Illness rate on longer cruises

[floridalover5623]

We've been on far too many cruises to keep count, and so far, no serious illness. Travel starts with a flight, and once on the plane, I pull out a few "germ disinfecting cloths," and wipe the arm rest and tray. If I need to use the toilet on the flight, a few wipe come with me for door handles, etc. Call me paranoid, but I do have a compromise immune system so I need to be careful.

 

Once in the cabin, I use the wipes on the TV remote, light switches, door handles, and telephone, plus a quick wipe down of counters, etc.

 

I tend to avoid the buffet, but then, there's the issue of those heavily handles menus in the dining room, yuck! I saw a slide show on a local TV webs site of the most germ infected places we encounter - menus, carpets, [no bare feet], elevator buttons, public rest rooms, grocery carts, door handles, lemon/lime wedges in your beverage, etc. Washing your hands is a must.

 

Darcy

 

Aside from elevator buttons I encounter those things every day at home & never give it a second thought. It becomes second nature to be cautious about everything.

[chloe45]

I caught acute bronchitis the last 6 days of a 10 day Alaskan cruise last year. Stayed in bed most of the time. My brother was on a different cruise line and caught the same thing. I didn't know it at the time but some forms of bronchitis are contagious.

[firstcruiserDB]

I wonder if the time of year has anything to do with these? I seldom hear of illness in the summer months. Thoughts?

 

 

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[FritzG]

We just returned from the Royal 25 day Baltic/TA on Saturday. By the last few days the ship sounded like a floating pulmonary ward. This has been our experience on fall ta's for the last couple of years. Last year DH and I both got it; this year I managed to avoid it. We try very hard to wash our hands constantly, but rude people who don't cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing don't help. Also, we blame people who insist that there's always room for one or two more on the elevator. Our knees won't let us use the stairs as often as we'd like, and we sometimes get out of elevators when extra people squeeze in.

[goldenrod]

My wife seems to always catch a cold, which then turns into bronkitus! I rarely get anything, one tip if you use the stairs and use the handrails be sure to. Keep your hands away from your face till you can wash them!

 

 

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[kruisey]

We just returned from the Royal 25 day Baltic/TA on Saturday. By the last few days the ship sounded like a floating pulmonary ward. This has been our experience on fall ta's for the last couple of years. Last year DH and I both got it; this year I managed to avoid it. We try very hard to wash our hands constantly, but rude people who don't cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing don't help. Also, we blame people who insist that there's always room for one or two more on the elevator. Our knees won't let us use the stairs as often as we'd like, and we sometimes get out of elevators when extra people squeeze in.

On a long cruise to start no coughing .As it progresses I notice in the theater cough upon cough........especially just behind one when watching a good movie.There again those folks have paid for their cruise just like oneself.This is why at breakfast and lunch I sit on my own,not to be too unsociable I sit at my table of 8 for dinner.There again this can be dicey when one in the group has the cough.

I have always stated and never gotten anywhere that one of the problems could be that the air filters are not changed frequently enough on board.Last time after a bout which lasted three weeks I called the Air conditioning Technician to my inside cabin told him my sordid details including a flemey one in details and asked him to make certain the filters were changed on this trip.Well do you blame me?I did not wish to partake in the joys of my last 3 week episode :eek:;)Believe it or not taking my own precautions and i hope clean air filters did not catch the lurgy.:D

Edited September 29, 2016 by kruisey

[RDC1]

For those that have indicated that they have not gotten an URI, what have your observations been concerning other people on the cruise? Any signs of increasing rate of infection as the cruise proceeds?

[iceleven]

We've been on far too many cruises to keep count, and so far, no serious illness. Travel starts with a flight, and once on the plane, I pull out a few "germ disinfecting cloths," and wipe the arm rest and tray. If I need to use the toilet on the flight, a few wipe come with me for door handles, etc. Call me paranoid, but I do have a compromise immune system so I need to be careful.

 

Once in the cabin, I use the wipes on the TV remote, light switches, door handles, and telephone, plus a quick wipe down of counters, etc.

 

I tend to avoid the buffet, but then, there's the issue of those heavily handles menus in the dining room, yuck! I saw a slide show on a local TV webs site of the most germ infected places we encounter - menus, carpets, [no bare feet], elevator buttons, public rest rooms, grocery carts, door handles, lemon/lime wedges in your beverage, etc. Washing your hands is a must.

 

Darcy

 

I agree with your comments almost 100% and I am familiar with the reports of the most germ infested places. But I have one issue that I've read here on various CC threads on how they handle their cabins first thing upon entering is using the "germ disinfecting cloths", Lysol, etc. How do we know the steward isn't touching all of these places each and every day he/she comes into the cabin? Do they ALWAYS have rubber gloves on? And even if they did, do they take them off after having cleaned the cabin just before yours as medical staff do in hospitals? I seriously doubt it. Hope I am wrong.

 

I had to laugh when you mentioned grocery carts. THAT, and that item alone, is the scariest place in my mind. Parents putting their children with possible soiled diapers, running noses, etc. in the carts make it very difficult for others to remain germ-free. Thankfully most food markets have those pop out wipes at the entrance where you can wipe down the handles but many do not. I think super markets are much, much more dangerous than long cruises. Maybe we all should just avoid going to the market before our cruises or simply not use the baskets and just put your items in the cloth bags you can bring in. And that goes for all you who shop for your wine before getting on the ship. ;)

[Cruise Raider]

My immune system is just fine. Do not get ill at home, do not get ill flying, do not get ill on other trips, do not have an issue on shorter cruises. Only on longer ones where fairly large number of other passengers also appear to have been infected.

 

Not just my immune system, but apparently large numbers of other people as well based upon 1. The number of people coughing and sneezing and 2. the number of people indicating that they have come down with something.

 

The problem with upper respiratory illness is that it is usually spread by air born particles. A single person coughing or sneezing in a space like the theater can expose most of the people attending a show to some level of exposure. Even if only a small percentage develop, a few days later that one can be 10 or 15 and the exposure level goes up.

 

One contributing factor might also be that a cruise has passengers from many different countries. So the odds of encountering a bug that you have not been previously exposed to increases. The virus going around at home, might not be the same virus in the UK or Japan for example. One of the reason while international air travel can have its own issues.

 

I agree with you wholeheartedly. Whenever we've sailed on a cruise that is at least 2 weeks, here it comes. We just book shorter cruises now ... actually, mostly 10-11 night ones instead. Our immune systems are pretty good and we tend not to get sick when at home but have definitely noticed more respiratory infections while on longer cruises. You can only fight it for so long!

It is kind of hard to avoid it when the kitchen staff and wait staff are ill. Someone mentioned they avoid the hot tubs ... guess they are pools of germs that sneak into your nasal passages. That can't be good. And we were on a cruise where our neighbors had pneumonia. What are people thinking?? We shared a room steward so how can one be sure that the germs weren't spread from one room to another?? Like I said, even someone with a strong immune system can only fight off germs for so long. The more exposure, the higher chance you are going to catch something.

[Thrak]

We have done a couple of 10 day cruises, a 15 day cruise, and a 17 day cruise without any illness. On a recent 7 day cruise (south bound from Alaska) probably half the ship came down with a nasty cold. Both my wife and I got quite ill.

[WatchHill]

I agree with your comments almost 100% and I am familiar with the reports of the most germ infested places. But I have one issue that I've read here on various CC threads on how they handle their cabins first thing upon entering is using the "germ disinfecting cloths", Lysol, etc. How do we know the steward isn't touching all of these places each and every day he/she comes into the cabin? Do they ALWAYS have rubber gloves on? And even if they did, do they take them off after having cleaned the cabin just before yours as medical staff do in hospitals? I seriously doubt it. Hope I am wrong.

 

I had to laugh when you mentioned grocery carts. THAT, and that item alone, is the scariest place in my mind. Parents putting their children with possible soiled diapers, running noses, etc. in the carts make it very difficult for others to remain germ-free. Thankfully most food markets have those pop out wipes at the entrance where you can wipe down the handles but many do not. I think super markets are much, much more dangerous than long cruises. Maybe we all should just avoid going to the market before our cruises or simply not use the baskets and just put your items in the cloth bags you can bring in. And that goes for all you who shop for your wine before getting on the ship. ;)

 

Being careful about health related issues is yet another reason to fly into a port a few days ahead of time and hit the local supermarket for a container of Lysol/Chlorox Wipes - I use them throughout the cruise as I never know where my stewards hands have been or if he/she missed an area that I might touch. I use the wipes in hotel rooms, too.

Besides the grocery carts, my PCP who is also an infectious disease specialist, showed me a few studies about clothes washers and the %age of fecal material that is present. Yikes, where do I go once I boarded the ship? No place better than the laundry room.

Paranoia aside, exposure to germs also helps build our immune systems, but there is a limit and one needs to be realistic and balance the good with the potential bad. Can't live in a bubble.

Some of the sniffles and dry coughs might be from exposure to molds. WE were on a cruise from Hawaii to Tahiti, and no sooner had I boarded the ship, I started to present with a dry, "tickle" cough and it never let up. I heard others with similar coughs. Jump ahead a week, and one night, we had a heavy rain storm - rain was coming in from the sliders in our cabin, the carpet was getting saturated! The following day, I pushed aside the drapes to see black mold on the bottom of the drapes and in the slider rails! I complained, got the room, sort of cleaned, and two days to dry [in theory]. We spent 3 nights post cruise in Tahiti, and during dinner the second night, DH commented about the number of people coughing just like me. Duh, so I went table to table, and asked each person if they were on the same cruise as I. Sure enough, and we were all on the same deck, portside!

Ships are in water and exposed to weather. I would not give up the opportunity to cruise, just need to be careful based on my needs.

 

Darcy