Seasickness on a cruise — which cabin, which route, and what helps

Mid-ship, a low-to-mid deck — that's where motion is felt least, like the centre of a seesaw. A cabin at the bow or on the high decks feels the most sway. If you're booking and seasickness is a worry, pay the difference for a mid-ship cabin — it's the best-value investment.

Calm: a river cruise (almost zero motion), the Mediterranean in summer, the Caribbean, Alaska's Inside Passage (land-sheltered), the Baltic. Can be rough: a transatlantic crossing, the Bay of Biscay (off France/Spain), the Drake Passage to Antarctica (notorious), the North Sea and the Tasman in the wrong season. If you're prone to it, start with a river cruise or the Caribbean.

• Prevention: pills (Dramamine / Bonine) work best taken before you feel bad, not after. A scopolamine patch behind the ear lasts 3 days, by prescription.
• Drug-free: acupressure bands on the P6 wrist point, ginger (candies/tea), fixing your eyes on the horizon, fresh air on the open deck.
• The ship's doctor gives a shot that stops it within 20 minutes — chargeable, but it works.
• Avoid reading or screens when the sea is rough, and eat light — neither an empty stomach nor a heavy one.