Confess your germophobe cruise quirks!

[willow028]

No bubble here either...

 

Handwashing after restroom/before meals, wear shoes only when I absolutely must, use handrails (sick=way better than broken neck), etc.

 

I do though bring those disposable wipes you get from BBQ type places (or KFC) into port - we like to bar hop and some places don't have the best (if any) way to wash hands after using the restroom - that's my one germaphone concession!

[beachbum53]

Nothing. I refuse to live in a bubble.

 

Same here. I'm sorry, but germaphobes make me laugh.

 

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

 

Do you avoid touching ALL handrails everywhere, including the handrails on department store escalators, or just the handrails on cruise ships? No bare feet in the cabin? Do you shower with your shoes on?

[feathersandnananose]

My mom had a saying (which requires us to know that a "peck" is 2 gallons of dry weight, or 10-14 pounds!)

 

"You have to eat a peck of dirt before you're two." (most of the official quotes say "...before you die.")

 

But Mom said, "before you're two", and I must have taken it to heart, because I was a dirt/mud eater as a small child. I can still remember the taste and feel of mud in the mouth. (And I'm now 60.)

 

In the meantime, yes, I hold on to the rail when on stairs (broken bones take longer to heal than a stomach virus), I admit I wash my hands pretty carefully on a regular basis, I do NOT avoid the public bathrooms (I just LOVE HAL's little cloth towels), but I'll be DAMNED if I'll wear shoes more than I have to!!!!!!!

 

Not go barefoot in your room? Why? Germs on your feet? Do you eat with them? Pick you nose with your big toe? What? Inquiring minds want to know!!!

 

Barb in so cal. Worst I've ever got on a trip was a vicious cold (because I didn't take my NetiPot!).

[bitsey66]

Nothing. I refuse to live in a bubble.

 

AMEN!!! I've lived 46 yrs safely and I'm a paramedic. Not even close to being a germaphob!!!

[jlk806]

Just in general, in life (but definitely did on cruise):

- I do not touch my food with my hands ever, unless I JUST washed them with soap that is up to my standards. I bring my own soap with me, never care for the stuff they use in the restrooms (anywhere, not just on cruise anywhere public). I use silverware or a napkin to hold my food.

- Never take the top plate at the buffet.

- I do my best to never touch railings, doors, elevator buttons with my hands.

[bitsey66]

I'll be DAMNED if I'll wear shoes more than I have to!!!!!!!

 

Not go barefoot in your room? Why? Germs on your feet? Do you eat with them? Pick you nose with your big toe? What? Inquiring minds want to know!!!

 

:D:D:D:D

 

I just do not understand the point to any of it besides hand washing. My friend would yell at me for washing my hands and then NOT shutting the faucets and opening the restroom door with papertowels....Ummm, did I not just touch the handle to get that papertowel...am I not going to touch anything else the rest of the day? It makes no sense to waste time on this stuff. May as well lock yourself in your sterilized home forever! BTW...there is truly no such this as sterilized anything

[Travelcat2]

Think I am a germaphobe-in-training! After being sick at the conclusion of five cruises (never sick in between) and noticing people on excursion buses and airplanes coughing their lungs out, it occurred to me why I may be getting sick while on vacation (note; we only vacation during the winter when many are ill).

 

Whether you are a germaphobe or not, it is pretty gross to think that the armrests and tray tables on the airplanes are rarely washed. The same can be said about telephones, remote controls and door handles in cabins and door handles in airplane restrooms. So, I do use Clorox wipes in these areas. Now I've seen on television that restaurant menu's and salt/pepper shakes are worse than bathrooms in terms of germs. OMG!

 

I used to believe that need to be exposed to bacteria. Well, it is true to a point. I spoke with doctors and nurses in a hospital last week. They use antibacterial hand cleaner every time they enter or exit a patient's room. Okay -- a cruise ship isn't a hospital but it is an enclosed environment and there is a history of illnesses spreading on a ship. "Adults" can use alcohol based sanitizer constantly and not affect their tolerance to good bacteria (according to medical professionals).

 

My issue is not completely solved by Clorox wipes and/or Lysol....... it seems that I get sick from people around me in buses and planes who are ill and are sneezing and coughing while contagious. In our "normal" lives we are not in such close proximity to sick people for hours. While we cannot expect sick people to stay home, they sure as heck can cover their mouths (not with their hands that will touch the restroom door handle) and/or wear a mask. For those who do not travel to Asia, wearing masks is a very normal (and considerate) thing to do. Does it look weird? Absolutely. But, do you really want the person in front of you to feel as miserable as you do? So, my message is to act the way you would want others to act if they were sick.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Nothing. I refuse to live in a bubble.

 

This is pretty much me. I do normal hand-washing, etc., that I always do. I prefer to wear socks or something in the cabin, but I do that at home too--I just don't like going barefoot.

 

Maybe if I knew a ship had a really bad virus going on I'd use more hand sanitizer than normal. That's never happened, so far.

[Cruisit]

I am not a germophobe so I don't bring anything. There isn't much I' maffraid of; that includes germs and becoming sick. I think it's actually beneficial to be exposed to some degree of germs. You need to build up your immune system. That being said I wash my hands after the bathroom or whenever really, because while I'm not concerned about picking up germs I know others don't want mine. So I take health percausions for the sake of others.

[dsrdsrdsr]

I used to believe that need to be exposed to bacteria. Well, it is true to a point. I spoke with doctors and nurses in a hospital last week. They use antibacterial hand cleaner every time they enter or exit a patient's room.

That's because sick people can't handle germs. Not because no-one can handle germs. (There are are lot of things which you do to take care of the sick which you don't want to do for the healthy - a classic example being (in Britain) when doctors noticed that lying sick babies on their tummies to sleep was good for them, so advised that healthy babies should be lain on their tummies as well. Literally years later, they spotted that lying healthy babies on their tummies lead to a much higher incidence of cot death.)

[narrow56]

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.

 

The reason they are sick so often is they probably don't expose themselves to anything. That was my mom's reason why we were never sick anyway. We didn't go to the doctor at the slightest sniffle.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I don't do anything.

Do you wipe down everything when you go to the grocery store? The department store?

There are tons of germs in those places as well.

We have hospitals right now that are closed to visitors or have limited visitors due to the Noro virus and flu.

[Karysa]

Not touching the handrails is my crazy.

 

Yep, I risk a fall to keep my hands clean for washy, washy time.:eek:

[CrabbyQ]

I always have hand sanitizer or towelettes with me just because it's a convenient way to wash up when facilities are not available. And if I am sick, I try to wash my hands or use sanitizer frequently to minimize spreading germs.

 

Other than that, I can't be bothered. I'm usually good for one bad cold a year but am otherwise healthy.

[zacc]

Just in general, in life (but definitely did on cruise):

- I do not touch my food with my hands ever, unless I JUST washed them with soap that is up to my standards. I bring my own soap with me, never care for the stuff they use in the restrooms (anywhere, not just on cruise anywhere public). I use silverware or a napkin to hold my food.

- Never take the top plate at the buffet.

- I do my best to never touch railings, doors, elevator buttons with my hands.

 

So are we to conclude from this statement that you pick up the top plate, take the one underneath it, and return the original top plate to the top plate position:confused: You don't want any part of other peoples germs but don't hesitate to share your own:confused: Sure hope you are behind me in the buffet line:rolleyes:

[CaroleSS]

Not go barefoot in your room? Why? Germs on your feet? Do you eat with them? Pick you nose with your big toe? What? Inquiring minds want to know!!!

 

Ha, you and me both!

 

I'm from the south and I ALWAYS go barefoot...everywhere I can! My husband thinks it's terrible....I go outside and he says "you'll get worms!".....I say "I don't eat with my feet!".

 

Somehow in 55 years, I've avoided lots of worms and still go barefoot!

 

Funny story about eating dirt. As kids, my sister and I used to hang over the sink and eat watermelon. One day (not sure why kids do such horrible things to their siblings) I told my sister that she needed to be careful that she didn't swallow any seeds, because if she did and she drank some water and ate some dirt, it would grow in her stomach and the vines would grow out her ears and she'd have watermelons for earrings!

 

My mother caught her in the garden eating dirt with a spoon! (envision Mother over wide eyed child - "you don't happen to know anything about this to you??")

[VacayCentral]

Ha, you and me both!

 

I'm from the south and I ALWAYS go barefoot...everywhere I can! My husband thinks it's terrible....I go outside and he says "you'll get worms!".....I say "I don't eat with my feet!".

 

Somehow in 55 years, I've avoided lots of worms and still go barefoot!

 

Funny story about eating dirt. As kids, my sister and I used to hang over the sink and eat watermelon. One day (not sure why kids do such horrible things to their siblings) I told my sister that she needed to be careful that she didn't swallow any seeds, because if she did and she drank some water and ate some dirt, it would grow in her stomach and the vines would grow out her ears and she'd have watermelons for earrings!

 

My mother caught her in the garden eating dirt with a spoon! (envision Mother over wide eyed child - "you don't happen to know anything about this to you??")

 

I could never go places without shoes on board!

[CaroleSS]

I promise to wear shoes on formal night! :D

[beachbum53]

I could never go places without shoes on board!

 

Would it be safe to guess that you don't get in the pool, or the hot tub, or go down the water slide?

[michmike]

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

 

Carole - you stole my thunder.. only read thru the 1st page but was thinking "I bring my IMMUNE system" and then I stumbled across your post. I think the lysol crowd is nuts.. but hey if it makes them feel better then go for it.

 

Just read an article last week that said kids who are brought up in homes where there are pets, esp those who go outside, are far more resistant to illness since their systems have been exposed and they have developed immunities.

 

But then again, I crawled the back alleys of Asia for 3 yrs while in the military and lived to tell the story, so I don't get too concerned about something in a cruise ship stateroom doing me in.

[jlk806]

So are we to conclude from this statement that you pick up the top plate, take the one underneath it, and return the original top plate to the top plate position:confused: You don't want any part of other peoples germs but don't hesitate to share your own:confused: Sure hope you are behind me in the buffet line:rolleyes:

 

 

Nope not at all. I dont touch any other plates Ive maneuvered a way to only touch the plate im going to take and wiggle it out from underneath the others while not touching them. I would never deliberately touch someone elses plate. Ive been doing this for years. The top plate was likely (and Ive seen many times to confirm) touched by the person that took the one on top of it. and i usually use a napkin to grab said plate.

[euro cruiser]

I used to work with a woman who always carried a silk sheet liner with her when she traveled (like this: http://seatosummit.com/products/display/22) because she didn't trust that the sheets in hotels were clean. I'd never even heard of sheet liners until she told me about them.

[CaroleSS]

MichMike, we are twin peas from different pods! I too have read that children raise in homes with pets have good immume systems. Makes perfect sense to me....as EVERYONE knows that dog spit will disinfect anything!

[buchhalm]

Hmmm. On my last cruise it suddenly occurred to me:

Surely I am not the first guy who is sitting naked on this sofa...

[CaroleSS]

Sorry, but that one just made me laugh out loud!