Insect Repellent Required for South East Asia Cruises?

Is insect repellent required for South East Asia cruises? Mosquitoes love me but I don't love them! I'm not sure if there are other insects in that neck of the woods that might also find me tasty. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Bugs like the taste of me too but as you are generally on board at dawn and dusk, when they like to bite, you should be OK. If you plan to be on shore at those times, I would use a repellent.

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Thanks 57 varieties! I don't think we would be on shore at biting times so maybe my flesh will survive! :)

We were on a Singapore to Hong Kong cruise in February. Very little sign of mosquitos and I am a magnet. Of course, with the exception of the overnight in Saigon, we were under way before dusk. No issue in Saigon.

We did use repellent in Singapore, both in the eveining and when visiting the National Botanic Gardens.

And a family member did get a bite whilst touring in Bangkok, which then became infected. I remember from the last time that I was in Bangkok that temples etc have quite a lot of standing water around, so another place to use the repellent.

And those of the party who went on to Siem Reap/Ankgor Wat had to be very careful. There are plenty of mosquitos and some malaria inland. Not enough for their doctors to insist on prophylaxis, but enough to cover up and use lots of DEET.

But essentially this trip is pretty low risk (in comparison to the Caribbean for example, where I never leave without red welts all over).

Thanks so much tsavorite! Singapore and Bangkok are ports we would be visiting so this is excellent information to have! Insect repellent is now on the packing list! :)

Yes...don't leave home without it. They do spray in Singapore but do have a lot of malaria zones. I was at the Botantical Garden and the minute I walked into the interior Orchid Garden I was attacked by mosquitos.

If you do forget the repellant, the boutique does carry it at a price of $12.99 for a bottle.

It is listed under a weird name, not as insect repellant. Reception can find it for you on the list of sundries carried by the boutique. If your butler can't get it for you, they can easily do so.

It did the job when we were in the mangrove area on a pontoon boat last week in Costa Rica.

However, agree you should probably bring one with Deet.

The insect repellant was the only thing I forgot to pack in my otherwise overpacked duffle bags.

Thanks so much Herman The Cat and spinnaker2! Excellent suggestions and words of wisdom! I appreciate the input!

I would also add bring the repellant with you.

Mosquitos love me too as do other insects.

I was on an excursion in Cambodia last year. I had the repellent with me but had not yet put it on and when outside realized I was getting stung so I quickly put it on. Many others did not have repellent on nor were they getting stung.

Always wise to be prepared.

There is also a repellent that you can get that comes with a sponge applicator which I think is great on the neck and portions of the face and then you can use another type for the arm and the leg.

Keith

Thanks so much Keith1010! The sponge applicator idea is brilliant! And you're right about being prepared!

Yes...don't leave home without it. They do spray in Singapore but do have a lot of malaria zones. I was at the Botantical Garden and the minute I walked into the interior Orchid Garden I was attacked by mosquitos.

Just to set the record straight: Singapore is NOT considered as a Malaria zone. See: http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/travelers/country_table/s.html

They do have Dengue fever, which is not nice either!. In parts of South East Asia there is also a risk of Japanese encephalitis. So, do take a mosquito repellant with you.

Thank you MJN1! I had never heard of Japanese encephalitis. On the prompting of your comment I looked it up. Definitely provides additional incentive for packing the repellent!

The aedes mosquito, which carries the dengue fever virus and is found in SE Asia, is most active at dawn and dusk, but is still quite active throughout the day. If you will be touring the Mekong Delta, you especially want to take precautions. When we did Singapore to HK, repellant was part of our daily ritual, as suggested by our travel doctor.

Thank you Zimmy! Since I tend to attract the pests I wanted to make sure that I understood the potential threats! Appreciate the input!

Just to set the record straight: Singapore is NOT considered as a Malaria zone. See: http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/travelers/country_table/s.html

 

They do have Dengue fever, which is not nice either!. In parts of South East Asia there is also a risk of Japanese encephalitis. So, do take a mosquito repellant with you.

Thank you - I was just about to correct the malaria misinformation and then found you already had.

There is dengue here, there is dengue in most of asia, but you have to be very unlucky indeed to catch it. Most of the clusters turn up in areas of dense population and are quickly dealt with.

Mosquitos are generally unpleasant however and an once of prevention can save days of itching, so yes I'd bring some repellent for SE Asia in general and keep those ankles and elbows sprayed.

Sometimes I think it is good luck rather than good management whether one gets bitten or not! Also time of year may make a difference. The biting insects usually love me, in whatever country I am in, and any bites I get nearly always get infected, with resulting swellings and weeping sores.

Last December we spent 3 weeks in Vietnam & Cambodia, on a land trip, with a Mekong River cruise. I didn't use insect repellent in Hanoi, Halong Bay or Saigon, with no issues. On the Mekong River cruise, the insects were obvious, particularly around dusk, so the insect repellent came out. The last couple of days in Siem Reap/Angkor I didn't use it and didn't see or feel any biting insects.

Last month we did a cruise from Singapore, visiting ports in Thailand and Malaysia. We had 3 days in Singapore prior to the cruise, and I got done on the first day, in the middle of the day! After that I took no chances and kept using repellent, though the insects weren't obvious at any port we visited. I don't know if I would have had a problem without the repellent.

I was more worried about dengue fever than malaria. Good idea to have insect repellent on hand!

Thanks so much rols and roaming kiwi58! Experienced travellers really help with this issue! I really appreciate your input! Thanks rols for the mention of elbows and ankles. And roaming kiwi58 we had the good fortune to visit many ports in New Zealand on our last cruise and we fell in love with your awesome country!

I wanted to add some additional information.

If you are one of those who gets bitten more than the average person then consider getting clothes that have the insect repellent built into them such as Bugs Away Clothing. I have shirts and pants and even socks that have this and they work wonderfully and this means I put less repellent on.

This is the repellent I use in hands, neck and face. It goes on so very easily with the applicator.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JVB44E/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It is beter to be safe than sorry.

Over the years at home I have been bitten a few times where I actually needed medical attention and when you are traveling that is something that you really want to avoid.

And this is one of those things where it doesn't matter if 100 others have not been bitten in any of these areas.

Keith

Sorry, all. I realized after I posted I mis-spoke about malaria and meant dengue. Singapore does however (according to people in my office) have various zones that have a higher concentration of mosquitos and dengue risk than others, despite the aggressive spraying that the government does...and real estate is priced accordingly.

Thank you for setting the record straight in regard to dengue vs. malaria!

I wanted to add some additional information.

 

If you are one of those who gets bitten more than the average person then consider getting clothes that have the insect repellent built into them such as Bugs Away Clothing. I have shirts and pants and even socks that have this and they work wonderfully and this means I put less repellent on.

 

This is the repellent I use in hands, neck and face. It goes on so very easily with the applicator.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JVB44E/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

It is beter to be safe than sorry.

 

Over the years at home I have been bitten a few times where I actually needed medical attention and when you are traveling that is something that you really want to avoid.

 

And this is one of those things where it doesn't matter if 100 others have not been bitten in any of these areas.

 

Keith

Thank you for the link. I love the applicator idea. I will order this today as I am leaving for the Galapagos in a few days.

I wanted to add some additional information.

 

If you are one of those who gets bitten more than the average person then consider getting clothes that have the insect repellent built into them such as Bugs Away Clothing. I have shirts and pants and even socks that have this and they work wonderfully and this means I put less repellent on.

 

This is the repellent I use in hands, neck and face. It goes on so very easily with the applicator.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JVB44E/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

It is beter to be safe than sorry.

 

Over the years at home I have been bitten a few times where I actually needed medical attention and when you are traveling that is something that you really want to avoid.

 

And this is one of those things where it doesn't matter if 100 others have not been bitten in any of these areas.

 

Keith

Thanks again Keith1010 for providing great suggestions to avoid problems with insect bites and potential health complications from them! The applicator repellent link is very helpful and I will check it out along with the Bugs Away Clothing. I hope I can find them here in my "Home and Native Land". :)

Thank you for the link. I love the applicator idea. I will order this today as I am leaving for the Galapagos in a few days.

Enjoy the Galapagos. We went last June and it was truly an amazing experience I will never forget. I go back and look at the pictures and am still amazed at how close one can get to the birds, sea lions etc and they just stand there or go about their business. I used repellant but scarcely saw an insect. We were out early in the morning, but by dusk were exhausted. LOL.

Enjoy the Galapagos. We went last June and it was truly an amazing experience I will never forget. I go back and look at the pictures and am still amazed at how close one can get to the birds, sea lions etc and they just stand there or go about their business. I used repellant but scarcely saw an insect. We were out early in the morning, but by dusk were exhausted. LOL.

Thanks so much. I hope you are right! I've back various types of repellent, bands and also have a mosquito net head covering. Heading to Machu Picchu first, and heard they can be bad there as well. Keeping my fingers crossed....

Thanks so much. I hope you are right! I've back various types of repellent, bands and also have a mosquito net head covering. Heading to Machu Picchu first, and heard they can be bad there as well. Keeping my fingers crossed....

We went to Machu Picchu after Galapagos and encountered no mosquitoes. Maybe just lucky or time of the year. We were there when they opened. One fact that may come in handy. There are no toilets once you enter the park. You have to come back out to the entrance ( concessions area) if you need to use the facilities and it can be a very long walk, depending on where you are. I drank just one cup of coffee that morning. :)

Forget the dusk till dawn story.Dengue is one of the diseases spread by mosquitoes that are most active from dawn to dusk.Not a disease you want to have.In other places yellow fever,West Nile and chikungunya are transmitted by dawn till dusk mosquitoes.