Seasick? What works
 

I have only been on 2 cruises and they were both so long ago that I don't count them...one was Greek islands and one was 3 day cheapo to Mexico. I don't recall being sick on the Greek one but I do remember being sick after the Mexico one (and I wore a patch on the cruise). I get very sick on a ferry type boat to Catalina island. I assume lots has changed in the over 20 years since my last times on the water. Am I right in that ships are more stabilized these days & I am not likely to feel sick? Just in case, I have seen the wrist bands and dramamine and will take them with me. Does it help to start days before you sail?
Experiences? Success stories? This upcoming cruise is Alaska so I don't know if that matters.

Stabilizers only help to reduce roll. Doesn't help with pitching or yawing (or usually a combination of all 3). Some people swear by candied ginger (maybe because Holland America doles it out). Can't say what works because I fortunately don't get sea sick. Last cruise (260 pax ship with only ~70 pax onboard) was in seas so rough one morning that my knife propelled off the table and nearly slide all the way across the top deck dining room (not that it was that wide).

As for your upcoming cruise, it may depend on where you start from. Seattle cruises go on the Pacific for most of the way until the AK panhandle while Vancouver cruises use more-sheltered waters most of the way.

Lol about your knife!
Seattle, of course.

Potentially rougher waters. I see the ships sail by Port Angeles to drop off the pilots before heading out the strait of Juan de Fuca. The waters on the west side of Vancouver Island are exposed and potentially rougher.

Let me know what ship you're sailing and when. I'll wave as the ship goes out past Port Angeles and comes for the mandatory PVSA stop in Victoria,

The patch (scopolamine) is the gold standard. There are various pills that also work. There is research to show that ginger can help (surprised me).

I suspect the wrist bands are bogus. But the placebo effect is a thing so if you believe they may work for you.

Cabin location can also help. Mid ship, lower deck will have less movement. Forward or aft and high up will feel more movements. The Solpadine patch, candied ginger, ginger tea or all three can help. I have only been seasick once on a cruise. That was out of New York in winter with rough seas for the first 36 hours.

We are a little forward of mid ship and on a higher floor. I guess I am doomed. Lol but I will be armed with all of these suggestions. I think I used that patch 100 years ago on my short cheap Mexico cruise and I wasn't seasick but when I got home and took the patch off I was sick as a dog for days. I will call my dr for a prescription for it anyway.

I have a Reliefband for over 20 years and it works for me. It's the one that uses battery and emits an electric pulse to your wrist, not the passive wrist band. The passive one doesn't work at all. When I got it 20 some years ago, it only has one design (the Flex one) and I think it is best one comparing to all the newer fancy and more expansive models. When I got it, it was around $100. Now it's $180. But everyone I know (friends, relatives, coworkers) who has motion sickness or pregnant got one and work for them. It's FDA approved for treating morning sickness for pregnancy. I take it to Disneyland and Universal Studio for the rides.

Right now there is 25% off with Prime Day Sales:
https://reliefband.com/products/reliefband-flex

The first rule is that you have to be proactive and not let it get very bad. The captain's report will typically have a prediction of the seas. Take Bonine (meclizine), the gold standard, before! Better than dramamine - fewer pills and less drowsiness. If you drink, a little bit of alcohol has been beneficial to help "move with the rolls." Don't overdo alcohol or heavy meals.

The best cure for seasickness is to sit under a tree.

As for prevention, I've generally had good experiences with the wrist bands, sometimes combined with bonine.

So I get post cruise seasickness - mal debarquement. To prevent it I start taking meclizine the day before the cruise and throughout the cruise because in this case prevention is the cure.

Onboard ship, things that can help, always keep your stomach lightly full. Not huge heavy meals but anything to keep the stomach juices from rolling around. Bread, green apples, ginger can all help. And then there's my favorite, drinking an alcoholic drink (not enough to be drunk).

If your ship anchors (instead of docks) at port, don't rush on to the tender to go to land. Instead, tell the folks loading the tender that you get seasick, and you are going to get on just before it leaves. Then stand back. The tender bobbing in the water is not your friend. In Alaska, many excursions are by small boat. Pick them carefully; go to Cruise Critic, port section for advice; and again, be the last one on the small boat right before it leaves. I wouldn't worry about the slightly forward cabin; but I hope that you have a balcony because fresh air could help. An Alaska cruise is a good choice for you because the days at sea are mostly in protected passages. Stay hydrated, and start that a few days before the cruise. Have a great time.

I do not get seasick, but my wife gets queasy at the drop of a hat. She has successfully used the battery-powered wristband for car trips and some ocean voyages. It did not work on the Drake Passage during our trip to Antarctica.

"Dramamine" the brand has 2 versions with different active ingredients - the original is dimenhydrinate, which can cause drowsiness. The "non-drowsy" version is meclizine, which is what the name brand Bonine is. I've used meclizine for years, got a huge bottle for very little money at Costco. I'm not often bothered by seasickness but it's nice to have with me just in case - we've been on a couple trips where we were some of the few people on deck, it was so bad...

[I'm editing a couple days later to add that this is for the US - I know brands & active ingredients in other countries can vary]

This is great advice--thank you. I do have a balcony. I have some Bonine and I will ask my dr for a patch and then decide which one to go with.