Mosquitos - December Cruise

[dutchclogs]

So glad I’m not alone, this is so me as well! DH hardly ever gets bitten and I feel like I’m wearing a sign saying bite me!! I have a good look around before we go and go with some repellent then might another in Florida before we go. My in laws live in Florida and they get this most amazing stuff and I never get any bites with it on!

 

 

 

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Ears pick up... I am also mozzie bait. Hope to take southern Caribbean cruise in late August, can you recall name of the good stuff? Would definitely like to try to resource :cool:

[Luvcrusn]

I am a person who if there's 1 mosquito and 1,000,000 people gets bitten 5 times. I've had success with Deep Woods Off.

[dutchclogs]

^ Thank you will try to source here in Europe.

[lmb1988]

^ Thank you will try to source here in Europe.

 

 

 

The stuff my MIL buys is called “no natz” it is on amazon but not available to ship to UK (hopefully the picture works) We went to Florida in December ‘17 not staying near water, but I still got bitten by ‘no see ‘ems’ or what ever they call them, but whenever I sprayed myself with this stuff I didn’t get any bites! When I forgot, well I had about 5+ bites from various bugs!

 

 

 

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[ghstudio]

For those that really want to know....put deet on one arm and Picaradin on the other. Some will be shocked that the Picaradin does just as well, if not better than the deet. (from actual experience, by the way) Then try it with skin so soft and/or No Natz which I have not personally tried.

 

Everyone gives off different scents which is why some view themselves as mosquito magnets.....so one may work better for you than others. Skin so Soft as an insect repellent was a myth....hard to tell about No Natz which is herbal, have seen nothing comparing local Scotch vs Corvoissier as a repellent so that would be interesting, especially if drinking what you didn't put on your arms....but ultimately, if you do want serious repellent, it will 99% of the time be deet or Picaradin.

[markeb]

Trying to find a way to diplomatically responding to the post. Part of me wants to say, if you are going to worry about lots of things...just stay home. But we know that is not a reasonable answer. DW and I are very seasoned travelers/cruisers and 6-7 months a year finds us in travel/cruise mode. We live in Puerto Vallarta in the winter (for the past 12 years) and Mexico is considered a Zika (and Dengue) risk. We have been in PV for the past few weeks and I am usually out around 6AM (when its still pitch black) getting in my long daily walk. In 3 weeks I have not received a single mosquito bite...despite being out at dawn and dusk (the worst times for Mosquito bites). Do I worry about Zika, Dengue, etc? Not really. There are just too many things that one can let fill their mind including mosquitos, parasites, food related illness, drug cartels, terrorists, meteors hitting you on the head, earthquakes, pestilence, sorrow, etc.

 

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Diplomatically, this is not true of Aedes mosquitoes that spread Dengue and Zika. They are daytime feeders that breed in small amounts (think flower pots) of still water, normally around people.

 

Not to overly scare the OP, but please understand that the traditional warnings to reduce the chance of exposure to Yellow Fever and Malaria in the tropics do not translate to a totally different family of mosquitoes that spread Zika and Dengue. Please get your information from the UK health authorities, or the US CDC, or PAHO. The recommendation to use DEET containing repellants (I haven't researched picaridin lately) is pretty much universal from all those sources, and being extra cautious at dawn and dusk is useful to reduce the risk of malaria, but is not sufficient for Zika or Dengue.

[DYKWIA]

We have used Jungle Formula products (readily available in the U.K.) in and around Asia without Issue on land based holidays. We tend to combine it with those tablets you can burn in your room with an electrical heater they sell with the tablets - not sure they would be allowed on a ship though.

 

My one tip with something like Jungle Formula is to avoid the high pressure aerosol cans - and stick to the spray on or roll on varieties. We found the high pressure cans pump so much stuff in to the air as you're applying it that it can be quite unpleasant

[Tiggertastic]

They just love me, I get bitten most trips and react quite badly. I also recommend picking up a Benadryl pen in cvs before you board, it’s stopped my bites getting really angry. Also take some antihistamines with you, mine were so bad this time I came out in hives. I’ve been able to reduce the numbers with the amount of spat I use and I have curly bands I bought on amazon that you can put on wrists or ankles. I got away with just 5 bites this time all on one elbow.

 

 

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[SEA DOGY]

You'll probably receive many different post saying this or that repellant is the best, but this report provides really good objective information: https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/insect-repellent.htm

 

 

 

If you can buy one of the higher rated repellants in the UK, I'd buy it there. If not, get it in the US before embarkation. Don't wait until you are aboard.

 

 

 

There's tons of tips on the internet, such as wearing light coloured clothes, long sleeves, long pants etc., should you not get enough helpful information here.

 

 

 

I've done the 14-day Southern Caribbean cruise several times on Celebrity and have visited all of the islands multiple times on other cruises. We've never had any problem with mosquitos, and while we take it with us on every shore excursion, we've never applied any. You are wise to take precautions, but don't let it become a distraction.

 

 

 

Good information

 

 

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[cb at sea]

It's summer year round in the S. Caribbean...that said, at beaches, you really won't be bothered by mosquitoes....they don't breed in salt water, and the ocean breezes keep them at bay. If you're doing a hike into a forest...then bring a repellant.