Are cruise ship restrooms dirty -- and do you use them?

A team of researchers from Boston University School of Medicine, Carney Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance and Tufts University School of Medicine have found that there is a link between a lack of thorough cleaning of public restrooms on cruise ships and a subsequent outbreak of gastointestinal illnesses, like the dreaded Norovirus.

The researchers found that only 37 percent of the 273 randomly selected public restrooms that were evaluated on 1,546 occasions were cleaned daily. Overall, the toilet seat was the best-cleaned object, while the least thoroughly cleaned object was the baby changing table. Click here to read the full story.

Let's face it: There are dubious public restrooms everywhere -- and the fact that Norovirus and a less-than-sparkling loo were found on the same ship does not necessarily mean the two things are connected. Still, will you avoid the public restrooms onboard and use the bathroom in your cabin in light of these findings? Tell us!

I can't answer, on our last cruise I never used a ship's restroom, and I don't believe that I did on the one before it. However I never heard any complaints.

john

If I'm at dinner, on deck 4 and my cabin is on deck 10, I'm NOT going back to the cabin....The bathrooms, while not "pristine" are fine, if you wash your hands! Not a big deal!

I usually like to use the cabin loo, but the ship restrooms I've been in have looked spotless. Were they? dunno, but clean enuf to use, wash up, and exit without having to contain my disgust or hold my breath.

Are the cabin toilets really cleaned any better? I wouldn't bet on it. Still, they do have less traffic then the public ones.

You can't hide from life. Wash your hands, and get on with things.

Heck, I _expect_ a restroom to be a potential source of infection. That's why I use the sink and soap and try not to touch the door with my hands on the way out.

Personally, the only time I found a public restroom on a cruise ship to be less than stellar was the morning of disembarkation.... with people having to be out of their cabins early, it made for a very busy place complete with all the sights and smells that you might expect. :p

I always wash my hands with soap and warm water, regardless of where the rest room is. No biggie.

I always use my stateroom bathroom.

I use the public restrooms on the ships and wash my hands well and do not touch the door handle leaving the restroom. Either someone else is coming in or there is a handicap button or I use my clothes or a paper towel to open the door becaseu I hear people leave without washing their hands at all. It's no different than any other public restroom.

The restrooms on HAL always seem to be clean.

When I am on the pool deck, I always go back to my cabin to use the toilet. The only time I use the public restrooms is when we are out at night at the piano bar or the disco (though often I will still make the trip back to our cabin). When I do use the public restrooms, I always open doors (and operate doorlocks) with only my pinky finger. I operate "push" faucets with the back of my hand; I never sit on public toilet seats (I stoop like my mom taught me when I was a kid), and I NEVER touch handrails in stalls. I always wash my hands thoroughly, leave the restroom, again, using only my pinky to pull the door open, and then apply antibacterial (which I carry with me in my purse) to "disinfect" my pinky finger. I may be neurotic, but I've never gotten sick on a cruiseship (knock on wood).

The only obviously messy public rest rooms on the Gem this summer were the ones right by the pool. Loaded with kids all day, they were a bit worse for the wear, but I think that's understandable.

If there's one thing cruise lines are paranoid about, it's cleanliness.

Everywhere on board

Oh that my local hospital was as clean and germ-free as a typical cruise ship.

HAL restrooms are constantly washed, cleaned, freshened.

:rolleyes: I wish all the ladies that use them were as clean. :eek:

I always 'line the seat' in the ladies room, do not touch anything with my bare hands. I use tissue to push flusher and open stall door. I wash hands well and use elbows to turn off faucets and tissue to open door to exit. Do not touch anything in the restroom with a bare hand.

I must say my experience on HAL has been that the restrooms have always been spotless.

I, of course, always wash my hands well (sing "Happy Birthday Song" twice through in your head for the proper timing), and use the hand sanitizer before eating.

When I am on the pool deck, I always go back to my cabin to use the toilet. The only time I use the public restrooms is when we are out at night at the piano bar or the disco (though often I will still make the trip back to our cabin). When I do use the public restrooms, I always open doors (and operate doorlocks) with only my pinky finger. I operate "push" faucets with the back of my hand; I never sit on public toilet seats (I stoop like my mom taught me when I was a kid), and I NEVER touch handrails in stalls. I always wash my hands thoroughly, leave the restroom, again, using only my pinky to pull the door open, and then apply antibacterial (which I carry with me in my purse) to "disinfect" my pinky finger. I may be neurotic, but I've never gotten sick on a cruiseship (knock on wood).

Too much information............

The restrooms on the ship are cleaner than 99.9999% of the ones at work or in shopping malls at home. And I am a hand washer --- don't believe in hand sanitizer, but I do wash my hands well and use a towel to open doors, turn off taps, etc.

I'd be more interested if the researchers put the swab to the utensils in the buffet. THAT's what freaks me out. All those people rubbing their nose then grabbing the salad bar tongs.

Like most things, its a matter of good supervision. Some ships had a 100% others didn't-the employees can't be that much different. I would really like to know what ships scored what....

Too much information............

LOL

After the Charmin commercials answered the question about whether bears s__t in the woods, I'm going to watch for one where Mama Bear teaches Baby Bear how to "hover" :D

after they introduced what we call The Dingleberry Brush, this has got to be next in the series ...

twice we've had broken down toilet systems in our cabins...forcing the use of the public restrooms.

NOT fun for 5 days of a 10 day cruise!!!!

(but better than none:rolleyes:)

and in the old days....with full ships...no way to change cabins.:eek:

I don't worry about it, I wash my hands thoroughly and use santizer.

There's too much missing from the statistics to really draw any kind of conclusion and it's a bathroom. It's going to have bacteria in it. It's the spread of that bacteria to other places because people don't wash their hands that is the problem.

I have ALWAYS found the Rest Rooms on Ships VERY CLEAN!

I still use all percautions no matter what bathroom I use!:eek:

On all of our cruises, I've always seen workers constantly cleaning the public bathrooms. I think the problem is people who don't wash their hands ... it's unbelievable how many don't wash!

I use the bathroom in the cabin whenever possible, but am no going to go way out of my way to do so. I don't use public ones if I notice a lot of kids or teenage girls in there before me.

Melissa, we do between 10 and 15 cruises a year on various lines and while we ALWAYS carefully wash our hands and use a towel to open the doors, there are FAR TOO many women and men who do not wash their hands after using the restrooms. This is the biggest problem by far. The people who do not wash their hands are doing this by habit.

Is there anything new about this? Everyone knows viruses could be everywhere, espesially in the public restrooms. So it's important to keep in mind your health.

BTW at my cruise with MSC, besides from the sanitisers we were asked to use papertowels for opening the restroom doors.

You have to realise that everything you do could cause a virus outbreak. You are responsible yourself. Maybe just by shaking hands with someone. In such a case you can use your own bathroom as often as you want, it won't help.