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

[Nebr.cruiser]

I've been on over 25 cruises and have never been sick on a cruise, except for some slight sea-sickness on our first cruise in the 70's on an old, non-stabilized ship.

 

Take normal precautions as to cleanliness, ie hand washing, etc. but extreme measures aren't necessary. Try not to leave in a run-down, stressed-out state. (Easier said than done, I know)

 

IMO the worst place to catch something is on the flight to or back from the cruise. Read up a little on how to prevent catching something on the plane and that will help. If you get sick the first couple of days on a cruise, you most likely caught it before the cruise.

[griffy116]

Use all the advice and precautions prior to the cruise and during to avoid a cold. We always pack OTC meds (Nyquil, Dayquil, Advil, etc) to carry with us. I've had one cold come on me suddenly during a cruise and when we docked (in Dominica) I had a really hard time finding OTC cold meds that I recognized, to make me feel better. Never been without my OTC cold meds since then...and have never needed them since I started carrying them..just in case.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Use all the advice and precautions prior to the cruise and during to avoid a cold. We always pack OTC meds (Nyquil, Dayquil, Advil, etc) to carry with us. I've had one cold come on me suddenly during a cruise and when we docked (in Dominica) I had a really hard time finding OTC cold meds that I recognized, to make me feel better. Never been without my OTC cold meds since then...and have never needed them since I started carrying them..just in case.

 

I always travel with basic over the counter meds too; we seldom need them, but when we do, we do. My husband seems very prone to picking things up on planes and often develops some kind of respiratory illness soon after.

[johneeo]

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.

 

It is also important to note when using the stairs, always use the port side for going up, and starboard for going down.:rolleyes:

[Bluekat74]

This is a cute question :) Have been overseas once previously travelling from Australia to London via Hong Kong (then side trip to USA). Had been feeling sick at the start of the holiday, not sure if it was nerves. Make sure you have Tylenol and ibuprofen on hand. Was more worried about stomach bugs than H1N1 which was a big thing when I went in 2009. I ate light, and ended up being sick over Heathrow train station :( just before catching a flight to the USA. Was probably nerves, but I ate light until it all settled. Washing hands is definitely the best thing to do, as well as avoid those people that just cough everywhere! Taking lozenges will help take your mind off things. Relax and enjoy it. In the end my son and myself still laugh over me being freaked out I wouldn't get on the plane. The tylenol came in handy :)

[jt_83]

A hypochondriac on a cruise. That should be fun.

[BlueRiband]

What if you get sick? You'll die, your body will be placed into the ship's morgue, and when it arrives in a port your remains will be repatrioted back home.

 

Seriously, if you are worried enough to post on an internet forum then a cruise may not be right for you.

[Idahobaker]

What if you get sick? You'll die, your body will be placed into the ship's morgue, and when it arrives in a port your remains will be repatrioted back home.

 

Not on today's cruises. You're more likely to be the plat du jour (cutting down on costs, don't you see?).:p:p:p

[johneeo]

Not on today's cruises. You're more likely to be the plat du jour (cutting down on costs, don't you see?).:p:p:p

 

You have permission to dump my carcass overboard.:eek:

[searoses]

i have a compromised immune system and always seem to get sick from the plane. started wearing a mask on the way to the ship or island and that seems to have worked quite well. people keep their distance! lol i don't care which direction the ship goes in as long as the bed is comfy and the food is decent.:D

[andy11]

Yes, planes are the worst place for catching something, especially now that smoking is banned. Before they used to recirculate clean air, now they can recirculate all the old air with everyones germs.

[windsor123456]

Take a sweater onboard! On my Med cruise the ship's A/C was blasting and I picked up a nice chill.

[Half Pint Mini]

Take a sweater onboard! On my Med cruise the ship's A/C was blasting and I picked up a nice chill.

 

I totally agree! Going from nice and warm outside to freezing inside will do it to me :p. I'm not used to a/c and really notice it especially if it is blowing right on me.

[gurleenkaur]

i m new here what is a good deal for me and what are the benefits...??

[dreamindessert]

People are only sick if they want to get sick.

What I mean is that if you are having a rough week and you just want to relax... usually your system is low and it is more suseptable to getting sick. As well, forgetting to wash your hands... keep clean and you'll be less likely to get sick

If you are pumped up about your travel, keep active and don't do silly things. (Like go outside on a cold day without your jacket on!)

Also, when my hubby is feeling a little low... he has a Vitamin C Chewables everyday. He says it's suppose to help boost the system.

He also is a avid fan of Halls and Buckleys and the moment he feels anything remotely sore he downs a couple spoonfulls of buckleys and sucks on halls for a couple days.

Wish you all the best!

[Hlitner]

We have spent more then 2 years as passengers on cruise ships and yes, we tend to get colds on ships. So, why does this happen. About 4 years ago we met a CDC physician on a cruise (he was actually on the ship doing some training of the crew) and talkied about just this subject (he was at our table at dinner). Bottom line is that when we go on a cruise we are around lots of folks on the ship, and on the way to the ship (if we fly). In our case, we are closer to more folks then we when at home. Every time we are in an elevator we are crammed in with other folks. The odds that we will be in the vicinity of another person who has some kind of cold is much greater then at home (when we are often in our own home or around the same folks day after day). On a cruise we are often near thousands of folks and some of these folks have colds, flu, noro, etc. So yes, we get sick much more often on ships then anywhere else. In fact, I can go 2 years at home without even a sniffle, but odds are that on a cruise DW or I (or both) will get a head cold. We have never had Noro on ships...but we think that is because we take the simple precaution of routinely washing our hands with soap and water. But as to colds and the flu, they are often spread through the air by coughing and sneezing. After reading the various posts I really like Andy11's advice to only take clockwise cruises :)

 

Hank

[jschm27]

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

 

Hi Jerry! I may the bearer of bad news. I've been on three cruises and I got a cold near the end of two of them. On our last cruise, my DW and DMIL got the cold. We take precausions but we still get the bug.:confused:

 

John

[Nebr.cruiser]

Yes, catching a cold when traveling is easy to do--my husband is especially susceptible to this. It's not just cruising however, almost anything that involves a plane ride seems to do it.

 

It's the same general principle as when I was an elementary school teacher; being in close contact with lots of people (kids) day in and day out, I almost always caught two or three or even more severe colds a year, in spite of trying to be careful.

 

Since retiring 16 years ago, I have hardly had any colds. Close quarters + lots of people + the stress of traveling + air travel just often = a cold. Cruise ships are not any worse than any other environment where many people are.

[JerryD009]

I'm driving to Miami from Jacksonville, so flying is not a worry. I'm just talking about onboard. I heard that the water and stuff is different, and there are chances that people get sick because they wash fruits and veggies with their water. Just wanted to clarify it on here so I know what to expect :D

[Jo-Bob]

I'm driving to Miami from Jacksonville, so flying is not a worry. I'm just talking about onboard. I heard that the water and stuff is different, and there are chances that people get sick because they wash fruits and veggies with their water. Just wanted to clarify it on here so I know what to expect :D

 

Water different from what? Yes, it is treated sea-water, absolutely fine to drink and is purer than what comes from your tap at home.

 

You are paying too much attention to what you 'hear'.....

 

You will NOT get sick from fruit and veg washed with the water on board. But if you EXPECT to get sick, then you surely will;)

[ducklite]

On the last night of my recent three day cruise I started to have a tell-tale tickle in my throat. Sure enough, here I am a week later with a cold.

 

That said, I most likely didn't get it onboard. I didn't fly to my cruise, either.

 

Although in the five days preceeding my cruise I was on six airplanes, through five airports, had meetings in three major cities, and in a convention center with 17,000 others from around the world. Yep, I picked this thing up before I stepped foot on my ship and brought it along with me--most likely either at the convention or on the way home on a plane or in an airport the day before I started my cruise. Unfortunately I might have passed it along to others, but by the time I had symptoms, it was too late as I was getting off the next morning.

 

I'm a diligent hand washer, minimum 30 seconds with two soap ups and two rinses, and still caught it. Sometimes it is what it is. I guess a cold is better than a multitude of other sins.

 

As far as water being "different," there's a difference between a GI upset due to eating and drinking foods that your body isn't accustomed to, and eating or drinking foods that contain pathogens that cause disease. The majority of people who get sick while away from home aren't actually sick, but rather have upset systoms from eating and drinking foods that their bodies aren't used to.

 

I travel over 50% of the time with my job, and always drink the local water (except in a very few places that either overly chlorinate or have a high sulfer content as I don't care for the taste of either) and have NEVER gotten sick from doing so. I have gotten sick after diverting from my normal diet and eating too many overly rich or greasy foods.

[PA Beachlovers]

We just went on our first cruise on the Dream out of Port Canaveral, we took about every kind of cold medicine with us just in case but we didn't need them. BUT, if you fly in and out of Orlando be prepared to be on a plane with numerous coughing and hacking children, we were on the way down and go lucky didn't get sick. On the way home not so lucky, I got a terrible cold, that started the Monday evening after we flew home Saturday. Did I get it on the cruise or the flight? My guess is the flight not sure what the incubation period is for a cold but a couple of days seemed about right. Nothing like recycled airplane air.