Bed Bugs on NCL

[pdoeringer]

I have read that bed bugs have become in hotels in the last few years. Has there been any reports on NCL ships?

[sparks1093]

Not that I've heard.

[alwalaska]

Like Sparks said, I haven't read anything recently about NCL, but it has happened from time to time on cruise ships, usually in just a couple cabins.

 

There is really no way around it. Someone stays pre-cruise in a hotel with bed bugs, the bugs get in the luggage and come aboard the ship. The ship can't do anything about it before someone reports that they are there.

[Randus62]

Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!

[Toyz711]

this time of year, there are usually reports of hotels and cruise ships having this problem.

once in a while it's the sand fleas....from one of the beaches..making a trip on a shoe or towel and coming aboard.

working around a hotel, i see housekeeping working very hard to make sure the guest are very comfortable, just as your room steward will do on the cruise.

[BIG_Steve]

We occasionally get posts here about bedbugs from new users with no other posts, who don't come back. It's called a "Seagull" post. Fly over, plop, and move on.

[sjbdtz]

I have read that bed bugs have become in hotels in the last few years. Has there been any reports on NCL ships?

 

 

Are you asking because you are travelling or planning to travel on an NCL ship....or where you just wondering, in general?

 

Just curious, because the question is very vague, and the thread title reads very much like a Statement, more than a Question.

[pdoeringer]

Are you asking because you are travelling or planning to travel on an NCL ship....or where you just wondering, in general?

 

Just curious, because the question is very vague, and the thread title reads very much like a Statement, more than a Question.

We are on the Star in early 2011. I have read recently about bed bugs in hotels and I have seen just recently bed bug aerosol spray in the stores. I was just curious about how bad a problem it really is and if anybody has seen them on NCL. I would hope if the cabin steward finds them he would report it or have spray with him but who knows if he would do anything.

[Toyz711]

as said, they show up everywhere at some time. the hotels and cruise ships do everything they can to limit it. BUT it's the passengers that bring them aboard. they climb on the luggage when a person is packing and come along to a hotel or cruise ship.

i have never encounter them, anywhere! if i did i would be cursing the person who had the cabin before me, not the cruise line.

what about that poor NY clothing store that had to close it's door to get rid of them?

[tiff123]

What do they look like? Are the visible to the naked eye?

[Twinkie13]

Google and other online engines offer many pictures of them, if your curious. Sad but true, they do exist due to the fact the chemical that once eradicated them is on the banned list of use. I never knew that such a thing existed until a friend of mine told me about them. DH and I always check the mattress first and surrounding areas to ensure they are not in the room we will be staying in. They do leave tell tale signs of fecal matter and blood stains (drops or smears).:eek: Even the high end hotels occasionally have an issue with them.

[alwalaska]

You can find info here http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/

 

One thing I read contradicts other things I have learned. Just like all insects, some people are more sensitive to the bites then others. A small percentage of people can have fairly severe reactions the first time they are bit, but most never know they were bit.

 

They usually hide away during the day which makes them more likely to not be noticed until they get out of hand. Our friends brought them home after a college hunting trip with their son. They had a very hard time getting rid of them. A simple spraying is not sufficient.

[garycarla]

Personally, I believe every hotel and every cruise ship has some bedbugs. And so does your mattress at home.

 

You decided what you will do about it.

 

(we are in hotel or cruise ship rooms about 50-80 night a year - have not died yet!)

[Jerseyboy1]

I have read that bed bugs have become in hotels in the last few years. Has there been any reports on NCL ships?

 

Just so you know, bedbugs have been around for ages. Hence the silly little rhyme stated in a post above. My grandparents used to say it to us kids when retiring for the evening "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite". Oh and my wife manages a large hotel and has seen it all before. Nothing new here. No need to panic folks, they'll probably be around after "man" becomes extinct.:eek:

Edited July 22, 2010 by Jerseyboy1

[negc]

Bedbugs are no more likely to be found on your NCL cruise than on any other cruiseline's ships or when you stay in a hotel room. They are usually brought onboard unwittingly by other passengers and if they are noticed, measures will be taken to eliminate them. There have been no recent complaints about them that I am aware of and I think it is hardly worth spending much time worrying about them. Could you find them? - possibly. Will you find them ?- not very likely.:rolleyes:

[gizfish]

Personally, I believe every hotel and every cruise ship has some bedbugs. And so does your mattress at home.

 

You decided what you will do about it.

 

(we are in hotel or cruise ship rooms about 50-80 night a year - have not died yet!)

Dust mites yes. Bed bugs no. Please tell me you have confused the two. If you have a "few" bed bugs and don't get rid of them, you will soon have quite an infestation. While there has been much hype about bed bugs resurgence since the chemicals that used to be used to kill them are not legal, it isn't something to be paranoid about and can be a problem anywhere there are people. Recently two popular large stores in NYC had to be closed down to deal with a bed bug problem. While you shouldn't get paranoid, that is no reason to not be careful to check for and avoid these hitchhikers. http://www.ehow.com/how_2135258_check-treat-bed-bugs.html

[salty dingo]

Considering that a cruise ship IS a hotel in every aspect, then yes, if land hotels occasionally have an infestation then cruise ships will as well.

 

The bugs ride in luggage, and travel along with people. It's really not that common nor is it something to lose sleep over.

[sparks1093]

nor is it something to lose sleep over.

 

Unless, of course, the bed bugs are biting:D.

[Jerseyboy1]

Bedbugs appear in most if not all hotels from time to time and probably some ships as well. People bring them in unknowingly.

 

When it occurs, rooms are shut down, cleaned and treated by professionals and are left to sit for a few days to see how the situation responds. They are then inspected and tested to find the results of the treatment. Sometimes it requires more than one application, just like noro.

 

Situations like this are occuring more than you would like to know, and have been for years. It's not something that hotels or cruise ships really have much control over besides daily cleaning. The room is only as clean as the belongings and the person using it before you. Some things always slip through the cracks.

 

By the way... there are hundreds of microscopic organisms on your body right now......:eek:

[OceanDreaming2]

Dust mites yes.

 

We have a friend who has severe dust mite allergies. They cruise/travel often and bring along the dust mite mattress bags - asking ahead of time for the room stewards to wait for them to arrive so they can enclose their mattress with their special bedding.

[Music City]

I have read that bed bugs have become in hotels in the last few years. Has there been any reports on NCL ships?

 

No, bed bugs are not becoming.

[Little Feet]

I have been on 26 cruises, never been bitten or seen a bed bug.......but I am getting alarmed and concerned. Prevalence is increasing, due to not using DDT (and I agree with the banning of such an insecticide). It is perfectly reasonable to inquire about the current bed bug situation on cruise ships (my 27th cruiseis rapidly approaching). I would appreciate an honest and serious answer to the original post.

Respectfully,

Little Feet

[sjbdtz]

I have been on 26 cruises, never been bitten or seen a bed bug.......but I am getting alarmed and concerned. Prevalence is increasing, due to not using DDT (and I agree with the banning of such an insecticide). It is perfectly reasonable to inquire about the current bed bug situation on cruise ships (my 27th cruiseis rapidly approaching). I would appreciate an honest and serious answer to the original post.

Respectfully,

Little Feet

 

 

 

Have a look at posts 2 & 3 in this same thread.

 

Both serious and honest answers to the original post.

 

The remainder is just discussion.

[cod]

There was a news report today about the big problem in NYC hotels with bed bugs. Yikes.

 

Yes, they can definitely be brought on board and once in a while someone starts a post saying they had a problem in a cabin but those posts are few-and-far between.

 

Someone said a good way to check is pull back that strip of mattress binding as they like to hide in there until the lights go out. So on my last cruise I did that and found absolute nothing. I have yet to see one but I hear they are very minute and hard to see...appearing as little black dots.

 

If anything I've said (which is hear-say) is not correct, would someone please 'set me straight'. Thanks!

Edited July 30, 2010 by cod

[lambs2]

Someone said a good way to check is pull back that strip of mattress binding as they like to hide in there until the lights go out. So on my last cruise I did that and found absolute nothing. I have yet to see one but I hear they are very minute and hard to see...appearing as little black dots.

 

If anything I've said (which is hear-say) is not correct, would someone please 'set me straight'. Thanks!

 

Where exactly is "that strip of mattress binding" you mentioned above located? (i am kind of dense I guess - top or edge of mattress?) I know I would like to start checking more, not only on my cruises but at hotels also!! Perhaps we all will start bring our own special mattress protector bags along on trips soon!!:eek: