Q: I’m taking an Alaskan cruise—either an Inside Passage or a glacier cruise—and I get motion sickness very easily. I have heard the cruise is not rocky and I don't have to worry, but I am very leery of taking the train and most certainly the Denali Park bus. Any comments or suggestions? --Deb
A: Deb, you’re smart to plan ahead—doing so can seriously help you avoid those queasy moments (or even full days).
When it comes to cruises, choosing the waters you’ll travel through is more important than the ship itself. If you’re still picking your itinerary, I’d recommend a roundtrip Vancouver Inside Passage trip over all others. The Vancouver sailings stay behind Vancouver Island in more protected (and scenic) waters, which means a generally calmer ride. The itineraries that sail the Inside Passage from Seattle, meanwhile, travel two full days on the open Pacific Ocean, which can get rough.
Choosing the right cabin can make a difference too. Midship moves less than forward or aft. Some people find that having a verandah is helpful for getting quick access to fresh air, too.
The train, meanwhile, has its own challenges. We checked with a friend at the Alaska Railroad—who, as luck would have it, has your same problem. She says she’s usually been just fine on the Alaska Railroad—so long as she stayed in the Adventure Class or the lower-level GoldStar class cars (Adventure Class also happens to be the most economical). The GoldStar even has an open-air platform—and many people find that fresh air can help keep motion sickness at bay. While the GoldStar’s domed cars are great for 360-degree viewing, they may be problematic for people who get motion-sick, my friend says, since even getting up the stairs to reach those cars can bring on nausea.
And as for the Denali buses—the Park Road is pretty bumpy, so it might spell trouble for anyone who has motion-sickness issues (and most of these tours are long, too). If you tolerate short flights OK, I’d recommend seeing Denali by air—such as the handful of Denali Flightseeing Tours or Kantishna Air Taxi. Helicopter tours might be good for you in general—plenty of people who say they get motion sickness don’t have problems on helicopters.
If you want to stay on the ground but still want to explore Denali, I’d highly recommend the Park Service’s hop-on, hop-off shuttle bus, where you can limit how far you get into the park. Best of all, you can always get off and walk around if your stomach starts to protest.
For more tips that apply to exploring Alaska » check out our page on Motion Sickness on Alaska.org.
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