Ill on the morning of embarkation

[babs135]

Purely hypothetical:

 

You wake up on the morning of your cruise and both you and DH are clearly unwell what do/should you do?

 

Would you go to the port in the hope that all will work out? For us this would involve a 5 hours coach journey and I can imagine what the other passengers would be thinking. Could they even suggest we leave the coach?:eek:

 

Ok, so you're at the port, you've filled in the health form and the doctor is called to see you. What happens next? Can he stop you from boarding or could you agree to board and go straight into some sort of quarantine?

 

If it's a cruise for only 7 days it's probably not worth being quarantined, but what if it is two weeks or longer? And what if it is a world cruise? Would/could they suggest you miss the first few days altogether and join once you have been given a clear bill of health?

 

Clearly these questions have been posted because not only are DH and myself coughing ourselves silly, I am also very bored. ;)

[John Bull]

A difficult one, fortunately it's only hypothetical for you.

Can't comment on coach travel - but don't sit next to me :p

 

I sat one time on a long-haul aircraft next to a girl who was constantly sniffling. Apart from being unpleasant, the worry was that she could pass on her germs & spoil my own trip. Fortunately I was able to move to an empty seat, though it was some distance from my girlfriend.

 

Usually at the port you'll be permitted to board, but confined to your cabin for a few days.

Sadly a lot of folk tell lies on the medical form at registration, because they don't want to be turned away. Very wrong, but understandable.

 

Perhaps if cruise lines made it clear that if an illness turned out to be something like noro they would probably be confined (and very well looked-after) for a few days rather than denied boarding, that might encourage more folk to be honest on the form?

 

JB :)

[NMLady]

. ...

Usually at the port you'll be permitted to board, but confined to your cabin for a few days.

Sadly a lot of folk tell lies on the medical form at registration, because they don't want to be turned away. Very wrong, but understandable.

 

Perhaps if cruise lines made it clear that if an illness turned out to be something like noro they would probably be confined (and very well looked-after) for a few days rather than denied boarding, that might encourage more folk to be honest on the form?

 

JB :)

 

I don't know where you get the idea they'd let you board with norovirus and quarantine you.

If it is determined you have symptoms of norovirus you are not allowed to board. If it is not norovirus you are allowed to board and not quarantined.

Edited January 10, 2016 by NMLady

[LHT28]

depends on what you are sick with

If you have a cold then I would make the trip & just stay clear of people for a few days until you are feeling better

 

If it was something else I would cancel & get to the doctor

call your travel insurance & make a claim

 

If I had to make a 5 hr bus trip & was ill then there is no way I would go if I was really ill

 

 

YMMV

[klfrodo]

Should I go? No

Would I go? Yes

 

Last year went on a business trip to Africa.

I was sicker than a dog.

Couldn't really get out of it. Too much money already spent. Security arrangements made. Special access granted.

 

Loaded up with meds. Got to one airport to change planes. The jetway came to a stop. They were screening for Ebola. I knew I was running a fever but would I get pulled to the side and quarantined? I guess my fever wasn't high enough.

 

Mission accomplished

In retrospect, I should not have traveled and put others at risk like that.

[riddle]

A coworker's brother in law was on a medication which caused diarrhea. They were honest on their form but the cruise line would not let them sail.

 

I once had to go to the ship's infirmary with what could have been a noro type thing. I knew it was not as it was chronic and the result of a medical condition. When I explained everything to the doctor he released me.

[John Bull]

I don't know where you get the idea they'd let you board with norovirus and quarantine you.

If it is determined you have symptoms of norovirus you are not allowed to board. If it is not norovirus you are allowed to board and not quarantined.

 

Hi Mary Kay,

Just what I've learned very second-hand, prepared to be corrected. ;)

 

You're suggesting there's circumstances when a passenger is denied boarding, & circumstances when a passenger is free to board & to roam freely.

But no circumstances when a passenger is allowed to board but be quarantined - and I know that has happened.

:confused:

 

JB :)

Edited January 10, 2016 by John Bull

[Karysa]

depends on what you are sick with

If you have a cold then I would make the trip & just stay clear of people for a few days until you are feeling better

 

If it was something else I would cancel & get to the doctor

call your travel insurance & make a claim

 

If I had to make a 5 hr bus trip & was ill then there is no way I would go if I was really ill

 

 

YMMV

 

No way would I stay clear of people instead of just cancelling and using my travel insurance. Staying clear of people when you have a cold, sniffing and sneezing means staying in your cabin. Why would you do that for 3 days instead of using your travel insurance? I'm talking about missing 3 days on a 7 day cruise not 3 days on a 3 month cruise. :)

[sail7seas]

depends on what you are sick with

If you have a cold then I would make the trip & just stay clear of people for a few days until you are feeling better

 

If it was something else I would cancel & get to the doctor

call your travel insurance & make a claim

 

If I had to make a 5 hr bus trip & was ill then there is no way I would go if I was really ill

 

 

YMMV

 

That's the point.......

 

What form of illness are we discussing?

A cold?

The flu?

Noro like Virus?

The measles?

Potential Heart Attack?

 

Need more information.

 

[babs135]

That's the point.......

 

What form of illness are we discussing?

A cold?

The flu?

Noro like Virus?

The measles?

Potential Heart Attack?

 

Need more information.

 

 

Question came about because DH and I are coughing like it was going out of fashion and it made me think about what I would do. I suppose it could apply to any form of illness that presented itself on the morning of embarkation.

[sail7seas]

If I knew I was ill with something contagious, I hope I'd have the good grace and consideration to remain home and not risk infecting a ship full of crew and guests. I don't think I'd stay home with a cold unless truly severe, risk of bronchitis or the like but I would stay home with the flu or Noro like virus.

 

Babs... I hope you and DH get rid of those coughs soon. Sometimes a nagging cough can linger and it is exhausting. Feel better soon.

 

 

 

[Karysa]

Is cough mentioned on the cruise health form? Fever, N and V and the D word I can see but many people cough who are not contagious. Smokers for instance cough and I wouldn't think that the cruise lines want to triage smokers cough.:)

[Elaine5715]

Is cough mentioned on the cruise health form? Fever, N and V and the D word I can see but many people cough who are not contagious. Smokers for instance cough and I wouldn't think that the cruise lines want to triage smokers cough.:)

 

On the form I have:

1. Within the last 3 days have you or any other person listed above develop any symptoms of diarrhea or vomiting

2. Do you or any person list above have a fever or feverishness Plus any ONE of the following additional symptoms cough runny nose or sore throat?

If you answered yes to either of above two questions you will be assessed free of charge by a member of the shipboard medical staff. You will be allowed to travel unless you are suspected to have a disease of international public concern.

 

There's also a note that says this questionnaire may be reported to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention will never knowingly and willfully make some material falls fiction or fraudulent statement or representation may be subject to find imprisonment or both for student to title 18 1001 of the United States Code similar sanctions may apply in other countries with information is provided.

 

So, a cough alone is just going to be disruptive to neighboring cabins so just bring cough medication.

[Karysa]

On the form I have:

1. Within the last 3 days have you or any other person listed above develop any symptoms of diarrhea or vomiting

2. Do you or any person list above have a fever or feverishness Plus any ONE of the following additional symptoms cough runny nose or sore throat?

If you answered yes to either of above two questions you will be assessed free of charge by a member of the shipboard medical staff. You will be allowed to travel unless you are suspected to have a disease of international public concern.

 

There's also a note that says this questionnaire may be reported to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention will never knowingly and willfully make some material falls fiction or fraudulent statement or representation may be subject to find imprisonment or both for student to title 18 1001 of the United States Code similar sanctions may apply in other countries with information is provided.

 

So, a cough alone is just going to be disruptive to neighboring cabins so just bring cough medication.

 

 

Thanks :). It is all quite reasonable actually.

 

Regarding a fever. That can be masked by Ibuprofen or Tylenol ect, so many people may not display a fever for that reason if they have a cough or runny nose or sore throat and are taking those medicines or Tylenol cold or something similar.

Edited January 11, 2016 by Karysa

[Dayenu]

I had a similar issue once - a non-contagious sickness, and my doc wanted me to stay home. I had to wait till the last day to decide if I am strong enough to go. This is why it's advised to have insurance.

 

I think they will put in you quarantine in the cabin for a few days.

 

As to flying to another port... it must be a foreign port, you must have a passport, it will be expensive one-way flight so you need insurance, and it depends on your doctor if s/he filled the paperwork. And if s/he will do it on time.

 

So, best of all, stay healthy.

[zqvol]

Purely hypothetical:

 

You wake up on the morning of your cruise and both you and DH are clearly unwell what do/should you do?

 

Would you go to the port in the hope that all will work out? For us this would involve a 5 hours coach journey and I can imagine what the other passengers would be thinking. Could they even suggest we leave the coach?:eek:

 

Ok, so you're at the port, you've filled in the health form and the doctor is called to see you. What happens next? Can he stop you from boarding or could you agree to board and go straight into some sort of quarantine?

 

If it's a cruise for only 7 days it's probably not worth being quarantined, but what if it is two weeks or longer? And what if it is a world cruise? Would/could they suggest you miss the first few days altogether and join once you have been given a clear bill of health?

 

Clearly these questions have been posted because not only are DH and myself coughing ourselves silly, I am also very bored. ;)

 

 

It all depends on what you have. The health forms in the US ask about vomiting, and fevers. If you can answer no then board teh ship. If you can't then visit the ship MD, to be allowed on board.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Many times we have sat in the cruise terminal and people around us were coughing and nothing was said to them.

The health form you fill out doesn't have anything on it about a cough.

But if you have Noro -- questions pertaining to that are on the form. And we have seen many people on different cruises that were not permitted to board the ship -- even after the nurse checked them out.

[babs135]

As I see it, whilst a cough on its own can be nothing more than just that, it could also be hiding an underlying problem. Again, this problem may not be infectious, but could, in the worst case scenario, lead to the sufferer needing to be offloaded, which obviously would impact on the other passengers. But no one can foresee what could possibly happen. Not sure how or even whether the health form should be altered. Whilst I'm still in serious mode I would point out that I have a hiatus hernia which occasionally leads me to coughing fits which seem to relieve the discomfort. And when I say cough, I really mean cough - it can be quite impressive. I'm always terrified that I'll have an attack just as we reach check in :eek: How would the form deal with this?

 

Anyway, thanks for the replies so far, they've been interesting.

[ronandannette]

depends on what you are sick with

If you have a cold then I would make the trip & just stay clear of people for a few days until you are feeling better

 

If it was something else I would cancel & get to the doctor

call your travel insurance & make a claim

 

If I had to make a 5 hr bus trip & was ill then there is no way I would go if I was really ill

 

 

YMMV

 

On my last cruise I got a tickle in my throat in the airport waiting to board my same-day flight. 5 hours later by the time I boarded I was stuffed up but still not feeling cold-y, more like having been exposed to bad airplane cabin air. I didn't report. Turns out it was a full-blown cold that had really taken hold by the second morning. I quarantined myself, slammed Emergen-C (which I always travel with) and had my companion fetch cold medicine from the first port stop. I still feel a little guilty about not reporting.:(

Edited January 11, 2016 by ronandannette

[sail7seas]

 

<snip>

Not sure how or even whether the health form should be altered. Whilst I'm still in serious mode I would point out that I have a hiatus hernia which occasionally leads me to coughing fits which seem to relieve the discomfort. And when I say cough, I really mean cough - it can be quite impressive. I'm always terrified that I'll have an attack just as we reach check in :eek: How would the form deal with this?

 

Anyway, thanks for the replies so far, they've been interesting.

 

 

 

In the case of a known condition and your history of coughing for relief from distress caused by your condition, I would request a letter from my doctor describing this cough and how it would in no way infect or endanger any other person's health. That should cover you should you have a coughing attack while boarding or on board.

 

[zqvol]

On my last cruise I got a tickle in my throat in the airport waiting to board my same-day flight. 5 hours later by the time I boarded I was stuffed up but still not feeling cold-y, more like having been exposed to bad airplane cabin air. I didn't report. Turns out it was a full-blown cold that had really taken hold by the second morning. I quarantined myself, slammed Emergen-C (which I always travel with) and had my companion fetch cold medicine from the first port stop. I still feel a little guilty about not reporting.:(

 

 

Why? You don't have to report colds. The only thinks that you report are highly contagious illnesses like noro.

[ronandannette]

Why? You don't have to report colds. The only thinks that you report are highly contagious illnesses like noro.

I'm sure there are many on here that would be critical of potentially exposing other passengers to a respiratory illness and they wouldn't be wrong. It would have been a much bigger dilemma if the illness had settled in full-bore before boarding. I'm not telling others what to do but it's something I'll think about in the future.

[Karysa]

I'm sure there are many on here that would be critical of potentially exposing other passengers to a respiratory illness and they wouldn't be wrong. It would have been a much bigger dilemma if the illness had settled in full-bore before boarding. I'm not telling others what to do but it's something I'll think about in the future.

 

I think its best if we keep it in our minds that there are germs on board and wash our hands and avoid being coughed and sneezed on as much as possible. Pretty much how I live at home really.

[kitty9]

I've experienced an opposite scenario. When on a cruise from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, during the Bird Flu business, a group from the Hong Kong disease control office boarded our ship in Hawaii and the day before we were to disembark in HK, everyone was required to have their temperature taken and if you had any kind of fever, you had to report to the medical center for further testing. There were 7 among the passengers and crew that were found to have a fever and none were allowed off the ship unless they agreed to go to hospital.

[jrzebird]

I'm sure there are many on here that would be critical of potentially exposing other passengers to a respiratory illness and they wouldn't be wrong. It would have been a much bigger dilemma if the illness had settled in full-bore before boarding. I'm not telling others what to do but it's something I'll think about in the future.

 

People get colds while sailing; they get noro while sailing. Most folks contract this stuff when either flying to the port, or staying overnight in a hotel, or by kissing their young child good bye. There is no requirement to report a cold. But, common sense tells you to carry tissues and cover you sneeze and cough and decline hand shaking or touching the railings or door knobs. This goes for those who don't feel well and those who feel fine. I've had many friends come down with a cold while on board. They aren't quarantined, but most stay in their cabin for a couple of days.

 

I can not imagine any scenario where they would allow a sick person to board when ill, and then be quarantined. They don't want that responsibility or extra work. In fact, a couple of years ago I was on a cruise and a gentlemen had a very bad cough and it was difficult for him to breath. He went to the ER in Grand Turk and they pronounced him fine. However, the Captain did not want the responsibility (nor the chance of a medical evac, I'm sure) and he and his wife had to disembark. So no, they aren't going to let you board and then be quarantined.

 

Stay healthy all!

 

Maureen