Upcoming Amazon questions

Hi Folks...

We are on the upcoming Rio to Miami cruise - Mariner - March 3...a couple of question for those who have been down the Amazon before...

First...is there anyone else on the cruise..wow - no roll call or anything..maybe everyone has "been there done that"..

On a serious note...during that time of year just how bad are the mosquitoes. With all the talk of Zika and of course Yellow Fever, not to mention Malaria we are getting a bit paranoid. We are both over 60 so the Canadian travel clinic warns strongly against the Yellow fever shot.

Last question...I know it is hot and humid (equator), but for those who have done the cruise, did you actually wear long sleeve shirts and pants on the hiking treks? Tech fabric of course, but I am just curious. We have enough DEET bug spray to bathe in it and are taking it.

Thanks for any feedback

We were on the Mariner, Rio to Miami, 23 Dec 2015 to 13 Jan 2016 and enjoyed the Amazon experience

Insect bites: We did not see much evidence of biting insects and neither of us suffered a single bite, which was surprising. We did take precautions when going ashore - covering arms & legs plus a liberal application of DEET

Yellow Fever: Both of us are in our sixties and had Yellow Fever shots about a year ago with no ill effects. If you decide not to have the vaccination make sure you get an official certificate of exemption

Malaria: We did not take ant-malaria tablets although many of our fellow passengers did. I checked with the ship's doctor and he advised against taking ant-malaria drugs (unless suffering from malaria) because in his opinion the potential side effects outweighed the potential protection

Dengue Fever: Apparently widespread just outside Rio. Again, the main protection is to avoid getting bitten

Zika Virus: This problem was not in the news when we were in Brazil so it did not worry us at the time

Weather: It was hot; humidity was variable but not as oppressive as we feared. Considering we were in the rainforest, we had very little rain (one day was a washout in Manaus). Weather, of course, is the luck-of-the-draw. It sounds as though both Mariner and Voyager are suffering from bad weather at the moment on opposite sides of the world

Hope this helps with your planning; if you need any other info just ask

Here are a couple of UK websites that give further general and medical advice. However, reading too much can make you even more paranoid :D:D

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/brazil

http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/locations/brazil/#General_information

Some photos taken in the Amazon to whet your appetite :)

The (large) cricket(?) was on our balcony one morning :eek:

The advice from the ships doctor is not good advice when traveling to malaria areas of the world. We did the complete Amazon on the Iberostar and we go to Africa every year and we take the pills as a prophylactic. Once you have malaria the pills will not help you. You start taking the pills three days before you leave and continue for three days after you return home. The only side effects we had was a bit of dry mouth and some vivid dreams but that passes after a few days. Our Dr. specializes in infectious diseases and was adamant about taking the pills. We had a friend who did come down with malaria and she was very ill for weeks.

As far as yellow fever, you will need to get a waiver from your doctor. We have the yellow fever vaccine and did not have any side effects. Check with your physician. I would not rely on what the ship doctor says.

Some photos taken in the Amazon to whet your appetite :)

 

The (large) cricket(?) was on our balcony one morning :eek:

Don't you just love the sloth.....such a gentle creature.

Thanks for the info..we have a waiver from the Canadian travel health clinic as far as the Yellow fever shot, but to make sure I am also getting one from our family doc...Funny how different countries health orgs are..in Canada they strongly advise against the yellow fever shots..and you actually have to sign a waiver to get it after 60...very odd

We are going to get the anti malaria pills as the one excursion we are taking is the Cayman spotting which is at night and that is when that particular bug is biting..but also I am going to be on deck a lot after dusk...I will see what our family doc says about that one..

Nice photos and thanks for posting them...We are still trying to get our luggage down to 3 bags...21 days is tough to pack for...Thankfully Regent allows the passengers access to laundry facilities

We did the full circle South America in 2011 with Regent. The Rio to Miami segment was a favorite along with the segment to Antarctica.

We were in our mid 60s when we got the yellow shots with no ill effects, but were told there was some risk. We have traveled to many areas that require the shot so there was no question for us, same with Malaria meds. The meds are better than getting the illness. Saying that we didn't have a problem on the River and I am a mosquito magnet!

We live on the Texas Gulf Coast and didn't find the weather (humidity) very oppressive. Going ashore we wore long pants and socks to protect our legs, but did wear short sleeve shirts.

I did a blog with pictures of the trip, you might find some more information about the trip as I don't it has change much.

Find our blog at:

http://www.circlesouthamerica2011.blogspot.com

It starts when we leave from Miami. Go to the achieve at the end of the post and click the post on Rio and read the newer post from there.

Sorry Sam..that is long distance and even though I sail Regent,I am cheap.. so I looked over the notes I took and here is the summary...

...If you are Canadian then all Canada travel health clinics will tell you the same story...no shots are required for the Amazon, recommended yes. between the ages of 9 and 59...after 60, the travel clinic will give you the shot, but could - depending on the province make you sign a waiver to get the shot...really weird...

I got the Certificate of Medical Contraindication to vaccination (so I don't have to get the shot- to show authorities) for both of us ( from the health clinic) and am also getting a signed Doctors Certificate of Medical Contraindication to vaccination as well ( stupid OHIP - costs 25 bucks each)...

The Malaria pills I am getting a prescription for...and reluctantly will take them...vivid dreams or not...

The only other thing the Canadian health clinic was adamant about was to make sure all your booster shots (tetanus) etc was up to date and they are strongly recommending the Twinrix A and B (Hepatitis) shots...

This information of course is not valid for any US citizens..I have no information on US clinics..

CWN...thanks for the link to the blog post will look it over...

[Hi

I got a good Lough from your post

So let me get it. U spend 25000 on the cruise assuming you booked

h category since u cheap , but u will not invest 2 dollars to make a 21

Days friend or maybe life time friend ??

I will tell u what. I will buy u a drink one night !

Also if u prefer call me collect !

As far as Carmela and me sam we have not take the yellow fever shot YET

my 2 Dr said u must take it ( I am 62) my wife can not take since she is

Alregic to it !

I am a little afraid of this shot and more likely can have a letter from the Dr

Not to take it , however I am not sure how to go about yet , but will have to decide very soon .

I am going to get the other shots for sure.

Sam and Carmela ofer suite 1111

flossie009 has given you great advice.

We also sailed the Amazon in 2013 but on a different cruise ship and line.

It is an amazing experience.

We had no issues with the mosquitos on the river itself. Mosquitos love me. If one person out of 100 gets stung it would be me. With that said, given the Zika Virus and just what we experienced in the Caribbean last year with the other issue with respect to mosquitos when out and about I would recommend using DEET just to play it safe. And for sure on any hiking trails etc I would most definitely take preventive steps with DEET.

On the river itself I would not worry about long sleeves/pants. If you are going into port I would not worry about that either. However, if you are going into the woods I would wear the long shirt and pants and consider getting shirt/pants that have already been treated with repellent that last for 100 or so washes. I think this is a great investment and we have made good use of them. Of course wear a hat too and don't forget the sunscreen.

For Malaria it all comes down to your plans in port. And that is true for other areas of the world as well. For example, on our two last Africa cruises we spent days off the ship at reserves but they were not in a Malaria zone so we didn't take the Malaria pills. If they were in Malaria zones we would have taken them. This is one to discuss with a travel medical professional and again it comes down to not only the itinerary but what you are doing off the ship. For us, it was not required based on where we sailed and also our off the ship plans.

Sailing the Amazon River is a wonderful experience.

Keith

Hi Keith

Thanks for the reply

I agree with u 100%

My only thing is since I am 62

If to take the yellow fever shot or not

We are not going in the woods just cruising

And getting off at ports

Canada said no shot after 60

Usa said yes ok

Who should I belive ?6

Diamond Sam:

Is the vaccine required by Regent for your cruise? The reason I ask is that this seems to be changing based on my experience.

If it is required then I would discuss this with a travel medical professional. Interestingly enough the last time we had the yellow fever vacation our specialist showed us statistics that indicated a higher chance of a problem with the vaccination for those in their 50's than 60's. Go figure. In the end, I would discuss your medical history with a physician that specialized in travel medicine, go over your itinerary with them along with your medical history and current medical health and get their recommendation. That is what I would do because none of us are qualified to give you a recommendation.

Like many things even the medical field has disagreements on some of this when it comes to Yellow Fever Vaccinations.

Keith

Hi Keith

Yes regent wants you to get it

My 2 Dr said yes take it

But I am a little scared. Not sure what to do

But need to decide soon ... Lol

We are going on the Amazon in November and Regent has not said anything about requiring it. The yellow fever vaccination gas not been required for Brazil since 2010 so it is entirely up to you if you choose to get it.

Hi cool cruiser

Just talked to regent

You MUST have the yellow fever shot

Or they will not let you board

For your info

I would go back to Regent again. Us older folks are advised NOT to get this shot.

This is what you all should have your TA do.

Just have the TA followup and get it in writing.

Then there will be no doubts.

Keith

Hi

Are you still going March 4 on the regent ?

Maybe this was posted before.

List of countries with MANDATORY yellow fever immunization. List

Note, Brazil is not mandatory. However where is becomes problematic is if the ship is stopping is a mandatory country after visiting an endemic area such as going to Dominica after Brazil. Even then there are time requirements, how long in transit, etc for each country.

Also, be aware that problems may arise when crossing borders/ports and your vaccination waiver may not be honored.

Personally, I have the immunization and have also had a booster in the last few years. And I go to a certified travel physician who is up to date on all the rules and risks. One thing I like is that she knows in what areas the risks are low or high, particularly in regards to time exposed.

j

Hi Sam, nice to see you posting here.

If y'all decide to go, do hope Carmela and you have a great Amazon voyage (with zero squito bites).

We're back on the Voyager next January (Auckland to Singapore).

You'll return to ATL just in time to pre order the Model 3 :)

good morning

how are you >?

are you still going march 4 on regent ?

sam ofer

When we went to Brazil a couple of years ago, there was no yellow fever at that time. A shot was not required until you were coming from a country that was dealing with yellow fever. We were advised by a local travel nurse not to get the shot because of our age (late 70s). We received waivers. I believe her more than I would my personal physician since that is the primary job of this particular nurse. She deals with these issues all the time.

hi

how are you ?

are u still planning to go next week ?

We are currently on board the Mariner and will be in our first Brazilian port today. You may have read that we have an ongoing issue with intestinal illness on board. FYI, We are still under "code red" restrictions which includes the launderettes being closed. I am 68 and got the yellow fever shot with no side effects. The ship has given each cabin a bottle of 30% deet insect repellent. We also brought shirts that are insect repellent purchased at sporting goods store (Columbia brand).

THANKS FOR THIS INFO

MY WIFE AND ME ARE BOOKED ON FEB 4 on your ship from rio

Now my wife don't want to go

What is exactly going on ? Food poisoning?

What is the laundry have to do with it ?

Do u think I have legal right to cancel and get refund ?

Thanks for the reply.