Freedom Jan 29th to Feb 6th - respiratory issues

[dansu]

Before I begin...there was nothing wrong with CCL staff as they were wonderful to us. Our balcony cabin was no different than in the past. The people we met were friendly and fun to be around...

 

I know this all sounds fine...a good cruise...wrong. It appears that CCL may have changed some of their cleaning products and they are no longer friendly. This was not only my assumption...I ran into several others suffering respiratory problems for the first time on a CCL ship, such as I.

 

Before the flames start, I will tell you I did not have a cold, flu or virus...I have asthma which has been well under conrol since 2004...

 

My first night on board I was having too fun to notice anything out of the ordinary...tequila shots will do this to you.

 

On Sunday I attributed my scratchy eyes and slight cough to the Habana Bar, whose band was totally incredible. I spent the day on deck sunning and drinking massive amounts of ice tea thinking I was a little hung over and dehydrated.

 

Monday, I spent outside it was windy...a short spell of rain and then back to sunshine...I figured whatever made me cough had passed...had the drink of the day as hubby wanted the funship cup so I bit the bullet... back in party mode. I looked forward to getting off in San Juan to walk around a bit and then back for our SunKing Steakhouse dinner, which if I may add was excellent...

 

I will now dawn my teflon...we are now back on board and heading to our cabin to change for our steakhouse dinner...there are fans on the floor in the hall...as we walked from the front of the ship to mid-aft ship cabin my eyes start to feel scratchy and my throat starts to burn...I start to weeze-cough. My husband looks at me with confusion...and I quietly say...I just need take my ventollin and symbicort...and I`ll be fine. I head to the balcony and take my medication, which I must say I haven`t seriously needed in years...I always carry it for the off chance that a situation may arise...and this was just that situation. I had a cold drink and sat for a few minutes...I was feeling better.

 

As we headed back into the hall I began to exhibit a repeat of what I had just encountered. I told my husband that I would be fine, and we headed up to dinner. I was coughing slightly...but chose to not let it ruin my husbands and my wonderful dinner. I was sure this too would pass...little did I know that this would be my last glass of wine...or any alcohol I would consume for the remainder of our trip. I left my very large opened bottle of cab sauv with 2 glasses gone for the cabin stewart to enjoy.

 

After dinner I went right back to the cabin and sat on the balcony to clear my lungs.

 

On Wednesday, as we headed off the boat for the beach...I had the same experience in the hallway. Whatever they were cleaning the carpets with was an irritant that my lungs did not like, and now they were using it in the elevators as well. We spent the day on the beach, but my lungs still had that burning feeling.

 

This continued for the remainder of the trip...even at sea.

 

It appears that when you are coughing-wheezing and you inform those around staring you that you are not contagious, a lot of other people with similar respiratory ailments confirm that this is the first CCL that has had the same effect on them...so I know I`m not the only one.

 

My husband tried to get me to go to the hospital as soon as we got off the ship. I told him I woud be fine. We stopped and picked up some delsym (cough suppressant safe for asthma) and an antihistamine, and I lay down at the hotel for a bit and then headed out to the beach. We had dinner at the hotel beach bar and then back to the room.

 

Monday we spent on the beach me coughing and hubby worrying. I told him I just needed another day or two to get the crap I breathed in on the boat out of my lungs...wrong...Monday night at dinner I almost passed out...and thats when I found out that my lungs were so irritated by whatever CCL used to clean their carpets...it showed up on the xray. Not pneumonia...not a virus...not a cold...my lungs were showing severe irritation, which left untreated could develop into something very nasty. I was given a heavy...and I mean heavy dose of oral steroids... ventollin masks... and antibiotics as they didn`t know what had caused the irritation but if it was related to the carpets they weren`t taking any chances of what CCL was trying to get rid of...and for my hubby they gave ME a double dose of tylenol with codeine so that I would sleep, and he could have his first real night sleep in days.

 

Well, we`ve been home since last Wednesday night... I`m still out of commission...but definately on the mend.

[lorijeannj]

Wow! Speechless.

Glad you are on the mend, keep us informed of any updates.

[dansu]

Wow! Speechless.

Glad you are on the mend, keep us informed of any updates.

 

I'm not the only one. Rollcall has fellow pax complaining to purser with similar issue and given the company cookie cutter reply.

[Mrs.C05]

Just lovely! I try and stay away from smokey bars, cigarette/cigar smoke, heavy odors of cleaning products, etc. since I had airway surgery last January. I certainly don't want anything irritating it.

 

Wonder if I can hold my breath walking to my cabin ;)

[halos]

:eek: That sucks. I hope you feel better soon....

I would write to CCL and let them know. If enough people had this issue and tell them, maybe they'll use something different in the future.

[Mrs.C05]

Anyone know if this is this only on the Freedom?

[dansu]

:eek: That sucks. I hope you feel better soon....

I would write to CCL and let them know. If enough people had this issue and tell them, maybe they'll use something different in the future.

 

PVP called to ask how cruise was and DH told her. She gave him CCL customer care...which I think should be renamed, as it became apparent to DH that they really don't care.

 

Would I cruise again...probably...would I cruise again with CCL...

[Chris41]

WOW Terrible

[dansu]

Anyone know if this is this only on the Freedom?

 

I've never had this experience before, and I have been on both the Legend and the Miracle, which I may add were constantly being cleaned while we sailed...we had more days at sea on both of those cruises...and I sat in smoky lounges and the casino on both cruises...and before you ask...No, I do not smoke.

 

I have a friend sailing on the Freedom's western itinerary this week. I am curious to see how he fares, as he too has asthma... I emailed him from the ship to make sure he came prepared.

[Katie John]

Sorry for the double post

[Katie John]

I just got off the Dream on Saturday. Me and my 2 children are also asthmatic and soon after boarding the ship we all became wheezy and coughed quite a bit. I also thought it was something on the ship but didn't even think about cleaning Products (duh!) I am still wheezy and have been using my inhaler twice a day since. It was also worse at night when in the stateroom.

I also noticed coughing by other passengers on the ship.

[Mrs.C05]

I've never had a problem on any of my cruises with them cleaning things, but didn't know if maybe they have changed some of their products for monetary reasons, yet it's a health hazard? I'm just a little more cautious now.

[CJinFLA00]

Oh No! Not the Freedom, that's our favorite ship. Hope you get over whatever it was and I'm sure they'll change whatever they were using. Would be bad news to cause cruisers to become sick.

[G'ma]

No cruise line is going to use a toxic chemical for cleaning.

 

Some may be sensitive to cleaning products...others are not...and to differing degrees.

 

It might be a good idea in the future to stock up on your asthma meds in case you run into another situation you may be ultra-sensitive to.

 

As for Carnival's response...what did you request they do? What would you have them do?

 

As the mother of 2 asthmatic kids...from birth...who are now in their late 40's, I can speak with some knowledge. From when they were diagnosed and found to be allergic to almost everything, we always traveled prepared for almost any eventuality. Today, they carry on the tradition...you just never know.

 

Carnival can't help your allergy symptoms.

[dansu]

No cruise line is going to use a toxic chemical for cleaning.

 

Some may be sensitive to cleaning products...others are not...and to differing degrees.

 

It might be a good idea in the future to stock up on your asthma meds in case you run into another situation you may be ultra-sensitive to.

 

As for Carnival's response...what did you request they do? What would you have them do?

 

As the mother of 2 asthmatic kids...from birth...who are now in their late 40's' date=' I can speak with some knowledge. From when they were diagnosed and found to be allergic to almost everything, we always traveled prepared for almost any eventuality. Today, they carry on the tradition...you just never know.

 

Carnival can't help your allergy symptoms.[/quote']

 

I did pack prepared...and I did have asthma meds; eventhough I may not need them very often..I still carry them daily. I would also like to add that I am not over-sensitive to cleaning products...as I do clean my own home...I work daily in a public building...I live in an area with high seasonal allergy rates and suffer no ill effects from any of these.

 

Yes, I packed for what I assumed I may encounter...I just wasn't prepared for whatever their fans were constantly emitting into the air. Perhaps next time...if there is a next time I should stop by the hospital emergency room first and ask for the megadoses of oral steroids I am still ingesting daily...just to be prepared!

 

...hence the mention of teflon in my first post

[arpie05]

thanks for the warning! Smoking bothers me and causes me to have asthma attack. I am not a sufferer. Just allergy induced so I suffer in the fall when there is lots of pollen. But if I breath in smoke it causes a reaction/flare up.

 

Hopefully there were enough complaints they will rethink whatever product it is!

 

Sometimes people don't know that it will cause... I am allergic to the flu shot. It took four years for my beef allergy to be diagnosised which is the connection. (Not eggs, not chicken)

[halos]

. She gave him CCL customer care...which I think should be renamed, as it became apparent to DH that they really don't care.

 

...

 

That's very sad and unfortunately not out of the ordinary these days with CCL.

I don't understand where the minds of the top brass are in this cruise line any more.....On our last CCL cruise, the waiter was telling us that all Cahill worries about is money. He brought it up. I certainly didn't ask. It was weird that he even started the conversation. It must have been bugging him for some reason.

It's a shame. They're causing what was once a very good cruise line to go downhill.