I don't know about ship location (i prefer as far forward as possible), but regarding motion sickness, i've got the perfect answer! i've suffered w/incredible motion sickness all my life & finally, back when i was a teenager, a guide in hawaii suggested taking a MECLIZINE tablet BEFORE BED & it lasts for 24 hrs. my traveling quality of life's been AWESOME ever since! the cheapest way to get it is directly from your pharmacist (off the general shelf as a name brand is pricey) ... mine was less than $5 for 100 chewables (maker's Rugby). check now, because some pharmacies may not have it readily in stock during this cruise season peak! by taking it at night, it allows the body to adjust in case someone might suffer from side effects like dizziness or drowsiness if taken during the day. the problem with "the patch" is that after it's been left on for so many days, the person has to leave it off for a certain time & that can potentially make them miserable. we were on a cruise rerouting to avoiding bad weather when a downing cargo ship distress call came thru & we went to rescue the survivors ... the rough seas were pitching waves up on our 6th deck balcony & we were actually able to eat dinner (w/less than 10 others from the entire ship in the dining area ... oh, & the "dinner" was pre-made pizza, so staff didn't have to struggle w/1st world expectations) ... the patch peeps were MISERABLE! hubby's a navy man & even he started to feel green enough to take a tablet (can use up to 4, but even my extreme sickness is controlled w/just 1). i handed out most of my new bottle of 100 tabs during that trip ... felt like santa ... & peeps were raving about how much it helped them. canNOT recommend this routine enough!