Want to avoid getting cruise crud on our next cruise

[imae39]

We have often gotten sick on our cruises and come home sick. Takes a long time to get over it. Someone told me to buy Airborne. Has anyone taken that and felt that it helped to avoid becoming ill. Do you begin taking it before the cruise begins? Do not want any Upper Respiratory problems this time. Are their other precautionary meds to take?

[kazu]

We have often gotten sick on our cruises and come home sick. Takes a long time to get over it. Someone told me to buy Airborne. Has anyone taken that and felt that it helped to avoid becoming ill. Do you begin taking it before the cruise begins? Do not want any Upper Respiratory problems this time. Are their other precautionary meds to take?

 

My friend uses Halo (same as Airborne I believe). they start taking it on the plane.

 

My other friend uses oil of oregano as soon as they hear a cough on board. They swear by it.

[ArtsyCraftsy]

We have often gotten sick on our cruises and come home sick. Takes a long time to get over it. Someone told me to buy Airborne. Has anyone taken that and felt that it helped to avoid becoming ill. Do you begin taking it before the cruise begins? Do not want any Upper Respiratory problems this time. Are their other precautionary meds to take?

 

I'll be following this discussion. I took my first cruise (ever) last month (September 11-25), didn't get sick onboard, but 24 hrs after arriving at home, I came down with a really nasty upper respiratory virus that morphed into viral pneumonia 2 weeks later. I'm finally starting to feel almost human again. Doc said I likely acquired the virus onboard since there's a 3- to 7-day incubation period. He also said that it was likely airborne since I was religious about hand washing, hand sanitizer-ing, etc. Hoping to avoid it on my next cruise (38 days, Voyage of the Vikings next summer). I'd rather not come down with something while on the ship. I'm willing to try almost anything to reduce the odds. :fever:

[rkacruiser]

Wash your hands, wash your hands, avoid touching eyes and nose with your fingers, and, by the way, wash your hands. Frequently and often! I do take a multi-vitamin each day. Whether any or all of the above have worked for me, who knows? I have avoided becoming ill during a cruise.

[Stratheden]

Spend as much time in the fresh air as possible. Keep away large gatherings of people in airconditioning. If you want to sit and read, do it outside if possible.

[YoHoHo]

We've been lucky perhaps but not been sick after / on a cruise. But what caught my eye is "crud". I have seen that used here before but it must be some colloquialism as crud to me is perhaps something on the bottom of my shoe or filth in general (i.e the hull was coated with crud). I gather it is some sort of respiratory aliment. Would not want that either. Boosting immune system, and of course avoiding/preventing as is practical makes sense to me. Will look into Airborn, etc. BTW I was reading masks as a preventive can be detrimental as they can hold the bad stuff in for longer exposure in the lungs. We always breathe in bad stuff but length of density of exposure can make the difference is we get ill from it or not.

[chengkp75]

The most common cause of upper respiratory problems is from the AC lowering the humidity so much that your nasal mucus membranes dry out and this first line of defense against disease is breached. Use of a saline nasal spray is recommended.

[tractortom]

We take Emergen-C, when on the cruise, once a day. It's a mega dose of Vitamin C, along with some other things, that tend to fight off the bugs. Also, ALWAYS wash your hands after using a hand rail, or anything like that. There are dispensers for hand sanitizer at places on the ship, use them. Any place there is a 'serve yourself' use a napkin to handle the utensil, not your hand, when signing for a drink, USE YOUR OWN PEN. That one is a real rule of mine. Every time you purchase a drink, or anything that is not covered in the cost of the cruise, they swipe your card, and then hand you a pen. Do NOT touch the pen! You do not know when it was last cleaned, or when the previous user last washed his hands.

 

Oh, the post about getting lots of fresh air and sunshine is a good one!

 

Tom in Okeechobee, FL

[Rowsby]

We use "Wet Ones"....they come in a packet of 20 wipes....or individual one wipe packets. They supposedly are more effective than hand sanitizers....we have not been ill (knock on wood) since starting to use them over 4 years ago....

 

We keep them in our cars....and wipe our hands after leaving each store....one wipe lasts thru most errands....

 

Traveling....we pop an Airborne in water we purchase after security....but before getting on an airplane. We use a Wet Ones wipe to clean the arm, tray table and anything else we might touch on the plane....

 

I keep a few individual Wet Ones packets in my pocket, purse or coat....use them before eating....and anytime we've had to hold on or touch anything that had had a lot of "touching" before us..........:)

 

We've taken several cruises, flights and trips.....so far so good.....!!!!

[DeeniEncinitas]

My friend uses Halo (same as Airborne I believe). they start taking it on the plane.

 

My other friend uses oil of oregano as soon as they hear a cough on board. They swear by it.

Hi Jacqui!

Oil of Oregano is wonderful!!! Remember when we were at the apt. In Nice last year?

My husband started to come down with upper respiratory cold symptoms.

The pharmacist told us Oil of Oregano is nature’s own natural antibiotic!!!! Told to take 2 a day for a week. His cold symptoms went away and he was great! We have been taking oil of Oregano once a day over a year now. I’m into natural remedies and it was nice that they didn’t give a RX for antibiotics!

Any way that’s our story!

Denise:)

[Shih-tzu]

Usually come down with something a few days after getting home.....I attributed it more to the flights to get home and not the ship. Airplanes are breeding grounds......

[snookymom]

My ENT told me to start about a week before traveling with my prescription Fluticasone Spray in the morning, Neilmed sinus rinse in the evening & a Zyrtec before bed. Continue until I get home. Also drink lots of water. Fingers crossed this works over Thanksgiving.

[kazu]

Hi Jacqui!

Oil of Oregano is wonderful!!! Remember when we were at the apt. In Nice last year?

My husband started to come down with upper respiratory cold symptoms.

The pharmacist told us Oil of Oregano is nature’s own natural antibiotic!!!! Told to take 2 a day for a week. His cold symptoms went away and he was great! We have been taking oil of Oregano once a day over a year now. I’m into natural remedies and it was nice that they didn’t give a RX for antibiotics!

Any way that’s our story!

Denise:)

 

I have bought it and have it on hand. Will use it on our next flight and cruise.

 

And, if there is a cold coming on. very reasonably priced at Costco ;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

I do fairly well on a cruise. But when a couple of cruises had to turn down the air conditioning in ours cabins to get back to Ft Lauderdale and San Diego way ahead of disembarkation (like midnight), I sweated badly and came down with Bronchitis within 48 hours.

Other times when I came down with Bronchitis was when we were on bus tours and there was no way to get away from these coughing people.

Other cruises where we didn't have any emergencies, whenever we heard anyone starting to cough on the ship -- we moved away from them.

Do agree -- keep washing those hands and try to avoid the public restrooms.

[marchie1053]

The most common cause of upper respiratory problems is from the AC lowering the humidity so much that your nasal mucus membranes dry out and this first line of defense against disease is breached. Use of a saline nasal spray is recommended.

 

AFTER we had caught the dreaded 'cabin cough' on our last cruise, a fellow passenger recommended opening the cabin door and running the shower for 5 minutes each time we returned after excursions or a meal. That helps to restore the humidity. It helped us feel less ill! This time (we cruise 1 week today), we've also had a flu jab as a precaution and we also plan to spend the maximum time up on deck, walking for fitness and breathing in fresh air to give the lungs a fighting chance!

[YoHoHo]

The most common cause of upper respiratory problems is from the AC lowering the humidity so much that your nasal mucus membranes dry out and this first line of defense against disease is breached. Use of a saline nasal spray is recommended.

Makes good sense. We are not often in A/C cooled environments (naturally goldilocks and not too hot temps) and I do notice the nasal dryness. Will pack some spray now.

[DCLCrazy]

We got the crud on our last cruise. We believe it is because it went to a cold climate and most people stayed inside for the ten days. (Except when in port). It’s also flu season so that didn’t help either. Stay on the balconies/outdoor areas if at all possible.

 

 

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[bcummin]

First, you pack robitussin (cough medicine plus) or a generic and cough drops.

Use Airborne flying to and from the ship and at the first signs of a respiratory infection probably help.

Watch what you touch, but handrails are necessary in rough weather.

Drink orange juice, and keep washing your hands.

Get lots of rest and fresh air.

Try to avoid sick people. That can be a challenge.

Good luck.

 

Barbara

[innlady1]

What exactly is the “crud”?

 

 

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[doone]

Usually come down with something a few days after getting home.....I attributed it more to the flights to get home and not the ship. Airplanes are breeding grounds......

Couldn't agree more, that plane is a breeding ground. My sister swore by Airborne, try it won't hurt.

[Maggers]

I agree with the suggestion of keeping the nose from drying out too much. I've found that applying a little Vaseline to the inside of the nose at night (using a Q-tip) works well for me. I live in southern Arizona and have to deal with the dryness year round.

[RocketMan275]

Then there is the thread of a week ago where a number of passengers claimed a justification for lying on the health questionnaire prior to boarding. Nor, would they admit an obligation to remain in their rooms if sick.

[igraf]

Airborne is homeopathic which means that it doesn't really contain enough zinc to do anything. Read the packaging and you will see 1x, 2x nonsense instead of actual ingredient quantities.

 

I switched to gargling with hydrogen peroxide cut in half with water for a 1.5% solution. This was recommended by my dentist to clean my gums, but I have found that this is also an effective deterrent against upper respiratory infections. Be sure to get a little above the palate and then rinse well. This is better than vitamin C or other mouthwashes.

 

Also, don't sleep under cold air conditioning. I usually raise the temperature setting a bit and block part of the vent over the bed so it isn't blowing directly at us.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

We have often gotten sick on our cruises and come home sick. Takes a long time to get over it. Someone told me to buy Airborne. Has anyone taken that and felt that it helped to avoid becoming ill. Do you begin taking it before the cruise begins? Do not want any Upper Respiratory problems this time. Are their other precautionary meds to take?

[gigianne]

We usually get a cold on most every cruise. Before last spring's 40 day cruise to a cold and wet Northern Europe I asked a friend what we could do to avoid tpgetting sick. Oil of Oregano is what she suggested I get. Trying to win over a skeptical husband took some time but he is convinced. Two sneezes and we reach for the OOO - liquid, not capsules. 4 drops in a small amount of warm water (mouthful) and a gargle in the mouth - and swallow!. It is not the nicest tasting and you smell like a salad afterwards, but it does work - we are cold free for 10 months!

[Cruzlover7]

We usually get a cold on most every cruise. Before last spring's 40 day cruise to a cold and wet Northern Europe I asked a friend what we could do to avoid tpgetting sick. Oil of Oregano is what she suggested I get. Trying to win over a skeptical husband took some time but he is convinced. Two sneezes and we reach for the OOO - liquid, not capsules. 4 drops in a small amount of warm water (mouthful) and a gargle in the mouth - and swallow!. It is not the nicest tasting and you smell like a salad afterwards, but it does work - we are cold free for 10 months!

 

 

 

I've also used the oregano oil. It is terrible tasting, but I have to admit it worked.

 

 

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