BED BUGS on the Caribbean Princess?

[Pam in CA]

I read the review and their complaints are way too general. As for moving their cabin, chances are that the ship was full and I'll bet that the PSD told them they'd see what they could do. Almost always, the ship sails full and unless the cabin is unusable, there's no where to move them.

 

I know that Princess takes reports of bed bugs very seriously and would have investigated. It's very possible that no bugs were found but the reviewer didn't want to accept that answer.

 

I'm not saying that there's no possibility of bed bugs but based on the too general nature of the complaint without specifics, I'm inclined to discount what the reviewer says. There was no "who, how, what, where or when" other than a demand for a different cabin. There's little credibility to their claims.

[dorisis]

I also wondered about her taxi excursion sponsered by the cruise ship. i didn;t think cruise ships sponsered taxi excursions.

[pablo222]

I've never heard of bed bugs on a ship, but I won't rule it out. It would be horrible to deal with (on a cruise or at a hotel).

 

A friend of mine (a waitress) found bed bugs her the cabin when she

joined coral.

 

They took it very seriously, and removed absolutely everything from the

cabin. I don't know if they somehow sanitized the softgoods, or simply

replaced them.

[kendon]

Highly unlikely to have been bedbugs. Bites from those "no seem ums" often take a while to begin to show up and to itch.

Was anyone else in the same bed and was this person having the same problem?

LuLu

 

Yes. I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express once and days later those bed bug bites showed up. Gross, but things happen. They can take up to 5 days to come out and are often in groups of three. They can be found anywhere...even at the theater.

 

Two weeks ago on the CB, we had toilet issues also almost all week long. It took several visits by maintenance to have it fixed. Didn't ruin my cruise at all. Everything else was fantastic.

[Cruise Raider]

I am cutting and pasting from the original review "Sleepless on the Caribbean"...

"We were bitten by Bed Bugs all over our bodies, Again we complained to staff. We showed them the Bed Bugs Bites all over our bodies. Yet nothing was done about this either".

 

We once complained about getting bites all over during a Princess cruise....for the life of me, cannot remember which ship it was, though. Unbeknownst to us, the next door neighbors, which we met in the disembarkation lounge said they had the same thing in their room.

We told our room steward about it during the cruise (the neighbors had not) and the hotel director was right on it. We were told by our room steward that they did indeed find bed bugs and they swapped out the mattress and did a deep cleaning. I didn't know if that would help as they are kind of tough to get rid of. Bingo...that did the trick...that was the last day of our bites. I thought their actions were swift and appropriate. So sorry to hear yours did not take your complaints seriously.

 

Bed bugs seem to show up in even the most expensive hotels. I think the problem is, your luggage is in the plane right next to others, then in the bins on the ship in those bins when brought onboard. These bugs know how to jump around and hop on to other pieces. This is really not the fault of the cruiseline....much like norovirus, people may bring it onboard unknowingly. One key is no never place your luggage on your bed. We usually try to use that annoying table but use that plastic protector if you must place the larger pieces on the bed when you unpack. I try to not leave my luggage under the bed but if I have larger pieces, I bring one huge plastic bag and some twist ties to keep those bugs from getting to the mattress.

 

The most important take away from this is that these might indeed be bed bugs, however, you may have brought them onboard with you, so not necessarily a fault of the cruiseline. If you have an issue ever again, make sure to register your complaint with the hotel director onboard. And, for heaven sakes, if you ever do have bed bugs on a cruise again, make sure to take the proper precautions when you bring your luggage back home as you may just have just brought the problem into your own house if not. I have read where you should wash all your clothing in hot water afterwards and wrap your luggage in large plastic bags sealed tightly out in the garage for several days upon your return.

[FritzG]

On any cruise where passengers go to beaches in port or pre- cruise there is a chance of bringing sand fleas back to the cabin in totes, etc. Even if they're not brought back to the cabin the flea bites don't necessarily show up immediately. Unless there are the bed bugs signs on the sheets and mattress I'd blame sand fleas.

 

Also I agree with an earlier poster, bed bugs could be brought onboard in the luggage. They could come from a hotel stay the night before the cruise, from the luggage hold or even from a passenger's home.

Edited August 3, 2014 by FritzG

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes. I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express once and days later those bed bug bites showed up. Gross, but things happen. They can take up to 5 days to come out and are often in groups of three. They can be found anywhere...even at the theater.

 

Two weeks ago on the CB, we had toilet issues also almost all week long. It took several visits by maintenance to have it fixed. Didn't ruin my cruise at all. Everything else was fantastic.

 

We once complained about getting bites all over during a Princess cruise....for the life of me, cannot remember which ship it was, though. Unbeknownst to us, the next door neighbors, which we met in the disembarkation lounge said they had the same thing in their room.

We told our room steward about it during the cruise (the neighbors had not) and the hotel director was right on it. We were told by our room steward that they did indeed find bed bugs and they swapped out the mattress and did a deep cleaning. I didn't know if that would help as they are kind of tough to get rid of. Bingo...that did the trick...that was the last day of our bites. I thought their actions were swift and appropriate. So sorry to hear yours did not take your complaints seriously.

 

Bed bugs seem to show up in even the most expensive hotels. I think the problem is, your luggage is in the plane right next to others, then in the bins on the ship in those bins when brought onboard. These bugs know how to jump around and hop on to other pieces. This is really not the fault of the cruiseline....much like norovirus, people may bring it onboard unknowingly. One key is no never place your luggage on your bed. We usually try to use that annoying table but use that plastic protector if you must place the larger pieces on the bed when you unpack. I try to not leave my luggage under the bed but if I have larger pieces, I bring one huge plastic bag and some twist ties to keep those bugs from getting to the mattress.

 

The most important take away from this is that these might indeed be bed bugs, however, you may have brought them onboard with you, so not necessarily a fault of the cruiseline. If you have an issue ever again, make sure to register your complaint with the hotel director onboard. And, for heaven sakes, if you ever do have bed bugs on a cruise again, make sure to take the proper precautions when you bring your luggage back home as you may just have just brought the problem into your own house if not. I have read where you should wash all your clothing in hot water afterwards and wrap your luggage in large plastic bags sealed tightly out in the garage for several days upon your return.

 

 

Yes they do tend to be in goups of 3, they call it breakfast/lunch/dinner as they sometimes call it.

Are they all in groups of 3, of course not.

As cockroaches they are some of the best hitchhikers in the bug world and just as hotels, homes, they can and do end up on ships.

 

Sometimes bites will appear on the back of the knees. (from chairs). They can nest in/behind headboards, they are sometimes carried from place to place with the vacuum. It is naive to think that there is no way to get them onboard. No one place is immune.

They are taken very seriously on a ship. As stated they are found in/near the seam in the mattress, they shed their skins and those can be found as well as small dark spots (dried blood) in and around the mattress seam and sheets.

 

Stewart is required to go through training on what to look for as they clean.

 

Remember passengers come from all walks of life, your luggage comes in contact with hundreds of other bags on any given airline trip. Could already be on clothing packed inside them as well.

 

Do I want to think about them when I am cruising? No but its reality and its good to know the basics when trying to spot them. :)

[amajaa]

I read somewhere that if you stay in a hotel you should always put your luggage in the bath and check the mattress for bed bugs as has been described previously.

 

If you do have bedbugs in a hotel room or cabin the chances are you will take them home and they will be a nightmare to get rid of.

 

Btw what are sand fleas, being British and never having been to The Caribbean I have never heard of them?

[mistyPA]

Bed bugs spread quickly. The cruise line would be remiss if they didn't take that type of complaint seriously. After all, not resolving could lead to an entire ship with bed bugs. Very doubtful the cruise line would ignore any complaint of bed bugs.

 

Two people can sleep in the same bed and only one reveal the bites. Much like a mosquito bite some people "react" by means of having an "allergic" type reaction and another may not so it is unreliable to believe that if only one person has bites/welts and another does not means it must not be bed bugs.

 

Also, as has been previously mentioned the only way to confirm this would be to check the seams and the corners of the mattress. Likely the room steward did this and didn't find any evidence of bed bugs. I agree likely the result of sand fleas a day or two before you noticed the "bites". Again the reaction is an allergy to the flea bites and can take a day or two before the bites show themselves.

 

It is important for all people who travel to be informed about bed bugs but these complaints should not be thrown around casually as it can cause a lot of unnecessary concern and ruin some peoples vacations.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Or was it sand fleas???

[suzyed]

I bought some bed bug spray at Bed Bath and Beyond and I spray it around the perimiter of the cabin and in the drawers and around the bed. I have no idea if it really works, but it makes me feel better, it smells nice and we have never had a bed bug problem!!

 

I check for signs of bed bugs each time we check into a hotel or cruise cabin. Again, trying not be paranoid, but careful and it make me feel better! ;):rolleyes::D

[stoneharborlady]

I get those itchy bites on my legs (nowhere else) every time I go to the beach from sand fleas. I sit in one of those low to the ground beachchairs, and of course my legs are in the sand. Drives me crazy for a week.

[geocruiser]

Some one asked about sand fleas.

 

http://www.fleabites.net/sand-flea-bites-on-humans-pictures-treatment-and-prevention/

[BratDet]

some bug spray for my upcoming CB cruise- for the ports.

Nothing ruins a beach day like biting flies, so a small bottle will keep that from annoying us.

Most commonly, where bed bugs bite are groups of three when you see bed bug bites...not exact, but it truly does occur. It tends to occur on exposed areas, that PJ's don't cover. You can be bitten up to TWO WEEKS prior, before your allergenic reaction occurs. I've seen it on faces, necks, wrists, legs, backs.

 

Bernadette

[OCruisers]

"geoherb" is currently doing a LIVE from Caribbean Princess. You could ask her if there's been a bedbug problem.

LuLu

[Colo Cruiser]

On a cruise ship the room is sealed, stripped, and chemical bombed.

Edited August 3, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[waltd]

"geoherb" is currently doing a LIVE from Caribbean Princess. You could ask her if there's been a bedbug problem.

LuLu

 

I really don't think any cruise line would make that information public if it did happen.

[Colo Cruiser]

I really don't think any cruise line would make that information public if it did happen.

 

I agree its not in the best interest of any business to broadcast that type of info.

[kmhkmb]

Four years ago when I was cruising on the Crown Princess I was waiting in line at the passenger services desk and overheard a lady yelling about bed bugs in her cabin. From what I heard it sounded like Princess had taken it very seriously - they replaced her matress and it even sounded like they laundered all of the couple's clothes (she was yelling about her husband not having clothes for formal night). This was towards the end of a 7 day cruise - so it made me wonder if they were the ones who inadvertingly brought the bugs onboard. Bottom line - yes, I'm sure it does happen - but I have faith that Princess would do whatever was necessary to address the situation.

 

I'm sure the Stewards are trained to watch for signs of bed bugs - but if it makes you feel better you can check yourself:

 

Pull back the linens, and check all the way around and under the mattress and behind the headboard.

 

Look for blood stains or small black dots that look like mold or ground pepper, says Christine Johnson, PhD, a behavioral ecologist in the American Museum of Natural History's Division of Invertebrate Zoology, in New York City. Check for the critters too. Bedbugs are about the size and shape of an apple seed, and you may find them hiding in corners or seams of the bedding.

[kendon]

Just because the bites were noticed toward the end of the cruise does not mean they brought them on the ship. It takes up to five days for the bites to come out. For me it was 5-6 days, and then I had it confirmed by a doctor. I was given a short course of antibiotics to prevent any possible secondary infection. Again, bed bugs can be found anywhere. I remember a bad case in the seats at Lincoln Center in NY!

[pablo222]

I'm sure the Stewards are trained to watch for signs of bed bugs

 

Of course! They don't want to take them back to their own cabin.