Cruise germs!

[UKCruiser_2008]

Do you find that you often catch a cold (or worse) on a cruise? I have been reading a few comments about germs ... we are taking an anti-bacterial hand spray adn will wipe down the door handles etc. as recommended, is this enough?

[cathyz]

Wash your hands constantly! The anti-bacterial hand washes don't fight Norovirus, only hand washing can handle that. I have been very careful on every cruise until our last one and I knew I was being lax and sure enough I caught a cold! So next cruise I will go back to my usual hand washing constantly!

[Jared19]

no need to wipe handles and stuff that will be too much

just wash your hands before you eat

dont touch your face

 

thats all

[vacruizer]

So far I haven't caught anything in five cruises. I am very careful to wash my hands regularly but that's about it. Not saying it couldn't happen, but if you wash your hands faithfully, use the little tissues on the back of the public bathroom doors for opening them, and try to keep your hand away from your face you will greatly reduce the odds. I also always wash my hands after using the slots in the casino.

 

The only time I use the hand sanitizer is when soap and water aren't available - like at the beach, if I use a public restroom in port that doesn't have soap, etc. The sanitizers aren't effective against Noro but may help with some other bugs. I don't like to use them too much because they tear the skin on my hands up - the alcohol in them is the active ingredient and it's very drying. I've never wiped down anything in the cabin before.

[angelsfort]

we brought the germX wipes on our last cruise, they are small enough to stick in your pocket on the way to the buffets... we'd pull them out and use them to handle the tongs and other cutlery on the buffet line...

 

we'd also wash our hands before we ate and pretty much as often as we could...

 

we never got sick...

[Kurbanfan]

I normally catch it on the plane......it never fails..

When we don't fly to port I never get a cold.........

[UKCruiser_2008]

I think the circulated air on planes is a recipe for widespread colds ... :(

 

Thanks for the tips - I seem to catch everything going, and looking at the weather reports it appears it's going to be raining at every single port we are going to ... we may as well have stayed in the grey UK! :)

[Deloresgardella]

I usually take airborne before flying. I have been on about 13 cruises and some land tours to Europe and Russia also. Have never been sick on any of them. KNOCK ON WOOD. I keep sanitizers in my purse and wash my hands often.

Delores

[goingagain]

never got sick on ship yet....I always wash my hands and use the antibac thats provided or that I brought.. well a year or 2 ago we were at disney..when you walk in the park they scan your two fingers for id checks.... i used the anti bac after every entry... then the 2'nd to last day i forgot to rinse after entering magic kingdom... well guess who came down with a fever the next night....!! my fiance was cracking up because the whole day i said "i cant believe i didnt wash up after touching those nasty finger scanners..." AND " I'LL BET YOU i GET SICK NOW" .... yea i now wash constantly while on my vacas.... too many people let their guard down and spread germs around...but dont let it ruin your trip by overworrying.... just do as you always should, and wash your hands with warm water and soap after you feel they could be contaminated with something you dont want in your body...that and the antibac will help keep the germs at bay...

[stlrboo]

We just wash our hands at every opportunity, or after touching something in question, but we don't pull out wipes at the buffet.....:p

 

DW brought Germ X on our last cruise, but I can't use it, and neither of us caught anything...

The nice weather usually 'cures' anything we may think we might have..:rolleyes: Warm weather and SUN! :D

[Kurbanfan]

I usually take airborne before flying. I have been on about 13 cruises and some land tours to Europe and Russia also. Have never been sick on any of them. KNOCK ON WOOD. I keep sanitizers in my purse and wash my hands often.

Delores

 

Actually I did take airborne on my last flight and I didn't get sick:) But on a plane you can wash your hands until they are raw......if the person sitting next to you let's out a big sneeze.....your a goner:cool: After that I knew I would be sick....sure enough 2nd day of our cruise:(

[Lilmatcat]

The only thing I've caught is a the cruise bug -- you know, the one that is always telling you to "book another one". :p

[Dee777]

We carry hand sanitizer with us when we are in port for situations where there is no soap to wash with in public washrooms, etc. We do not wipe anything down, we don't wrap utensils in anything at the buffets, and we don't get sick. I believe what some are saying to be the best advice: Wash your hands after using the bathroom, before you eat, and don't touch your face!!!!

[quickrate]

Don't you folks realize that you are exposed to millions of germs daily as you go about your daily life? It's all about having a strong immune system. I would suspect on a cruise it has to do with drinking more, less sleep, and a different schedule and your immune system is weakened. The person who suggested the airborne is on the right track- there are herbs available such as echinachea and olive leaf that are anti-viral and will help you ward off colds and flues. I'm in the food business and deal with health departments all the time. They tell me that the antibacterial hand washes don't do a whole lot of good-they only last a few minutes-you would need to apply constantly to avoid germs. We take our herbs with us and take them daily while traveling just as we do our vitamins and in 13 cruises, have never been sick.

Pat

[Kurbanfan]

Don't you folks realize that you are exposed to millions of germs daily as you go about your daily life?

 

True....but in my daily life I am not cooped up inside a cruiseship with thousands of people........or sit in a airplane with 150 people breathing the same air for 5 hours.........

Just a wee bit different:p

[zqvol]

Do you find that you often catch a cold (or worse) on a cruise? I have been reading a few comments about germs ... we are taking an anti-bacterial hand spray adn will wipe down the door handles etc. as recommended, is this enough?

 

 

IMO your best bet is to leave all the wipes at home and just wash your hands. Unless the wipes use chlorine (Clorex) as a killer all you do is help create super bugs. The hand sanitizers are ineffective against the really bad bugs anyway.

[vacruizer]

True....but in my daily life I am not cooped up inside a cruiseship with thousands of people........or sit in a airplane with 150 people breathing the same air for 5 hours.........

Just a wee bit different:p

 

Yep! I forgot about the airborne as well - I do take that before I fly. I actually went ahead and got a flu shot this year - cooped up onboard with 3000 other people during flu season and I figured I might want to try to avoid that one if I can!

[aggieastrosfan]

I've always noticed that the more freaked out people get by germs, the more likely they are to get sick the second they forget to do something.

 

I'm not a dirty person. I wash my hands, I try not to touch door handles when possible. But I don't carry anti-bacterial gel, I don't wipe down the cabin, I don't wash my hands for two minutes, I never get a flu shot. The only way to build a strong immune system is to be exposed to germs.

 

If you're constantly trying to kill every single thing around you, anytime anything gets near you, you'll get sick. This seems to be proven throughout this thread. I have yet to get sick on a cruise, and I rarely get sick home as well. I can count on one hand the times my 3 year old's been sick. IMO, you can do too much.

 

Again, JMO. You have to do what makes you feel comfortable. :)

[Ms Belvedere]

Don't you folks realize that you are exposed to millions of germs daily as you go about your daily life? It's all about having a strong immune system. I would suspect on a cruise it has to do with drinking more, less sleep, and a different schedule and your immune system is weakened.

 

True....but in my daily life I am not cooped up inside a cruiseship with thousands of people........or sit in a airplane with 150 people breathing the same air for 5 hours.........

Just a wee bit different:p

I think you're exposed to different strains of germs when traveling. We use the hand wipes and the antibacterial soap, but like Kurbanfan, I swear it's the air on the planes, coming or going, that causes me to catch a cold every time. :)

 

There are so many things you touch while on the ship that you don't even think about: menus, your sign and sail card is passed to the servers and back to you, the slot machine buttons, counter tops in the gift shops. You could drive yourself crazy thinking about the possibilites of catching something!

Ms B

[vacruizer]

I've always noticed that the more freaked out people get by germs, the more likely they are to get sick the second they forget to do something.

 

I'm not a dirty person. I wash my hands, I try not to touch door handles when possible. But I don't carry anti-bacterial gel, I don't wipe down the cabin, I don't wash my hands for two minutes, I never get a flu shot. The only way to build a strong immune system is to be exposed to germs.

 

If you're constantly trying to kill every single thing around you, anytime anything gets near you, you'll get sick. This seems to be proven throughout this thread. I have yet to get sick on a cruise, and I rarely get sick home as well. I can count on one hand the times my 3 year old's been sick. IMO, you can do too much.

 

Again, JMO. You have to do what makes you feel comfortable. :)

 

I completly agree. Use common sense but don't get obsessive about it - you need to be exposed to germs in order to build a healthy immune system.

 

The only other time I've gotten a flu shot was when I knew I was going to be hospitalized for surgery during flu season and didn't want to risk getting it then while I was recovering. :) In this case I've never sailed during the winter - chances are I would be fine since I rarely get more than an occasional cold - but didn't want to risk it that time of year.

[vtoria98]

I normally catch it on the plane......it never fails..

When we don't fly to port I never get a cold.........

 

I am the same way. The only times i get sick on vacation is when I fly. Last cruise lwe flew to Miami and sure enough I caught a cold on the third day of the cruise.

[stlrboo]

Just a 'heads up'...! If you are prone to 'catching colds' when traveling, consider taking something along, JUST IN CASE!:) Several cruises ago, I got a bit of a cold, and there was very little available in the ships store, and the 'ports' were unrealistic with their pricing...!:eek: I told the lady in Cozumel, that I would rather have a cold than pay that much $$$ for the $5.00 container of pills that they wanted $29.00 for..! She just shrugged her shoulders...:rolleyes:

[halos]

Funny thing is that when we drive to port, I have NO issues. When I fly, I seem to always get sick while on the ship or soon after I get home.

For me, the plane is likely what causes it.

[halos]

I normally catch it on the plane......it never fails..

When we don't fly to port I never get a cold.........

 

LOL...just saw your post.

[ShelbyLK]

I'm not an anal person about germs, and I know that I need a certain amount of them to build up my immunity to them, but what I do on a cruise or on land is try not to touch public door handles, (use paper towel...leaving rest room), don't touch my face, and just wash my hands after touching something I feel was a little too dirty. I haven't been sick but maybe once or twice in the last three years, so I think that's working for me.

 

If all else fails, just have a few more DOD's on the ship and all sickness just goes away. LOL :p:D:D:):eek::p