Questions about the western Caribbean- Shots and $$$

[RIvacationgirl]

Are there any specific vaccinations we need to take to a cruise to the western Caribbean? I would also like to know if we can use U.S. money, or do we have to change currency any before going on the trip.

 

We will be going to Belize, Roaton, Costa Maya and Cozumel

 

Thanks ;)

[yoyocruiser]

Hahaha!! When I saw you thread title I thought you were wanting to know the price of shots at the different ports on the western cruise!! LOL ;)

 

Anyway, no there are no special shots that you have to have. That said, it is always a good idea to go to the State Department web site and check out if there is anything interesting related to any of the countries you are visiting. I also went to my doctor to find out if there was anything he recommended that was not per se required but that might be helpful. He suggested the flu shot because of travel on the ship--not the countries. He also gave me good recommendations about seasickness, and a recommendation for an over the counter medication for upset stomach.

 

There is no need to change any currency. Even when we went into port EVERYONE took American dollars.

 

We did that itinerary and it is a wonderful trip. Have a great time. :D

[DCP]

We did your cruise itenerary last year and loved it. I thought the same thing about shots!:D

 

We did a beach club at Costa Maya and had an hour long massage on the beach.....heavenly!!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[petitcanard]

Just speaking from a land vacation standpoint - we usually see a travel nurse to make sure nothing weird is going on at the time (IE we were recommended to take malaria tabs one time as where we were holidaying in the Dominican Republic had flooding and a mosquito/malaria outbreak). Other than that we've had our Hep A and B initial shots and boosters (which remain good for years), and make sure tetanus is up to date. Cruise would likely carry less risk than a land vacay I'd think, since you're not spending significant time in any one place, but for me Hep A and tetanus are musts at a minimum if I'm traveling outside of Canada/US - but that's just me! :) Your doctor would be able to give much better region-specific advice and as previous poster mentioned asking about seasickness meds is a good idea too.

 

I've never had issues in Mexico using US $. Ports of call boards for Roatan and Belize might have more info. For our Eastern Caribbean cruise coming up, the excursion companies we're using in St. Thomas and St. Lucia said US $ is just fine, so I'd assume Roatan & Belize would be the same?

 

And I also initially thought the same thing re cost of shots, when I saw the thread title... hahaha :D

[Buford T Justiice]

If you are a blood donor, you may be deferred for up to a year because of travel outside Belize City or to Roatan.

[rbrugler]

We have been to those ports. Make sure you take small bills with you. Never pay what they say to begin with. If you buy something larger, more than likely the store will take credit cards. Wood products are very nice in Roatan and inexpensive. Costa Maya is a cruise ship creation, so is standard souvenirs. Cozumel has larger stores, but a nice public square area where some neat things can be found. People like mexican vanilla and of course, rum cakes, which to me are a terrible rip off.

[RIvacationgirl]

Boy! I never thought my thread would be read that way!:o

[samfiremedic]

Everyone in those areas will take $$ :) Costa Maya was great. We've been to Maya Chan 4 times and love it every time. Will mss it on this cruise.

[Mom2B&Z]

We took this cruise last year and did a consultation with a travel medicine specialist. I got slammed on here for stating what they suggested, but here goes :rolleyes:

Hep A and B, tetanus and flu shots for everyone.

Oral medication for traveller's diarrhea

Precautions against mosquitos for our trip to Lamanai in Belize, which included light coloured, long sleeved clothing and insect repellant with DEET applied every 3 hrs (we used a 7% concentration since the kids were 6&4 yrs at the time of the trip).

Plus all of our usual vaccinations were updated.

This being said, I work in health care and I tend to err on the side of caution when we travel.

[janpa70]

If you are a blood donor, you may be deferred for up to a year because of travel outside Belize City or to Roatan.

 

This happened to my son when he went back to college last fall. We went to Cozumel, Belize, and such. He went to donate blood last fall and they asked him if he's been to certain places and when he told them they said he had to wait a year to donate. But I was talking to a nurse who works for our state health department and she told me that it shouldn't have been a problem for him to donate so I guess it's all who you ask.

[elektrawmn]

We're doing that same itinerary on the Dawn in about 25 days! :)

 

I think the MAJOR concern with these ports is the mosquito / bug issues. Lots of Deet and we should all be fine! :)

[Toyz711]

most of the vaccinations are recommended for longer stays or going deeper into the country. on the cruise you are not in port after dark, when the "skitters" come out.

since many of the vaccinations carry their own risks, we chose to not do them. we did lamanai and didn't have any bugs (we did shorts, good walking shoes and did have bug spray for the "in case").

if i was going to stay a week and venture in-country, yes i would do the vaccinations.