Perfume, smoking, and cruising

[dr.dawg]

and, pardon me please for adding this. all ports of call and venues have scents, which i would find sad to miss. the incense of the cathedrals, the burning coconut hulls and frangipani in the south seas, the seafood bakes of the northeast and canada, the sea air of the northwest, the spice markets of northern africa and the eastern med, and on and on. let us do away with these, or wear masks to prevent them. not for me. do you think there are not scents in heaven?

[YubaSutter]

Both my DH and I are sensitive to perfumes. We were in the MDR and had tablemate who must have bathed in her sent as it was very strong. We asked that she not wear so much next time to dinner. However the next night she wore even more. When we asked again, she said she forgot. She forgot 6 of the next seven nights. What it meant was that DH sneezed so much he couldn't taste his food. I do not understand why she couldn't have added her touch of perfume after dinner if she was smelling good for her husband for the evening.

 

I always figured if you want to smell nice for your sig other then add a touch but when you are dinning, the smell of the food is part of the experience. Do you really want to smell the lady two table over instead of your food?

 

I would have sneezed on the scent offender. Bet she wouldn't do it again on night 2.

[Copper10-8]

Any scent is too much. The policy is for a scent free working environment.

 

Thanks; Interesting! We don't have that here

[dr.dawg]

bet she would have not given you a 'night 2.'

[Lovely other]

My problem isn't with sneezing but with my skin. I wear perfume myself but there are certain ones i cannot go near as the skin around my mouth blisters and becomes sore. My husband can't wear aftershave and I have to ask for no bleach to be used when cleaning as this also triggers the problem.

 

Not sure why its only certain smells but in less severe reactions it just makes my lips very sore ...i carry medicated lip balm everywhere.

[cbr663]

My problem isn't with sneezing but with my skin. I wear perfume myself but there are certain ones i cannot go near as the skin around my mouth blisters and becomes sore. My husband can't wear aftershave and I have to ask for no bleach to be used when cleaning as this also triggers the problem.

 

Not sure why its only certain smells but in less severe reactions it just makes my lips very sore ...i carry medicated lip balm everywhere.

 

It is most likely due to the chemicals that are used to produce the scent - that is the usual culprit. Most scented products today are not made from natural products but are instead produced from chemicals and petroleum products. A lot of perfumes, colognes and other heavily scented products are actually classified as carcinogens. Chances are you are simply reacting to an unknown chemical that is present in certain perfumes.

[dr.dawg]

okay, i'm ready to be educated. what did women or men do in the past century -- on buses, trains, planes, ships? did they all suffer from scent allergies? did they sneeze uncontrolled? did they suffer headaches? did they refuse to fly, or sail, or take a train because of it? did they just stay at home? and how about vacations by car? weren't there fumes? were they all hacking by the side of the road at those little picnic tables? were the kids also sick and vomiting? hmmmmm. i don't know; i never had these problems, but that is just me. help, i need enlightenment.

[hal lover]

On all of the cruises that I have been on, never have I ever been affected by perfume. Honestly.

[cbr663]

okay, i'm ready to be educated. what did women or men do in the past century -- on buses, trains, planes, ships? did they all suffer from scent allergies? did they sneeze uncontrolled? did they suffer headaches? did they refuse to fly, or sail, or take a train because of it? did they just stay at home? and how about vacations by car? weren't there fumes? were they all hacking by the side of the road at those little picnic tables? were the kids also sick and vomiting? hmmmmm. i don't know; i never had these problems, but that is just me. help, i need enlightenment.

 

I am not an allergist so I don't know why people suffer from allergies. It is my understanding that most people who suffer from scent allergies are not allergic to every smell - they are allergic to artificially produced scents, and more particularly, they are having a response to the chemicals that are used to produce the scent. My Mom, for instance, can place a vanilla bean in a pot of water and simmer it and not have any reaction to the smell, but she cannot light a vanilla scented candle. She isn't allergic to the vanilla scent, she is allergic to the chemicals that are used to produce an artificial vanilla scent.

 

The surprising and frustrating thing is that allergies can show themselves overnight. For 35 years I wore the same brand of deodorant, until one day I put it on and experienced a severe reaction. Itching, red and stinging are not pleasant symptoms. I later discovered that the vast majority of deodorants on the market contain known irritants. Why my body decided after 35 years that enough was enough I don't know, but the easiest solution was to switch to a deodorant that did not contain known irritants.

 

I have also learned that there is a scale for the impact that allergies have on people. Many people are allergic to pollen and its impact is little more than to annoy or make them uncomfortable - they experience stuffed sinus, watery eyes, headaches. But at the other end of the spectrum are those who experience life threatening episodes in response. The most commonly known of these are peanut allergies. In a life threatening response, the person's airways immediately swell and close and the person cannot breathe. This is what my Mom suffers from and has about one episode a year.

 

And let me share with you, it is the most scary thing to witness. You actually feel that you are watching her die right in front of your eyes. She is running and flinging her arms because she cannot breathe. An anaphylaxis episode is horrible and my Mom's doctor has cautioned her that when this occurs, she is in a life threatening situation. We have identified many of the causes of these episodes and have taken the necessary precautions, but I am sure that you can appreciate that this illness has had a profound impact on her life.

[dr.dawg]

i do, indeed, appreciate that fact. i just wonder why no one ever heard of these things when i was growing up. we all ate pbj. i do appreciate your post and am duly educated. thanks.

[BeagleOne]

I was once told that older adults often lose much of their sense of smell and therefore are not aware of how strongly they may smell to others (not sure if this is true but it may explain some of the problem).

 

 

That is true. As we age, our sense of smell tends to diminish. In turn appetite may diminish because food just doesn't smell as good as it used to. I wonder how many older people who "over-scent" do so because neither they nor their spouse can smell as well as they used to, and so they over-compensate.

[BeagleOne]

 

We have identified many of the causes of these episodes and have taken the necessary precautions, but I am sure that you can appreciate that this illness has had a profound impact on her life.

 

I hope she has an Epi-Pen! Anaphylaxis IS terrifying to witness, I can only imagine how terrifying it is to experience it.

[ellieanne]

Any scent is too much. The policy is for a scent free working environment.

 

Serious question: Do the employers provide approved personal cleansing products -- up to an including laundry detergents? If not, is there an allotment (deduction) made on your income taxes for the necessity of such products?

[Knightsbridge]

By all means, all of the smoking, chemical and perfume issues that have been properly brought up in this conversation should and will be pursued until totally resolved, but the biggest problem of all has not been addressed! Imagine being on an elevator, in the Lido, in the pool area and being subjected to uncontrolled flatulence. With the Holland America Line demographic, who can deny being subjected (or objected) to this most annoying element of cruise travel?

[496and706]

The cost for a scent-free laundry detergent, or dryer sheets or deodorant is the same as a scented one.

 

A naturally occurring sound when any of our bodies eliminates excessive gas should not be as embarrassing as it is. Sometimes there is odor. If that is offensive, blame the chefs. The odor is almost completely the fault of the food going into your body.

[Barrheadlass]

I have to admit I wear perfume 7 days a week, I love it. However, as a rule it is a very light scent and really only lasts a couple of hours. That said,

when I go on vacation or on a cruise, I leave it at home! Never, ever take it with me, figuring I don't want to bother whoever might be sitting next to me on a plane, or in the MDR, etc.

[CowPrincess]

I truly do not understand how "scent-free" places draw the line. Most products most of us use have some sort of scent: laundry detergent, deodorant, fabric softener or dryer sheets, hair products (mousse, hair spray, gels), shampoo, soap, hand lotion, body lotion, even cosmetics.

[ellieanne]

The cost for a scent-free laundry detergent, or dryer sheets or deodorant is the same as a scented one.

 

A naturally occurring sound when any of our bodies eliminates excessive gas should not be as embarrassing as it is. Sometimes there is odor. If that is offensive, blame the chefs. The odor is almost completely the fault of the food going into your body.

 

Ahh, but a scent-free workplace means that such products are required to work. Therefore it is a special purchase made for work. That should either be provided by the employer or allowances made for their purchase. It would be that same as requiring employees to wear uniforms or have other specialized equipment.

[Okie1946]

I have to agree. I also hate the smell of heavy scents on men or women, but it is a bit much to expect a whole cruise ship to forgo smelling sweet. I just wish people wouldn't put so much on.

 

Unfortunately, I am one of those people who are very allergic to specific odors and irritants. One major allergy is to scents that are often found in colognes and aftershaves. I sneeze, start crying and then my throat starts to close up. As a previous poster explained an Anaphylactic episode is very frightening, even worse when you are the one who is experiencing it.

 

My worst reaction occurred on an elevator on the Westerdam in 2009. We were waiting for an elevator to take us from deck 8 down to deck 3 and a very distinguished couple joined us. Not only did she absolutely REEK of Tabu, but he also reeked of a musky aftershave. Between the two, I stopped breathing almost immediately. Luckily, my epi-pen was in my purse and my DH gave me an immediate injection and proceeded to explain what occurred. The couple was VERY insulted that I would react in such a way to her EXPENSIVE perfume and complained about how rude I was.

 

As I tried to explain - a little dab will due you, JUST DON'T BATH IN IT. Please people - you complain so much about smoking, but over usage of certain scents can be just as offending and just as life threatening as "second hand smoke".

 

Thank you every one for being so civil about all of your responses.

 

Barbara

 

Previous Cruises

Alaska - Westerdam - September 2009 - 7 days

Alaska - Rotterdam - September 2010 - 7 days

Mexican Riviera - Oosterdam - April 2011 - 7 days

Alaska - Amsterdam - September - 2012 - 14 days

Edited February 25, 2014 by Okie1946

[PatsyAnne]

Thanks; Interesting! We don't have that here

 

 

My doctor's office (in Oregon) has a policy - not a law - that you not wear scents, and they have sent patients home. I believe one of the four doctors in the practice is highly sensitive to scents, and also some of the other patients have problems with them. Since there are some that trigger my reactions (annoying but not life-threatening), I don't mind at all.

 

Even if it no one is allergic to perfumes, it would be nice if people didn't wear scents in dining areas. I don't want anything to interfere with the taste of my food, and sometimes I end up tasting the scents. Doesn't go well with fish or chicken.

 

 

Trish

[richard1s]

but the biggest problem of all has not been addressed! Imagine being on an elevator, in the Lido, in the pool area and being subjected to uncontrolled flatulence. With the Holland America Line demographic, who can deny being subjected (or objected) to this most annoying element of cruise travel?

 

Thank you for bringing this up. I have a close relative who suffers from Olfactory Reference Syndrome (ORS). Unfortunately we do not live in Canada and there are no laws at the moment regulating this affliction in the US.

 

For her sake, we are hoping that Holland America finally recognizes this problem and will voluntarily elect to permanently close the taco section of the Lido buffet.

[idiebabe]

By all means, all of the smoking, chemical and perfume issues that have been properly brought up in this conversation should and will be pursued until totally resolved, but the biggest problem of all has not been addressed! Imagine being on an elevator, in the Lido, in the pool area and being subjected to uncontrolled flatulence. With the Holland America Line demographic, who can deny being subjected (or objected) to this most annoying element of cruise travel?

 

Yes, you are so right!

 

I so enjoyed this thread! :rolleyes: This is truly a glimpse into the future! I thought it may take until smoking was banned altogether but I was wrong! It's starting with perfume, will move onto overweight passengers and then onto what foods should be banned for not being healthy enough and, oh, let's not forget those dangerous soft drinks, and, yes, the farters will also be a target!

 

My DH does have a perfume allergy and I have a farting allergy (it makes me nauseous). Since this has now been all brought out in the open there is hope that we won't have to suffer and changes will happen as it did with smoking!:):p

[POA1]

Unfortunately, this is a problem in both directions. We have some employees who won't go to see Canadian clients with scent free offices, particularly in the warm summer months. While there are no added chemical and artificial scents, there are definitely "scents" there. I suppose you get used to it, but we're fortunate to be able to use teleconferencing during the hottest months.

[GinnyF]

Any scent is too much. The policy is for a scent free working environment.

 

I was hospitalized briefly recently and appreciated that staff were asked to be "scent free." Mostly I'm not bothered by various perfumes, aftershaves, etc. but do avoid those scented-candle shops-headache city for me.

[donswife]

I used to attend a Bible study class (200 or so women) in California, and we were frequently reminded to skip the perfumes and such for the sake of those with allergies. I never heard a complaint.