Denied boarding due to common cold?

[justagrl]

If a person has a cold, are they prevented from boarding the ship? I never really thought this would be an issue, but I read somewhere that they ask if you are sick before they let you board. Our cruise is the first week in January and it never fails that my husband and I come down with colds right after Christmas.

[Arwenmark]

If you are visibly ill they will not let you board, if you have sniffles don't sniff around the check in agents. normally a cold will not be enough to keep you off.

One guy threw up in a wastebasket in the terminal. he was hung over I think but they refused him boarding just the same.

[uppitycats]

On our cruise in October they specifically asked about gastrointestinal illnesses -- vomiting, diarrhea, nausea -- and if you had any signs of that in the last 24 hours, you probably would be denied boarding. But I'd try to not cough or sneeze in front of them anyway! :)

[geoherb]

The questionnaire we've had to fill out has always been just about gastro-intestinal illness. It's great that the cruise lines try to keep these off of ships--but a lot of people probably don't tell the truth.

[bluesea777]

Try taking Dayquil and putting neutal face powder on your red nose before checking in and boarding the ship. Try to look bright!

 

And try not to drink to the excess the night before!

[cruisemom42]

What they are concerned about is norovirus, which is no laughing matter. The symptoms are mostly gastrointestinal. Please be honest when filling in the questionnaire to avoid spreading illness to dozens of others. :cool:

[kitty9]

I know a family who tried to board a ship when their two kids had pink eye and they were denied boarding.

[cuyahoga11]

What they are concerned about is norovirus, which is no laughing matter. The symptoms are mostly gastrointestinal. Please be honest when filling in the questionnaire to avoid spreading illness to dozens of others. :cool:

 

I have never had to fill out a questionnaire or ever been asked if I had been sick before embarkation:confused:

[CC Help Michell]

I know a family who tried to board a ship when their two kids had pink eye and they were denied boarding.

 

Well, not for nothing (and I agree with those answering the OP that this is mostly about GI illness, not a cold, and speaking just for us we've had the questioning process on our last four cruises) -- but pinkeye is extremely contagious. I work in an elementary school (I'm a teacher) and it doesn't matter if it's a kid or one of us, if we have pinkeye we're "outta there" until we have a doctor's note that we've been on antibiotics for 24 hours. There's a reason for that -- I've been through some painful medical procedures and illnesses, but the itching, weeping, and irritation of pinkeye is within 1-3 places of the top of my list. I would be outraged if I caught a case on a cruise from children of a family whose parents should have known better when they saw those inflamed eyes.

 

Perhaps not coincidentally, I regularly have children come to school with one blood red, weeping eye, and their parent later claims "I didn't notice that!" :rolleyes:

Edited December 12, 2008 by MichellP
changing "it" to "the questioning process"

[Putterdude]

I have never had to fill out a questionnaire or ever been asked if I had been sick before embarkation:confused:

 

The questionnaire is quite common before boarding a Princess ship.

[RoofingPrincess]

My son's first daycare provider (a home daycare) kept calling me to come & get my son and take him to the doctor "because he has pinkeye!"

After the third round, my pediatrician rolled her eyes and asked me where my daycare provider got her MD.... when I asked why she was asking that, she (in the style of a toddler) rubbed at her nose with the back of her hand, and then rubbed her eyes. "It's not conjunctivitis," she said, "he's just transferred his cold up into his eye."

Funny thing is that after I transferred him into a daycare center (for other reasons), we never had that problem again....

[CC Help Michell]

My son's first daycare provider (a home daycare) kept calling me to come & get my son and take him to the doctor "because he has pinkeye!"

After the third round, my pediatrician rolled her eyes and asked me where my daycare provider got her MD.... when I asked why she was asking that, she (in the style of a toddler) rubbed at her nose with the back of her hand, and then rubbed her eyes. "It's not conjunctivitis," she said, "he's just transferred his cold up into his eye."

Funny thing is that after I transferred him into a daycare center (for other reasons), we never had that problem again....

 

No matter the cause, including "a cold in the eye," pinkeye is normally quite contagious unless it's the allergen based type -- http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/eye/conjunctivitis.html and http://www.medicinenet.com/pink_eye/article.htm

 

In fact, "a cold in the eye" is one of the other ways to describe conjunctivitis/pinkeye, so your eye-rolling pediatrician is kind of a mystery to me.

 

In any event, I'd never fault a cruiseline for taking steps to try to protect its passengers -- how often do we read posts here and reviews from people irate that the cruiseline didn't do ENOUGH to protect them?

Edited December 12, 2008 by MichellP

[Sundagger]

The questionnaire is quite common before boarding a Princess ship.

 

Also on the HAL cruises that I've taken in the past few years.

[silentbob007]

I've been asked about noro, but that's about it. They aren't going to deny you boarding for a runny nose.

[Arwenmark]

The questionnaire is quite common before boarding a Princess ship.

 

It may be common now but it has not been in the past, my last cruise was two years ago, which was Princess and including that one I have never been asked to fill out such a form.

 

I understand why they do it now and probably should have sooner but as someone else said. I cannot believe that if someone has been sick like that, that they are going to admit to it, and be refused passage and lose all they paid for the cruise can you?

Edited December 12, 2008 by Arwenmark

[suse]

If you are sick, you should stay home. I get really mad when I get a cold because someone decides they'll come into my workplace when ill. It takes me forever to get over them and it's not fair to ruin my cruise. Sorry, but that's how I feel.

[cruiserbryce]

some sniffs and coughs wont keep you off the ship...but if its worse and you are visibly ill and could be a health risk to others there is a reasonable chance they will keep you ashore

[cruisinbuddy]

Take all the meds you can, and hide it. I read where a kid filled out the questionare and lied saying he was sick and the whole family lost their cruise.

[silentbob007]

If you are sick, you should stay home. I get really mad when I get a cold because someone decides they'll come into my workplace when ill. It takes me forever to get over them and it's not fair to ruin my cruise. Sorry, but that's how I feel.

 

One one hand I agree, but on the other hand, cruiselines encourage this type of behavior with their all-or-nothing approach to the fare. Given the numbers and sheer odds, people are going to get onboard who are sick and just don't know it yet, so now someone with a common cold forgoes the cruisefare when s/he knows about being sick and can take precautions about spreading it while someone else with gestating noro, strep, mono, etc is could be acting in a way that helps spread it without realization.

[cruisemom42]

Take all the meds you can, and hide it. I read where a kid filled out the questionare and lied saying he was sick and the whole family lost their cruise.

 

I find this a little hard to believe as most lines have a procedure that they follow. Once they identify someone via the questionnaire, that person is then examined by medical staff of the ship to determine whether it is safe to board them.

 

If a lying kid continued to lie and convinced the medical personnel that he/she was sick......well, all I can say is that if I were the parent that kid would be in serious trouble.

[cruisemom42]

It may be common now but it has not been in the past, my last cruise was two years ago, which was Princess and including that one I have never been asked to fill out such a form.

 

I understand why they do it now and probably should have sooner but as someone else said. I cannot believe that if someone has been sick like that, that they are going to admit to it, and be refused passage and lose all they paid for the cruise can you?

 

I have been handed one of these forms on my last four Princess cruises at embarkation, going as far back as our Baltics cruise in 2005. I guess I thought that all ships used them.

[gizmo]

Take all the meds you can, and hide it. I read where a kid filled out the questionare and lied saying he was sick and the whole family lost their cruise.

 

I find this a little hard to believe as most lines have a procedure that they follow. Once they identify someone via the questionnaire, that person is then examined by medical staff of the ship to determine whether it is safe to board them.

 

If a lying kid continued to lie and convinced the medical personnel that he/she was sick......well, all I can say is that if I were the parent that kid would be in serious trouble.

 

 

BELIEVE IT. There was thread on this not too long ago. I don't remember if the kid was examined, although I don't think so ,but they were denied boarding.

[sassy73]

On our cruise in October they specifically asked about gastrointestinal illnesses -- vomiting, diarrhea, nausea -- and if you had any signs of that in the last 24 hours, you probably would be denied boarding. But I'd try to not cough or sneeze in front of them anyway! :)

 

My grandma and grandpa were going on a cruise to Alaska with another couple, and they were asked if they had had diiarrhea in the last 48 hours. Well the woman of the other couple said yes. The woman obviously couldn't go on, and my grandma and grandpa being the nice peoople they are decided to forgo the trip as well. Even now though, when I told her about my upcoming cruise, she told me not to do what her friend did.:) If I thought I was sick, I would deny myself boarding. I also know that at times, something besides a bug has caused my issues. However, I think for the cruiseline it is a matter of better really safe than incredibly sorry.

[sassy73]

One one hand I agree, but on the other hand, cruiselines encourage this type of behavior with their all-or-nothing approach to the fare. Given the numbers and sheer odds, people are going to get onboard who are sick and just don't know it yet, so now someone with a common cold forgoes the cruisefare when s/he knows about being sick and can take precautions about spreading it while someone else with gestating noro, strep, mono, etc is could be acting in a way that helps spread it without realization.

 

My mom used to get mad at me, becaue I wouldn't want to go to school with a common cold, They aren't fun. (I think I have a small one as I type.) but I take precautions. If I had the flu, or any other stronger illmess that I knew of, I wouldn't board. (If I had a flu, I would be home under the covers!) I'm really glad my cruise is in August because I don't think I have ever been sick in the summer.

[CDRMark]

When boarding in 2007, DW and i both answered the questionnaire in a way that caused us to be pointedly questioned by a member of the ship's medical department. We were allowed to board, but there is no doubt in my mind that if they were not satisfied, we would have been left at the pier.

Cheers

Mark