Question From A "Clean Freak"

[vacationfun]

Could those of you who have sailed HAL recently (particularly Zuiderdam) please advise whether or not they use plastic liners in the in-room ice buckets? Thanks a bunch!

[DFD1]

I can't speak about the Zuiderdam specifically, but I don't recall them on any of the five HAL ships on which I have sailed.

[spcl4cs_gal]

Unless they have started using them since March 12, they don't have them on the Zuiderdam.

[sail7seas]

I have never seen plastic bag liners used in any ice bucket in any cabin we occupied on a HAL ship.

[joramrose]

I have never seen plastic liners on any ice bucket on any ship I have sailed.

 

But I can guarantee you that the Amsterdam is clean, clean, clean. I don't know about other ships in the line, but I presume they all adhere to the same policies.

 

On an excursion before I boarded the ship, I rubbed huge blisters on my feet, and they were about to get infected. I visited the infirmary first thing, got some cream to rub on them and some band aids, which helped a lot.

 

But I could not get on shoes. I had failed to pack my very soft houseshoes, but all others rubbed me raw, so I ran around for six days in my stocking feet -- even on formal night!!!

 

Each night I was suprised to find that the bottoms of my socks, most of them white, were not soiled at all. All that vacuuming and scrubbing and sanitizing the ship's crew was doing---

 

Any ship that clean deserves a medal, plastic liners or no!!!!

 

love

joan

[Scrumpy]

vacationfun - my advice would be for you to personally wash the bucket upon arrival. I am far from germ-phobic, but I routinely travel with disinfectant spray to clean hotel rooms and cruise cabins are no different. Even if your bucket starts out clean, the steward could touch any number of surfaces and transfer something into the bucket that way. After the expose done on cruiselines, similar to the one about hotels, I don't think it's paranoid to want to spend just a few minutes making sure that the ice bucket, tongs and glasses are really clean. I also like to spray the floor (because I will be barefoot), bathroom surfaces, phone, tv remote, doorknobs, etc. It's a one-shot deal for me and I don't think about it again once it's done.

[FoxyTerrier]

vacationfun - my advice would be for you to personally wash the bucket upon arrival.

 

I would just bring my own liners before I start doing dishes in the cabin. :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

I, personnaly do not care for the new, smaller ice buckets. We have turned over a couple of ours, they are rusting out on the bottom.

[xpcdoojk]

I have never had a plastic liner in the ice bucket on any cruise I have taken.

 

jc

[dakrewser]

I, personnaly do not care for the new, smaller ice buckets. We have turned over a couple of ours, they are rusting out on the bottom.

 

And the tongs are worthless for picking up ice (which isn't in cubes, anyway!)

[sail7seas]

I don't care for the new ice buckets. I wasn't crazy about the old ones, either. The size of the old was better but they weren't very attractive.

 

[jhannah]

I also like to spray the floor (because I will be barefoot), bathroom surfaces, phone, tv remote, doorknobs, etc. It's a one-shot deal for me and I don't think about it again once it's done.

While this will help prevent bacterial infections, just remember that the common sprays/wipes are anti-bacterial and NOT anti-viral. Colds and the NLV are viruses, and anti-bacterial products are not effective in killing them.

[Scrumpy]

Good point. Nothing drives me crazier than people with viruses wanting to have antibiotics, btw. Have to be sensible or we all suffer. I wonder if a person could use shampoo to wash glassware, etc. and get the same effectiveness. It'd be a lot easier than trying to use bar soap.

 

What exactly are the symptoms of NLV and how does someone with digestive issues differentiate between their "normal" problems and NLV? Do you run a fever?

TIA!!!

 

While this will help prevent bacterial infections, just remember that the common sprays/wipes are anti-bacterial and NOT anti-viral. Colds and the NLV are viruses, and anti-bacterial products are not effective in killing them.

[bunduo]

Could those of you who have sailed HAL recently (particularly Zuiderdam) please advise whether or not they use plastic liners in the in-room ice buckets? Thanks a bunch!

 

No plastic liners but I'm pretty sure they clean the buckets of germs at least as often as they do the critter comforters on the beds.

[cruzincurt]

Never seen a liner either. We only use the bucket to keep the wine or water bottle cold. Besides the ice bucket, how about the ice machine? Ever seen a report on 7-elevens?

 

Even though I suspect the ship is a thousand times more sanitary, never use the ice for consumption unless ground up and mixed with significant amounts of alcohol.

[vacationfun]

Thanks everyone! My Lysol will be going with me!

[HeatherInFlorida]

Just spray that Lysol all over the inside of the ice bucket and you're good to go!;) . Seriously, why not just bring along some plastic baggies for the buckets? Won't take up any extra room and you'll feel more comfortable about it.

 

I used the old ice bucket to jam my door open to the verandah:D .

[M.S JAZO]

If you guys are "CLEAN FREAKS", I guess you didnt see PrimeTime Lives story on Cruise Ships and how dirty there are, it was on like 4 weeks ago, Carnival, HAL, RCI, Disney and NCL all featured. AMAZING, I will be cleaning a few things before i start touching around, but honestly, why the ice bucket? toilet seat, door handles, remote, bathroom top, shower handles are a bit more important, in my opinion.

[cruzincurt]

We take clorox wet wipes and upon entering the cabin wipe down everything we might touch, especially the TV remote and buttons. Casino chips have built in germ fighting coatings (not really). Wash often.

 

Our local grocery store now has antiseptic wet wipes at the door for you to wipe down the shopping cart handle. This is getting to be quite common, several of my co-workers will use a napkin to handle the salt shaker at the restaurant, I'm picking up the habit as well.

 

Also have a bottle of hand sanitizer in the car for use after pumping gas. My job often takes me to visit elementary schools. Yuck, I can't wait to wash my hands after leaving the school. First stop is that hand sanitizer in the car.

[Spender Nui]

Where is Howard Hughes when you need him?

[jhannah]

Yep! A true clean freak. And he died years before his time!

[dakrewser]

If you guys are "CLEAN FREAKS", I guess you didnt see PrimeTime Lives story on Cruise Ships and how dirty there are, it was on like 4 weeks ago, Carnival, HAL, RCI, Disney and NCL all featured. AMAZING, I will be cleaning a few things before i start touching around, but honestly, why the ice bucket? toilet seat, door handles, remote, bathroom top, shower handles are a bit more important, in my opinion.

 

No worse than any hotel room, restaurant or other public place...

 

And, as others have mentioned, anti-bacterial *stuff* is absolutely no use against viruses - which cause most common diseases (colds, flu, Norfolk virus, etc.)

 

The anxiety caused by worrying about the "cleanliness" of public spaces is probably a greater cause of distrss and disease than the bacteria that are present.

[Scrumpy]

Two words: Bodily fluids. Another two: Not mine. LOL!!! If I want to ingest the ice, I'd like to believe it is halfway sanitary. Certain types of fluids, well, they can travel.

 

Btw, I'd hardly characterize myself as a clean freak. Plenty of germs in my house, but that's okay. They're mine. Don't use all those anti-bacterial soaps around here. The only reason I have hand sanitizer is because I used to volunteer at a wolf rescue and wolves eat raw meat. In areas where there may be concentrations of new-to-me nasties, I'm careful. Otherwise, I'm downright cavalier. Some might even say "dirty" - which only proves that they are missing out on the joy of sharing their food/drink with animals ;)

 

If anyone wants something smaller than the Lysol wipes, I recommend the individually pre-packaged alcohol pads. They're tiny, but handy. You buy them by the box, open and use as needed. Never occurred to me to take them on a trip before...but doggone it, they deserve a vacation, too. :D

 

...why the ice bucket? toilet seat, door handles, remote, bathroom top, shower handles are a bit more important, in my opinion.

[cruzincurt]

"The anxiety caused by worrying about the "cleanliness" of public spaces is probably a greater cause of distrss and disease than the bacteria that are present."

 

Dave, not really anxiety but prudent care and prevention. Today's bugs are getting more tolerant. I'll err on the side of prevention with alcohol wipes just in case and use the hand sanitizer at the head of the Lido line.

 

Take care, the spelling police lurking on this board will call you up on "distrss".

[dakrewser]

Dave, not really anxiety but prudent care and prevention. Today's bugs are getting more tolerant.

 

And you know why, don't you? Because people are drowning their living spaces in Lysol!

 

Sure, wash your hands before eating (and many other times during the day) - soap and water work very, very well. The alcohol cleanser is a "when I can't get to soap and water" substitute and should be used as such. But drowning the cabin in Lysol does virtually nothing for your health.