Hand sanitizers on ships??

[Pam in CA]

I gave up on the sanitizer a few years ago when the skin between my fingers would start to crack. Just wash your hands & take your chances.

I wash my hands and then because Princess insists on it (at least on the cruises I've taken), I use the sanitizer as well. Within a day or so, my hands start to bubble and peel. Not painfully but they look awful as I've got all this skin peeling off in spots.

[P.A.]

All good info. Thanks for your input. We all must be responsible and wash really well. And I will bring my sanitizer with me too!! ;)

[caribill]

 

Per the CDC regarding noro-virus "Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used in addition to hand washing. But, they should not be used as a substitute for washing with soap and water."

 

 

The CDC advice is not because it kills any of the noro-virus, but because (just like washing hands) it helps rub the virus particles off of the hands.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

I wash my hands and then because Princess insists on it (at least on the cruises I've taken), I use the sanitizer as well. Within a day or so, my hands start to bubble and peel. Not painfully but they look awful as I've got all this skin peeling off in spots.

 

I suppose it might prevent some transmission of viruses but using it as much as I used to on the ship was just to much of a good thing.

Washing before eating can be just as effective IF you remember not to touch anything afterwards.

[DonnasMom&Dad]

Below is the web site for a very effective sanitizer, known world wide.

 

Cato :)

 

https://www.google.ca/#q=germstar+canada

 

 

 

Completed Cruises !

Pre-cruise Days - The Big Red Boat, 1993 ??

 

1st cruise - Coral Princess, 19 November 2008, 10 day Panama Canal, FLL to ACA

2nd cruise - Coral Princess, 15 May 2009, 3 day Repositioning, Los Angeles to Vancouver.

3rd cruise - Sapphire Princess, 25 November 2009? 7 day Mexican Riviera.

4th cruise - Golden Princes, 12 June 2010, 7 day Alaska. (Golden Anniversary Cruise)

5th Cruise - Island Princess, 04 October 2010, Vancouver - Los Angeles, Repositioning

6th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 05 January 2011, 10 day Mexican Riviera. LA to LA.

7th cruise - Golden Princess, 11 May 2011, 3 day, LA to Vancouver, Repositioning

8th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 14 May 2011, 1 day, Vancouver to Seattle, Repositioning

9th cruise - Coral Princess 19 May 2011 2 day, San Francisco to Vancouver, Repositioning

10th & 11th cruises - Coral Princess 02 July to 16 July 2011, round trip Vancouver - Whittier Alaska, B2B

12th & 13th cruises - Sapphire Princess, x2, Cabins, 18 Sep. 2011, 1 day, Seattle to Vancouver, Repositioning

14th & 15th cruises - Golden Princess, x2, Cabins, 24 Sep. 2011, 1 day, Seattle to Vancouver, Repositioning.

We have now reached Elite status with Princess Cruise Lines

16th cruise - Oasis of the Seas, 26 Nov. 2011, 7 day, Western Caribbean, Ft. Lauderdale, Ret.

17th & 18th cruises - Crown Princess B2B, 03 - 10 Dec & 10 - 17 Dec 2011, 14 Days, South & western Caribbean

19th cruise - Grand Princess, 31 Mar. - 07 April 2012, 7 Days, Eastern Caribbean, FLL - FLL

20th cruise - Island Princess, 06-16 June 2012, 10 day cruisetour Vancouver - Wittier

21th cruise - Emerald Princess, 16 day, 10 - 26 Sep. 2012, TA, Copenhagen - New York

22nd cruise - Carnival Ecstasy 10 - 14 January, 2013, 4 Day Bahamas, Port Canaveral Ret.

23rd cruise - Sapphire Princess 30 March - 06 April, 2013, 7 Day Coastal LA - LA

24th cruise - Coral Princess, 19 May - 22 May, 2013, 3 Day Repositioning Cruise, LA - Vancouver

25th cruise - Royal Princess 16 June - 05 July, 2013, 19 Day Inaugural cruise, Southampton - Venice

26th cruise - Emerald Princess, 06 - 16 OCT, 2013, 19 Days, Canada - New England, Quebec City - New York

27th cruise - Royal Princess, 24 Ncruise - ov. - 01 Dec. 2013, 7 days Eastern Caribbean - FLL round trip

28th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 20 -24 Jan. 2014, 4 Days California Costal

29th cruise - Crown Princess, 03 - 10 May, 2014, LA - Vancouver

30th cruise - Pacific Princess, 05 - 12 Aug. 2014, 7 Day, Vancouver RT Alaska

[chengkp75]

I think I've been through this before with Germstar. I am unable to find an MSDS sheet, even on their website, to determine the active ingredients. From their own advertising, they only mention alcohol (ineffective against noro) and emollients (which, while softening the skin, will break the surface tension between the outer layer of dead skin cells and the next), which only serves to remove the virus from your skin, not kill it. Germstar has no products on the EPA's list of effective agents against noro. Further, any "testing against noro" is not done on the noro virus, which is extremely difficult to maintain outside the human body, but on feline calicivirus, which is believed to be a close cousin to noro, though some recent testing brings this into question. Feline calicivirus is a respiratory virus in cats, not a GI virus.

[Mackenzie1]

I used to get colds and bronchitis every winter until I started using hand sanitizer four or five times a day. I wash my hands well and often, too. Although some say that Purell does not kill viruses, I'm convinced that the hand sanitizer residue keeps viruses from attaching to the skin because I don't get colds anymore. The new 70% alcohol hand sanitizers are too strong for my skin, though, so I look for brands that are 62-65% alcohol. I also use "Kiss my Face" soap, which has olive oil in it, and find it to be a very moisturizing and non-drying.

[chengkp75]

I used to get colds and bronchitis every winter until I started using hand sanitizer four or five times a day. I wash my hands well and often, too. Although some say that Purell does not kill viruses, I'm convinced that the hand sanitizer residue keeps viruses from attaching to the skin because I don't get colds anymore. The new 70% alcohol hand sanitizers are too strong for my skin, though, so I look for brands that are 62-65% alcohol. I also use "Kiss my Face" soap, which has olive oil in it, and find it to be a very moisturizing and non-drying.

 

While you may feel that any residue keeps the virus from "attaching" to your skin, having the virus on your skin isn't the problem. A major problem with the hand sanitizer industry, is that while the ingredients in the sanitizer may loosen skin cells and viruses (which is what soap does, it is only a lubricant after all), unless you use a paper towel to wipe your hands off after using the sanitizer, all you have done is move it around on your hands. Rinsing after soap washing does the same thing, it removes the virus.

[NativeSoCal]

Have we all become a society of hysterical, germaphobe, hypochondriac ninnies?

 

Have any of you ever gone camping?

Backpacking?

Out in the boonies?

Dirt bike riding in the desert?

Boondocking? Exploring the wilderness?

 

You don't always have access to "soap and water", to "hand sanitizer"...etc...

You sometimes eat with dirty hands. That's life.

Nature intended it that way.

 

How has man survived all these years?

Look at the early pioneers, the cowboys, the Indian....er, ....I mean, the Native Americans.....

They survived.

Modern man may not.

 

I'm surprised some of you don't board the ship wearing a Tyvex suit as protection against any germs/bacteria/virus you may encounter.

 

All this effort at hand washing, sanitizing, etc, has degraded your immune systems so they cannot effectively fight off such maladies.

 

Yes, I wash my hands, when the need arises. When they are dirty.

But I'm not going overboard, I'm not dropping everything after touching a menu and washing up, touched a handrail, touched a doorknob, touched this, touched that.

If I was regularly getting sick, I might alter my behavior. I'm not.

 

While you're at the washroom, I'll be at the bar, having a whiskey on the rocks.

That's my germ deterrent. :cool:

[DonnasMom&Dad]

I think I've been through this before with Germstar. I am unable to find an MSDS sheet, even on their website, to determine the active ingredients. From their own advertising, they only mention alcohol (ineffective against noro) and emollients (which, while softening the skin, will break the surface tension between the outer layer of dead skin cells and the next), which only serves to remove the virus from your skin, not kill it. Germstar has no products on the EPA's list of effective agents against noro. Further, any "testing against noro" is not done on the noro virus, which is extremely difficult to maintain outside the human body, but on feline calicivirus, which is believed to be a close cousin to noro, though some recent testing brings this into question. Feline calicivirus is a respiratory virus in cats, not a GI virus.

 

Here is the Web for the MSDS sheet!!

 

Cato :)

 

http://www.domtrak.ca/Germstar/MSDS-Germstar.pdf

[chengkp75]

Here is the Web for the MSDS sheet!!

 

Cato :)

 

http://www.domtrak.ca/Germstar/MSDS-Germstar.pdf

 

Thanks. While MSDS don't always give a clue to actual ingredients (sometimes the group), this only lists alcohol, water, fragrances and emollients, and no other even group of chemicals. Sometimes trace chemicals don't need to be reported, but if an active ingredient is present only in trace amounts, it would not be effective against noro. This doesn't look to be any different than other alcohol based hand sanitizers.

[BrandiGreg]

To help deter infections, I try to maintain my blood alcohol level as high as possible during a cruise. So far, so good.:p

[NativeSoCal]

to help deter infections, i try to maintain my blood alcohol level as high as possible during a cruise. So far, so good.:p

 

Atta-Girl!!! :)

Edited October 24, 2014 by NativeSoCal

[MountainTroll1976]

Just got off the Norwegian Sky. They had hand sanatiser everywhere plus little girls with a spritzer bottle of rubbing alcohol spraying your hands .

[Viesczy]

As many have said, the sanitizers are mostly for show. They all dry too quickly to be of an important impact on anything you're carrying.

 

Keep this in mind, you've live on planet Earth for a few days and you should've developed an immune system that can handle the flora and fauna of planet Earth.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

[quote name='MountainTroll1976']Just got off the Norwegian Sky. They had hand sanatiser everywhere plus little girls with a spritzer bottle of rubbing alcohol spraying your hands .[/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]They also have had there share of the Noro,so what good does it really do?
Makes people feel better I suppose. :cool:[/FONT]