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What is the chance that I get ill on a cruise?


JerryD009

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Hey guys, I'm setting foot on a cruise ship for the first time ever in a little over a month :)... however, I always get the feeling that I'll fall ill the next couple of days after I'm on the cruise. I'm not talking about seasickness :D, but as in a sore throat :confused: I'm heading towards Jamaica and Cayman Islands... basically around Cuba from Miami in a clockwise direction... if that makes a difference... what are the chances that I get a sore throat or something similar? What can I do to prevent getting sick? It's only for 5 days and I plan on enjoying all 120 hours of them doing something :) not lying in bed coughing every 2 seconds :).

Thanks for the help guys and gals :)

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Whenever you are around people, there is a chance you will get sick. The risks on a cruise are no higher than anywhere else.

Take proper precautions. Wash your hands. Use the sanitizers provided on board. Get some rest, both before you leave & on your trip. I tend to get sick on vacations when I run myself ragged before I leave.

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Guest LoveMyBoxer

I always take the sanitizing wipes with me and clean door handles, remotes, and drawer handles in our cabins. Although the ship's crew does a good job, I'm sure they cannot clean everything. Also, use the paper hand towels when opening doors in and out of the bathrooms and clean your hands constantly.

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Take your vitamins now. I start preparing before I go. I would look into nose rinses. I use Dr. Neil and I think it makes a huge difference. Do one rinse a day starting now and all through the cruise. They sell it at all our local drug stores, Costco, TArgt, etc. It's easy and keeps things flushed out and moist. Keep hydrated on the cruise and I don't mean with just alcohol and beer ;) Wash your hands a lot. Don't get stressed out before you leave. Keep a positive attitude on your health. Have an EXCELLENT time and be prepared to be hooked :D

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It's the same odds as if you were at home that week. How often do you get sick?

 

Maybe 3-4 times a year, mostly during spring and right before fall kicks in... this cruise is during Thanksgiving and I have yet to get sick during November.

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Hey guys, I'm setting foot on a cruise ship for the first time ever in a little over a month :)... however, I always get the feeling that I'll fall ill the next couple of days after I'm on the cruise. I'm not talking about seasickness :D, but as in a sore throat :confused:

 

It sounds like you're reacting to the dry air in the plane. Try taking an antibacterial mouthwash (of the right size!) with you and gargling with that once every hour or so. Sucking antibacterial lozenges (Strepsils or similar) might help too.

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IF, and I emphasize IF...you get a sore throat...take some lozengers! Take some Niquil at night....you'll be ok. The "odds" of your getting sick on a cruise are the same as at home.

Don't stress about it! Worry can diminish your immune system!

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Hey guys, I'm setting foot on a cruise ship for the first time ever in a little over a month :)... however, I always get the feeling that I'll fall ill the next couple of days after I'm on the cruise. I'm not talking about seasickness :D, but as in a sore throat :confused: I'm heading towards Jamaica and Cayman Islands... basically around Cuba from Miami in a clockwise direction... if that makes a difference... what are the chances that I get a sore throat or something similar? What can I do to prevent getting sick? It's only for 5 days and I plan on enjoying all 120 hours of them doing something :) not lying in bed coughing every 2 seconds :).

Thanks for the help guys and gals :)

 

Wash your hands often with hot soapy water. Hand sanatizer is all over the place but effective if washing hands with hot soapy water mixed in between. Get yourself some echinacea too and take those a few days leading up to and during your cruise and this should help your odds. Even if you should get a cold echinacea cuts down on the punch and shortens the sick time.

 

Which direction the ship is going had no baring on getting sick.

 

Go have fun and relax. You're going to have a blast!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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1. The best thing you can do is stop worrying - stress will weaken your immune system.

 

2. Start taking Aireborne (available at all drug stores) immediately. It might be a placebo - but since we've been taking it for a week before any trip neither my husband nor I have gotten sick while traveling or for a few weeks after we come back.

 

3. Get lots of sleep, which is actually easy to do on the cruise, but do so now.

 

4. Drink LOTS Of water - dehydration will also make you more susceptible to things.

 

5. As everyone said wash your hands often. The ships have alcohol had sanitizer all over - but buy a few small bottles or sprays to keep with you.

 

6. Stop worrying again. :)

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Guest LoveMyBoxer
One thing we always make sure we do at buffets, is wash our hands after we have used the serving utensils that others have used before we eat.

 

You take other's utensils to use and don't any clean ones????????? :eek:

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I never use the serving pieces set out in the buffet. I always take a spoon and fork before I go to the buffet and use my own utensils to serve myself from the trays and bowls.

 

 

What a really great idea. I have never considered doing that! The smaller spoon size probably would help reduce the amount that gets onto my plate, too!

 

I returned recently from a little trip, 3 days on the ship, only 3 hours on the plane, but came home so very sick with a wicked cold, cough. I've been home 3 weeks and am still coughing. But I was also very run-down and stressed-out before I left, so I'm certain my immunities were not in top form. I felt v-e-r-y bad for the others on the plane with me, too. I had a whole box of tissues with me and plastic bag to put 'used' ones in.....and each time I coughed or sneezed, would use a fresh tissue. It was awful, made worse by the fellow across the aisle who kept glaring at me each time I coughed (which was constant:(). I finally said to him "I'm sorry but I'm doing the best I can!".....which was true. I just wanted off that plane and HOME!

 

Edited to add: I had also spent a few days in Disneyland prior to coming home. I was with a couple of kids who insisted on holding my hands all the time, which would have been ok, but one was a 'multiple finger sucker'.....blech....don't even get me started on how gross that was...so between them and the mayhem of D'land, it was a given I'd get sick. It wasn't just being on the ship or plane that did it.

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I was got sick a few years ago, dropped $160 with the ships doctor and was Quarantined for 24 hours. (It was a Princess ship and everyone was very professional, kind a caring) I had strep throat. Call your GP and see if he/she will give you a script for an antibiotic. I don't travel without one now. Pack a little med kit for your self. Motrin, Halls/Strepsils, Imodium, that sort of thing.

With my "horror" story, I still had an AMAZING time and it was a fantastic vacation. Princess Emerald 10/10/09 was great!

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DW and I take OPC-3 everyday, cruise or no cruise. DW is a teacher, and we used to get colds all the time. I started taking it 12 years ago, and after I had had no colds for two years, DW started as well. Neither of us has had a cold in over 10 years.

 

If you want to contact me bbwex at verizon dot net I will tell you more and can send you some information.

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I always try to make sure that the cruises I go on are in an anti-clockwise direction, as this greatly reduces the chances of getting ill. If you cannot avoid a clockwise cruise you could always counteract the affects by walking around the ship in an anti-clockwise direction.

Remember that the reverse is true if you travel into the Southern Hemisphere.

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I always try to make sure that the cruises I go on are in an anti-clockwise direction, as this greatly reduces the chances of getting ill. If you cannot avoid a clockwise cruise you could always counteract the affects by walking around the ship in an anti-clockwise direction.

Remember that the reverse is true if you travel into the Southern Hemisphere.

 

Can you prove this? :rolleyes:

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I always try to make sure that the cruises I go on are in an anti-clockwise direction, as this greatly reduces the chances of getting ill. If you cannot avoid a clockwise cruise you could always counteract the affects by walking around the ship in an anti-clockwise direction.

Remember that the reverse is true if you travel into the Southern Hemisphere.

Are you serious or pulling our leg? If the former can you provide a reference.If the latter provide a happy face

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The odds of picking up a cold or a sore throat are likely higher than being ashore as there are more people in a confined area. However if you try to avoid people who clearly have a cold, use the hand sanitizers often and wash your hands often you will reduce the odds considerably.

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Totally sympathize...I have the same concerns. I have followed all the recommended precautions as suggested above and still manage to come down with an infection of some sort when I have long air flights. I am just visualizing myself being healthy on our cruise.

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