Prepare for the Bed Bugs on Carnival Inspiration

[pe4all]

Your philosophy and mine are the same. I kind of figure I would go through all the hassles of going through the gyratins that some do to save themselves then walk outside and get hit by a bus.

LOL - that is too funny. Made my morning!:D

Can we all just start owning beagles ;). can we bring our beagles on board with us?

I actually thought that was a local NY ad, as it was a local company advertising it on tv. I just googled it, and was pretty amazed to see that beagles are used all over the U.S. to sniff out bedbugs. I guess you could bring one on board if you call it your "therapy dog" and have a doctor's note allowing it!:D

[Captain Carnival]

...women's maxi-pads (sanitary napkins)....there will be red (blood) spots on the sticky of the maxi pad.

 

 

Sounds more like spotting! :rolleyes:

[okwriter]

Can we all just start owning beagles ;). can we bring our beagles on board with us?

 

The problem for most of us is that we have to fly to board the ship, which means going through security.

The dogs enjoy being patted down by TSA so much that they never want to leave the airport. :D

[Carnival Inspiration Tom]

it was 630 am after leaving the casino @ 330am room service came with breakfast, my girl got up put on the robe for the first time because our luggage was allready picked up the night before, when she put the robe on the bed she said there is a bug on the robe, i said big deal a bug on a big boat, she said it looks like a tick, i was more interested in breakfast and said take a picture of it, she said oops i took a vidio, i said just take a picture of it, while we were eating breakfast she was googling and looking for ticks, she said no its not a tick then she said thats a bed bug, thats when i started paying attention, i heard about bed bugs in the news, i looked at the picture of the bed bug on google then enlarged the still pick she had of the bed bug on the robe, saw that we had a bed bug in our room and went and got the porter who looked at the bug on the robe and said yup thats a bed bug and took the robe and bug and left, i said lets get dressed and get out of this room, went to guest services and asked them to bring our luggage back on the boat and inspect and treat it, they refused and said we cant bring your luggage back on the boat, i said let me go get it and bring it back on the boat they said no, i said send me to a bug company in tampa to inspect and treat our luggage they said call the carnival 800 number in miami, which i did and they took our names and said someone will get back to you which they did friday afternoon, with no help, or acknowledgment of a problem, carnival did offer us 20% refund on our 900 cruse, it cost us almost 900 for the first treatment of our homes luggage and cars with a second treatment due in 2 weeks, this could have all been handled on the ship or at the port by carnival.

 

I hope they make customers aware of this potential problem and make products avalable on the ship for customers to purchase to help themselves.

And pay my out of pocket expenses for this problem.

[halos]

My husband and I both had some bites on our legs while on the cruise, but dismissed them thinking they were some kind of mosquito or sand fly, since we were in the Caribbean.

 

When we got home, my husband was getting bitten, but I didn't seem to have any bites.

 

We did not find any evidence of bedbugs in our mattress, but our boxspring was completely infested. There were "tracks" of fecal matter, and there was every stage of bedbug under the piping around the boxspring. We bought a zippered encasement for each and brought them to a dumpster.

 

Our total cost for treatment and replacement of everything was probably around $2500.

 

Even though they are not know to carry any kind of disease, they are disgusting and gross, and I would not wish them on my worst enemy.

 

Eileen

:(You have my sympathies.

I really understand...I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy either.

[halos]

it was 630 am after leaving the casino @ 330am room service came with breakfast, my girl got up put on the robe for the first time because our luggage was allready picked up the night before, when she put the robe on the bed she said there is a bug on the robe, i said big deal a bug on a big boat, she said it looks like a tick, i was more interested in breakfast and said take a picture of it, she said oops i took a vidio, i said just take a picture of it, while we were eating breakfast she was googling and looking for ticks, she said no its not a tick then she said thats a bed bug, thats when i started paying attention, i heard about bed bugs in the news, i looked at the picture of the bed bug on google then enlarged the still pick she had of the bed bug on the robe, saw that we had a bed bug in our room and went and got the porter who looked at the bug on the robe and said yup thats a bed bug and took the robe and bug and left, i said lets get dressed and get out of this room, went to guest services and asked them to bring our luggage back on the boat and inspect and treat it, they refused and said we cant bring your luggage back on the boat, i said let me go get it and bring it back on the boat they said no, i said send me to a bug company in tampa to inspect and treat our luggage they said call the carnival 800 number in miami, which i did and they took our names and said someone will get back to you which they did friday afternoon, with no help, or acknowledgment of a problem, carnival did offer us 20% refund on our 900 cruse, it cost us almost 900 for the first treatment of our homes luggage and cars with a second treatment due in 2 weeks, this could have all been handled on the ship or at the port by carnival.

 

I hope they make customers aware of this potential problem and make products avalable on the ship for customers to purchase to help themselves.

And pay my out of pocket expenses for this problem.

 

I guess I'm confused as to why you did ALL that but never looked at your bed???? :confused: I mean, seriously...you do a search, come to the conclusion it's a bed bug and you don't think to pull back the sheets??

Once the idea of 'bed bug' hit me, I'd be like a maniac tearing the bedding apart...you would think that would be your first reaction before going to customer service with a video.....It seems you'd want to be armed with good proof of a problem before complaning or gettings scared. Could it possibly be that you DID check the mattress and came up seeing nothing????

[barbgazz]

it was 630 am after leaving the casino @ 330am room service came with breakfast, my girl got up put on the robe for the first time because our luggage was allready picked up the night before, when she put the robe on the bed she said there is a bug on the robe, i said big deal a bug on a big boat, she said it looks like a tick, i was more interested in breakfast and said take a picture of it, she said oops i took a vidio, i said just take a picture of it, while we were eating breakfast she was googling and looking for ticks, she said no its not a tick then she said thats a bed bug, thats when i started paying attention, i heard about bed bugs in the news, i looked at the picture of the bed bug on google then enlarged the still pick she had of the bed bug on the robe, saw that we had a bed bug in our room and went and got the porter who looked at the bug on the robe and said yup thats a bed bug and took the robe and bug and left, i said lets get dressed and get out of this room, went to guest services and asked them to bring our luggage back on the boat and inspect and treat it, they refused and said we cant bring your luggage back on the boat, i said let me go get it and bring it back on the boat they said no, i said send me to a bug company in tampa to inspect and treat our luggage they said call the carnival 800 number in miami, which i did and they took our names and said someone will get back to you which they did friday afternoon, with no help, or acknowledgment of a problem, carnival did offer us 20% refund on our 900 cruse, it cost us almost 900 for the first treatment of our homes luggage and cars with a second treatment due in 2 weeks, this could have all been handled on the ship or at the port by carnival.

 

I hope they make customers aware of this potential problem and make products avalable on the ship for customers to purchase to help themselves.

And pay my out of pocket expenses for this problem.

 

 

is it possible you were the source of the infestation to begin with?

[Sargent_Schultz]

this could have all been handled on the ship or at the port by carnival.

 

bull.

 

If it was a bed bug, you might have picked it up in the casino and brought it back.

 

If you were that freaked out about the whole thing - why did you bring your luggage into the house - and apparently not one, but multiple houses?

 

Carnival still owes you nothing for your overreaction and the 20% they offered is much too high. I hope they take it back.

[Naturzlvr]

As I have stated on previous posts, my husband and I were unfortunate enough to have a room infested with bedbugs. Unfortunately, I had a bad reaction to the bites and still have scars from them. I was bitten in August.

 

Carnival did all they could to help us with the problem - they inspected the room and sprayed. The ships doctor checked me out and gave me a tube of hydrocortisone cream.

 

I took precautions to keep the bugs from infesting my home including removing all the clothes from the suitcases outside and sorting them in separate bags, washing in hot water and drying on high for at least an hour. Putting my purse and contents in the freezer for up to a week and placing the empty luggage in black leaf bags and placing them in the car for over six hours. We had a thermostat which read 120 degrees inside the car which we left in the sun. Before entering our house, my husband and I undressed inside the garage placing our clothes in a bag and immediately took showers.

 

I did find two dead bedbugs in my purse and another dead bedbug on a pair of fuzzy booties we purchased on our Alaskan Cruise but have had no sign of them since.

 

We have two additional cruises planned with Carnival and are comtemplating two other cruises, one in Hawaii and returning to Alaska on another. I plan to pack my belongings in large plastic zipper bags inside my suitcase and not unpacking until I am certain there is no infestation.

 

I have no desire to sue anyone, I simply want the problem addressed and dealt with.

[Carnival Inspiration Tom]

Our luggage stayed outside the house in the back yard untill the extermination company came the following morning and inspected and treated the luggage along with both of our homes and vechiles.

[Carnival Inspiration Tom]

Anything is possible, we have never had any bed bug problems, the robe the bed bug was found on was never used until the last morning when room service arrived, the bug was on the inside of the robe, the only other clothes that were in that closet were my clean un worn clothing and my shoes.

[Carnival Inspiration Tom]

My first reaction was to get the porter and report the problem, my second reaction was to get out of that room, my third reaction was to get my luggage and have it inspected and treated.

[flalady29]

Ok I wasn't going to say anything,but if it was a bed bug than I am sorry to hear that. You say the luggage was kept in the car so the only thing that went in your girlfriends house was the both of you and the clothes you had on if this is the case how would they infest either home? You stated you had both homes and cars treated,but you never stated if there was any evidence that bed bugs were in fact in your cars and houses and if there was none why would you spend all that money having them treated?

 

Sorry I forgot to comment on the fact you wanted yourself or someone else to go get your luggage and bring it back on board, Carnival has to abide by Home land Security and United States Customs rules and this is not permitted.

[Carnival Inspiration Tom]

Yes the luggege went from the car to the back yard untill friday morning when the exterminator arrived, We slept in my girlfriends house thursday evening.

 

We had all of the treatments as a precaution, because bed bug eggs are microscopic and if not treated directly will hatch, eggs may have been on us or our clothing or the luggage or clothes that were in the luggage.

 

We were told to Inspect items before entering the home with them and take precautions against bringing home bed bugs after traveling and to choose a licensed pest control company to help control breakouts of bedbugs our homes, and homeowners that treat bedbug infestations rarely succeed, and using the wrong pesticide or using it incorrectly can make you, your family and your pets sick. Avoiding bed bugs and finding them early are important in controlling these pests.

 

My girlfriend would only use an Eco friendly chemical for treatment which requires 2 treatments that have to be applied directly to the bugs or eggs to work.

 

I understand the security issue thats why i asked carnival guest services on board to send us to a company they used in tampa while we were still on the ship, they said call the carnival 800 number for help.

[trini_ras]

Where are photos you took man? I would love to see them

[burnedup]

OP ends the statement with the second last sentence stating .......

 

"I have contacted my lawyer about the bite on my scalp."

 

I think that should clear up things I'm wondering about.

[Sargent_Schultz]

I wonder if the lawyer is still laughing. :confused:

[Chacooe]

This is the story channel 8 did on our bed bug problem with Carnival cruise lines, they did not mention the bed bug bite on my scalp.

 

This could have all been taken care of on the boat or at the port by Carnival and they refused to inspect and or treat our luggage for bed bugs after being on the boat for 6 days.

 

http://video.tbo.com/m/35206250/bed-bugs-vacation.htm

 

The robe the bed bug was on was in the same closet all my clothes were in for 5 days, My girlfriend only used the robe the last morning because our luggage was already picked up the night before.

 

Our luggage was stored under the bed unzipped for 5 days.

 

I didn't relies i had a bite on my head until peter bernard suggested my girlfriend and i inspected each others body's for bite marks.

 

Just take steps to inspect your closets, beds and rooms before settling in and every day just to be sure.

 

There are products that are Eco friendly you can purchase before you go on vacation at Wallmart and CVS to treat your own luggage, clothes, beds, closets and rooms.

 

As soon as I realized the bug in our room was a bed bug I got the porter to come to our room, he took the robe and the bug @ 6:45 AM Thursday morning, When he didn't return I told my girlfriend "lets get the rest of our things and get out of this room and went to guest services.

I requested that Carnival bring our luggage back on the ship while we were still on the ship so carnival could inspect and treat our luggage, They refused, I then offered the carnival manager to let me leave the ship and get our luggage and personally bring the luggage back onto the ship to be inspected and treated for bed bugs, this request was also denied by the manager.

I was told once you leave the ship you cannot return, I then suggested to the manager that Carnival send us to a bug professional in Tampa to do an inspection and treatment, She told to me to contact the 800 number for carnival corporate, which I did at that time, they took our names and said someone would get back to us.

I was finally contacted by guest services around 4:00 Friday afternoon.

 

 

After we left the ship still at the port waiting for our bus, I contacted the Tampa Tribune who took our information and said someone would contact us.

 

Peter Bernard from channel 8 called and said he wanted to help us and do a story on our problem with Carnival, he contacted Mrs Olivia from carnival for a response which resulted in Carnivals response that was disappointing, as they continue to ignore me, there past paying customer!!

 

Carnivals response to peter appeared as though they are ignoring the fact there was a bed bug in the robe and the pictures we took of the bed bug are fictitious.

 

Carnival indicated they inspected the room, found no problem and put more guests in the same room.

 

From what I have been told these bugs come out in the dark and bite people and suck there blood.

 

Where there is one of these bugs there are more.

 

I have pictures of a real fat bug that was in our room, a mark on my scalp that appears to be a bite from a bug, documentation that Carnivals porter removed the bug from our room shortly after we woke up on our 6th day on the boat.

 

Because of my girlfriends dis-like of toxic chemicals I had to find an Eco friendly low toxic treatment for this problem.

 

Bill from a pest control company came to Deserie's home Friday morning and inspected the bite marks on my scalp, our luggage, vehicle, bedroom, all items that I took of of the ship.

 

Bill then went thru all the contents in my luggage one at a time over a sheet turning clothing inside out searching for additional bed bugs, eggs or signs of bed bugs.

 

He then treated the luggage, clothes, and all items taken off of the ship, and the bedroom we slept in last nite.

 

 

 

Bill also sold me an eco friendly product to treat our own clothes, vehicles, bedrooms, luggage and rooms we will stay in during future trips.

 

Bill also gave us instructions on how to wash and dry our clothes that may be infested with bed bugs or their eggs that may have not been detected.

 

I then washed and dryed all of my clothing at Deserie's home in the hottest water and drying settings her washer and dryer has.

 

I then took a shower and then put on freshly treated and washed clothes.

 

I will re pack my luggage, with the rest of my freshly treated and washed clothing, treat my vehicle, finally go to my home, treat my home and bedroom and hope no bed bugs show up in the future.

 

The cost will be between 750 to 1000 dollars after the second treatment of our homes and vehicles in two weeks.

 

 

 

I hope in the future carnival will address customer concerns when they become aware of them on the boat or at the port, not to tell customers to call the 800 number in Miami.

 

The current guests in cabin E 230 should hear about my problem and how I brought it to Carnivals Corporate attention and how they ignore the inconvince it causes their customers when they leave their ship with bugs, bug bites and or bug eggs they didn't have when they arrived.

 

My girlfriend then returned from work, we have inspected and treated her luggage, clothing and vehicle and then started washing and drying her treated clothing.

 

Carnivals offer of 20% refund on our cruise seems very inadequate for the time, money, and aggravation we have encountered after we left your ship.

 

Carnivals staff could have handeld this problem while we were still on the boat and refused.

 

We had to take your problem into our own hands, find Someone to resolve the problem and still may have bugs.

 

Today I know more about these bugs than I ever wanted to know, I went home and treat my own home and pray I never see one of these bugs again.

 

 

I will continue to cruise and treat my own room before unloading my luggage with an eco friendly bed bud spray, keep my luggage zipped when stored and visually inspect my room and body periodically for problems.

 

Im waiting for a pest control company to come back to our homes in 2 weeks to inspect for bedbugs before i take any further actions with Carnival.

 

I have contacted my lawyer about the bite on my scalp.

 

Ive made complaints with Broward Consumer Justice and the Better Buisiness Bureau.

 

 

 

To Carnival Inspiration Tom, would you mind clarifying somethings for me please? Am I correct that you had not noticed anything until the night before you left your cruise, when your girlfriend put the robe on. Am I correct in understanding that neither of you had any bites until you saw this so called bedbug the morning you left the ship. One more question, what amount of compensation would you like to receive from Carnival? Since you have spoken to an Attorney, it seems like you want some kind of compensation.

As a retired RN and seeing many, many bug bites, may I ask how many bites you and your girlfriend received during the duration of your cruise

[Rosefloater]

I wonder if the lawyer is still laughing. :confused:

 

Yep. All the way to the bank.

[Thamsey]

Total turn off by ........ seeing his lawyer.

Universal percautions always always in Hotels cabins etc check for evidence know what you need to look for. Still you can pick up Bed Bugs in movie theatres, restaurants airplanes etc. We have a serious problem,

and its important that we all work together not threats of law suits .....geez

[Carnival Inspiration Tom]

we noticed the bug the last morning, when she took the robe off she saw the bug on the robe, i had bites on my scalp above my ear, id like my out of pocket expenses covered by carnival, Ive contacted my lawyer, the BBB and Broward Consumer Justice with official complaints against Carnival, while we are still waiting to see if bugs show up in our homes.

[mjrich73]

we noticed the bug the last morning, when she took the robe off she saw the bug on the robe, i had bites on my scalp above my ear, id like my out of pocket expenses covered by carnival, Ive contacted my lawyer, the BBB and Broward Consumer Justice with official complaints against Carnival, while we are still waiting to see if bugs show up in our homes.

 

In your other posts, you said a bite, as in singular!

[MissRissa]

True, apparently it has gone from a bite to multiple bites:rolleyes:

[blindrid]

My girlfriend would only use an Eco friendly chemical for treatment which requires 2 treatments that have to be applied directly to the bugs or eggs to work.

quote]

 

What do you suppose the effectiveness of an Eco friendly treatment is? Or better put, what are the chances of applying the pesticide directly to ALL eggs or bugs..... Minimal at best regardless of two treatments or not.

[halos]

True, apparently it has gone from a bite to multiple bites:rolleyes:

I noticed that too... :rolleyes:

 

I know bed bugs are an issue, but i think this is total BS.