Bed bugs on Oasis

[shaggyofwv]

So sorry you had this experience!!! :(

 

I drive my family crazy by always checking hotel rooms/cruise cabins for bed bugs before we unpack our suitcases!! You can never be too careful IMO.

 

 

Same here. I always check for bedbugs in hotels and cruise ship staterooms. I also spray my room down with Lysol disinfectant spray.

[Jenn31708]

The doctor is right, very rarely can a physician tell you what an allergic reaction is from. I don't have allergies, but I get an allergic reaction to certain lotions and powders.... and this only started in the last few years. Allergies and allergic reactions can start at any age, and they may never happen again.

 

 

So which is it? You said that the bad doctor said it was an allergic reaction, the good doctor said it was a bacterial infection but you think it was bed bugs?? Something doesn't add up. :confused:

[good2go]

I have about 15 min before my next flight so here goes....I hope none of you have to experience what I did on this trip. I'm not blaming RCI for bed bugs, but I am unhappy at their lack of a proactive approach to protect me, my room mate and future passengers in that state room by not making an assumption that bed bugs could be the culprit and having someone knowledgeable about them to check the room. Until my internet search this morning I knew nothing about them and my roommate thought you couldn't see them with the naked eye so when we saw the bug the first time we did not immediately think bed bugs. I hope for the sake of the next passengers that they weren't the cause, because right now I'm headed home to 20 degree weather and will have to strip down to nothing in my friends garage, bagging everything up and then head to the shower and hope that no eggs are on my person that could infect her house. Unfortunately, my formal dresses and some other clothing would never survive a hot water wash and dry. I'm still looking into how to deal with that.

 

I wish you all the best!

 

 

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[time4u2go]

I have about 15 min before my next flight so here goes....I hope none of you have to experience what I did on this trip. I'm not blaming RCI for bed bugs, but I am unhappy at their lack of a proactive approach to protect me, my room mate and future passengers in that state room by not making an assumption that bed bugs could be the culprit and having someone knowledgeable about them to check the room. Until my internet search this morning I knew nothing about them and my roommate thought you couldn't see them with the naked eye so when we saw the bug the first time we did not immediately think bed bugs. I hope for the sake of the next passengers that they weren't the cause, because right now I'm headed home to 20 degree weather and will have to strip down to nothing in my friends garage, bagging everything up and then head to the shower and hope that no eggs are on my person that could infect her house. Unfortunately, my formal dresses and some other clothing would never survive a hot water wash and dry. I'm still looking into how to deal with that.

 

I wish you all the best!

 

 

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OP, as for the delicate items, you could try just bagging them up, and maybe even leave them out in the cold. In any event, if you leave them bagged up, maybe the bed bugs will just die on their own, or at a minimum, you can take some time to research what to do. Perhaps dry-cleaning is an option? I don't know. Oh and don't forget about the suitcases themselves. Be sure they are not brought into a house, and are given enough time to allow any bed bugs present to die.

 

I've dealt with bed bugs before. They're not fun. It sounds like you have done your research and are taking the correct course of action. Good luck.

Edited December 7, 2013 by time4u2go

[seaofwonder]

If this is true and you and your suitcases are infected, there is a chance that you will spread it on the plane. I hope it isn't bed bugs!

 

Maybe someone brought sand fleas back from a previous cruise? Silly question, but who knows.

 

 

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[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

I have about 15 min before my next flight so here goes....I hope none of you have to experience what I did on this trip. I'm not blaming RCI for bed bugs, but I am unhappy at their lack of a proactive approach to protect me, my room mate and future passengers in that state room by not making an assumption that bed bugs could be the culprit and having someone knowledgeable about them to check the room. Until my internet search this morning I knew nothing about them and my roommate thought you couldn't see them with the naked eye so when we saw the bug the first time we did not immediately think bed bugs. I hope for the sake of the next passengers that they weren't the cause, because right now I'm headed home to 20 degree weather and will have to strip down to nothing in my friends garage, bagging everything up and then head to the shower and hope that no eggs are on my person that could infect her house. Unfortunately, my formal dresses and some other clothing would never survive a hot water wash and dry. I'm still looking into how to deal with that.

 

I wish you all the best!

 

 

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By not reporting your findings of what you now think was bed bugs, someone else now in that room may suffer what you and your friend went through. I'd hate to think you could have prevented and out break to others and didn't think to mention it to the room steward and hotel manager. I'm sorry you and your friend are suffering, but I also worry about the other people now in that room and hopefully they don't have small children or are elderly! Such a Shame.

[good2go]

I reported everything as soon as it happened. Not sure what you're talking about. RCI wasn't interested in doing anything proactive.

 

 

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[luv2cruiserccl]

If this is true arnt there some email address for rci onboard she could email?

 

 

Sent from my phone using Tapatalk 2- Please excuse any errors.

[Sherlock43031]

so now that you are back what does your primary care doctor have to say?

[good2go]

I'm not 'back' yet. I just got off the boat this morning. I've called RCI as soon as I saw what a bed bug looks like and recognized that I saw it in my room that day right after I got out of customs because they wouldn't let me use my phone in customs. They were supposed to call me back. I've yet to receive a call. I will be headed to the walki-in clinic when it opens in the morning.

 

 

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[mdwcruises]

Yikes! I hope you get it sorted out soon. Sounds pretty awful!

[time4u2go]

so now that you are back what does your primary care doctor have to say?

 

I'm guessing that with it being Saturday night, they probably haven't seen their primary care doctor, nor will they until at least Monday morning.

[sharod]

I'm guessing that with it being Saturday night, they probably haven't seen their primary care doctor, nor will they until at least Monday morning.

 

The OP mentioned going to a walk-in clinic. Around my area, they are open 7 days a week. So maybe he will go tomorrow morning.

[05mak05]

You have my sympathy. I also have an allergic reaction to wasps, bees, mosquitos and various bug bites. Since you saw a bug, bed bugs do seem to be the likely culprit. Thanks for bringing this to the attention of RCI and also to everyone to make sure to check for bed bugs before unpacking (I have good intentions but usually forget to do so.) Here is my odd story and yet another theory. Friends gave us a small ficus tree probably 20 years ago. It finally grew to touch the ceiling. My husband took it outside when it dropped leaves and nursed it back to health (he has several green houses.) Anyway, he brought the plant back into the house in the fall and I started having vicious bites on my lips and my face at night as we sat watching TV. This went on for months. I fussed that he was bringing mosquitos into the house with him after working out in the yard. We sprayed, had several professional pest control treatments … nothing helped and I was getting crankier by the minute. No one else ever got stung. I finally set off bombs in the house out of desperation. My husband called me to the backdoor and pointed out tiny little spots on the glass saying "those specs are tiny little bugs." Well, as it turns out they were no-see-ems which I had never heard of before. We're in Central Texas and not close to a beach nor sand. Apparently some of my husband's potting soil was infested with these horrible nasty little insects. People could easily carry these from sandy beaches to some of the shrubbery on the ship. Farfetched, I know, but possible. And, from personal experience, I am betting that the doctor you see will not be able to tell you the source of your bites. Feel better and keep us informed.

[Coralc]

Here's a great article with a picture. And...did you notice these bites the day after your beach days? Ours did not appear immediately, but the next morning. And several even appeared after cruise, which the girl in the article said she also experienced.

 

http://woodbridge.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/sand-fleas-another-reason-to-avoid-the-beach

 

This is of bed bug bites:

as you can see they look almost identical.

 

I think it is probably "no-see ums". You can SEE sand fleas, and I think you would notice if they were actually biting you, they aren't that small.

 

This is a photo of my incredibly swollen feet, with no see um bites:

 

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z78/plhunt2/005.jpg

 

And they continue to show up in great profusion for several days after you are bitten. And no see ums are incredibly prevalent near the water, in damp places, and on the beach. They aren't sand fleas. They are biting midges and they are about the size of a period at the end of a sentence....

 

:rolleyes:

Edited December 8, 2013 by Coralc

[Ready2Pac]

I feel sorry for this traveler and her roommate. I'd be curious to find out who was in the room earlier and whether or not they had issues...I bet they did. Considering the doctor mentioned bed bugs, makes me think that Royal Caribbean must know that they may have a problem and I think it is very bad form that they are not doing more to 1.) find out if bed bugs are the issue and 2.) take precautions to protect the next passengers. Who knows who the next passengers will be? Would you want to be the next passenger in that room? If anything is "fishy", it is the fact that Royal Caribbean doctors didn't ask more questions and try to find out the issue. Could it be sand fleas? Well, by the comments I think the doctor already knew it wasn't since it was mentioned that the symptoms started after a full day at sea, with no beaches available. What else could it be? A bacterial infection? Maybe. But, in this industry, shouldn't the cruise lines be MORE than vigilant to be on the look out for bed bugs if they are even a POSSIBILITY??? I would certainly hope so. How much time would it take to send a maintenance person to their room to check for bugs??? It seems to me just the opposite has happened by the run around that these passengers seem to have gotten. I feel sorry for both you and your roommate and I hope that you are both able to eradicate any infestation your clothes and luggage may have. I also hope that Royal Caribbean takes whatever measures necessary to find out if they have a bed bug problem and protect their current and future passengers.

[Coralc]

05mask05 I didn't read your post before I posted. I think no see ums are the cause of a lot of these bites. They are very prevalent in the Caribbean, and have spread to all of the islands with the wind and hurricanes. The "sand flea" thing gets to me, because it is misguided and wrong. It's possible the OP may have had bedbugs, if they found a bug in the stateroom. It's too bad they didn't capture it.

 

And just a note, bedbugs don't lay eggs on your body. Folds or cuffs on clothes, maybe, but not on your body.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Coralc

[good2go]

I feel sorry for this traveler and her roommate. I'd be curious to find out who was in the room earlier and whether or not they had issues...I bet they did. Considering the doctor mentioned bed bugs, makes me think that Royal Caribbean must know that they may have a problem and I think it is very bad form that they are not doing more to 1.) find out if bed bugs are the issue and 2.) take precautions to protect the next passengers. Who knows who the next passengers will be? Would you want to be the next passenger in that room? If anything is "fishy", it is the fact that Royal Caribbean doctors didn't ask more questions and try to find out the issue. Could it be sand fleas? Well, by the comments I think the doctor already knew it wasn't since it was mentioned that the symptoms started after a full day at sea, with no beaches available. What else could it be? A bacterial infection? Maybe. But, in this industry, shouldn't the cruise lines be MORE than vigilant to be on the look out for bed bugs if they are even a POSSIBILITY??? I would certainly hope so. How much time would it take to send a maintenance person to their room to check for bugs??? It seems to me just the opposite has happened by the run around that these passengers seem to have gotten. I feel sorry for both you and your roommate and I hope that you are both able to eradicate any infestation your clothes and luggage may have. I also hope that Royal Caribbean takes whatever measures necessary to find out if they have a bed bug problem and protect their current and future passengers.

 

You have perfectly stated my complaint.....thank you! I just got finished stripping and showering and bagging up my luggage that will stay outside all night until I can deal with it in the morning. I've ordered a heat box that I can put my suitcase and other non-washable items in to kill any eggs, larvae,or adult bed bugs. I hope to find another dead 'bug' in my suitcase after I treat everything since that will be the only way to know it was a bed bug issue. I wish I could have got at least a photo of that bug, but they are very fast and to be honest, I had no idea what a bed bug looked like or was at the time. I still have not heard back from RCI. I really hope they didn't put anyone in that room.

 

As for no-see-umps, chiggers, sand fleas, and the rest, I don't want to rule them out, but I've been bitten by chiggers, no-see-umps, and sand fleas in my lifetime with no issues before. I've also traveled quite a bit and am very active and camp all the time, so I'm not new to bugs, except bed bugs that us.... :). I will be more informed for the future for sure!

[Coralc]

I hope to find another dead 'bug' in my suitcase after I treat everything since that will be the only way to know it was a bed bug issue. I wish I could have got at least a photo of that bug, but they are very fast and to be honest, I had no idea what a bed bug looked like or was at the time. I still have not heard back from RCI. I really hope they didn't put anyone in that room.

 

 

They are very fast. They almost look like ticks, so I was surprised at how fast they move when I was looking at a jar of them. I was at a bedbug conference.

[sammerz]

Bed bugs are very small and they like to hide in the cracks of the mattress. If your sheets were white or light colored there would be blood trails.

[jonbgd]

They are very fast. They almost look like ticks, so I was surprised at how fast they move when I was looking at a jar of them. I was at a bedbug conference.

Can you elaborate:confused:

[Coralc]

Can you elaborate:confused:

 

What? I'm a government biologist, bedbugs are a resurging problem. I know SF has held several all day conferences on the problem. I attended one in the East Bay. There was one this year in November in Alameda.

 

Just like any other training with speakers, PowerPoint presentations, jars of bed bugs, detection, control, public housing and hotels and specimens.

 

Sign up for the email list or check out events from vector control or the health dept. :D

 

And I was surprised...all the slides don't actually prepare you for how fast they are. They look sort of like ticks, and I just sort of "assumed :rolleyes:" that they would move slowly like ticks. When they get warmed up in the jar and excited, they scurry. Oh yeah, and the speaker showed us the photo of the bites. He feeds them on his arm. Eeeww.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Coralc

[JamesEM]

Sorry for your problem, but thanks for the info this thread has provided.

[UNV-IT!!!]

I just got off oasis too. No bed bugs or issues with any crew members. Including the medical staff.

[killtheump]

I have been it the pest control industry for well over 20 years and have experience with bed bugs. Are they a problem, yes big time. They are very hard to control and eliminate. I often wondered how the cruise ship industry would handle a problem with bed bugs. The process is not a 10 minute fix, it takes hours or even days. In hotels if bed bugs are found in 1 room we treat that room and also treat the rooms on either side and the rooms above and below. Very time consuming and expensive. Most hotels can shut down these rooms for a few days or a week so the treatment can be done. A cruise ship does not have that luxury. I know that Royal does have professional pests control technicians on board. I would think that housekeeping has been trained to detect any signs of bed bugs. The cruise industry cannot afford to to let the problem get out of control. Bed bugs are transported by people. With many guests staying at many different hotels and coming from many different countries , I see no way of keeping them off the ship. As of right now there is no preventive pest control measures to keep them out. Many hotels, dorms, cruise ship etc. are using bed bug proof encasement covers for the beds, this keeps them off of the mattress and box springs.

All this being said there are a few things we can do to help protect ourselves and not spread them. Yes check bed, dressers, desks etc. for any signs before we unpack. Hang your clothes don't put into dressers, if you do use zip-lock bags, (have you noticed socks, underwear etc. are being sold with a ziplock), big garbage bags ( they also sell bed bug proof luggage covers) to cover your luggage, don't put your shoes under the bed under the sink in the bathroom is better or on the shelves in the closet, dirty laundry in plastic sealed bags. When you get home put your clothes in the dryer first (heat kills bed bugs & their eggs) then wash, check your luggage.

If you do find bed bugs try and catch it and report it immediately to the proper people. Most Front desk clerks at hotels don't make a lot of money and don't really care, ask nicely for a manager. Don't make a big scene that is not helping anything. I have had so many calls to check for bed bugs because someone complained about them and found no signs of any. The spider used to get blamed for a lot for biting people now it is the bed bug, when in reality it could be another insect or a skin problem. Not all bites are bed bugs. Don't call out hotels, cruise ships, etc. on the internet unless you are 100% positive that is what they are. When you do most will call their pest control company to check to see if there is a problem. Most of the time I don't find a problem. Of coarse Most of your higher end hotel chains will pay and take care of the problem quickly. Some of the lower end chains not so much, they do not want to spend the money and try doing themselves. Many of the lower end franchise owners will not spend the money until it is out of control. The higher end ones have very strict polices for the franchise owners.

Just take some care and precaution and you will be fine. It only takes a couple of minutes to check your room.

As a matter of fact I have not been working for the last few weeks because I tore my rotator cuff and had surgery. I was moving some furniture while treating a place for bed bugs. I guess they can hurt you!