Carnival Glory Bed Bugs

[nothomeonacruise]

I have no doubt there is a problem with bed bugs everywhere, but I do wonder why posts like these are always new posters? It's as if they choose their first post to be a complaint.

 

I am going to check my beds in every hotel or cruise ship in the future. I was reading they are finding bedbugs in very pricey hotels, too. Those bugs don't discriminate where they show up.

[Quampapetet]

In NYC ppl are getting bit by bedbugs in movie theatres! Yikes!

[Sargent_Schultz]

Since I've dealt with an infestation, I feel I can reply to some of the questions posted.

 

If you look back at my previous posts, you will see I brought home bedbugs from our Miracle cruise in 2007. I did not blame Carnival, since we left from New York, and I found that New York was at the beginning of a pandemic with bedbugs. Since many people start their cruise with a mini-vacation in New York, I may have gotten them from either someone who had stayed in a hotel and my luggage was put next to theirs, or the people who were previously in our balcony left some there.

 

 

Bedbugs don't fly from location to location, they are carried, as you know. Seems more likely you picked them up in New York, carried them onto the ship, perhaps infesting it, and then carried some home. A Bedbug Mary, so to speak. :cool:

[Naturzlvr]

"Bed bugs can lay between one and five eggs per day with an incubation period of 10 days in warm weather (slightly longer when cool). These newly hatched bed bugs will require five significant blood feedings to reach adult size. They will molt in between feedings by shedding their exoskeleton. Once mature they will begin the process of laying new eggs. Adult female

bedbugs can lay more than 200 eggs during their lifetime and the new generation of bed bugs will immediately seek a blood meal and they might be looking at you through hungry compound eyes. When they are finished eating they leave tiny sores to remind you of their midnight binge."

 

I have studied quite a bit of material about bed bugs since I returned from my cruise. The information above was copied and pasted from a site I was reading. If there were 10 female bedbugs that laid five eggs apiece it is within the realm of possibility that I would receive 50 bed bug bites in one night. Which in fact I did. I too like Carnival. I have used them previously without a bed bug incident and have two additional future cruises booked and paid for. I don't think it is unreasonable after spending thousands of dollars to expect a room which is free of vermin and it is the responsibility of hosts to take whatever action is necessary to provide this service. If it means taking room apart and spraying in between customers, then so be it. They will just pass the cost on to the customer anyway. For those of you who do not believe my post - I wish a bedbug infestation on you so you will truly understand what it is like.

[spongerob]

The room was sprayed and I did not have additional bites afterwards, however, I had purchased an insect repellant with 98 percent deet and sprayed my pillows and sheets every night before I went to bed just in case.

Shoot, that stuff's just an aphrodisiac for those buggers. Might as well open the wine and put on a Barry White CD for them too because they're going to be going to town. So to speak.

[oncruisecontrol]

For those of you who do not believe my post - I wish a bedbug infestation on you so you will truly understand what it is like.

 

 

 

 

 

A few years ago, a close friend of mine had to deal with a bedbug infestation in her home. It was a like a full-time job to get rid of them, not to mention mentally and emotionally draining. She would not wish that on her worst enemy.

[pnjkeith]

That is so lame it almost funny...that someone would actually have so LITTLE to do or worry about that it would actually OCCUR to someone to waste their time, effort and energy on posting here in an attempt to stir the pot. Cripes.

Happens every day!

[eas2225]

Bedbugs don't fly from location to location, they are carried, as you know. Seems more likely you picked them up in New York, carried them onto the ship, perhaps infesting it, and then carried some home. A Bedbug Mary, so to speak. :cool:

 

 

I didn't stay in New York. We came to the pier by way of a private bus company. They could have climbed on to our luggage in the bus, or gotten on at the pier, or from the balcony cabin. Maybe the people before us were in New York for a few days before their cruise. We put our luggage under the bed, which I later found out is the worst possible place to put it.

 

We'll never know for sure where they came from. The bottom line is that they are a real problem all across the US. It is expensive and time consuming to treat them, you never look at travel the same way ever again, and they can show up anywhere, from the flea bag hotels, to the penthouses in Manhattan.

[SailingGrace]

Okay, I always carry a flashlight when I travel (OCD or something) and with the lights off I check the mattress/boxspring/headboard, etc. with my flashlight.

 

Droppings- I'm out of there!

 

While bedbugs don't kill you, it's like sleeping in a mattress full of ants- so it's not expected for anyone to sleep with ants...why is it okay to sleep with bedbugs?

 

What would happen IF someone inspected their mattress and found them?

 

If changing rooms isn't in order...where do they go? On Lido and sleep in the chairs?

[Quampapetet]

Here's some info. on bedbugs and natural ways to kill or deter them (including certain essential oils you could easily bring with you when travelling - they even come in bottles under 3 oz. so you could carry the bottles on planes):

http://www.natural-cures-for.com/remedies/bed-bugs

 

By the way:

Unfortunately, bed bugs are also able to survive for many months without feeding, meaning individuals entering a clean or vacant home or apartment may already show the presence of this pesky insect. In apartment complexes and condominiums, bed bugs are known to travel using pipes and wiring.

[wavecruiser]

My mom found bed bugs crawling around in one of the beds at her house in broad daylight so it's entirely possible to get bitten during the day. Hate to see people flamed for bringing the bed bug issue to attention as these little stinkers are absolutely disgusting to deal with. We ended up throwing all the wood beds and furniture in that room away as bed bugs love to live in the tiny crevices in wood. After that, my mom bought just about every natural bed bug spray out there, which the poster above posted a link to...seems to have worked, haven't seen any since...knock on wood:eek:

[Magic City Cruiser]

Paaalease. OP's first post, used the name paramedic as a sign they know what they are talking about, used a internet picture of the 'bites' because their pictures were "erased" yet the bites were gone when they got home...Whatever. Oh and then the mattress was put in a dumpster??? LOL..An infested mattress is getting dumped overboard as soon as it is discovered.

 

 

IF, and I do mean IF, bed bugs manage to survive after the room is sanitized after every disembark and can crawl their way through a fresh mattress cover and several fresh sheets and bite me then more power to them. This thread is ridiculous, yet funny:rolleyes:

 

Before I noticed these threads, I had a conversation last night with a friend in apartment management and another friend who is an infection control specialist.

They're seeing an increase everywhere in bedbugs. Part of the increase is due to the fact that they are becoming immune to current insecticides as we outlaw, for good reasons such as environmental harm, many stronger insecticides that were used in the past.

That said, any routine "sanitizing" going on is most likely not going to rid a room or cabin of bedbugs. My friends tell me the only way to remove them is to remove all bedding, carpet and furnishings and heat the room to 150 degrees. You can take bedding or clothes and run them through a dryer as well.

So, all you folks using Deet to get rid of bedbugs are probably causing more harm than good as it will affect YOU but not affect the bedbugs.

Bites alone can't "prove" bedbugs. One friend has gathered the bugs from mattress seams and taken to exterminators for examination. They are larger enough to be seen and gathered.

So, where is Carnival in all of this? Yes, they're everywhere and are difficult to control. If I found them in a Carnival cabin, as evidenced by actual bugs and stains indicating bugs, I would expect Carnival to change my cabin. If not, I would expect them to give me the option of removing and replacing bedding. If this couldn't be done and/or after this was done there was STILL evidence of bedbugs and I couldn't get off the ship without incurring great expense and had to endure the beg bugs, I would expect Carnival to at least offer compensatory services or discounts on future cruises.

Most people just suffer the same discomfort from bites as they might mosquitoes or fleas but some are allergic and can suffer much more intensely.

It's a tough call IMHO.

[Hulkling]

My household suffered from a bad infestation, caused by a stay at the days inn in port richey near our house. they are nearly impossible to stop, but easy to see. If you lay in your bed for about an hour after dark and get up, pull your sheets off, you will find them if you have them. The bugs are hard to kill, and very few chemicals do, many of the chemicals that claim to kill them alla "spray away" which is used by many hotels to "control" an infestation only kills some of them and doesn't kill the eggs.

[nothomeonacruise]

I posted this in another thread. Carnival completely disinfects and throws out mattresses. They do not let an infestation go or neglect the needs of their passengers. I trust them to take care of any problems.

[Hulkling]

i'm glad for that, I spoke to the exterminator that took care of my bed bug problem, and he said that the days inn near my house has dropped 3 extermination companies because they all advised them that throwing out the mattresses was the only way to get rid of them.

I'm glad to hear carnival will be taking care of us.

[seabee22]

We have been on many CCL Ships, ( and others ) and check each and every bed before we sleep in them... never had a problem - however, have had Bed Bug problems at some very nice hotels.... That is probably where the bed bugs came from - ??

 

IF THE POSTING WAS TRUE ?????????- which seems a little unlikey. The Shipboard laundry system is not only a fast and systematic marvel.... it is very much like a hospital, with a tremendous sanitary system....... :confused:

[Naturzlvr]

It is amazing to me that you doubt my post is true. I wonder that you might be employed by a cruise line to be so defensive and willing to call a total stranger a liar.

 

We arrived in Seattle early the day before we cruised. The hotel staff was nice enough to allow us to check in early and having been up since 4:00AM Eastern, we were tired and took a nap - no bed bug bites..... We went to dinner at the Space Needle then went back to the hotel and went to bed early. Awakened the next morning - no bed bug bites.....

 

We boarded the ship around 11:00 AM (VIP service) but were not allowed to go to our room until 1:00 PM. When our luggage was delivered (sometime after dinner), we unpacked our belongings. There was no evidence of bed bugs in our luggage or clothing while we were unpacking and hanging up our clothes and placing them in the drawers. In fact bed bugs never entered my mind.

 

I woke up the next morning covered in bites. In fact after our room was sprayed the second morning after experiencing additional bed bug bites and visiting the cruise ship physician. We noticed the crew which had sprayed our room exiting other rooms on the ship with their masks either still on their face or holding them in their hands so we suspect other passengers were having problems.

 

Unfortunately, I had an allergic reaction to the bites and still have scars and scabs from them weeks after the cruise ended. My husband suffered a total of 17 bites, but only had a mild reaction. Also, he is always cold and sleeps bundled up while I am just the opposit and sleep with only a sheet from my waist down and a leg usually exposed so I was an easy target. The last picture was taken at home about a week after my first bite. Many of the bites were close together and what appears to be one bite was two or three bites. They were bites - not blisters - not hives BED BUG BITES!!!!

 

We have enjoyed CCL cruises in the past with no problems and have already booked and paid for two additional cruises for Feb and April. I have no intention of filing a lawsuit against them, I merely wanted them to spray and take additional precautions against the infestation. As far as the laundry system is concerned, I have no doubt it is excellent, however, clean sheets do not eliminate bed bugs if they are hidden inside the pillows or mattress.

 

I posted my experience to warn travelers and so they can become educated and take precautions. Yes, you can get bed bugs in hotel rooms, movie theaters, department stores and even cruise ships Seabee22.

[Naturzlvr]

Obviously my pictures did not post with my last message and I have been unable to upload them successfully this time. Will try again later for those of you who don't believe my post.

[CanWeGoYet?]

I think there will always be posters who are cynical about posts that carry complaints about their cruise line. It is worse if you are new to the board. Unfortunately, with the bed bug situation a rising epidemic, they will be more & more of an issue in hotels & also cruise ships as time goes on. Until more effective pesticides get approved, I don't see how this situation can do anything but get worse. I don't wish a bedbug encounter on anyone, but maybe some of these doubting Thomases will drop their pom poms when it happens to them.

[StrangeBrew]

It is amazing to me that you doubt my post is true. I wonder that you might be employed by a cruise line to be so defensive and willing to call a total stranger a liar.

 

We arrived in Seattle early the day before we cruised. The hotel staff was nice enough to allow us to check in early and having been up since 4:00AM Eastern, we were tired and took a nap - no bed bug bites..... We went to dinner at the Space Needle then went back to the hotel and went to bed early. Awakened the next morning - no bed bug bites.....

 

We boarded the ship around 11:00 AM (VIP service) but were not allowed to go to our room until 1:00 PM. When our luggage was delivered (sometime after dinner), we unpacked our belongings. There was no evidence of bed bugs in our luggage or clothing while we were unpacking and hanging up our clothes and placing them in the drawers. In fact bed bugs never entered my mind.

 

I woke up the next morning covered in bites. In fact after our room was sprayed the second morning after experiencing additional bed bug bites and visiting the cruise ship physician. We noticed the crew which had sprayed our room exiting other rooms on the ship with their masks either still on their face or holding them in their hands so we suspect other passengers were having problems.

 

Unfortunately, I had an allergic reaction to the bites and still have scars and scabs from them weeks after the cruise ended. My husband suffered a total of 17 bites, but only had a mild reaction. Also, he is always cold and sleeps bundled up while I am just the opposit and sleep with only a sheet from my waist down and a leg usually exposed so I was an easy target. The last picture was taken at home about a week after my first bite. Many of the bites were close together and what appears to be one bite was two or three bites. They were bites - not blisters - not hives BED BUG BITES!!!!

 

We have enjoyed CCL cruises in the past with no problems and have already booked and paid for two additional cruises for Feb and April. I have no intention of filing a lawsuit against them, I merely wanted them to spray and take additional precautions against the infestation. As far as the laundry system is concerned, I have no doubt it is excellent, however, clean sheets do not eliminate bed bugs if they are hidden inside the pillows or mattress.

 

I posted my experience to warn travelers and so they can become educated and take precautions. Yes, you can get bed bugs in hotel rooms, movie theaters, department stores and even cruise ships Seabee22.

 

Sorry that happened , Now you guys have me paranoid , lol , I am going to check my cabin once on the Victory .

 

BTW ---- Very nice Slam Dunk

[Akgoalie7]

What about sea lice?

 

What if the previous cruisers brought back some sea lice into the room and that is what tore the OP up?

 

I mean, we all know bed bugs don't come out during the day so it would be VERY difficult to get bitten while sitting there for a little bit...

 

but sea lice... oh my... I despise them so much I don't even like to go to beaches and I live in Miami of all places.

[Lady D.]

My husband travels frequently for business and we always google the hotel for bedbugs, and once he gets there he checks the bed before he settles in. Once we received an email for Colonial Williamsburg, and when I googled the hotel it had a huge bed bug problem. Needless to say we didn't book. I also always google the name of the ship for bed bugs before booking. You'd be surprised there out there. Better safe than sorry.

 

GESH! Thanks for enlightening us..I'm checking out the Conquest immediately! OP, sorry for your experience! I know this could happen anywhere but that sure doesn't make the one experiencing it feel better.

[gizfish]

What about sea lice?

 

What if the previous cruisers brought back some sea lice into the room and that is what tore the OP up?

 

I mean, we all know bed bugs don't come out during the day so it would be VERY difficult to get bitten while sitting there for a little bit...

 

but sea lice... oh my... I despise them so much I don't even like to go to beaches and I live in Miami of all places.

I am pretty certain that one cannot pass sea lice to another person. They can't live outside of the water.

[CanWeGoYet?]

I am pretty certain that one cannot pass sea lice to another person. They can't live outside of the water.

 

Aren't they jellyfish larva (or some sort of jellyfish spawn)? Yikes and yuck. They tend to lodge underneath swim suits, to let you know the frequently targeted areas. :eek: But mercifully you should not be picking them up from bedding, theater or airplane seats.

[jenn_x]

I managed a domestic violence shelter for a number of years and about a year and half ago we had the dreaded bed bugs. And for the record, I ran a really clean house, so no comments about a dirty shelter, ok? What a headache! No one got sick from them, as others have noted, they wont necessarily hurt you, but they will annoy the heck out of ya.

 

After traditional extermination methods were unsuccessful (we even went the all natural, no toxic chem route...which was also a total dud), we contracted with a company that came out and heated each room in both buildings. I forget the temp that they raised the rooms to, but it was hot enough that we had to motel our residents for several days while the procedure was being done and for a day or so afterwards. Basically we had to remove anything that would melt, and everything else, furniture, bedding, clothing, etc got toasted. It was phenomenally expensive, particularly by scrappy nonprofit standards. When that was done, we replaced the mattresses (technically we shouldn't have had to, but it skeeved me out, and if I wont sleep on it, I wont have my clients sleeping on it), and had all of our beautiful wood furniture sanded down and painted with white enamel-ish paint to seal any crevices that the critters may make a home in. The white will also help us detect any feces or blood, should we suspect infestation later. We also got rid of all carpet.

 

Incoming folks now take all their clothing, stuffed animals etc and run it through our dryers for about an hr and luggage is not kept in the bedrooms. Its an inconvenience, but it beats paying tens of thousands of dollars to retreat the building.

 

When I travel I do the same thing when I get home, I run all my clothes through the dryer (they generally need to be washed anyway, so no biggie) and I keep my luggage in the garage. Bed bugs are, unfortunately, just part of travel at this point. I dont peek under my bed (mostly because I just dont want to know!) or get particularly fussy, I just try to not bring new friends home with me. To be honest, I have never gotten a bite while traveling (or at work), and perhaps if I did, my tune would change. I think that Carnival is doing the best they can to manage a fairly unmanageable situation. The best we can do is be mindful.