Have you ever gotten sick on board a cruise ship? Suggestions on how to avoid it?

[bluejbird]

Hi,

I'm planning on taking an Alaskan Cruise on board the Diamond Princess in May. It'll be this ship's first Alaskan cruise this year. I just found out that right before this cruise the ship will be stopping in Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Russia. Although I've heard stories about people getting sick on board cruise ships and it being kept quiet, I've never really been that concerned about it. Now seeing all the ports this ship will be in before getting to Alaska and with all the recent pandemic flu scares and stories on what you can pick up in a hotel room (that doesn't even travel from country to country), I'm a little concerned. Does anyone have any idea, if cruise ships do a good job disinfecting before a new cruise? Has anyone gotten sick on their cruises? Suggestions on how to prevent it? Thanks much. Jo-RealLifeRealStoriesDOTcom

[knorrisb07]

the only way to protect yourself is to wash your hands often. try to avoid touching the door knobs/handles or any hard surface before handling your food.

[ailuro]

there is hand sanitizer everywhere, make sure you use it. You'll probably be more at risk on a day to day basis touching door handles at work where they probably aren't cleaned once a month!

[negc]

Cruise ships are required to report to the CDC any significant instances of illness on their ships. You are more likely to be infected by something your fellow passengers bring onboard with them than anything that previous guests left behind. You will see the staff constantly cleaning the ship and the ubiquitous presence of hand sanitizers should help protect you from catching anything. Be sure to exercise common sense precautions. Wash your hands frequently while you are onboard and you should be fine.:)

[greatam]

Hi,

I'm planning on taking an Alaskan Cruise on board the Diamond Princess in May. It'll be this ship's first Alaskan cruise this year. I just found out that right before this cruise the ship will be stopping in Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Russia. Although I've heard stories about people getting sick on board cruise ships and it being kept quiet, I've never really been that concerned about it. Now seeing all the ports this ship will be in before getting to Alaska

 

What in the h*** does this mean??? As someone who spends a lot of time in the MidEast/Asia for business, what an insult!!!! Not only an insult to me but to all the hard working cruise ship employees from that part of the world.

 

I'd be MUCH more worried about cruises in the Caribbean than in Asia. Passengers spend a lot more time hanging out in bars and on beaches where viruses can be passed from person to person. The MAJORITY of CDC reports are IN THE CARIBBEAN.

 

Japan is one of the cleanest countries in the world (the "pink ladies" clean the trains after every trip and trash is pretty well non existent), followed by Singapore and China (in the tourist areas). The ship BARELY touches Russian soil (Vladivostak). I have only made short stops in Taiwan and Korea to change planes, but certainly saw nothing to raise an alarm bell.

 

Wash your hands frequently. And while you are at it, do a little research about other cultures. Your attitude SCREAMS "ugly American".

[bluejbird]

WOW! PLEASE DO NOT TWIST MY QUESTION INTO AN INSULT AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF THESE COUNTRIES! I APOLOGIZE if anyone got the impression that I was saying anything negative about these particular countries or anyone from them. I don’t think that someone who has a virus such as H1N1 has gotten it because they live in unsanitary conditions etc. and maybe you’re thinking that I’m referring to much more serious diseases than I am. SINCE I DO NOT HAVE AS MUCH EXPERIENCE CRUISING AS MOST PEOPLE ON THIS SITE SEEM TO HAVE, I WAS TRYING TO ASK HOW WELL FREQUENT CRUISERS THINK THE CRUISE LINES DISINFECT THE SHIPS BETWEEN CRUISES. When I referred to the ports the ship will be in prior to my cruise, I was talking about the no. of ports as well as it being a cruise lasting over a month. It doesn’t matter to me what the 9 ports would be, but I would think that increasing the number of people that the cruisers come into contact with no matter what the ports are would increase the risk of the flu or whatever being transmitted onboard. It just so happens that I’m taking an Alaskan Cruise now, if I was taking a Caribbean, a U.S. Coastal, European Cruise, etc., I would be asking the same question. A few months ago I visited a church in another state and the priest there told the congregation not to shake hands during the sign of peace. I don’t think anyone was insulted. At this time, when we have H1N1 concerns, I don’t think anyone should be offended if I ask how well a cruise line handles disinfecting a ship that has been out for over a month and will only have about 5 hours of cleaning time between almost 3000 passengers leaving a ship and another 3000 passengers boarding. I’ve heard of cruise ships being quarantined because of shipboard illness and I wanted to see how much of this is exaggerated and how much has actually happened based on your experiences. Also, I’m not trying to insult the 3000 passengers that will be leaving the ship. I personally don’t think it’s saying anything negative about a person to say that they may have had the flu, a strep throat, chicken pox etc. Once again, I apologize if anyone took my question the wrong way, it wasn’t meant as a criticism of anyone or anyone’s culture.

[luvlake]

WOW! PLEASE DO NOT TWIST MY QUESTION INTO AN INSULT AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF THESE COUNTRIES! I APOLOGIZE if anyone got the impression that I was saying anything negative about these particular countries or anyone from them. I don’t think that someone who has a virus such as H1N1 has gotten it because they live in unsanitary conditions etc. and maybe you’re thinking that I’m referring to much more serious diseases than I am. SINCE I DO NOT HAVE AS MUCH EXPERIENCE CRUISING AS MOST PEOPLE ON THIS SITE SEEM TO HAVE, I WAS TRYING TO ASK HOW WELL FREQUENT CRUISERS THINK THE CRUISE LINES DISINFECT THE SHIPS BETWEEN CRUISES. When I referred to the ports the ship will be in prior to my cruise, I was talking about the no. of ports as well as it being a cruise lasting over a month. It doesn’t matter to me what the 9 ports would be, but I would think that increasing the number of people that the cruisers come into contact with no matter what the ports are would increase the risk of the flu or whatever being transmitted onboard. It just so happens that I’m taking an Alaskan Cruise now, if I was taking a Caribbean, a U.S. Coastal, European Cruise, etc., I would be asking the same question. A few months ago I visited a church in another state and the priest there told the congregation not to shake hands during the sign of peace. I don’t think anyone was insulted. At this time, when we have H1N1 concerns, I don’t think anyone should be offended if I ask how well a cruise line handles disinfecting a ship that has been out for over a month and will only have about 5 hours of cleaning time between almost 3000 passengers leaving a ship and another 3000 passengers boarding. I’ve heard of cruise ships being quarantined because of shipboard illness and I wanted to see how much of this is exaggerated and how much has actually happened based on your experiences. Also, I’m not trying to insult the 3000 passengers that will be leaving the ship. I personally don’t think it’s saying anything negative about a person to say that they may have had the flu, a strep throat, chicken pox etc. Once again, I apologize if anyone took my question the wrong way, it wasn’t meant as a criticism of anyone or anyone’s culture.

 

Your statement of 5 hours of cleaning time between almost 3000 passenger leaving a ship and another 3000 passengers boarding is incorrect. You will find the crew cleaning almost 24 hours a day. I could only wish that the venues I go to on a daily basis were cleaned as well. :rolleyes:

 

As people have said just make sure you wash your hands alot and keep your hands away from your mouth and eyes. I also use the sanitizing gel every chance I get.:)

[bluejbird]

Thanks for all of the responses! Everyone seems satisfied with the cleanliness of their cruise ships and seems to agree that keeping hands clean is the best precaution.

[Budget Queen]

Frankly- the "dirty" conditions are by the PASSENGERS. Along with the spread of various germs. It is NOT enough to just "wash your hands" and use santizier. Take a look around the buffet- countless people eating through the line, licking their fingers- TOUCHING all the handles- then YOU coming along, doing the SAME thing- you may as well have shared the same plate and fork.

 

NEVER touch your food with your hands- if you want to significantly reduce your risk, of "shared spit". Sorry, but you will see me, eating my sandwich with a fork, bread too. If I have to butter bread- it's never touched and a napkin is used. Yes, I am in infection control. :)

 

I have never gotten sick on cruiseships, and had sailed twice with a Norovirus outbreak.

[MercedMike]

Frankly- the "dirty" conditions are by the PASSENGERS. Along with the spread of various germs. It is NOT enough to just "wash your hands" and use santizier. Take a look around the buffet- countless people eating through the line, licking their fingers- TOUCHING all the handles- then YOU coming along, doing the SAME thing- you may as well have shared the same plate and fork.

 

NEVER touch your food with your hands- if you want to significantly reduce your risk, of "shared spit". Sorry, but you will see me, eating my sandwich with a fork, bread too. If I have to butter bread- it's never touched and a napkin is used. Yes, I am in infection control. :)

 

I have never gotten sick on cruiseships, and had sailed twice with a Norovirus outbreak.

 

Sensible sanitary precautions are an important part of our society everyplace. We all see people who fail to do the simplest things, and need to protect ourselves.

 

OTOH we need to lead a fairly normal life and not become so concerned with sanitation that we live in apprehension all the time.

 

Personally, I wash and sanitize my hands frequently, on board or off. But to be honest I just pick up a piece of bread and slap the butter on with a knife. I don't worry about using the salt and pepper shakers on the table either.

 

Everybody has to decide how far to go in safety measures. My father was an industrial engineer and taught me a great deal about physical safety. Some people think I obsess when I pull the main instead of flipping a breaker before changing a light socket and always insist on having somebody hold the ladder. To each his own.

[MercedMike]

What in the h*** does this mean??? As someone who spends a lot of time in the MidEast/Asia for business, what an insult!!!! Not only an insult to me but to all the hard working cruise ship employees from that part of the world.

 

I'd be MUCH more worried about cruises in the Caribbean than in Asia. Passengers spend a lot more time hanging out in bars and on beaches where viruses can be passed from person to person. The MAJORITY of CDC reports are IN THE CARIBBEAN.

 

 

Well, first of all, the MAJORITY of cruise ships are in the Caribbean so of course that is where the MAJORITY of reports come from. It is easy to lie with statistics ...

 

Secondly, I don't know how you can state that sanitation in many Middle East and Asian countries is equal to what we are used to. Even in Europe we do not find the standards we are accustomed to. I remember restrooms in Italy, at major tourist sites, that were very dirty. And until not so long ago Paris had the famous "pissoirs" on main streets. In Egypt, liberal application of hand sanitizer before and after restrooms was the only thing that soothed my mind. In tourist areas in China, my DW would not use the restrooms at all.

 

To suggest that recognizing differences between countries and cultures is somehow "racist" or "ugly American" is ridiculous. The OP asked a sensible question, and received the sensible answer that wherever the ship sails, the crew are constantly cleaning and overall sanitation on ships far exceeds that in most US places. It was not a big political issue and there is no need to complain that it was not PC!

 

JMAO. YMMV.

[greatam]

Well, first of all, the MAJORITY of cruise ships are in the Caribbean so of course that is where the MAJORITY of reports come from. It is easy to lie with statistics ...

 

Secondly, I don't know how you can state that sanitation in many Middle East and Asian countries is equal to what we are used to. Even in Europe we do not find the standards we are accustomed to. I remember restrooms in Italy, at major tourist sites, that were very dirty. And until not so long ago Paris had the famous "pissoirs" on main streets. In Egypt, liberal application of hand sanitizer before and after restrooms was the only thing that soothed my mind. In tourist areas in China, my DW would not use the restrooms at all.

 

To suggest that recognizing differences between countries and cultures is somehow "racist" or "ugly American" is ridiculous. The OP asked a sensible question, and received the sensible answer that wherever the ship sails, the crew are constantly cleaning and overall sanitation on ships far exceeds that in most US places. It was not a big political issue and there is no need to complain that it was not PC!

 

JMAO. YMMV.

 

" I just found out that right before this cruise the ship will be stopping in Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Russia. Although I've heard stories about people getting sick on board cruise ships and it being kept quiet, I've never really been that concerned about it. Now seeing all the ports this ship will be in before getting to Alaska"

 

I realize the OP didn't want to sound insulting but the last line is telling. Who was discussing Egypt? Who was discussing Europe? The discussion was directed toward the ports of ASIA.

 

So why would the OP think that these ports were any more "dirty/cause for concern" than a cruise in the Caribbean or Mexico?

 

What the OP was really trying to say (I think) was how well the the ships are disinfected NO MATTER where they port. In addition, what precautions should you take to prevent illness? Hep A and possibly B, a flu shot and other "normal" vaccinations should be up to date, no matter where you cruise. On the ship sanitation questions have been answered well.

 

I will admit that certain parts of the Middle East leave a lot to be desired (Egypt being particularly dirty). But most of the "tourist" areas of Asia are fairly clean-maybe not quite up to USA standards but certainly cleaner than a lot of the world. Japan and Singapore are generally spotless. Infectious diseases (like H1N1) are very likely to happen on an airplane as well as other places people interact. Has nothing to do with any specific country.

 

Again, what do the ports (anyplace in the world) have to do with anything "unsanitary" on the ship (except passengers own personal habits which is where infections come from) H1N1 was widely blown out of proportion as was SARS (my particular Asian cruise was canceled SIX months BEFORE the cruise was to leave).

[Beach4me]

I was on a Noro cruise on Princess. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts to avoid it, I got it. I will tell you that I have never been that sick in my entire life. Had we not been in the middle of the Pacific at the time, I'd have left the ship.

 

My circumstances were a bit unique and Princess was directly at fault for my illness. In case you'd like some ideas of how to better protect yourself, here's some things I do that you may want to do. They have proved successful for me on dozens of cruises.

• I take a baggie full of salt and pepper packets. (I start collecting a few at the fast food restaurants several weeks before we leave.)
  
• I take a small can of Lysol - spray down the beds, etc. upon boarding. Spray the cabin after the steward has been in.
  
• I take a small cannister of Clorox wipes. I wipe down the handles (drawer, doors, etc), arms of chairs in the cabin, etc.
  
• I take a few pair of rubber gloves. (I've only used them once - and that was on the Noro cruise.)
  
• I take a pocket-size sanitizer gel and use it after handling menus in the dining room and bars or going through the buffet lines.
  

As previously noted, the big thing is to avoid touching your face. This will go a very long way to helping protect yourself.

 

It's funny, people will say "well, if the sick people would just stay in their cabins"...trust me, the sick people do stay in their cabins. You have no choice (not just because of the quarantine but you can't possibly function with Noro). I remember seeing several areas cordoned off and thinking, gosh, why couldn't that person make it to the bathroom... Well, let me tell you, I went to the evening comedy show - felt fine. Walked out into the hallway after the show and suddenly felt a bit tired but still wasn't sick. The rest of my party went on to the casino but I begged off because I was so tired. By the time I walked the few feet to the elevator and went from deck 7 to 10, I was sick as a dog. I barely made it the 4 doors from the elevator to our cabin before I revisited dinner. If I'd have been 5 doors down, I'd have never made it. That's how quickly it can - and does - hit!

 

Here's my biggest hint if you do find yourself with it, ask the doctor to come to your cabin to administer the shot and deliver meds.

 

Chances are that you'll never need any of this info. But, better to be prepared. As I said, in over 40 cruises, this is the only one on which I got hit. And, if it weren't for extenuating circumstances, I would have avoided being a CDC statistic just by virtue of following the simple steps I've mentioned.

 

Enjoy your cruise. Prepare - but don't worry!

[ErinPhotoBug]

It should be noted that hand sanitizer has not been proven to work on viruses, including the norovirus and H1N1. Despite the prolific hand sanitizer stations in every dining venue and gangway, squirting some alcohol-based gel on your hands is not, alone, covering all of your bases.

 

Be sure to wash your hands with soap and water. A full 15 seconds of lathering (enough time to sing the ABCs or a birthday-party-tempo "Happy Birthday" while you soap) is necessary to do the job. Soap+friction is what actually gets the germies off.

 

If you are going through the buffet, take a napkin and use it as a barrier between your hand and the serving utensil. Almost all cruise ship dining venues have a bathroom nearby - go ahead and wash your hands before you start putting food to mouth. Use your elbows or knuckles to open doorways or push elevator buttons.

 

And don't forget a bottle of hand lotion. All of that hand washing can leave your paws a bit dry. :D

[catsforkids]

Hi,

I'm planning on taking an Alaskan Cruise on board the Diamond Princess in May. It'll be this ship's first Alaskan cruise this year. I just found out that right before this cruise the ship will be stopping in Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Russia. Although I've heard stories about people getting sick on board cruise ships and it being kept quiet, I've never really been that concerned about it. Now seeing all the ports this ship will be in before getting to Alaska and with all the recent pandemic flu scares and stories on what you can pick up in a hotel room (that doesn't even travel from country to country), I'm a little concerned. Does anyone have any idea, if cruise ships do a good job disinfecting before a new cruise? Has anyone gotten sick on their cruises? Suggestions on how to prevent it? Thanks much. Jo-RealLifeRealStoriesDOTcom

An appropriate question with good answers. Never mind those who just like to start an argument on these boards! ;) And I would LOVE to go on that cruise!

[banning high]

I have been sick twice on a cruise. Once with the flu like symptoms. Not fun at all!!!! My advice- if you touch ANYTHING that another human has touched wash and rub your hands over and over with warm water and lots of soap. DO NOT touch the doors going out of public rooms and handrails. Also, don't trust that your room was cleaned with "clean" hands. Sanitzers gave me a false sense of security as I used them and still manged to get sick. Watch the dining tables- if salt and pepper shakers have been replaced with paper packets- there is a problem on the ship. Almost forgot- get out of the habit of touching and/or rubbing your face-

pretend you just paid $100 for a full on make up job!. Advice from my home Dr.

 

Take cold and flu drugs with you- something for a sore throat, fever and so forth.