Do you suffer from motion sickness while you are trying to enjoy your vacation? One in three people suffers from motion sickness with women and children most at risk. Your brain can’t make sense of what is going on and you feel queasy, clammy, and sick to your stomach. 

So what can you do the help ease motion sickness during a cruise? If you are traveling to your favorite vacation hotspot this year, you may worry about motion sickness ruining your getaway.

Bonine and Dramamine are both common remedies for motion sickness on cruise ships, but which one is best? This will depend on a number of factors including age, health conditions, and personal preference. Read on for a detailed comparison and guide on Bonine vs. Dramamine.

What Is Motion Sickness?

Motion sickness is the sick feeling triggered by movement. This can occur when traveling in a plane, boat, or car to name a few. It is an imbalance between what your brain sees and feels.

Your body is standing still yet the vehicle you are in is moving forwards. This confusion between your brain and body is what causes you to feel sick. Other symptoms can include:

• Cold Sweats
• Headaches
• Pale Skin
• Irritability
• Dizziness
• Vomiting

The symptoms of motion sickness will cease when you stop moving. In rare cases, it can be caused by inner ear problems. Speak to your doctor if you have any concerns. 

Remedies for Seasickness

There are lots of remedies for seasickness ranging from natural to medicinal. Prevention is always the better option where possible. Some of the things you can do to prevent motion sickness include:

• Looking at the horizon or a fixed object
• Sitting in the front of the boat
• Remedies such as ginger, peppermint, or acupressure

If natural remedies do not work for you and you cannot prevent your seasickness, then medication may be the only option for you. Medication is the most effective way to remedy motion sickness. 

If you are a first-time cruiser, you might get caught off guard when you suffer the effects of seasickness. The good news is that most travelers will get their “sea legs” and seasickness will subside. For passengers who continue to feel seasick, trying some of these remedies can help you enjoy your cruise.

What Is Bonine?

Bonine is a motion sickness pill that contains the active ingredient Meclizine hydrochloride. It contains an antihistamine that can treat nausea in association with motion sickness. Bonine has been the most popular choice for cruisers due to its minimal dosage.

The suggested dose is one pill taken an hour before travel commences. The pills are chewable but you can take them without chewing if you wish. It is also used for diseases that affect the inner ear.

What Is Dramamine?

Dramamine (also known as Dimenhydrinate) also contains an antihistamine used to treat or prevent nausea. It reduces the effects of the chemical histamine in the body. Taking Dramamine can treat or prevent feelings of seasickness.

To prevent seasickness, Dramamine should be taken half an hour to an hour before boarding. It is recommended to take 1-2 tablets every 4-6 hours after the first dose. You cannot take more than 8 tablets in a 24-hour window. 

Dramamine is available in an original motion sickness pill or a less drowsy chewable tablet. The chewable tablet can last up to 24 hours. Consuming alcohol and operating heavy machinery are not advised while taking either of these pills.

What Are the Side Effects?

Side effects are specific to the individual. Ask your pharmacist for more details if you have any concerns. Some common side effects for Bonine and Dramamine include:

• Drowsiness
• Headaches
• Dry Nose/Throat

It is unlikely that you will experience any side effects while taking Bonine or Dramamine. Dramamine is more likely to cause drowsiness as it is stronger than Bonine. If you are worried, speak to your doctor before taking any medication. 

Bonine vs. Dramamine

When you are packing for your vacation, you need to know which medication will be best for you. Both medications can treat and prevent motion sickness, but which one is best?

Although both medications are similar, it is worth looking at which medicine will work best for your needs. 

Dosage and Strength

Both Bonine and Dramamine can be taken as preventative measures for seasickness. You can take either up to one hour before boarding though Bonine only requires one dose in 24 hours. If you prefer to take a single dose rather than several doses then Bonine would be the best option for you.

Dramamine has been available since the 1940s and was the favorite remedy for motion sickness until many consumers found it made them feel drowsy. Dramamine’s original formula is a 50mg tablet of dimenhydrinate which can cause drowsiness. Dramamine is more effective than Bonine at treating seasickness but less convenient due to its frequent dosing.

Many travelers who vacation on cruise lines take both types of medicine with them. If you like to be active during the daytime, using Dramamine at night and Bonine during the day may be the best option to avoid drowsiness. 

Which Is Better?

How do you choose between Bonine vs. Dramamine? Both medicines have their advantages and disadvantages but choosing which one you should take will come down to your individual needs. Both pills are available in a sweet, chewable form which you may find easier to take in comparison to an ordinary pill.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you love boat travel but suffer from seasickness then you may have lots of questions on how to prevent seasickness in the first place. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about Bonine vs. Dramamine.

Preventing Motion Sickness 

If you anticipate that you will suffer from seasickness or motion sickness during your vacation, then there are some preventative measures you can take before you start to feel unwell. 

Take Care of Your Body

Alcohol is not recommended alongside Bonine or Dramamine. It is also not advisable to dive if you have been under the influence of alcohol or new medication. Make sure you stay hydrated and avoid eating heavy meals. 

Eating a light meal an hour before you board will help prevent seasickness.

Use Natural Remedies

If you are unable to take the original versions of Bonine and Dramamine then there are more natural alternatives. Bonine ginger soft gels are a more natural alternative to the full strength formula. They use ginger root to treat the symptoms of seasickness. 

Dramamine non-drowsy also contains ginger root and is an alternative to their original or chewable options. Consuming ginger tea, ginger candies or ginger ale can help soothe your stomach if you start to feel unwell. 

Acupressure bands use pressure points to alleviate feelings of nausea. You can also obtain a prescription for a seasickness patch which reduces activity in the inner ear. The patch slowly releases the drug scopolamine which affects the central nervous system. 

Enjoy Your Cruise Without Seasickness

Now that you know the differences between Bonine vs. Dramamine you can make an informed choice as to which one is right for you. You should always try to take preventative measures where possible to ward of motion sickness. 

Can you think of an industry that takes in $150 billion in revenue with a million employees because of roughly 300 ships? Well, there’s only one, and it’s cruise ships.

Subject to some of the biggest regulations, cruise lines often have to pay massive fines for things you may have never heard about. Well, that doesn’t have to be the case anymore. Let’s talk about the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) and how it relates to your cruise vacations.

What Is the Passenger Vessel Services Act?

The PVSA is a law in the United States that came into play in 1886 relating to what was known as “cabotage,” which is the transportation of goods or passengers within one country while the transport owner or operator is from another country.

The idea behind this legislation was to rid the country of certain fees that were interfering with the operations of American vessels and to fix some of the broken laws from the time that interfered with US industrial transportation.

Whether you’re a first-time cruiser or a seasoned veteran, you’ve likely never heard of the PVSA, so let’s see what the law actually is before we discuss its relation to cruise ships.

The Law

To know what the law is about, it’s important to know the definition. The long title of the act is essentially a law to abolish certain fees for services to American vessels and to amend any laws related to shipping commissioners, operators, and owners of vessels, as well as for other purposes.

It also states that no foreign vessel larger than 5 tons, including ferries and other ships, shall transport passengers from one port within the US to another or face a penalty of $762 per passenger that was successfully transported and landed. The price at the time was $200 but has since been raised to $762 per passenger, where it currently stands.

These laws cover any navigable waters in or around the United States that offer transport to other countries, including oceans and The Great Lakes. States such as Hawaii and Alaska, as well as other US territories, are included in the same way as the mainland US. This law is still in place today and creates many logistical challenges for both cruise lines and passengers alike.

What Is Not Covered

There are important exceptions to this legislation that are worth noting. The law does not include vessels that depart from and land at the same US port, presuming they landed at another foreign port between.

The law does not prohibit foreign ships that are departing from a US port, who are then visiting a distant foreign port, and then continuing to a different US port. However, in order to travel in a US port and land in a second US port, the vessel must visit a distant foreign port outside North America or the Caribbean.

There were other specific exemptions. Canadian vessels were able to carry passengers from Rochester, NY to Alexandria, NY, as well as between certain ports in Alaska. This was only until the US was able to take over the market for this. Later on, ports between islands in Hawaii were also made into exceptions to this law.

Who Requests The Fines?

While the Passenger Vessel Association is responsible for overseeing the cruise industry in the United States, they are not responsible for charging or receiving these penalties.

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will deliver and accept fines from passenger vessels who violate the PVSA. There may be circumstances where CBP agents do not pursue a fine for a violation on the grounds that they see fit. However, this is a rare occurrence.

How The PVSA Affects Cruise Ships

Of course, when we think of passenger ships, cruise lines come to mind. However, this law didn’t come into play because of cruise ships, as cruises have only been around since the 1960s.

However, no exceptions were ever made to the PVSA in regard to cruise ships once they became popular, so how are they affected by the law?

The two biggest cruise lines in the US are Royal Caribbean and Carnival, and neither of them operates with US flags on their ships. Their ships always have foreign flags and registrations because of the advantageous laws and business opportunities in other countries, mostly within Latin America.

The next down the list is Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and Disney Cruise Line. NCL only has one single ship registered in the US, and Disney has all of theirs in the Bahamas. So, do they have to pay $762 per passenger when they arrive at another port in the US? Let’s start by talking about why they use different flags.

“Flag of Convenience”

Many cruise lines are accused of flying a “flag of convenience” as opposed to a flag of the company’s origin. This is simply because it’s true, and few companies would bother to deny it.

This is a long-standing practice that was started by passenger liners and ferries because of prohibition laws in the 1920s when American-flagged ships couldn’t serve alcohol. Using a different flag allowed them to serve alcohol in international waters.

However, the reason they do this today is to figure out which country will give them the most advantageous regulations for their routes. Since most cruise ships take fairly consistent routes, there may be a certain country that gives them the most convenient deal for that route.

Because of this, cruise lines work to determine which country will be the most convenient for their registration when it comes to worker compensation and rights, alcohol and gambling laws, tax advantages, and more.

Now, with some of the COVID restrictions, foreign-flagged ships were not allowed to continue service while American-flagged may be able to, which makes you wonder why they don’t just change their flags. That brings us to the reason they have “flags of convenience.” They can’t.

To become an American ship, the entire ship must be assembled in the US and hold primarily US crews. That’s a ship that sailed a long time ago, if you’ll pardon the pun.

This is important to know in order to understand why the PVSA affects the cruise industry. The majority of cruise ships fall under the umbrella of foreign-flagged ships, even if they have headquarters domestically.

Also Read: U.S. Passport Card vs. Book: What’s the Difference?

What Happens If A Cruise Line Violates The PVSA?

Cruiselines will typically be diligent about planning their routes, but there’s no way to guarantee 100% effectiveness when avoiding fines. Even if they do plan it perfectly, there are still situations where this will happen.

For example, if somebody on board needs medical attention and needs to be dropped at the nearest port in Washington before arriving at their foreign destination in Vancouver. In this example, the cruise line will be fined $762 for that single passenger and nothing else.

If there is inclement weather that stopped someone in Florida from reaching their destination in the Dominican Republic and the cruise was canceled after leaving the port, they will be fined the $762 per passenger that is dropped off at the US port.

However, in a circumstance like this, the cruise line would try to negotiate the fee with the CBP for a lower rate, as this was not a planned landing. This is because if some of the largest passenger vessels have a serious emergency and need to get off, the fines could be steep, while the cruise lines will still have to refund their passengers.

If a cruise ship has 3,000 people on board and has to dock, it could be facing a fine of over $2.2 million. In these situations, fines will likely be reduced but not eliminated.

How Does It Apply To Back-To-Back Cruises?

If the cruise ship stops at a foreign port before its passengers land, there will be no fines, regardless of the type of cruise route. However, if there are two or more trips combined into one and passengers land without stopping at a distant foreign port, then yes. This will trigger a violation on a per-passenger basis.

Let’s say somebody goes from Seattle to Vancouver on a cruise but then stops in Alaska afterward. They started in Seattle and will eventually need to return there. If they use the same ship and go straight there without stopping at a Canadian port, they will be subject to a fine.

Are Certain Cruise Ships Exempt?

Yes. We mentioned that at least one NCL ship is American, but there are plenty more. Many smaller cruise lines and other passenger vessels are American-made, flagged, and operated and are not subject to these penalties.

However, there is only one mainstream cruise ship, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America, that is registered and flagged in the US. The rest are small passenger vessels that may act as “cruise ships,” and they will not be subject to these fines.

Jones Act vs Passenger Vessel Services Act

When people bring up the PVSA, the Jones Act is often mentioned. The Jones Act was initiated in 1920 as part of the Merchant Marine Act, and it bars ships from transporting goods from US port to US port unless they are built, flagged, and operated domestically.

The intent of this law was to secure a merchant marine fleet, most likely for national defense. Not only does this affect cruise lines and other passenger vessels, but all vessels not built and flagged in the US. Because of this, passengers don’t necessarily need to get off the ship for cruise lines to incur fines for docking.

Fines for violating these laws are also under the discretion of CBP, and there is no specific dollar amount for violations. They are incurred on a case-by-case basis and are often steep.

There have been several occasions where the Jones Act has been amended or revised throughout its history. It’s also been waived on several occasions, usually due to natural disasters requiring ships within the US to provide assistance.

PVSA News for Cruise Lines

Because of the Covid restrictions, cruise lines were given a temporary pass when it came to Alaska. This allows them to skip the foreign port requirement without receiving a fine.

This was because of Canada’s laws about foreign cruise ships at the time, and Vancouver and other ports are common destinations for Alaskan cruises.

In June of 2021, a US Senator from Utah introduced three bills to allow cruise ships the freedom to operate this way permanently, arguing that the law only benefits Canada and Mexico with increased maritime revenue while disadvantaging the US.

The first bill introduced was called the “Open America’s Ports Act,” which would repeal the PVSA, allowing passenger vessels to freely transport from US port to US port. 

The second was called the “Safeguarding American Tourism Act,” which was aimed at exempting large passenger vessels from PVSA requirements. The third was the “Protecting Jobs In American Ports Act”, aimed at repealing the requirement that ships be US-built to avoid these restrictions. Believe it or not, there hasn’t been a large cruise ship built in the US since 1958.

Since that bill was killed, Senator Lisa Murkowski announced a follow-up bill on September 15th called the Cruising For Alaska’s Workforce Act and is currently making its way through congress. The bill is primarily aimed to allow ships from the mainland US to reach Alaska without being subject to PVSA regulations.

PVSA FAQ

Keep On Cruising!

Now that you know about the Passenger Vessel Services Act and how it affects the cruise industry, you should be able to make more sense of the routes and other practices within the cruise industry. We’ve got more helpful guides on cruising over on our Cruise Tips section.

Just as your airline pilot offers useful snippets of information such as cruising altitude and speed, cruise ship captains love to regale passengers with similar insights.

In the exciting world of marine navigation, it’s fair to say that most of us don’t have a handle on all the terminology. For the most part, this doesn’t really matter – until we set foot on the deck of a cruise ship.

Suddenly we want to understand how fast is a knot, and what is a nautical mile anyway? If these nautical terms have always puzzled you, then read on. We have explored them in detail below.

Nautical Navigation Unpacked

You may rightly question why distance and speed are measured differently at sea compared to land. This is an excellent question and forms the basis of all nautical navigational reasoning. 

At the very root of it, land and sea travel differ in one key area: the sea has no landmarks. At no point can we turn left onto 51st Street and continue until we get to the T-junction.

This means that tracking our position on the water relies on a different map, that being the latitude and longitude coordinates of the earth. These measurements are ideal for long-distance travel and take into account the earth’s curvature when establishing an accurate position. 

So, to fully understand how fast a knot is, we need a bit more information on exactly how ocean travel is measured. The basics are as follows:

• A statute mile is another name for a land-measured mile
• A nautical mile is a distance measurement equating to 1.1506 statute miles
• One nautical mile equals one minute of latitude

How Fast Is a Knot?

Now that we have a grasp on how sea-faring folk measure distance, we can better understand the answer to the question, “How fast is a knot?”

A knot is a measure of speed and equates to one nautical mile per hour. (Approximately 1.15 statute miles.) Therefore the ratio of knots vs. mph is 1:1.15.

Why, though, would sailors use the term “knot” when referring to speed? The answer lies in history, around the 17th century to be exact. Minus the modern tech that we enjoy today, sailors used a “common log.” This beautifully simple solution consisted of a rope with knots tied at regular intervals and connected to a piece of wood. 

The rope was tossed overboard behind the vessel, and the able seamen would then flip an hourglass to measure a specific amount of time. Once the time was up, they would pull up the rope and count the knots between the wood and the boat. This gave them a measurement of speed hence the term knots or knot speed.

It may not have been the most accurate measurement, but it was enough to allow ancient mariners to navigate with sufficient accuracy to get to where they were going. 

Summing Up

We answer the FAQs on this fascinating topic below.

See You Onboard!

In this article, we hope that we provided you with the necessary details to better understand what your ship captain is telling you during your next cruise.

Also Read: How Fast Do Cruise Ships Go?

So, when he tells you that you’re traveling at 21kn and your fellow passengers look at you and ask, “How fast is a knot?” you can speak with conviction. And then, possibly deep dive into unpacking “How fast is 21 knots?”