Ever Gotten Sick on a Cruise?

[suznf]

Ok here is my question...have you ever gotten sick on a cruise? On my first cruise, it seemed like everyone got sick, colds and coughs...URIs mostly. I'm thinking this is probably a pretty common thing. The hidden "dangers" of cruising...news at 11 :eek:

 

So here is my question for you...have you ever gotten sick (a communicable disease---um other than an STD;) ) while on a cruise?

 

For those of you who have the time to explain a little more...

 

If you cruise often, do you get sick every time? 1/2 the time? 1/4 of the time?

 

Do you expect to get ill/catch a cold when you cruise?

 

Finally did you fly (or use other public transportation) prior to your cruise? I think people who fly might have higher incidents...

 

Just curious!

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I had food poisoning on a recent cruise. It lasted about two days. I figure I could have gotten that anywhere on the ship. I stayed in my room because I had to be close to the bathroom, but didn't report it to the clinic, because I had heard that if the doctor thinks you have a Norfolk virus (or whatever it is), you will be confined to your room for three or more days.

 

That is the only time I have been sick on a cruise, but the last day of a ten-day cruise it seemed as if everyone in the Windjammer buffet was coughing. I mean it was amazing...just everybody was coughing!

 

My guess is that the longer the cruise, the greater the probability that a communicable disease will spread.

[Sheffie]

I checked "other" because my back went out the last nite of our cruise that was in rough seas. Went snorkeling on St. Maarten on Thursday, and by Saturday morning I was having to be pushed off the plane in a wheelchair. All I can say is, "Thank God for my chiropractor."

[travelbugs]

Well, I didn't get sick... But my husband HAD to have more than one lobster! We were on the Disney cruise with our kids and my husband started not feeling so well. We got back to the cabin and he went and sat on the balcony while I took the kids to their activities. When I returned he informed me that he either had an anurysm or his gallbladder was blowing (I looked at where the ship was...in the middle of freaking nowhere)! The doctor offered to call a helicopter for him. Husband stated that if it was an anurysm it wouldn't matter anyway(too far away) and if it was his gallbladder he'll take some drugs to get home. It was the gallbladder. So a warning to everyone who has to have three or four lobsters at one setting, take your party gallbladder along!

[TheDMan]

Have only been on one cruise so far and didn't get sick. The seas were pretty rough and there were some people that got seasick. I was kind of worried about Norwalk but everything was fine. I think that if you wash your hands often it should be ok.

[Shirley and Les]

...So here is my question for you...have you ever gotten sick (a communicable disease---um other than an STD;) ) while on a cruise? ...

Wow! you won't find a response from us on this poll. The question sounds like ammo for a lawsuit. If the question was posed in good faith, why do you want to know if I have been sick? :eek: We go on cruises to have a good time. Sneezing, coughing and similar things pass by without notice unless they persist.

[suznf]

Wow! you won't find a response from us on this poll. The question sounds like ammo for a lawsuit. If the question was posed in good faith, why do you want to know if I have been sick? :eek: We go on cruises to have a good time. Sneezing, coughing and similar things pass by without notice unless they persist.

 

No, this is not ammo for a law suit! (Besides, what kind of lawsuit?--And wouldn't it be directed at a particular cruise line rather than the entire cruise industry) The question was posted in good faith, and I explained why. Prior to going on our first cruise I knew all about the Norwalk virus, and problems with gastro-intestinal illnesses. Heck there are signs all over the ship. We saw lots of people with URIs. I assumed ours was caught on the plane...

 

In any case, I apologize...I didn't mean to offend you Shirley or Les...Nor did I want to necesarily know about YOU in particular, which is why the poll is anon. (and I didn't ask who you were or how old you were or your previous medical history or what ship or line you were on.) Just looking for some experiences of people in general. I was simply interested in finding out through some antecdotal evidence, if it was common to get sick on a cruise. Not necessarily horribly sick. Just, one day confined to the room type of thing. It might make a difference if we are thinking about bringing little ones, or frail older ones with us on our next cruise.

 

Respectfully,

[Krazy Kruizers]

I'm prone to get upper respitatory infections after flying long distances in the dry air. So I always make certain to carry special medications so as to not miss anything.

[wrp96]

I tend to get some kind of upper respiratory infection or cold on EVERY vacation I go on - doesn't matter the kind. It's usually because I'm working/studying so hard right before I go that the stress (adrenaline) keeps me from getting sick. Then I go on vacation, relax, the stress goes away, and voila! I have a runny nose. I don't ever let it stop me though.

[KKB]

As a couple, we took our first cruise on Princess Oct. 2004 w/out incident.

Last month we took Disney w/ 26 family members including children. Of 7 families, 2 of us had illness issues (interestingly those of us w/ the youngest children).

One family had 1 & 2 year olds, had crabby kids & fevers on & off all week.

I think I had a reaction to the patch (no problem w/ it last time!); DD7 had ear ache all week--just pumped her full of tylenol & it ran its course--then DS5 had gastro stuff the last day. I then got it on our travel day home (luckily I was just sick to my stomach until I got home!); 2 older kids got it 2 days later, then I got it AGAIN! Had this been our first cruise, I don't know that I would be dying to get back on a ship again!

But people get sick on & off cruises. My folks have done many cruise, and w/o incident! It's timing & bad luck!

Happy cruising!

Kris

[obnurse]

In Feb '03 we were on Grand Princess and I started feeling a tickle in my throat on day 2 and by day 3 I had laryngitis, congested cough, etc and it progressed from there. I'm thankful for Advil....it kept me going for the whole cruise! I swam with the stingrays, snorkelled, danced the nights away, ate like a horse and collapsed my first day home with pneumonia. I even missed my first day at a new job. It's all about having a positive attitude. I have no regrets. I wasn't gonna let my feeling lousy ruin our cruise. We had a wonderful time, just as we have on all our other cruises. :)

[cntrydncr1]

I get sick (GI type) EVERY time I cruise now and it seems to get worse each time I go. I get sick sometime around dinner, have to confine myself to the cabin and by the next day I'm back in action. I wish someone could tell me how to stop this from happening. i've tried just about every remedy I can to ward this off. Anyone have any new theories/remedies?

 

Obviously it isn't keeping me away from my cruising! But I did get quarantined once when I went to the infirmary. Won't make that mistake again. Lost 1/2 of my cruise being confined to the cabin.

[Happy ks]

I've gotten seasick a few times, but only once did it take me out of commission and just for one evening.

 

Since most colds or virus type upper respiratory infections (flu) take 3 to 7 days after exposure to show symptoms, many people actually bring their cold onboard with them.

 

I think I've been lucky, never have I gotten sick from a cruise or a plane ride. I don't doubt it happens, though. I'm especially careful with what I touch in public, I keep my hands off bathroom doorknobs, elevator buttons, stair rails, counter tops etc... and I wash my hands often. We also avoid eating at the buffets, the thought of everyone else touching the ladles and even the food drives me crazy. I really make an effort to keep my hands out of my face, nose :eek: and eyes when in public also. But, I'm not gonna live my life in fear of a cold.

[SForman]

I’ve gotten sick, but it was self inflicted from over eating.

[crusinKimmie]

This is going to sound a little Obsessive Compulsive - and we really aren't like that, but we really want to avoid having our vacation ruined by getting sick - so - when we first get into our room, we take rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle as well as Lysol wipes and clean the entire room. We spray down EVERYTHING - including the bed headboard, chairs, couches, etc. It does not stain them and after about 10 minutes, you can't even smell the alcohol anymore. The Lysol wipes we use mostly in the bathroom, refrigerater - inside drawers, etc. It makes the room smell very fresh and clean. It only takes about 15 minutes.

 

In terms of the buffet lines, some of the RCCL ships have pumps of sterilizing stuff at the door,which you have to use before getting in the line.

 

I don't know if any of this works, but we've never been sick - other than from rough seas.

[Aunu]

We went on the excursion BOB last year the first day (if you dont include bording day) and didnt feel well on that boat, did some snorkeling with there gear, Got a little seasick but didnt actually throw up, walked back to the ship and felt alot better, got back, ate lunch, we decided to take a nap, woke up and gee, i really dont feel very good now. Got REALLY sick for the next few hours every 1/2 hour or so, went down to get some seasick pills, got sick a few times more, was better by the next morning, still didnt do a whole lot that next day, just in case.

 

SO, i think i got my sickness from useing the snorkel gear on teh BOB boat...

 

I just got snorkel gear from LL Bean, i WILL never use someone elses again!

[Happy ks]

This is going to sound a little Obsessive Compulsive - and we really aren't like that, but we really want to avoid having our vacation ruined by getting sick - so - when we first get into our room, we take rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle as well as Lysol wipes and clean the entire room. We spray down EVERYTHING - including the bed headboard, chairs, couches, etc. It does not stain them and after about 10 minutes, you can't even smell the alcohol anymore. The Lysol wipes we use mostly in the bathroom, refrigerater - inside drawers, etc. It makes the room smell very fresh and clean. It only takes about 15 minutes.

 

In terms of the buffet lines, some of the RCCL ships have pumps of sterilizing stuff at the door,which you have to use before getting in the line.

 

I don't know if any of this works, but we've never been sick - other than from rough seas.

 

Could you go out and do the rest of the ship :D

[chris2597]

I read that alot of the illness on ships is passed via the serving utensils at the buffets.....Scenario.....I go into the buffet after washing my hands thoroughly.....but the person in front of me has a stomach/Upper Res. infect/ect...didnt wash their hands, touches the utensils....I go through the line with my clean hands, using the same serving utensils.....assume my hands are clean and go on to eat....I catch whatever from the dirty utensils....I always carry a little bottle of hand sanitizer and the whole fam. uses it prior to eating whether our hands have just been washed or not....

We are leaving on a cruise in Feb and I am going to also sanitize the room with Lysol.

[obnurse]

Last Feb the Sun Princess was "fogged" with antibacterial 2 sailings prior to ours because of a lot of Norovirus. We went prepared. We wiped our cabin down and cleaned our hands with sanitizer not only before entering the buffet area but again before we starting eating. Even after all the chatter about the Norovirus, we still saw people licking their fingers while in the buffet line! Unbelievable! We also avoided the restrooms in the common areas and took every opportunity to wash our hands with soap and water. No illness for us!

[Bill S]

In December 2003 while on a SA/Antarctica cruise, I had severe abdominal pain and fever. After 2 visits to the infirmary and blood/urine tests, the doc gave me a strong antibiotic. We missed our day at Puerto Mott, on the doctor's advice. The following April, on the last full day of a Mexican Riviera cruise, the same symptoms came back. When we got home, our doc had a cat scan done and it was acute appendicitis! I had surgery that night. My surgeon said the December episode WAS appendicitis but the anitibiotic knocked it down and became, what he called "sealed". I really dodged a bullet aboard ship both times! Subsequent cruises have been unevenful, thank goodness!

[larasmom]

i was on my very first cruise this past december on the majesty.

 

i felt fine. sat down for dinner and starting eating. within 5 minutes of starting to eat i felt very nauseaus. i went to my room and took a seasick pill and put on my seasick bracelets and went back to the dining room. took another bite of my dinner and excused myself from the table and went back to my cabin and proceeded to vomit for at least 30 minutes.

 

my cabinmates came back from dinner and took me directly to the ship dr.

 

they all thought i was seasick because i had never been on a cruise before and maybe the food brought it on. so the dr. gave me oral meds and a seasick shot. they told me when we got to cococay to get off the ship and get some fresh air for the day.

 

so......i heeded the drs. advice and went with my 9 cruisemates. i was laying in the sun and was freezing and chilled. i started feeling queezy and started vomiting in the bushes near the bathroom.

 

my mom went back to the ship with me and we went immediately back to the dr. they gave me an iv because they said i was highly dehydrated. they also said my blood pressure was really high due to being so stressed out and gave me bp medication. then when my fist iv was finished they gave me another iv full of antibiotics. i went back to the cabin and slept the entire day and night.

 

the next day we docked in nassau and i felt a little better and i wanted to get off the ship and buy my kids some souveniers so i took my oral nauseau meds and off i went. i was so weak that i made it the straw market bought a few things and went back to the ship and went to sleep.

 

i was so upset. my first cruise...............and i bought so many nice outifts and i missed the whole thing.

 

around midnight all my cruisemates made me get out of my pjs and go to the comedy show just to get out of bed. so i went. i was finally starting to feel fine. i even went to the casino for about 30 minutes and played the nickel slots and won $15.

 

i went back to the cabin........and went to bed. when it was time to stand in line to disembark the ship i started feeling sick again. my cabinmates stood in line and i stayed close to the toilet vomiting.

 

it was not a great experience and i am still waiting for my health insurance company to review my papers to see if they will reimburse me any of the $900 i spent on the ship on medical treatments.

 

i am also glad i opted for the trip insurance because once i get my paperwork back from my health insurance i will submit the rest to the insurance company to see if they reimburse me anything too.

 

i think between being nervous about being away from my hubby and kids and being on my first cruise i think i had a nervous stomach on top of the stomach bug.............next time i travel anywhere i am going to ask my dr to give me something to take for nervousness

[Allis154]

On my last cruise, both my DH and I picked up a flu bug, either on the plane or on the cruise. Symtoms didn't really come to a head until four days we returned home. Figured getting something was just part and parcel of being in a large crowd, regardless of where that crowd is.

[Chele60]

I have only cruised once, on a 4 night cruise, and caught a really bad cold the last day. I rarely get sick on vacation, so it was a total surprise to me and I think really lessened the whole experience. And I had driven myself to port in my own car with my mother, who was not sick. Nor had I been around anyone else who was sick. However, there were lots of other sick people aboard. And despite doing all that I should have (washing hands, avoid touching things that were commonly used), I still got the "bug."

[Jacky Tar]

Caveat: I have never cruised. That said, I have served 16 years in the Navy, and onboard Navy vessels, the HVAC (heating, ventilation & air conditioning) systems typically recirculate 90% of the inside air. If a cruise ship recirculates anything like that, I can readily see how any air-borne virii or bacteria could be easily transmitted from one or two people to many.

[cruzegirl]

Oh boy did I get sick.... I was on the Carnival Sensation (my first cruise) in 2002...It was our sea day on the way to New Orleans.. I had been dieting and was into eating tons of salad at the pizza place. Cesar salad after cesar salad.. Well, they didn't always refrigerate the salad.. And I got a spoiled one.. Major food poisoning... My poor roommate worried all night... Had to tip the room steward extra if you know what I mean?:eek: I was out for 36 hours.. Missed New Orleans and stuff too.... I lost about 12 lbs from that..... Absolute worse stomach sick I've ever been.....