Bed bugs

Just saw a news article on the local CBS station about a couple on the Jewel who encountered bed bugs in their cabin. Maintenance pulled back the headboard to find the bugs swarming. RC did refund their money and apologize when the couple exited the cruise at the next port.

This can happen in any hotel...hopefully they were able to rid the cabin of them. Yuck!

His review can be read on a "different" cruise message board. Several posters on that board don't believe his story...

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I just saw the report on our local news.

They showed pictues of the woman's neck. She had been bitten many times...and they showed an upclose photo of "one of the bugs".

HHmmmmmmmm...not a very pleasant subject. My husband and I returned from a business meeting trip to one of the "One and Only" clubs on Paradise Island, Bahamas, with BEDBUG bites! These hotels are VERY exclusive, expensive resorts. We never would have stayed there had it not been covered by the company. We were both covered with obnoxious, itchy bites. YUCK! It took about 5 days to go away....AND careful laundering and wiping out of suitcases. I've wondered how cruiseships handle this problem. When we reported back to the hotel.....took several contacts by mail, telephone and email...their best response was "we looked and couldn't find any bugs". GREAT!! They hide during the day and are so tiny they are very difficult to see. I'm sure they got subsequent alerts by the next few guests too! Anyway...I'm sure hoping that this isn't a problem that will happen more frequently in the future.

Interesting that you all are just getting this now...I posted on this last week....think it was Thursday....post titled Jewel of the Seas...bugging a couple...you can find it here....some interesting info in the topic;

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=161449

A few friends called me up this morning to tell me that it's all over the news today about these bugs. Does anyone have a link to a legit news story about this because google isn't giving me anything but a link to this forum.

It's being reported that, while RCI refunded the cost of the cruise, it is refusing to pay for their medical expenses. That's downright dumb IMHO.

Here is their Post, gave me the willys:

recently boarded a Royal Caribbean cruise, on March 26. My wife and I paid for a guaranteed balcony room. The first night we noticed a bug between the sheets, but brushed it off and didn't pay too much attention. The next morning we found 2-3 more bugs in the bed, called for the staff to check it out. An officer came up and stated he was stunned as this has not happened before, while his maintenance guy states ‘let me check one spot’. Behind the headboard was a swarm of bugs, they were climbing up curtains and in our clothes in the closet. They moved us to a non-balcony room, without mention of any reimbursements of fees. They took all of our clothes to be laundered, therefore we spent two days in the same clothes. However, my wife and I tried to make the best of it, since I had had a heart attack 1 month prior, and we were on the cruise to attempt to relax. We spoke with lower management about needing a balcony, to avoid long walking distances to the decks since I have a 100% blocked right coronary artery, it is impossible for me to walk extended distances. We would not have gone on the cruise without having a balcony room. They stated they did not have any available and moved us to a smaller room with no balcony. Soon after, the passengers who had had the room which we were moved to, walked in while I was in bed in my underwear. Apparently, security did not take their keys from them when they were moved. We asked to speak to the highest member of management on the boat, since the head guest service person could not answer questions about re-imbursements, etc. Meanwhile, due to the stress levels, my wife was in tears and I was popping nitro pills from chest pains. It took 24 hours just to be allowed to speak with a higher level manager. We decided to leave the ship at the first port in San Juan, Puerto Rico. My wife is an optometrist, and paid $2400 dollars for replacement doctors to fill-in for her, so we decided we should try to salvage our vacation elsewhere. Royal Caribbean finally decided to refund our money and pay for a flight home on April 3. Prior to leaving the ship, my wife realized she was missing items of clothes (pajamas). Management found them in the original bug infested room and stated that they were laundered and then rushed them to us prior to leaving. My wife wore these pajamas on Thurs. and Fri. nights. On Friday she started developing bumps and by Satuday she developed an incredible rash and hives on her arms, face, neck and back. Sat. April 2 she ended up in the ER on the island of Vieques for a Benadryl shot in the butt and IV steroids. The itching has continued and on April 4th, the bumps on her face were even worse. She went to a dermatologist here at home (Boca Raton, FL), on April 4th, who stated that the bumps definitely look like bites. He biopsied one bump and then stitched up the wound. Additionally, stronger medications were prescribed. As a doctor, my wife is very embarrassed and disconcerted attending to patients looking like she does. As you can expect, she and I are quite upset. The cruise line has reimbursed some of our costs but they are being very difficult to deal with. I just wanted to pass this story on to you, in case it might be of interested. I did not take pictures of the bugs but I have many pictures of the bites and my wife is still covered with them. From what I have found by researching "bed bugs", the pictures shown are exactly the bugs we saw. They are blood sucking bugs that are difficult to get rid of, can spread diseases and usually the infestions grow unless something serious is done. Just by witnessing the ship's employee say, 'let me check one spot' and finding a swarm in that spot, we were pretty sure that this was far from an issolated incedent. Higher management's comment to us was that in the hospitality industry 'bed bugs are common and always will be'. Well, we've never seen them before.

OMG! That's horrible.

Okay, I am thoroughly disgusted. I won't show this post to my husband or our son and daughter who are going with us. But, I am taking a small magnifiying glass, and will inspect our bed area and sofa area before we unpack. I am also taking antibiotic and steriod cream and some benedryl for itching. I usually take more medicines than needed and everyone laughs at me, but they won't this time if we get a bed bug problem. YUKKK

I'm starting to itch just reading this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't Jewel the newest ship? My friend here at work just came back and loved Jewel! Raved even!

I think there are telltale signs of bed bugs....a way back in the boards there was a link with information on how to look for bedbugs in hotels, etc. Brown spots on the mattress,etc. The also said to bring big plastic bags to store your suitcases. I am turning into such a germophobe. I have been bringing our own pillow cases on trips...and yes, I've heard horror stories about even the best hotels. DOn't let it deter you from cruising!

Ok so that story is gross and all but where is an actual news report backing this person's story up??

I e-mailed the author to that review, I have not received a response back. I asked him which cabin he was in.

Here is the link from the other post....I guess we will have to be more vigilent......

http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/struct/ef636.htm

There is no story that I could find, but as I said in the original thread, they were on the news here locally, so I'm sure most of it s true. They said nothing about the difficulty they were having with RCI on the news though....made it sound like they had been very cooperative.

I don't think this is a big issue(bed bugs) for the line though. Don't you think if this was a problem we'd have heard about it before them, or even after them?

I read this review. Who knows if this person is telling the truth about the bed bugs. BUT by his own admission, the wife did not start getting a rash until Friday. They left the ship on Monday, spending the rest of their vacation on an island just off the coast of Puerto Rico. From Monday to Thursday she had no rash or bites. The author then describes a rash on her face, neck and back starting on Friday and getting worse on Saturday. There is no details about her activities from Monday to Thursday. The island is well known for its wonderful snorkeling. Late March/early April is the spawning season for thimble jellyfish in that area. The larvae is microscopic and produces the same rash this woman is described as having. The larve sting in areas of the body that tight fitting garments are worn where they become trapped, like around a mask, under hair, or bathing suit, or t-shirt. This woman had no rash on her extremities. Odd, I think if it were bed bugs in her pajamas. This sounds like a case of jellyfish larvae stings rather than bed bugs. JMHO Here's a link to a site that explains it better: http://www.fau.edu/safe/sea-lice.html

Go to www.wsvn.com

The article says they were onboard just one nite.....

Michele

I just searched CBS news.com and Googled awhile...nothing..until someone shows me a real news story I don't buy it. "swarming" indeed :D Gulla'bull?

I stand corrected! :) Thanx! You posted as I posted!

Here is the link from the other post....I guess we will have to be more vigilent......

 

http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/struct/ef636.htm

Thanks ( I think:( ) for the link to the article on bed bugs.

Needless to say, I am sickened by the sight of them.....almost to the point of nausea :(

I'm thinking I'll be stripping down ANY bed I sleep in and examining the mattress closely.....I'm staying in a hotel this weekend and you can be sure my microscope will be out.

I'm feeling a bit disgusted right now. ICK.

1)According to the link in Barb C's post, the bugs leave signs on mattresses and such. I can't imagine a swarm that the buggy posters described not leaving signs in other locations.

2) A "swarm" that big would have been around for several cruises before, so why didn't anyone else complain about them?

3) Just think, someone had to bring in the bed bugs. They don't just wander in by themselves. Someone several cruises before probably brought them in from a hotel.

Interesting points to ponder. :confused:

JMHO,

Okay that article was nasty, not something a germaphobe like me should be reading a week before my cruise :)

A few friends called me up this morning to tell me that it's all over the news today about these bugs. Does anyone have a link to a legit news story about this because google isn't giving me anything but a link to this forum.

http://www1.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/C73336/

Ok so that story is gross and all but where is an actual news report backing this person's story up??

http://www1.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/C73336/