bugs on the Nieuw Amsterdam

[PathfinderEss]

Only in the Pinnacle. Another poster just said that bugs are all around us etc. yep they are. I just didn't expect to get bitten in a dining room!

Try getting bit by fleas in a hospital waiting room, now that was a surprise.:eek:

[maxie99]

You had my full sympathy until I read the one portion above, which I have snipped only for the statement(s) made!!

 

ANYONE who sails on Holland America Line KNOWS FULL WELL that HAL is ALWAYS cleaning!!!

 

Sorry, but are you the same person who said the something about Bed Bugs on Oosterdam during the 2 April 2010 Mexican Riviera??

 

If you are not, I apologize for confusing you wiith that person, to whom I was able to prove it was not Bed Bugs, but in fact Sand Fleas.

 

Sand Fleas by the way also bit me severely on that same Oosterdam that cruise and I never left the ship....

 

Bugs fly and get everywhere. Heck, why do you think they survived since pre dinasaur days... They can hide quite well, until we are least suspecting....

 

Another thing to keep in mind is this, and I am not attacking, so please do not think so, but....did you stay at a hotel pre cruise?? If there were bed bugs, they could have gotten in your luggage.... But I do not think they'd have waited until 2 days after your cruise actually started to ite, unless they were picky eaters:D

 

Seriously though, If all of you stayed in the same hotel pre cruise and/or were in the same stateroom, perhaps they were brought on board...

 

Don't know how or what bit you, but feel that the flame to the HAL Cleanliness had to be mentioned as totally untrue.

 

EDITED TO ADD: For what it is worth, not much usually :) I HATE the Nieuw Amsterdam for my own reasons, and have to say that hough I may hate her, She is a VERY CLEAN SHIP!!!!

 

Carpeting by the way is NOT STAINED!! It is PATTERNS specifically chosen for wherever it is placed in the ship. Sometimes it looks really mismatched and almost in a bad quilty look....But NOT STAINED!!!

 

Another thing is that while you might never have personally seen any cleaning going on, it was 24/7. I have photos to show from our cruise. I also have to make this clear: As an OLD person, I see much more than do the youngen's when it comes to dirt, stains, etc. etc., Being old has nothing to do with it!!

 

Joanie

:eek: - YOU GO GIRL-:cool:-- joani M

[kkorman]

I normally stay out of threads that may become controversial ... but do have to speak up this time. We have close to 200 days on HAL, and there has not been one single day during which I was not totally impressed with the cleaning crew. Never did I NOT find one within eyesight, and each was diligently working to keep things as close to perfect as possible. These are good people who literally give their lives to HAL, for months on end. And they work hard to keep their jobs.

 

I cannot sit idly by and not say something when their work is belittled here.

 

I do not doubt the validity of your bug bites - but cannot fathom they were caused by a dirty ship. Not a Holland America ship.

 

My partner and I have both thought our HAL ships to be the least maintained of our favorite lines... And while I certainly do not think they are dirty to point of bugs, there is certainly less attention to detail IMO.

 

OP, did you go to doc? Hopefully this did not impact the remainder of your cruise.

[Cruising-along]

<snip> All I wanted was for someone to tell me that they were going to clean (and spray I guess)

 

I personally wouldn't be happy to know I'm breathing bug spray on a cruise. Much worse for your health IMO. And I don't think extra cleaning will keep bugs away unless we're thinking roaches. :eek:

 

I'm sorry you had this problem and that you didn't get the response you wanted. Other than being understanding, what would they do?

[sapper1]

This thread is really starting to bug me. :p:D

[BeagleOne]

Somewhat more than half of all Americans over the age of 80 have or have had cataracts. Which means, of course, that almost half of Americans over 80 do NOT have cataracts. Couldn't find data on Canada related to age; just a total number and percentage of the overall population.

 

Just a little FYI.

[metairiegal]

this thread is really starting to bug me. :p:d

 

Ha ha!

[nana51]

Wow! Some people are really sensitive to age. I'm 62 and I know my house isn't as clean as it used to be. I'm too tired to clean the way I used to. :rolleyes:

 

I used to work at a hotel that catered to the elderly. Probably 80% of them were not that clean. They were tidy, but not terribly clean. If you are over 75 to 80 years old, cleaning is not as easy as it once was. Housekeepers don't always do the best job either.

 

As to the cleanliness of the ship. The 3 times I've been on the Oosterdam (only ship I've been on) I found it very clean and always saw someone cleaning something. That doesn't mean the OP did not get bit in the dining room. That doesn't mean the front desk shouldn't have taken it a little more seriously seeing as how many times she was bitten. We all just need to stop being so defensive. Also why do people hate saying their age? I always tell people I'm older than I am and they think I look great for my age. Better than being thought of as looking older than you are.:D

[jayro01]

IMHO, I'm in total support of OP - he had every right to be upset about the bug bites. He should consider himself lucky that it didn't get worse. I would definitely be putting a call into Seattle about this very serious issue. DW and I were enjoying a lovely evening in the Crows Nest having a nightcap when to our horror a mouse ran up her dress and bit her in the upper thigh. Needless to say what we hoped to be a romantic night turned into a night of applying cream to the affected area in order to try and stop the swelling. It was mentioned to the GSM and to our shock the reply we got was maybe she should start wearing underwear. Underwear or no underwear i dont think its right that people are getting bit by mice. CLEAN YOUR SHIP.

[kjw869]

IMHO, I'm in total support of OP - he had every right to be upset about the bug bites. He should consider himself lucky that it didn't get worse. I would definitely be putting a call into Seattle about this very serious issue. DW and I were enjoying a lovely evening in the Crows Nest having a nightcap when to our horror a mouse ran up her dress and bit her in the upper thigh. Needless to say what we hoped to be a romantic night turned into a night of applying cream to the affected area in order to try and stop the swelling. It was mentioned to the GSM and to our shock the reply we got was maybe she should start wearing underwear. Underwear or no underwear i dont think its right that people are getting bit by mice. CLEAN YOUR SHIP.

 

 

I see this is your first post!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

[Boatdrill]

I also don't find HAL ships to be very clean. I have been on five different lines and I have to say HAL ranks at the bottom for cleanliness. Not a lot of vacuuming or polishing was going on.

 

HAL cheerleaders may think this is normal response from staff. It isn't. HAL could learn a lot from other cruise lines that respond to complaints. I wanted to know if they even bothered to follow up. Shame on them.

 

 

I was on the NA for the cruise prior to your charter. The ship was immaculate in all areas.

 

I've always had very good service on the NA with timeliness of response. On the Amsterdam however, I learned that I had to write notes to the department heads I needed to contact, as the front desk apparently did not give them my phone messages (which was extremely irritating). The notes worked beautifully, and the responses were always prompt and very courteous and friendly.

 

And yes, I've been on more than five other cruiselines.

 

I'm sorry to hear of your poor experience on the NA. It's unusual for them.

[English_in_Spain]

Having just read through 5 pages of this thread, it seems to me that the OP's experience of HAL's cleanliness is different to most other people's.

 

What occurs to me is how typical is the experience on a blues charter is to a regular HAL cruise?

 

Bearing in mind the long hours the passengers are up and about, their needs must be different to other cruises. Maybe HAL change the normal staff duties to cater for this change in routine. Maybe they don't clean the ship as often on this charter.

 

OP, have you been on any HAL cruises that are not a charter? What was your experience then?

 

[sun~]

Having just read through 5 pages of this thread, it seems to me that the OP's experience of HAL's cleanliness is different to most other people's.

 

What occurs to me is how typical is the experience on a blues charter is to a regular HAL cruise?

 

Bearing in mind the long hours the passengers are up and about, their needs must be different to other cruises. Maybe HAL change the normal staff duties to cater for this change in routine. Maybe they don't clean the ship as often on this charter.

 

OP, have you been on any HAL cruises that are not a charter? What was your experience then?

 

 

I was on two other non blues cruise HAL cruises. The Zaandam and Maasdam. They were A few years ago. The ships were clean enough, but not to the standards of other lines we were on. We have been on the Eurdam for two blues cruises. Again, not the cleanest. We had dust bunnies and wrappers at the corner under our bed from when we got there, I told my hubby we should see how long it would take the cabin stewards to notice and vacuum. It was about 5 days. It says to me that there is not enough staff to really clean common areas and the cabin stewards have too many rooms to clean. I think this is a fairly common complaint.

 

Now the mouse in the crow's nest - ***! I know there can be a lot of vermin on ships and can be a big problem. But holy smokes, getting bit and it being shrugged off by the GSM. Disgraceful.

 

Hey JamesEM you don't have to read all the threads. You can skip things over. Seriously.

[mamaofami]

I hope this wasn't a serious post. Just like monkeys, mice can carry disease.

 

Any place that has an industrial kitchen has to have an aggressive program to kill mice and I'm sure HAL does.

But, this post grossed me out.Reminds me of my classroom int eh South Bronx where I was continually leaving traps down to trap the mice in the building.

 

This is from the CDC:Worldwide, rats and mice spread over 35 diseases. These diseases can be spread to humans directly, through handling of rodents, through contact with rodent feces, urine, or saliva, or through rodent bites. Diseases carried by rodents can also be spread to humans indirectly, through ticks, mites or fleas that have fed on an infected rodent.

 

 

 

 

[sail7seas]

How many of us here have been bitten by an insect in our own homes?

 

Are there any of us who never got a bug bite in and/or about our houses?

Surely everyone has suffered a mosquito bite, a bee sting, noSeeUms, even a spider bite? No?

 

Thankfully, OP seems to have suffered no permanent harm and nothing more than any of us can suffer most anywhere in a warm/humid climate.

 

 

[mamaofami]

I vividly recall being bitten in my ear lobe by a bee while I was sleeping in my own bed at home. It was July 4th, a Sunday, and luckily for me my dermatologist came to his office and took out the stinger which was left in there.I was due to leave for the Caribbean on a land trip the next day so I was very grateful to him since it was hurting.

[sail7seas]

I vividly recall being bitten in my ear lobe by a bee while I was sleeping in my own bed at home. It was July 4th, a Sunday, and luckily for me my dermatologist came to his office and took out the stinger which was left in there.I was due to leave for the Caribbean on a land trip the next day so I was very grateful to him since it was hurting.

 

 

Ooooo, that sounds so painful, Carol. Lucky you got help from your dermatologist.

 

But that is exactly my point, isn't it. Bitten in your own home in your own clean bed.

 

[COLLEYBERRY]

Sorry folks but everyone over the age of forty has cataracts ( clouding of the lens) it is only when vision is compromised that is surgery necessary.

 

However my lovely Momma was always able to spot a speck of dust at 100 yards...... especially if it were at my house.:D

[mamaofami]

Ooooo, that sounds so painful, Carol. Lucky you got help from your dermatologist.

 

But that is exactly my point, isn't it. Bitten in your own home in your own clean bed.

 

 

Im old. Maybe the bed wasn't clean.::D

[sapper1]

Im old. Maybe the bed wasn't clean.::D

 

I spent all day cleaning my house. I could list it tomorrow. :D

[sail7seas]

Im old. Maybe the bed wasn't clean.::D

 

 

:D LOL...... There is little risk of that, IMO !!!!

 

[BeagleOne]

Sorry folks but everyone over the age of forty has cataracts ( clouding of the lens)

 

Sorry, but that's not true. About 50% of people over 80 have cataracts or have had surgery to correct them. Lens accommodation really begins to decline in almost everyone after about 40 years of age, but that's not the same thing as cataracts.

[COLLEYBERRY]

 

I didn't mean to be misleading ..it was just how my ophthalmologist explained cataracts to me.:)

[kamac56]

Well here we go I have to Chime in: We bought a condo for our disabled daughter this past year. It was a foreclosure, so we had it cleaned, carpet cleaned etc. She moved in and about a month later she started getting welts on her legs and arms. We ruled out the swimming pool at the YMCA, so on to the dermatologist we go. they took a skin biopsy and it came back as bed bugs. :eek: I had never seen nor had problems with them, so we get a specialist in and he stated by the size of them they were residents before we were phew. but now to get rid of them $2000.00 later we had to have the entire condo heat treated. We had to tell the conjoining condo and have theirs inspected as well. I learned alot about bedbugs. 1: Bedbug bites are painless but will cause swelling and itching, 2: They are great travelers and will go with you anywhere you go. 3: costly and difficult to get rid of. I also learned that I will no longer sit in a booth at a resturant, I check my beds where ever i am staying (but I am starting to get nervous now cause I am almost 60 and may not be able to see them), I put my purse on a purse hanger on my tables in a resturant. AND I AM NOW SITTING HERE ITCHING!

 

Very rarely if ever will you get a BED bug bite that will make you yelp with pain...but OP I hope you bagged all your clothing etc before you brought it back into your home.

 

A adult bed bug can lay 500 eggs, and can live one year off one feeding from you! They are now finding bed bugs in restarants. The only good news about bedbugs is that they don’t carry any known human carrying diseases.

[fourkittys]

I have a suggestion, only a theory mind you. Since this happened on the first day, could it be possible that the dress could have had something crawl in it from somewhere from outside the ship and boarding? I assume it was in Florida and am also assuming a single Fire Ant might have hitched a ride unnoticed. Wearing the article of clothing might have "woke up" the so called hitch hiker and therefore began randomly biting her. This sounds very much how they attack. It was probably stopped when the area was brushed with her hand. They are so small it could have then gone completely unnoticed. Just saying.:D:D