Bed Bugs on Gem???

I know this is a concern for ALL of us and it happens in the BEST of places.

Does anyone know of a good product you can bring with you incase this happens to you and NCL cannot resolve it?

Below is the Thread I had just read::::

Titled: Gem medical in NY

OP: ILov2cruise

Post #7 by Alicia68

"Biggest problem we had was bed bugs. Cabin 9140 balcony. Not just our problem but others as well. We did bring it to the attention of our room steward the first morning we woke up with bites. He came in and checked both the bites as well as the beds, changed the bedding including the mattress topper, foam and bed skirt. This did not help. A couple days later a few cabins on our floor had their mattresses hauled out and new ones brought in. When we asked for this, we were told they were out of new mattress. They said that this is a problem as people come into NYC early and then bring bugs from the hotels to the ships. I can not comment on that as we did not stay in a hotel before the cruise".

:eek: I am totally freaked out right now :eek:

If NCL can't take care of a bedbug problem, I don't know how anyone else can. They have cleaning and eradication procedures they follow, although in the case of the poster you referred to, the response did seem very lackadaisical and insufficient. Sounds like a lazy room steward and they should have escalated the issue. No way would I get back into that same bed with only the bed coverings changed!

Bed bugs are active at night. Check the mattress seams when you check in, and use a flashlight at night to recheck.

We were on the same cruise and I do not believe Bed Bugs were ever verified. Another case of screaming fire in a crowded movie theater.

If you had Bed Bugs wouldn't you have reported it immediately to the HD not the room Steward?? Wouldn't you have had your room changed? (and there were available rooms)

This was posted as" by the way " under a thread called "Gem Medical in New York" really this is not even worth discussing.

We were on the same cruise and I do not believe Bed Bugs were ever verified. Another case of screaming fire in a crowded movie theater.

 

If you had Bed Bugs wouldn't you have reported it immediately to the HD not the room Steward?? Wouldn't you have had your room changed? (and there were available rooms)

 

This was posted as" by the way " under a thread called "Gem Medical in New York" really this is not even worth discussing.

Plus, I honestly have never heard of anyone, ship crew or hotel staff, simply changing sheets when bed bugs are found. They would have stripped that entire room, gotten rid of the mattress, and cleaned from top to bottom. They have the chemicals needed. I'm having a hard time believing the story as well.

Easy, there, Mommies. People want to know these things and benefit from your combined experience in how to handle such situations. You are both such a wealth of information, even if you do get a bit riled up now and again. :)

I am surprised that there aren't more cases of the little creepy critters on cruise ships given the volume of passengers. I believe the person who reported an incident said that the steward confirmed the citing based on the blood spots and bug "droppings". Wow, given that the poster witnessed mattresses being removed from nearby cabins, it sounds like there could have been a problem. Note - I typed "could have". What a nightmare for a passenger and what a headache for a cruise ship!

That makes me itchy just reading it.

I have never experienced bed bugs on a cruise, and also not personally heard about others who have, so I am not worried about that. That doesn't mean that it doesn't happen - but I am certain if it did, NCL would take strong actions to solve the problem - meaning doing much more than just change the bedspreads, bedding and mattresses.

I few years ago, we were on a NCL cruise and we had a forward facing cabin. While sailing in to one of the ports, we had the balcony door open while we were out on the front balcony enjoying the view. When we went back inside the cabin, we noticed 30-40 "mini-mosquitos" on one of the curtains near the balcony door (they had entered through the open balcony door while we were approaching port). I notified the room steward (I actually just asked him if he could get some bug spray for me, and he asked me what I needed it for. I then showed him the "visitors"). 20 minutes later there was a knock on our cabin door, the room steward obviously had notified his supervisor, who then took action and send someone to fumigate the cabin. It took maybe 15 minutes, and then we had to wait a couple of hours before we entered the cabin again. Needless to say there were no more insects in our cabin after that.

I know my story has nothing to do with bed bugs, but I just wanted to give you my personal experience of how they reacted to our "harmless mini-mosquitos". At the time I thought that they were "overdoing" it, but afterwards I find it reassuring that they took it as serious as they did. And I feel certain they (NCL) would do that again, if it was brought to their attention that some passengers might have brought with them some "uninvited and unpleasant guests". So I have no worries in that regard...

I also tend to doubt this. First off, the poster did not say the cabin steward "confirmed" it was bed bugs, just that based on looking at the bites and sheets, the sheets were changed.

I don't know when in the cruise this happened, but I do know that sand fleas are frequently mistaken for bed bug bites. We had this problem all the time in Hawaii, and I know the Caribbean has loads of them.

Bring a flash light and check the bed and sheets for presence of bed bugs. If these nasty critters are there, you will see their tell tale signs (blood stain, black spot on mattress etc). There is no chemical you can bring along to kill bed bugs without also causing harm to yourself. Best you can do is to immediately complain and ask for different room.

Once again

If it didnt happen to me doesn't necessarily mean it didnt happen to you

Bed bugs are everywhere these days and spreading fast. Consider yourself lucky if you haven't encountered them. I picked a few up last year most likely from taking public transit. Besides nasty bites, these evil critters cost me $600 on pest control plus I had to throw out all my bed sheets, pillows and a bunch of clothes in my closet. It can easily happen on cruise ships or anywhere where people congregate.

I never leave home without 4-6 dryer sheets, the kind you put in your clothes dryer to make your clothes cling free and nice and soft. Bed bugs hate those things. First thing I do when I get into my stateroom on a ship is put the dryer sheets under the mattress at each corner of the bed and maybe one between the top corners under the mattress. You'll never have to worry about bedbugs.

http://ibbra.org/do-dryer-sheets-really-get-rid-of-bed-bugs/

I don't think Bounce will prevent bed bugs.

http://ibbra.org/do-dryer-sheets-really-get-rid-of-bed-bugs/

 

I don't think Bounce will prevent bed bugs.

and I don't use Bounce. I've had several room stewards on different cruise lines tell me about dryer sheets. I've never had bed bugs, at home or on a ship but I still put the sheets under my mattress. So even if it doesn't get rid of bed bugs (and I don't believe one word of the article referred to above), my bed sure smells good. I prefer Gain myself.

Dryer sheets will not get rid of (or keep away) bed bugs. Changing the sheets OR the entire mattress will not get rid of bedbugs. You can fumigate until your hearts content, but if they're on the ship, they're ON THE SHIP. They travel in the walls, the electrical...everywhere. So if they have been spotted in 1 room, I can guarantee they are in others. My boss was head of the "bud bug committee" here in my home state (which happens to be the 3rd state on the list for the outbreak of bedbugs). Also working at the hospital for so many years, we would have Orkin come out to spray rooms with patients that brought in bedbugs...they would flat out tell you that they are everywhere once they get into something. They would come out and wipe everything down and spray with a substance that contained some type of alcohol (because spraying alcohol on them kills them). The rate at which the eggs hatch and then become mature to reproduce and lay more eggs is like only weeks. Then of course you have the fact that they can live for an entire year without feeding on any host. :eek: Nasty nasty critters!

Easy, there, Mommies. People want to know these things and benefit from your combined experience in how to handle such situations. You are both such a wealth of information, even if you do get a bit riled up now and again. :)

 

I am surprised that there aren't more cases of the little creepy critters on cruise ships given the volume of passengers. I believe the person who reported an incident said that the steward confirmed the citing based on the blood spots and bug "droppings". Wow, given that the poster witnessed mattresses being removed from nearby cabins, it sounds like there could have been a problem. Note - I typed "could have". What a nightmare for a passenger and what a headache for a cruise ship!

I am more confused than riled..would you stay in a cabin that had bed bugs and post a "by the way comment". Really?? this is a a bit much. I would have had my cruise fare refunded by now. Moving on :) Cruise was great, loved thee GV.

I have dealt with a few bed bug infestations at work. It requires complete thorough fumigation on several occasions until they are gone: spray that needs to be done and left for quite a few hours before human habitation. Ideally all soft furnishings and carpets that can't be washed at 60 degrees c, and then tumble dried, need to be destroyed after being double bagged. Every person going in or out of the room also need to remove all their clothes (in a non-carpeted area) and those items then need washing/drying or double bagging and destroying.

The little critters can live anywhere and can go dormant in any tiny crack or crevice unless completely destroyed.

Nothing you can buy over the counter can resolve the problem, and if they found them on a shop it would probably mean a mass closure and fumigation, not just changing a mattress or sheets.

More likely it was fleas. People can carry animal fleas in their belongings that will sit around waiting for food. It's not pleasant, but not that hard to deal with - specialist aerosol spray, frequent washing/changing bedding, and daily Hoover should all do the trick.

Sorry, meant to say that one of the easiest ways to check for fleas is to put your iPad (tablet of any kind) on a white screen, make sure the room is completely dark, and you should be able to see fleas jumping towards the screen.

The classic bed bug sign is the little red dots of blood on the sheets/mattress/mattress topper. If a room genuinely had a bed bug infestation all the clothing of the occupants would have to be washed and dried (after being transported in a double-bag) - I'm sure NCL (or any cruise line) would do this if bed bugs were genuinely suspected, because otherwise they would just be transferred to the next room.

One of the most common ways they are transferred is in the corners of suitcases - or second hand soft furnishing, but can't see anyone bringing an old settee on a ship :D

Or simply have female bug lays eggs on your belongings to bring home. Now you and your house are screwed.

When I was about to book my first cruise I read a report that NCL jade had bed bugs. I booked on royal cause I was so freaked out. That was back in 2011. Have not seen a report since.

I never leave home without 4-6 dryer sheets, the kind you put in your clothes dryer to make your clothes cling free and nice and soft. Bed bugs hate those things. First thing I do when I get into my stateroom on a ship is put the dryer sheets under the mattress at each corner of the bed and maybe one between the top corners under the mattress. You'll never have to worry about bedbugs.

Boy, here's an urban legend :eek:.

You've solved the world's bed bug problem. Sheesh.

And, even without dryer sheets, I've never had bed bugs. Ignorance abounds.

I use an item found on Shark Tank. It's called Beddy Bugs. It is a little plastic thing that you out under your mattress to help detect bed bugs. Have been using them since 2013. They attract bed bugs. You check them for any critters everyday. You can find them at Home Depot and Walmart, maybe other places. Also you can buy sprays to spray the mattress. I have found these at lowes and Home Depot. I work in a hospital and know how hard they are to get rid of, and since my husband travels a lot and stays in many hotels, we use these often. You can read more about beddy bugs by just doing a web search.

TY all for responding

I also tend to doubt this. First off, the poster did not say the cabin steward "confirmed" it was bed bugs, just that based on looking at the bites and sheets, the sheets were changed.

 

I don't know when in the cruise this happened, but I do know that sand fleas are frequently mistaken for bed bug bites. We had this problem all the time in Hawaii, and I know the Caribbean has loads of them.

I sure hope your right - sounds like u are considering the steward DIDN'T confirm it and only changed the sheets.

But I am going to bring a small flashlight & inspect just to be on the safe side :eek:

I use an item found on Shark Tank. It's called Beddy Bugs. It is a little plastic thing that you out under your mattress to help detect bed bugs. Have been using them since 2013. They attract bed bugs. You check them for any critters everyday. You can find them at Home Depot and Walmart, maybe other places. Also you can buy sprays to spray the mattress. I have found these at lowes and Home Depot. I work in a hospital and know how hard they are to get rid of, and since my husband travels a lot and stays in many hotels, we use these often. You can read more about beddy bugs by just doing a web search.

I just saw the up date on that last night, (what timing). Went online immediately and checked it out. Only problem with that is it didn't say how long these ugly little critters take to get to those strips, just said to check it daily for them. By that time I would have unpacked already and who knows - could be on my luggage and cloths to bring home - NOT the kind of ship souvenir I want to bring home!!

The one I saw was called "Buggy Beds"

Heat kills bed bugs. Let the cruise ships, hotels, etc. know if you think you find a problem and let them deal with it. I guarantee they know what to do. But the best thing you can do is not bring them into your own home. When I get home from a trip, I strip down in the garage (drastic yes. But an easy thing to do. And worth it.) I wash and dry EVERYTHING I brought with me, even if it is "clean." For things that can't go in the dryer, I vacuum thoroughly and sometimes I get creative. If it's summer, put them in a closed car in the sun for a day. A hot car for several hours is all it takes. There are many REPUTABLE sites that tell you how to prevent the spread of bed bugs that don't require you to BUY anything! If we were all more diligent, we might be able to quell the spread of bed bugs.