Hello, We have an upcoming WDW trip in September and i am concerned about motion sickness. Being from CA I have ridden Star Tours and it does make me queasy, so I just closed my eyes. However, that’s when I was much younger, pre diabetes and had vision in both of my eyes. I really want to ride FOP, Soaring over the World and SWGE SR but do not want to spoil my family time by getting sick. So, do any of you have any suggestions for motion sickness that may work? Thanks in advance.
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I have tried a couple of OTC medications - Dramamine (both regular and “non-drowsy”) and Bonine. Both worked to a degree, but made me extremely drowsy to the point of not being able to fully enjoy the rest of the day. But everyone responds to these medications differently, so maybe try taking something in the evening and riding one of these rides last thing in the day.
If you were able to get through Star Tours, the other three you mentioned should be a piece of cake. If you want to work your way up, start with Soarin’ - it’s the least impactful in my experience.
A couple of other tips:
- I request the front row on Star Tours and it isn’t as bad for me
- I didn’t get as sick on the second / third row of MF:SR as I did in the pilot’s chair
- If you find yourself feeling sick on a ride, focus on your breathing, swallow, and just power through until you can make it off the ride (closing eyes makes it worse for me, but works for others). Then take a break from thrill rides until you recover.
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I get motion sick, and always have to take medicine such as Bonine or Dramamine, although they work, they make me drowsy. On my last trip, I used the children’s Dramamine, and it worked without making me drowsy. I haven’t tried it on Star Tours, but rode everything at Universal (minus forbidden journey which always makes me sick), with no problems at all.
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My DD has suggested that her brother try Sea Bands that work with acupressure to help combat motion sickness. He hasn’t tried it yet. Star Tours, EE, circle vision movies all make him sick. He may try this on our next trip.
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Chewing gum helps with motion sickness on rides. It helps keep stomach acids down and helps with the inner ear/balance/motion effects of many rides.
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Multiple studies have shown that Sea Bands are no more effective than a placebo. Meaning, they aren’t effective at all except as a means to distract you from what is making you nauseous. (Hence, the placebo effect.)
Dramamine (and similar meds) are the only proven treatment to actually work, although other “treatments”, such as ginger help reduce the symptoms. (That is, they don’t prevent the motion sickness, but reduce the nauseous feeling that comes from motion sickness.)
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Yea - I use ginger chews and they work pretty well for me. Star Tours is the only thing that gets to me…but have not done FOP yet and will be really bummed if I get sick from that.
Good to know. The sea bands are not cheap, plus if they don’t work, you are still left with motion sickness.
They are actually quite inexpensive. 8 pair for $10. But like you said, if they don’t work you are still left with motion sickness.
Has anyone tried the Relief Band?
It’s super pricey, but with how much I spend on Disney trips, if it works it would totally be worth it. Up til now I just rely on Bonine, which takes the edge off at least.
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I may have been looking at the wrong pricing on SeaBands. Thanks for the info on Reliefbands. I just emailed DS and suggested that he look into them.
No problem. Even if it’s placebo…it’s a relatively low risk to try them. My daughters have had a lot of luck with em.
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I took Dramamine every morning we went to the parks this last trip. Just one tablet. It took the edge off the rides. Star Tours is the worst for me. Soarin and FOP were fine. I was a little wobbly getting off Soarin the first time I rode but it went away after about 30 secs. FOP was fine. If you start to feel sick just look to the side and you’re brain will remember is isn’t real. FOP also has a breeze so that helps.
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Thank you all for your comments! I will pick up Dramamine both children and regular just in case the regular makes me drowsy. Also, picking up some ginger chews too.
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Transderm scopolamine is a patch you wear behind your ear. It’s prescription only but will not make you drowsy. It may be overkill for rides at WDW but it does work. If you park-hopped and clustered the rides you think will make you sick on one day, it might be worth it. My husband uses it when we go scuba diving, or else the boat ride will ruin it for him.
If people use it for diving I see no reason why it can’t be justified for use in an amusement park.
I get motion sick on elevators. For real. I start taking non-drowsy Dramamine the day before our trip and take it every morning until we get back home. I ride all the rides, multiple times in a row. The only time I had trouble was in Sea World riding Kraken. I think the main problem with that ride for me was there was nothing under my feet - they were free hanging. Since there was nothing to “ground” me, my brain freaked out.
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Non-drowsy Dramamine is, in case people don’t know, just ginger. 
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I just looked that up. It’s made in China. I don’t think I’d take it. As opposed to actual medications (like regular Dramamine), dietary supplements like ginger are largely unregulated.
But you probably could find equivalent ginger medications with better sourcing. And @dianelynn’s advice about taking medications in advance is good, especially low-intensity drugs like this.
Almost every medication works better if it’s used preventatively rather than after you’re already feeling bad. e.g., if you know your knees are going to hurt after walking around the park all day, take your ibuprofen in advance. Your knees will be happy you did.
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This gets me curious. There are three main types of Dramamine. Original, which also is drowse-inducing, similar to Benedryl. I don’t take it primarily for that reason.
The non-drowsy, which as mentioned, is ginger.
The third is an all-day, less-drowsy formula.
I’m curious to know if people have tried specific versions and what your experience was. I’m tempted to consider the all-day, less drowsy formula. But only if it is still effective, and yet it is tolerable in terms of sleepiness. I mean, “less drowsy” could mean, “Instead of knocking you out in 30 minutes, it takes a full hour!” 
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For the record, ginger works well for me and seems on the more verifiable end of the “placebo” range. In its various forms, it is used and seems to work for gassy babies, airline passengers, and elementary school children with stomach flu, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t help theme park goers.
I tried this kind and it still made me significantly more drowsy than I would like to be at a theme park. I couldn’t sit down for risk of falling asleep.
Yeah. That’s what I was hoping to avoid.
I didn’t used to need it, but the older I’m getting, the more the rides are getting to me. I was thinking of trying the less-drowsy stuff on the trip to King’s Island I’m taking with my wife in a couple of months. But not if it is going to make me want to fall asleep!!!
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