new nervous cruiser

we have just booked for a 15 day Carribean cruise on 1st april on NCL spirit as a belated honeymoon as we got married on year ago. could you tell me if we should take mosquito repellent for april and also do we need inocculations ( we are travelling from the UK ) any help or guidance would be appreciated

Hi Scarletsmummy,

Welcome to cruising! Congrats on your belated honeymoon. Where exactly are you going to be heading on your cruise?

You don't need any inoculations as a cruise passenger to the Caribbean...and unless you're doing some sort of "jungle hike", mosquitoes should bother you, either. They really aren't active in the day time....usually around dusk.... That said....if you're a mosquito magnet (like my daughter...they don't ever bite me!) then bring a little, just to make yourself feel better!

St. Maarten and San Juan have been two ports where a particular mosquito carried virus has been identified and I would suggest using an insect repellent containing Deet. Your risk of infection is very small but nevertheless seeing there is such an easy product available to offer protection, why not use it (unless allergic etc)?

The virus is called Chikungunya Fever and it's pretty serious. It is rampant throughout the Caribbean, Mexico and South America and has gotten to the US recently.

http://www.cdc.gov/media/DPK/2014/dpk-chikungunya.html

If you are doing anything on a river or stream or hiking anywhere, then you need to use DEET. I know of a couple on one of my cruises last year who did the rafting on the Martha Brae in Jamaica and the husband came back with a large number of pus filled Mosquito bites. The presence of pus indicates some sort of infection in the mosquito's mouth parts. He may have contracted Chikungunya and he was worried about it at the time.

The main shots you should make sure you are up to date on are:

Flu

Tetanus

Pneumonia

You should probably also ask your doctor for a Z Pak or other general antibiotics in case you get an ear infection or something. Do bring some bonine - you may not need it, but if you do, it is great to have with you. I also bring along Benadryl.

we have just booked for a 15 day Carribean cruise on 1st april on NCL spirit as a belated honeymoon as we got married on year ago. could you tell me if we should take mosquito repellent for april and also do we need inocculations ( we are travelling from the UK ) any help or guidance would be appreciated

Hi scarletsmummy! Welcome to Cruise Critic. :)

You won't need any special inoculations for the Caribbean!

Best to take mosquito repellent just to be on the safe side.

Look forward to having a WONDERFUL Honeymoon cruise! :D

LuLu

Yes, you most definitely need to put insect repellent on in all Caribbean Ports. If you had asked me this two years ago I would have said not. However, because of the Chikungunya Fever we were advised on several of our cruises this year to use it in each and every port.

Keith

I take insect repellant every cruise.

Better safe than sorry and ships charge more than on land.

The virus is called Chikungunya Fever and it's pretty serious. It is rampant throughout the Caribbean, Mexico and South America and has gotten to the US recently.

http://www.cdc.gov/media/DPK/2014/dpk-chikungunya.html

 

If you are doing anything on a river or stream or hiking anywhere, then you need to use DEET. I know of a couple on one of my cruises last year who did the rafting on the Martha Brae in Jamaica and the husband came back with a large number of pus filled Mosquito bites. The presence of pus indicates some sort of infection in the mosquito's mouth parts. He may have contracted Chikungunya and he was worried about it at the time.

 

The main shots you should make sure you are up to date on are:

Flu

Tetanus

Pneumonia

 

You should probably also ask your doctor for a Z Pak or other general antibiotics in case you get an ear infection or something. Do bring some bonine - you may not need it, but if you do, it is great to have with you. I also bring along Benadryl.

The OP is from the UK, so is unlikely to get antibiotics. They're used to treat illness in the UK; we try and avoid using them as a breeding ground for superbugs.

By all means take mosquito repellent. It does no harm even if it does no good.

If you have not already had the hepatitis and shingles vaccinations, you ought to get them.

The OP is from the UK, so is unlikely to get antibiotics. They're used to treat illness in the UK; we try and avoid using them as a breeding ground for superbugs.

 

By all means take mosquito repellent. It does no harm even if it does no good.

Antibiotics are used to treat illness in the US as well. In the US we also try to avoid using them, but if you need them, it is preferable to have your own than rely on the ship's doctor or a Caribbean port doctor/hospital, especially if you are someone like me who is allergic to a lot of antibiotics and can only take certain ones. If the patient is a well informed person who can recognize illnesses, doctors here will often give you a one week supply just in case you become ill on your trip and need them. For us, I can only think of 2 times in the past 30 years I've needed to use them on a trip, but it is good to have them in our medical kit just in case.

If you have not already had the hepatitis and shingles vaccinations, you ought to get them.

Shingles vaccine is generally not given until about age 60. It does not have indefinite number of years of efficacy and given too young, some think protection level would be low at the age span when we are most likely to get shingles.

OP's post gives the impression of someone younger than age 60.

I recently returned from a 21 day cruise in the Carib and came back with lots of bites. I'm thinking it was more sand fleas than mosquitos, since I never actually saw anything biting me. Others did see sand fleas.

To be on the safe side, I would take repellent, especially if whatever they are, love your skin like they did mine.

we have just booked for a 15 day Caribbean cruise on 1st april on NCL spirit as a belated honeymoon as we got married on year ago. could you tell me if we should take mosquito repellent for april and also do we need inoculations ( we are travelling from the UK ) any help or guidance would be appreciated

Yes on the mosquito repellant with DEET.

Equally important is sunscreen with 50 SPF, apply liberally and often. The sun in the Caribbean is very intense, and you can burn quickly. Sunburn can certainly ruin the fun. Apply it everywhere including your ears.

We always bring any OTC medications that we may need.

Ask your doctor or chemist the question about inoculations.

we have just booked for a 15 day Carribean cruise on 1st april on NCL spirit as a belated honeymoon as we got married on year ago. could you tell me if we should take mosquito repellent for april and also do we need inocculations ( we are travelling from the UK ) any help or guidance would be appreciated

It never hurts to have insect repellent, though it is not required. You need to check with the UK health authorities concerning inoculations, but in general none are needed for travel in the Caribbean.

Thanks very much for your help,it's really appreciated :):):)

Yes on the mosquito repellant with DEET.

 

Equally important is sunscreen with 50 SPF, apply liberally and often. The sun in the Caribbean is very intense, and you can burn quickly. Sunburn can certainly ruin the fun. Apply it everywhere including your ears.

 

We always bring any OTC medications that we may need.

 

Ask your doctor or chemist the question about inoculations.

I believe the 'rule' is to apply your repellant first and then your sunscreen. Apply sunscreen before you actually go out in the sun and reapply often.

Scarletsmummy...do drop by your Health Centre and ask for advice. Our centre gives a form for holidays, and then they can check the most recent instructions about the countries you're visiting, and see what injections you've had, or are due to have...it may be something as simple as finding out if your tetanus is up to date, or whether you need Hep jabs or similar.

We have our own health passports, from the centre, which remind us, but they are also checked out when we go for our annual flu jabs.

Wonder where you need doctors anyway, as some feel they can diagnose ear infections and other bacterial infections. :confused:

The op is from Uk so she luckily probably well aware that no one can diagnose an ear infection that needs antibiotics for example without looking into the ear just based on symptoms.

Really we should all think about what kind of superbugs we leave for our children and childrens children and not start any antibiotics without a doctors order.

And sorry for being blunt but people need to change the way they think about this.

Shingles vaccine is generally not given until about age 60. It does not have indefinite number of years of efficacy and given too young, some think protection level would be low at the age span when we are most likely to get shingles.

In the UK it's not offered till age 70.

In the UK it's not offered till age 70.

Wow, that seems a bit on the old side. So many folks get shingles before reaching 70. I have no wish to second guess the UK medical system but I can name at least 5 people I know who had shingles in their early to mid 60's and suffered badly from it. The shingles shot is no guarantee of perfect protection but hopefully it, at least, makes for a lighter case if someone who had the shot gets shingles.

Wonder where you need doctors anyway, as some feel they can diagnose ear infections and other bacterial infections. :confused:

 

The op is from Uk so she luckily probably well aware that no one can diagnose an ear infection that needs antibiotics for example without looking into the ear just based on symptoms.

 

 

 

Really we should all think about what kind of superbugs we leave for our children and childrens children and not start any antibiotics without a doctors order.

 

 

 

And sorry for being blunt but people need to change the way they think about this.

Having meds does not mean you don't go to the doctor. The ships pharmacy does not carry all meds. If you're allergic it's best to bring your own and seek medical if need be.

Wow, that seems a bit on the old side. So many folks get shingles before reaching 70. I have no wish to second guess the UK medical system but I can name at least 5 people I know who had shingles in their early to mid 60's and suffered badly from it. The shingles shot is no guarantee of perfect protection but hopefully it, at least, makes for a lighter case if someone who had the shot gets shingles.

 

the reason behind the 70 years is because it's know to be fatal for people on there 70's 1 in 1,000 deaths

Wow, that seems a bit on the old side. So many folks get shingles before reaching 70. I have no wish to second guess the UK medical system but I can name at least 5 people I know who had shingles in their early to mid 60's and suffered badly from it. The shingles shot is no guarantee of perfect protection but hopefully it, at least, makes for a lighter case if someone who had the shot gets shingles.

 

When the first shingles vaccine was produce, there was little of it. The dilemma was- do we wait for the 5 years it will take to produce enough for all the elderly, or do we start injecting the most vulnerable now?

They decided to start immediately, with the small amount which would just cover two age groups, so began with people aged 70 and 79.

This rolled on the next year to 70, 78 and 79.

Each year there's more produced so that by the end of the 5 years all those going through their 70s should be safe, plus other vulnerable people.

Over the next few years, every person in the UK aged 70+ should have been injected (unless they refuse), and perhaps it will be brought to a lower age. You can request it at a younger age.

I'm glad they decided not to wait, as we were in the very first batch of 70 yr olds... :D

I am 45 and has shingles this summer. It was a very mild case, but I was given the vaccine after the symptoms subsided.