Bed Bugs And Cruise Ships Ouh!

[RCCLBaby]

Has anyone out there experienced bed bugs? I heard you can get them at hotels. The news media has made an issue about these critters. Does RCCL exterminate their ships when they are in dry dock?

 

I leave on 01/15/11 and don't want to bring anything home but a tan.

[erwinner]

The media is overhyping it like everything else. Don't give it another thought.

But if you must, here's the search results for "bed bugs". Been covered many times here already.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=19002594

[Alexis]

If you check my signature you will see that my husband and I have sailed many a cruise and many a cruise line.

The last 16 of those many cruises all on Royal Caribbean.

We have never seen or heard of a single bed bug on any of them.

Our cruises almost always included pre hotel stays also. We never had a problem in any of them either.

There have been numerous threads on here already that have asked that same question and I believe 99 % of them got the same answer.

There will always be 1% who disagree to stir the pot. :D

And yes, some people who have seen them? could have brought them on board themselves from a hotel they stayed in.

[RCCLBaby]

Thanks what a load off my mind!

[Sue L]

Thanks what a load off my mind!

 

why have you started multiple threads on the subject?

[ehfl]

How would treating the ship in dry-dock help? They only go to dry dock every few years.

 

If you're worried about bringing bedbugs home from vacation, the best thing you can do is to treat your luggage before the vacation. It's simple and inexpensive.

[lissie0113]

I hate to tell you guys this but there is no spray to "treat" for bed bugs. The only way to kill them is extreme heat or extreme cold. This is why they are so hard to get rid off.

 

I am a medical practitioner in an urgent care facility, and i have treated several patients with both bed bugs and scabies contracted from very reputable hotels, but never a cruise ship.

 

I always just check the hotel on http://www.bedbugregistry.com which is starting to compile cruise ship complaints. Avoiding them is the best way possible... it can cost you thousands and thousands of dollars to rid yourself once you've fallen victim.

 

BUt the plus is.... they do not carry any diseases. Just a MAJOR sceevy itchy nuisance

[foxgoodrich]

Lissie is right! Avoiding bed bugs is the best way of dealing with them. Unfortunately, since the ban on use of DDT, they have become a very common problem. (Just look at the stats for NYC hotels...)

 

Do a google search for "bed bugs cruise ships" and you'll find several sources of reports. There have been incidents of bed bugs on several ships, and those cabins affected have been treated, with varying degrees of success. Bed bugs can't travel far, so they hitch rides with people - in clothing and luggage. Every bed bug on a cruise ship came on board with a passenger or crew member, who brought it from a pre-cruise hotel or even from home. So if the passengers in your cabin on the cruise before yours picked up a couple of bed bugs at a hotel and brought them onboard, they had a few bites during the cruise. Maybe they thought it was sand fleas from a beach day. They pack up and leave but the legacy (females lay eggs every 5 days...) in the cabin lives on.

 

The best advice is to bring a small flashlight and CHECK YOUR CABIN before you unpack! Adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed so they are easy to see. Look for live bugs, shed skins, eggs, & droppings in the bedding and the mattress. You probably won't find anything in the sheets as they are laundered so often, so be sure to look under them and inside the pillowcases. Also look in all the drawers (very easy - insides are painted white) and in the closet (you'll need the flashlight.) Check the upholstered furniture, stuff hanging over the bed (pictures, mirror, etc. - use the flashlight) and shine your flashlight over the carpet under the bed. I know it sounds like a lot, but it really only takes about 10-15 minutes, less if there are 2 people checking, and the peace of mind is priceless. You don't want to wake up with bites, and you don't want to take them home!

 

The picture shown here (link below) is pretty gross, but it kind of shows all stages of development, plus shed skins and droppings, so you'll know what to look for. The pic is a close up of the area under a chair cushion - you can see the upholstery staples.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lou_bugs_pix/1025024173/

 

Okay...so just make yourself a promise to CHECK the next room you stay in - hotel or ship. Prevention is a heck of a lot better than cure with bed bugs.

Judy