Confess your germophobe cruise quirks!

[OceanCruise]

Besides using Clorox wipes, spraying Lysol and using the hand sanitizers, what other things do you do to avoid germs on a cruise? I use disposable slippers (I guess that's a good thing given the recent "fecal matter on carpet" thread!). Also, I hate little bars of soap sitting in water on the sink so I always bring a container of liquid antibacterial hand soap. After watching a TV expose about unsanitary drinking glasses in hotel rooms/bathrooms, I always pack some small paper bathroom cups. What do you do?

[Daycare Provider]

A can of Lysol travels well in bags. Before we start to unpack, I always spray down my whole cabin..in the drawers, closet, remote control, phone and all teh cute books Royal has sitting out to look at. Hand sanitizer fits perfect inmy pocket for those pesky elevator rides.

 

Angela

[wingatesl]

Nothing. I refuse to live in a bubble.

[bouhunter]

And after everything gets wiped down with lysol, the cabin steward will spend the rest of the week cleaning everything with the same filthy rags that cleaned the previous 7 rooms.......:rolleyes:

[cruzeluver]

Nothing. I refuse to live in a bubble.

 

Me too, and I am rarely sick. Hate the smell of Lysol, bleach, etc.

[Trekker954]

we do everything the first two posters do, plus in the windjammer after serving ourselves we will defiantly use hand sanitize before touching our utensils.

[setsail]

Order a mudslide for the cabin:p

[struther1]

No barefeet in the cabin. Excessive hand washer and sanitizer user. Don't touch hand rails when walking stairs.

[narrow56]

Nothing. I refuse to live in a bubble.

 

THANK YOU! I never even considered sanitizing my entire room until I came onto these forums. Now I'm paranoid. :P

[wingatesl]

THANK YOU! I never even considered sanitizing my entire room until I came onto these forums. Now I'm paranoid. :P

 

Don't be! You experience far worse everyday. I could not imagine going on vacation and being afraid to touch anything. I am taking off my shoes, walking across the carpet, and could care less what was on it before.

 

It is crazy to me that people would take such extreme measures to ensure they don't contact any germs.

[wingatesl]

Me too, and I am rarely sick. Hate the smell of Lysol, bleach, etc.

 

I am rarely sick as well.

[cruzeluver]

It is crazy to me that people would take such extreme measures to ensure they don't contact any germs.

 

And what makes it even crazier, is despite all of the chemicals they happily spread around to the rest of us to "make themselves feel better" they are still exposed to billions of germs every day, so what have they accomplished? This is what happens when you acted out of fear instead of with logic.

[sngleme121]

I love reading this thread. I find it fascinating! I don't bring anything extra to clean when I'm on a cruise. I honestly don't worry about that kind of stuff. I got a really bad cold on my first cruise in 2008 but I'm sure it was just a coincidence. I still had a wonderful time in between my naps and other activities.

 

Honestly I am not going to pack anything extra that I don't have to. And I have not been sick on any other cruises that I have taken.

[Alliezona09]

I wipe down 2 things the phone and the remote~the phone cuz its too close to my mouth not too~!!! and the remote cuz ya just never know where that thing has been or the hands of the person last using it were!! :eek: :D Other than that nothing but don't touch hand rails and use my knuckle to press elevator buttons~ don't use the hand sanitizer unless I touched something since I washed my hands~ And I rarely get sick also~

[sngleme121]

nothing. I refuse to live in a bubble.

 

totally agree

[CaroleSS]

OMG!!! I see sensible people! :eek:

 

There was a thread not long ago where folk just went nuts over sanitation, some suggesting bring latex gloves to the buffet or using a napkin to pick up utensils, salt/pepper shakers/menus/push in your chair! I was chastised for suggesting that our immune system was designed for such things.

 

What a true delight to hear that there is group therapy available for me on cruise lines if any of ya'll are onboard!!! :eek::D

[Happy ks]

I have thought about packing the stuff to clean the cabin, but honestly have forgotten about it when the time does come to start packing. I just don't like to take the space/weight for "what if" stuff. In more than 20 cruises, neither of us has gotten sick.

 

I do wonder about people who sanitize their cabins...what do they do once they leave that enclosed space? I know about the hand rails and the elevator buttons, but what about the rest of the ship? Counter tops @ customer service, salt shakers, menus, door handles, etc... You just can't wipe down every single surface with sanitizer/disinfectant after every single person has touched it.

 

I think I'm more in the "don't live in a bubble" group, except I do use the hand sanitizer when entering a restaurant, if available.

 

The feces story was interesting. I won't go into what my job (day job, not the evening job) involves, but I will state that it's not unusual for one of us to come across the very same thing. We sanitize the spot, clean off the shoes (yes, it's gross) and just keep moving on through the day.

[Bookish Angel]

We do wash our hands a lot, though. Neither of us has ever been sick on a ship.

 

Frankly, all the chemicals in "sanitizers" worry me in that they are very probably thwarting our immune systems' natural ability to protect us. Not to mention what those chemicals are doing to water and air quality.

[wingatesl]

I have thought about packing the stuff to clean the cabin, but honestly have forgotten about it when the time does come to start packing. I just don't like to take the space/weight for "what if" stuff. In more than 20 cruises, neither of us has gotten sick.

 

I do wonder about people who sanitize their cabins...what do they do once they leave that enclosed space? I know about the hand rails and the elevator buttons, but what about the rest of the ship? Counter tops @ customer service, salt shakers, menus, door handles, etc... You just can't wipe down every single surface with sanitizer/disinfectant after every single person has touched it.

 

I think I'm more in the "don't live in a bubble" group, except I do use the hand sanitizer when entering a restaurant, if available.

 

The feces story was interesting. I won't go into what my job (day job, not the evening job) involves, but I will state that it's not unusual for one of us to come across the very same thing. We sanitize the spot, clean off the shoes (yes, it's gross) and just keep moving on through the day.

 

Washing your hands is a no brainer. I use the hand sanitizer before I go into a restaurant as well. I can't think of a valid reason to go beyond that. Refusing to walk on carpet for fear of what was there is a problem.

[wwcruisers]

we do everything the first two posters do, plus in the windjammer after serving ourselves we will defiantly use hand sanitize before touching our utensils.

 

We always take our pocket-sized hand sanitizers with us to the dining rooms. Like you, we use them in the buffet, when we sit down to eat. But, we also use them in the MDR and specialty restaurants -- as soon as the waiter picks up our menus. :cool:

[Laurie S.]

I'm not a germophobe and I don't bring Lysol, Clorox, hand sanitizer, etc. I walk barefoot in my room and on the deck (but not in dining areas), and always dance barefoot. I refuse to use the hand sanitizer at the dining room and other areas because it irritates my hands. It's also useless.

 

I DO wash my hands regularly and wash them well. I use my elbow on stair railings and my knuckle to press the elevator buttons. I've never been sick on a cruise.

[euro cruiser]

I'm also suspicious about adding even more chemicals to my immediate environment.

 

Ever since the first kid was born and I discovered "hiney" wipes, I take them everywhere, even though the youngest is well past that stage. I don't wipe anything down in the cabin, but they're great for any mess that I come across and for cleaning my hands before eating, wherever I happen to be. I can't stand liquid sanitizers but don't mind the wipes. Maybe it's just what I'm used to.

 

I spend a lot of time on public transit, in close quarters with a lot of folks, using public handrails, pushing elevator buttons, etc. and I'm rarely sick. It's been a couple of years since I've even had a cold, and 15+ since I had the flu.

[dsrdsrdsr]

I'm healthy, so I don't need to take extra precautions.

 

I do wonder about the idea of not using handrails, though. I'd rather risk picking up a germ than a broken neck.

[sparky-elpaso]

I'm healthy, so I don't need to take extra precautions.

 

I do wonder about the idea of not using handrails, though. I'd rather risk picking up a germ than a broken neck.

 

Ditto on the stairs - especially going down. You can always duck into a restroom and wash your hands again.

[pris993]

wash our hands a lot, avoid public restrooms, set the thermostate to the lowest heat setting when we go to bed to avoid having cold air blowing on us during the night. These 3 things seem to keep us healthy 90% of the time.