Bugs, vermin, critters etc

[taxcruisermom]

I have sailed 8 times on various Carnival ships - old to new - and have never seen a bug!!

[Rocknsoul]

Not personally - but this thread reminded me of one incident reported here... :eek:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=907804&highlight=bee+swarm

 

What a great thread! Thanks for sharing. It is sad what they had to do...bee populations are dwindling so. I was heartbroken to have an underground bumblebee nest destroyed in our backyard--I was only stung once after running over the thing. They are so docile & so beneficial.

[viaggi_per_mare]

Was wondering if any of you veteran Carnival cruisers have had any bad experiences on a Carnival ship with close encounters with any of the following...cockroaches...mice...rats...bedbugs...or any other non-welcome critter while onboard?

 

Never seen anything in the way in bugs

[paulandfran]

No bugs, vermin, etc. Once when we were eating outside while waiting to leave Nassau we saw birds on the railing. Didn't think much of it and I got up to refill my drink and hubby was getting seconds at the buffet and I came back just in time to see one fly off my plate. That was pretty gross but our own fault for leaving our plates unattended. Thankfully those are the only critters we've seen onboard.

[ccruise54]

Im not sure exactly what was feasting on me every night on the Destiny for our Southern caribbean cruise, but we did have a balcony with the door open every night for the breeze and I woke up every morning with huge bites all over my back and thighs. Mind you that when I get bitten by a misquito I get 3 times the welt of a normal person's bug bite so this could have been the case. My DH didn't get one bite on him while sleeping next to me!

[The_Geek]

Im not sure exactly what was feasting on me every night on the Destiny for our Southern caribbean cruise, but we did have a balcony with the door open every night for the breeze and I woke up every morning with huge bites all over my back and thighs. Mind you that when I get bitten by a misquito I get 3 times the welt of a normal person's bug bite so this could have been the case. My DH didn't get one bite on him while sleeping next to me!

Could be bed bugs. Often bed bugs will only feed on one person in a bed.

[kdinkus1]

As I have posted before.. we did have a problem with bed bugs on one of our cruises.

 

It was on the Carnival Pride. It was the first time that we have ever encountered 'blue flannel' sheets. We thought that maybe Carnival used them for rooms with the wrap-around balconies. (our very first one ) Anyway, the next morning we had bites on us and itched like crazy. We thought maybe we had been bitten while on excursion. However, we looked closely at our sheets.. Yep, bed bugs! Our cabin steward came in and changed the sheets out for us and put the regular white ones on. Plus they spent time 'fumigating' the room. And no we didn't get moved. All cabins were filled. (still have no clue where those blue-flannel sheets came from either)

 

Carnival said they never used them yet they were on our bed so... does that mean they were brought by the previous room holders and the steward didn't change the sheets?? Everyone played dumb about it! Oh well... we sure did enjoy our wrap-around! :D

[elcuchio24]

Only bug's I've seen are the undersized lobsters.....

[paulandfran]

Only bug's I've seen are the undersized lobsters.....

 

They may be small but they're tasty little critters.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

Never any bugs but DD got bit by a bee at the pool on lido deck while we were in port once and had an allergic reaction. Her first bee sting.

[rpouls]

Well, I brought a little something home with me in one of my bags with purchases from Costa Maya. I was unpacking and had one of the bags on my desk when a huge, very fast cockroach climbed out. I completely freaked. I was finally able to vacuum him up, but then discovered it had layed eggs in an ornament I'd purchased (in the same bag).

 

My guess is I picked him up at the gift shop in Mexico. But I still shudder when I think we shared our cabin closet with him for two days.

 

Thank heavens I saw him getting out of the bag, or I'd have had bigger problems!

[Nanaimobound]

Although I am sure it could happen anywhere, I have never encountered it at all.

 

The bed bug thing has always been a scary issue for me since they can travel with peoples luggage from anywhere to anywhere!

[nothomeonacruise]

I often wonder if there are roaches on the ships too.

 

Here's my (ir)rational fear for our cruise next month out of Ft. Lauderdale. Aren't there TONS of those bugs in Florida??? Secada's or whatever they're called?? How can a boat docked in Florida not have a bunch of those on board??

 

I just threw up in my mouth just thinking about it....

 

Your post made me laugh..sorry. It depends on the time of the year in Florida. I guess the worst buggy thing we have in FL would be lovebugs sometimes.

One would think Carnival keeps everything well protected from bugs and creepy things.

[Riggy]

Not on Carnival, but we did have an encounter with a cockroach on RCI.

 

At dinner one night in the main dining room our group of 6 had one run across the table. The girls at the table were freaking out. I quickly trapped it under the butter dish lid and quietly called over our waiter. When I told him what was under the lid he thought I was joking until he picked up the lid. He swept in on the floor, stepped on it and had a look of shock and embarrassment on his face. Many apologies followed along with a visit from the Matre'd and a free bottle of wine.

 

While in port one day we purchased a small wooded bug. Then at the last dinner we left it under the lid with the tip as a souvenir. The waiter seemed very relieved that we found humor in the situation.

 

I am sure all ships have their share of "critters".

[Mark]

Well I hope I never have the bed bug problem while on a cruise and wake up with bites...I think I would have a problem staying in that cabin and sleeping in that bed after that...and if they move me...it would have to be in a cabin equal to if not better than what I paid for...and I always have a balcony. I also wonder if they provide free medical treatment and examination from the ship's physician...I would hope so!

[bankerbabe]

We've never encountered any bugs on our cruises. We've been very lucky on our land vacations as well.

 

The only critters that we've had in our cabin (or hotel room for that matter) were the two that we brought with us - and they call us Mom and Dad. They are pretty cute, though I may be biased.

[IslandToIsland]

Sorry to say, but I brought home bedbugs from my cruise in 2007.

It was disgusting, and very costly to get rid of them.

 

We now never put luggage under the bed, no matter where or how we travel.

 

There is a pandemic in New York City, and experts say infestations are definitely on the rise.

 

There are precautions to avoid getting them, you just have to be careful.

We also brought them home last September after our Victory cruise. We are thinking they came from the Sheraton, but do not know for sure. It is definitely very costly to get rid of them. Had to throw out furniture, it was a nightmare. We also know exactly what to look for and where to look and never ever put our suitcases on the floor or even put our clothes away. Everything stays in the suitcase. We will tear up any hotel room and cabin and search before we stay. I don't wish that on my worst enemy.

[Grits53]

12 Carnival cruises on 6 ships, and none those unwelcome guests have ever shown up to share the cruise with me......

[PA Dutchman]

I never seen any but I heard they will only sail on RCI. :D

[pkrchkr]

This was as close to a pest as I've seen on a cruise. (I've only been on Carnival.) These guys were all over the place when docked off Catalina Island.:D

 

we call them the newphie ariforce up here.LOL

[ehfl]

If you have any concerns, then when you return, you should spray your luggage inside and out with permethrin spray. Put the luggage in a sealed garbage bag, and leave them in the garage or other generally uninhabited space.

 

Wash all clothes in hot water immediately. If you can't wash them right away. Put them inside a sealed garbage back with some permethrin spray, until you can wash them.

 

If you're really concerned, you can spray under your bed in the cabin (or wherever you plan to leave the luggage). Permethrin spray is available at any drug store.

[dustyroad]

i have never seen any '' unwanted guests '' on any of my cruises with carnival. of course when you get off the ship in a port, that is different story. :D

[MikeM]

we would say a small spider is all we can recall in 20 years.

[soozles]

Not on the ship, but in Cozumel, I got bit by something... the next day, I had these giant bright red welts on my leg that felt like someone was searing me with an iron, that's how hot they were. The skin around the bites had started getting red too. I went to the infirmary the next day because I couldn't even put on a pair of pants, I had to wear shorts because the feeling of the fabric on my leg was enough to make me jump out of my skin.

 

Go to the infirmary, show the nurse, she says "Wow, I never saw that before". That's real reassuring, after getting all bitten by something in a foreign country. Fortunately, the doctor took care of it. And this wasn't just one bite, I had 2 on my thigh, and 3 more on the back of my knee.

[Popeye78]

Like other, we have never had a problem with any bugs on a cruise. Carnival uses bleach a lot when cleaning. Which is fine with my wife (then she knows it is clean). But never had any type of bug problem.