Cruising and returning with illness . Is it worth it .

[richfret]

I am asking the opinion of other cruisers and those who are yet to cruise . Yes and guess what I have experiences and opinions and the right to post them.

 

Yes you do and I have the right to answer with "Blaming cruises for the spread of diseases is silly".

[RuthlessBoss]

In my opinion, which the OP says is what he wants and is allowed, I think he got just what he was after, stirred the pot. :rolleyes:

 

I wonder why he chose the Carnival board to do this. Previous to posting 15 times here, he posted only on Oceana and Fred Olsen.

[srlafleur]

So far, I think I've developed a cold while on a cruise 3 times. Can I point definitively to having caught it ON the cruise? No, I cannot. Did I ever, even once, say "cruising's not worth it because I got sick"? Hellz, no!

 

Let me tell you a story:

My younger brother was somewhat of a daredevil as a child, with nary a thought to his well-being, lots of stitches, bumps and scrapes. Once he was old enough, he learned to pilot a glider, went rock climbing, joined the Navy and went scuba diving off Capri, jumped out of airplanes, and I'm not even sure what else. But he lived to the fullest, doing things that were relatively dangerous, but that he loved.

He died at 20. Was he participating in any of this hazardous behavior? No. He was walking facing traffic, on the correct side of the road. Doing everything right, nothing dangerous. He was struck from behind by a drunk driver, who was driving on the wrong side of the road.

 

Sure, take all the precautions you feel you need to, but for goodness sake, live your life!

[AdGuyMG]

Time to lighten things up a little.

 

How about that Ebola. Huh? What's the deal with that?

Edited August 13, 2014 by AdGuyMG

[Irishgrl68]

Wait, do I sanitize the wood before or after I touch it? And how many times should I touch it? Seriously, I think you are a little touched yourself. Go make yourself a cup of tea and dunk your McVitties chocolate digestive biscuit in it, you will feel better. :cool:

[pmms052999]

I haven't gotten sick on a cruise yet, however I've noticed that when I go out of town I tend to get sinus/congestion issues. I just figured it was the different environment I was in. It's surely not going to stop me from traveling!

[Florings]

It's totally your decision whether to cruise again. You might never get another illness in your lifetime while on a ship.

 

You are with crowds of people in the stores, restaurants, church, concerts, etc. All it takes is for one person to be contagious....

 

Let's face it, if you spend thousands on a cruise and get sick BEFORE you leave, you're probably going to sail anyway....if that happens, you might pass along something to someone else.

[Carnival Cutie]

It's totally your decision whether to cruise again. You might never get another illness in your lifetime while on a ship.

 

You are with crowds of people in the stores, restaurants, church, concerts, etc. All it takes is for one person to be contagious....

 

Let's face it, if you spend thousands on a cruise and get sick BEFORE you leave, you're probably going to sail anyway....if that happens, you might pass along something to someone else.

Good point!!

 

I got sick once on a cruise which kept me out of work for about a week but have not stopped cruising, I also got sick from travelling to Mexico and eating chicken on an excursion which included lunch but I still travel to Mexico. The thing is, you can get sick anywhere. I just make sure I travel with hand sanitizer and now with insect repellant. Don't want to be bitten by one of those pesky disease-carrying mosquitoes!! And I make sure while cruising I don't overtax myself to compromise my immune system.

[tkportersat]

In my opinion it is worth it; I have been on 14 cruises and never gotten sick.

 

Flew back from Vegas in May and was sick for two weeks. I will still go there again as well, but I think you have a better chance getting sick on a plane than a ship.

 

Most of my illnesses come from my cute little 4 year old, brought home from the petrie dish of a daycare.

 

Take a probiotic.

 

We have not cruised for a couple of years . Why? You might ask .

 

On returning from our last cruise I came back infected with a severe chest infection . Which persisted for about four month's .

 

We paid thousands of pounds to fall ill . Large numbers of people herded together increases the odds that you will catch something.

 

It is not worth it. There is no way to protect yourself .

 

No -one is suggesting that you avoid all contact with fellow human beings . But it is about odds and exposure .

[kenshaz]

Just some clarification for those struggling with The English language .

 

I posted on Carnival because they are the main company behind P&O etc.

 

There appears to be some who cannot grasp the idea that the risk factor of catching an airborne or body fluid virus is increased dramatically on board a ship.

 

There are some people who are vulnerable and may find that a virus causes complications .

 

The original question was an invitation for opinions and experiences .

[kenshaz]

Wait, do I sanitize the wood before or after I touch it? And how many times should I touch it? Seriously, I think you are a little touched yourself. Go make yourself a cup of tea and dunk your McVitties chocolate digestive biscuit in it, you will feel better. :cool:

 

Sanitisation using gel etc is a waste of time.Washing your own hands using the the medical surgical method will help . I personally do not go around the ship washing down wooden surfaces . But if that rocks your boat .Why not? Do it as many times as you want. I don't care .

 

I suggest you take your own advice . Sit down and take deep breaths and do not

get upset and feel the need to make a cruise forum personal. Go for a walk and smell the coffee.

[kona_wahine]

I guess I'd like to know why 5 years after you cruised you decided to come here and try to save people from cruising? You opened this can of worms, and you seem to be the one upset by it. Sorry, I'm just having fun waiting until April 18..... :p

[Ethel5]

I'm puzzled on why you posted this. You have already made up your mind that cruising made you sick and decided it is worth the risk. Everyone has to make up their own mind on cruising.

 

Personally, I have been on 36 cruises-mostly 10 nights and over, and have not gotten ill with respiratory or Noro. Yes I wash my hands and keep hands away from my face. I do not scrub down the cabin nor do I Lysol spray everything in sight. :)

[kenshaz]

So far, I think I've developed a cold while on a cruise 3 times. Can I point definitively to having caught it ON the cruise? No, I cannot. Did I ever, even once, say "cruising's not worth it because I got sick"? Hellz, no!

 

Let me tell you a story:

My younger brother was somewhat of a daredevil as a child, with nary a thought to his well-being, lots of stitches, bumps and scrapes. Once he was old enough, he learned to pilot a glider, went rock climbing, joined the Navy and went scuba diving off Capri, jumped out of airplanes, and I'm not even sure what else. But he lived to the fullest, doing things that were relatively dangerous, but that he loved.

He died at 20. Was he participating in any of this hazardous behavior? No. He was walking facing traffic, on the correct side of the road. Doing everything right, nothing dangerous. He was struck from behind by a drunk driver, who was driving on the wrong side of the road.

 

Sure, take all the precautions you feel you need to, but for goodness sake, live your life!

 

Thank-you for your contribution and I guess that you are right . None of us know what the next second will bring . I can imagine that you still feel the hurt.

Regards Ken

[srlafleur]

Thank-you for your contribution and I guess that you are right . None of us know what the next second will bring . I can imagine that you still feel the hurt.

Regards Ken

 

It's been 38 years, but I still miss him, of course. I didn't intend for this to be a "downer" post. Seriously, the consolation was that we could look at all the neat things he got to do and places he got to see before the ripe old age of 20. (He was killed on the base in Sicily). If he had either put it all off because of the "yeah, but, what if's...", he never would have done it all and we wouldn't be able to say "at least he enjoyed his life."

 

 

Could you get sick? Sure. And, of course, people with compromised immune systems know, or should know, how to minimize their own risks. For the rest of us, well, we do what we can, cross our fingers and just GO, for heaven's sake! Cliche, I know, but YOLO. :rolleyes:

[AdGuyMG]

I posted on Carnival because they are the main company behind P&O etc.

Carnival Cruise Lines does not own P&O Cruises. Carnival Corporation PLC does.

 

There is a P&O UK board here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=38

[cruzeluver]

There appears to be some who cannot grasp the idea that the risk factor of catching an airborne or body fluid virus is increased dramatically on board a ship.

 

 

But even with an increased risk, the odds are extremely, extremely low.

[Warm Breezes]

I've contracted Norovirus once....at my Mother-in-Law's funeral visitation. It was not only me but 75% of the family + others who attended. That has not stopped me from attending funerals:rolleyes:.

 

We have cruised 12 times. The only time any of us ever got sick was when DD, who boarded the cruise with a cold, passed it on to everyone but DS.

 

The only time I stopped doing something for fear a virus might hurt me was when my doctor told me to stop having children because a virus that was triggered by my pregnancy for DD attacked my heart giving me a peripartum cardiomyopathy that nearly killed me. Ok...2 kids were enough for me.

 

I was just watching a show on TV the other day about people (in various locations) getting norovirus from swimming in their local lakes. There was a story a month ago about people coming down with it in a nearby restaurant. A couple local schools were closed down last winter due to it. Norovirus can be caught anywhere. Putting yourself in a bubble and not going anywhere is your only way of protecting yourself 100%. I'm not willing to do that so I will take my chances and cruise and vacation to my hearts desire. Life is too short to worry about the "what-if's".

Edited August 13, 2014 by Warm Breezes

[Amerryscot]

We have not cruised for a couple of years . Why? You might ask .

 

On returning from our last cruise I came back infected with a severe chest infection . Which persisted for about four month's .

 

We paid thousands of pounds to fall ill . Large numbers of people herded together increases the odds that you will catch something.

 

It is not worth it. There is no way to protect yourself .

 

No -one is suggesting that you avoid all contact with fellow human beings . But it is about odds and exposure .

 

The chest infection is more likely to come from the flight rather than the boat.

 

The main way to avoid transmission of disease in almost all settings is frequent hand-washing.

[RuthlessBoss]

Just some clarification for those struggling with The English language .

 

I posted on Carnival because they are the main company behind P&O etc.

 

There appears to be some who cannot grasp the idea that the risk factor of catching an airborne or body fluid virus is increased dramatically on board a ship.

 

There are some people who are vulnerable and may find that a virus causes complications .

 

The original question was an invitation for opinions and experiences .

 

Why Haven't you posted your concern over on P&O, the offending ship? They need to be warned. Maybe they will share THEIR opinions and experiences. We over here that cruise Carnival ships don't need to contribute over what happens on another cruise line.

[Slugsta]

Yes, of course there is a higher risk of contracting an illness in situations where a lot of people are in a, comparative, small area. This includes cruise ships as well as places like schools and hospitals.

 

Yes, of course some people are more vulnerable to infection or more likely to become systemically unwell as a result.

 

We all carry out our own risk assessment, bearing the above facts in mind. Some of us decide that the risk is, indeed, not worth it. Others decide differently.

 

Personally, the only time I have been really sick on return from holiday was after a family trip to the north of my own country. I returned with 'flu and that progressed to pneumonia. No, I know that does not make me immune or invulnerable but, for me, the risks are worth taking.

[Out to sea!]

I guess you got lucky. We have cruised more than you and our luck ran out . Yours might also.

 

The length of exposure time wise is greater on a cruise and the virus has the opportunity to increase it's penetration and go round and around . Then it's percentage increases .

 

I am not talking about avoiding life . But a cruise is a unique experience and if you are vulnerable . Think about it.

 

I've been stationed all over the world among all kinds of viruses. I also taken land vacation all over the world.

 

To try and get people to stop doing something they enjoy just because there is a possibility of getting ill makes the same amount of sense as telling people to stop driving anywhere because of the possibility of getting into an accident (which is probably a better chance than getting ill on a cruise).

 

Luck or not, your pessimism will never stop me from doing what I enjoy. You can holler "the sky is falling" like chicken little till the cows come home but your warning has fallen on uncaring (not deaf) ears.

[Out to sea!]

I am asking the opinion of other cruisers and those who are yet to cruise . Yes and guess what I have experiences and opinions and the right to post them.

 

Actually you are arguing with the opinions of other posters. You got sick, many others haven't. Maybe the problem is you and not cruising (that's my opinion).

Edited August 13, 2014 by Out to sea!

[firerunner]

OMG Stop calling us "vulnerable"

 

I am "vulnerable" (that feels like a dirty word!) and thank you for worrying about me but trust me, I don't need your misplaced concern I and the millions of other sick and disabled people are fully aware of what our illness entails. Our doctors ,our caregivers, our families, remind us of our limitations. And we are fully aware of what we can and cannot do.

 

And many of us know that any day we could wake up and be unable to walk , just that quick.

 

And many of us know that any day, our disease could kill us, just that quick.

 

And yet we choose to live, we choose to cruise, sky dive, swim with the sting rays, ski, skate, and do anything we can.

 

For unlike healthy people we KNOW that it can end ..any time..we live with that knowledge daily.

 

I tell my family, that when I die, be it tomorrow, or 20 years from now, that I want no regrets. That I do not want to be on my death bed and say "Gee I should have gone cruising but I was too afraid I might get sick." Hell I am already sick LOL

 

I will do everything I can, I will see as much as I can, experience as much as I can and live my life to the fullest..and being "vulnerable" and living with this disease is not going to stop me..

 

and I honestly believe that most people dealing with chronic illness feels the same way...

[Hlitner]

I am talking about choice and awareness . I guess the need to work is a necessity and you work or don't eat . I paid to be sick.

 

We agree with you. You should certainly avoid further cruises, flying (ever worse for contracting infections then ships), crowds, etc. Staying in your home and avoiding all folks will certainly decrease your odds of contracting a communicable illness.

 

Bottom line is that some of us are bigger risk takers then others and you have made your fear of risk well known.

 

Hank