Becoming Disenchanted with Cruising - What would you do?

My husband and I have been sailing twice, sometimes 3 times, a year since 1994. We have always joked with our friends and co-workers about being cruiseaholics!

In November 2003, over Thanksgiving, I came down with a severe case of the Norovirus on day 2 of the cruise and was confined to our cabin for all but the last day and half.

This past Monday, April 25th, we disembarked from our spring cruise, both sick with the Norovirus-like symptoms and missed two days of work following this 11 night cruise since we were contagious (per our doctor's orders).

After the first bout of Norovirus, I've been pretty paranoid about getting it again and low and behold, I got it again. This is my husband's first time to have it and this time it wasn't nearly as bad. Thankfully, it was at the end of the cruise and I spent only 2 days in bed before disembarking. My husband had his first symptoms the night before we disembarked so he really didn't lose any "vacation" days due to this condition.

My question is, if this had happened to you, would you be disenchanted with cruising and want to choose another type of vacation for a while? I am really in a quandary over this as we usually start planning our next cruise not long after coming home. I'm still only able to eat soup!

This sort of virus is commonly passed from person to person in situations with large groups of people. A cruise ship is just a perfect situation for it. But, having said that, anywhere you and your husband choose to go that has a lot of people in smaller spaces or with a lot of contact (like elevators and elevator buttons, handrails, food buffets) is a prime target for it.

Instead of giving up cruising, I would just try to use more precautions. I work in a nursing facility and have daily exposure to illnesses that are extremely resistant to medication. I've never gotten ill, but I wash my hands no less than 10 times during a shift. I wipe the phone down with alcohol often; when I leave the ladies room, I open the door and turn out the light using the towel I just dried my hands on, then throw it away. Wash your hands - a lot; don't slide your hand along the corridor as people seem inclined to do or other railings (yes, think ship's railing here); use your left hand (or non-dominant hand) for touching public access things like door handles; use the back of your left hand to push elevator buttons and instead of pushing a swinging door with your palm, use your forearm and shoulder. Avoid anyone who sneezes and the area immediately around them like the plague (pun intended!) Take several small pocket/purse size bottles of the no-water-needed germ killers to wash your hands before you eat (especially from the buffet - who knows where the other hands who touched the utensils have been!)

Basically, you are just trying not to touch things other people have touched and avoid people who report being ill. (Isn't it just amazing how people come up and hug you and shake your hand and breathe all up in your face and then tell you all about how sick they were last night!)

Unless you and your husband want to rent a cabin in the woods for a week of seclusion, you're going to be at risk for catching something while on vacation. Why give up cruising when the rest of the trip is so great!

Also get the flu needle every year. You could also goon more upscale lines with smaller ships. Crystal etc. Do not eat at the buffet if possible as well. Do not eat in a foreign port unless required. Drink lots of water. Don't over due the port, if tired rest.

My dad got very sick on the Victory- He hasnt sailed since. He is afraid that if he got deathly sick-he would be stuck in another country and isnt willing to take that chance.

My SO gets sick every time we come back. I have not. But I am AWAYS washing my hands -(to the point where he thought I was neurotic) every time i came into the cabin i was washing-- when i would leave the casino i wash my hands. (before and after dinner I was washing) I was careful not to touch my face. I also tried to keep the touching of public areas to a very minimum- (the SO pushed the buttons on the elevators) I dont know if it was because i took these precautions or not. But have not encountered any sickenesses yet.

Pam - Thanks for the tips but I did everything you mentioned to keep from getting sick. Obviously, I failed some test along the way. I am already a very good hand washer but when I'm on a ship I've more obsessive about it. I kept hand cleaner with me at all times, and used it. I avoided the tongs in the buffet line almost completely. I always used paper towels to open the doors when leaving the bathrooms. Since I knew the virus had been present on the sailing previous to ours, I was extremely careful. Maybe that is why I didn't get it until the end of the cruise. I must have become less cautious along the way. I tend to agree with CaptData that I probably shouldn't eat at the buffet at all.

Frankly, it bugs me that this condition has become so prevalent on ships and that I have to have it on my mind so much. They didn't use to have hand sanitizer every 15 feet in the buffet but it is there now. And, as I understand it, Norovirus can only be killed with bleach so this hand sanitizer will not kill Norovirus. I guess it's good for other things and I did use it often.

Maybe a flu shot next year might help.

I'm just really bummed by this happening again.

Susie, I get the flu shot every year, not that it has anything to do with norovirus?, but I've been lucky not to have any shipboard illness. Actually, a very small percentage of cruisers DO get this illness.

You've taken all precautions, obviously, so maybe y'all should fly to an island next vacation....? I'm saying this because I think that once you get the idea that you WILL get sick on a ship, you will be dreading rather than anticipating your next cruise. Hope that makes sense.

I opened this thread because I thought you were just 'burned out' on cruising. This happened to me, but I know I'll cruise again one day. I still like coming here and offering advice, so I know cruising is not out of my system just yet.;)

My question is, if this had happened to you, would you be disenchanted with cruising and want to choose another type of vacation for a while?

Susie, I probably would take a break for a while if it happened to me, take a land based vacation as a change of pace. I'd still keep an eye on the cruise market because eventually the urge will come back where you'll have no second thoughts about it whatsoever. Hope you feel better. ;)

Cotton - I have to confess that I have started to feel a bit burned out on cruising for a while now as well and this may push me over that edge. It's just so hard to beat the carefree vacation that cruising offers. Land based vacations require that you spend so much time planning and cruising just requires deciding how to spend your day on ship or in port - no where to eat or where to stay decisions. I really do want to do a Med cruise because I've never been to Europe and this seems like it would be a great way to do that. Decisions, decisions!

Hi Susie: This is probably a very difficult situation for you but here are my thoughts. First of all I do all of the stuff about cleaniness that was stated above. My DH and I love buffet's and still continue to eat there. We have not gotten the Noro yet. (Knock on wood) We try to be very careful on what we handle etc. But maybe as you said try a land vacation for maybe a year. Then see how it goes. It sounds like you really like to cruise but maybe you are burned out. Take a year off. See what happens. But remember there is illness everywhere you go so it would be hard to stay away from that. Also get a flu shot. I don't think it has anything to do with the Noro but heck who knows. This is just my thoughts.

Marilyn

The flu shots that are given are only protection agains the strain of influenza that is expected to be most prevalent in the coming flu season.These flus tend to cause fever, cough, sore throat and body aches, headaches and very rarely affecting the stomach. I work in a retirement center where the whole popluation gets the flu shot every year. Just about every year we have a bout with the gastro viruses, which have hundreds of different strains.

My roomate came down with the diarreah while we were cruising and I was afraid I would catch it. I washed my hands all the time and used my hand sanitizer after I filled my plate and sat down BEFORE I touched my food or utensils. I also took a pepto bismal tablet 2 times a day to coat my stomach. Someone had suggested it and whether or not that is the reason I never caught her bug, I have no idea. I could have just been lucky.

I think if I had caught it 2 times I may take a break from cruising maybe for a year. I know the stomach bug was going around our school really bad and we were lucky to have escaped it this year. ( KNOCKING WOOD) LOL.

I know one thing, last year on the Disney Wonder a kid was throwing up all over the auditorium where they had the shows. The kid started to get sick and the father scooped her up and ran up the stairs while she was throwing up all over people sitting in the rows.He would have been better off stopping to ler her finish in one spot. They did NOTHING until the show was over and everyone was out of there to sanitize it or clean it up. No wonder it spreads!! We walked the opposite way and went out the other door.I was not impressed with the clean up efforts at all.

Cotton - I have to confess that I have started to feel a bit burned out on cruising for a while now as well and this may push me over that edge. It's just so hard to beat the carefree vacation that cruising offers. Land based vacations require that you spend so much time planning and cruising just requires deciding how to spend your day on ship or in port - no where to eat or where to stay decisions. I really do want to do a Med cruise because I've never been to Europe and this seems like it would be a great way to do that. Decisions, decisions!

After taking 6 cruises in 4 years we felt a little burned out and did not cruise for over a year. then in less then 12 months we took 3 more cruises. I just can't get over the value of a cruise-we took a land vacation and when we added up the cost of everything we realized we spent more then we would for a cruise and this was eating out at a nice restuarant only twice and the rest of the time we were hitting Subway, Folks, and Mickie D's type places.

I tend to get that virus every year but so far it has not happened to me on a cruise. One thing though I have read if there is an outbreak on ship avoid the buffet all together and eat in the main dinningroom as as others said WASH WASH WASH-your hands avoid stair railings before going into the dinning room. So maybe even if you do not know of an outbreak-you should just avoid the lido resturant.

One thing too with me-I wash my hands plenty but I have a tendancy to touch my face with my hands without thinking about it-which is how I figure I keep picking up these stomach things. Maybe you do that too. How do you break a bad habit like that? I have already done it before I even realize it.

But still if you cruise 3 times a year for over 10 years-you probally need a break from cruising.

Susie:..........................ever see that very bad very old movie with John Travolta, "The Boy In The Plastic Bubble"? I guess we all could just gear uo in the toxic-waste-hydro-sonic-bubble-germy-keeper-outter thingys........... .but that wouldn't be much fun now, would it?

Sometimes I thin we may be overusing some of these things and setting ourselves up for a bug? I don't know what the answer is, I think if I had been hit twice in a row I would be a little gun shy but, I know people who get sick every time they fly, and yet they still keep going places. Maybe go to the CDC.gov web site and read about the virus if you have not yet done that. s far as the cruise goes?....................go again SOON, because you know what they say? The Third Times A Charm!

By the way, I too worked as an RN for years, never got my patients bugs, must have been all that bad hospital food.

On my last cruise with HAL fall 2004, after dining in the alternative restaurant, (had sushi appetizers first & fish for the main course) I suffered major stomach pains in 'waves' that evening into the early hrs of the morning so bad I cldn't sleep. Finally 'threw up' and then later managed to get a few hrs sleep. Never had this before on any of my numerous cruises with HAL or any other cruiseline and as I am meticulous with hand washing etc. it must have been food poisoning. I consider myself fortunate not to have ever had the 'viruses'. Anyone else experienced anything similar?