows if we are on a long car ride that is going through any curvy areas because if she doesn't she'll be sick before we get to where we are going. Dramamine does help her some, but she tends to get sleepy with it and has found that if she just stick to the mentioned diet restrictions she might feel a little queasy but she won't be throwing up. If you decide to do the Dramamine take some well before your trip to see how it makes you feel so you can look for another med or just control what you eat.

 

[mmnw]

Seabands work for me in everyday life. I can do almost any ride if I listen to myself. Some days I can’t do certain rides. I’m 100% fine with that. Perhaps I am in the minority. It affects me for the rest of the day, so I am ok sitting a ride out some days. Other days, I feel like I can conquer motion sickness and get through a ride.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I only suffer from motion sickness in cars depending on the driver so I can't help specifically with Disney but here are my suggestions.

On FOP I've heard that you are supposed to look at the thing you are following as its supposed to stabilize your point of focus.

There are several anti motion sickness medications like antivert which apparently is one of the best.
Dramamine is the one that is most readily available over the counter.

Other than that I'd just avoid the attractions that mess with you. Why feel like crap for going on a ride?

 

[Clamman73]

I don‘t get motion sickness on the rides (on a boat in ocean swells, yes) but I still can’t do Everest two times in a row since it makes me start to have a headache or something.
If I know I’m going out on the ocean and it’s gonna be a bit wavy, I would take a quarter or half of Bonine the night before so it’s in my system. A full tablet would make me feel blah.

 

[UNCgolf]

The motion sickness on sims comes from the disconnect between what your ears and eyes are telling your brain. I find concentrating on looking straight ahead and keeping my head still. Mild on FoP for me but FJ over at Universal does it to me now. Was fine when it opened but now the ride profile is different.

I'll never ride Forbidden Journey again because of how sick it made me. I don't even think it was the sim portion, though (although that was probably a factor) -- I think a big part of the issue was the way the ride flings you around all over the place. It's not smooth at all. My GF didn't get motion sickness but her neck hurt after.