Bed Bugs on Gem???

[din2play2]

Heat kills bed bugs. Let the cruise ships, hotels, etc. know if you think you find a problem and let them deal with it. I guarantee they know what to do. But the best thing you can do is not bring them into your own home. When I get home from a trip, I strip down in the garage (drastic yes. But an easy thing to do. And worth it.) I wash and dry EVERYTHING I brought with me, even if it is "clean." For things that can't go in the dryer, I vacuum thoroughly and sometimes I get creative. If it's summer, put them in a closed car in the sun for a day. A hot car for several hours is all it takes. There are many REPUTABLE sites that tell you how to prevent the spread of bed bugs that don't require you to BUY anything! If we were all more diligent, we might be able to quell the spread of bed bugs.

 

Good idea!

 

This is what I'll be doing so hopefully I won't have to do the above ;)

[Weluv2cruise2gether]

Sorry, yes they are called buggy beds. I was half asleep when I posted the name last night.

[mitsugirly]

Good idea!

 

This is what I'll be doing so hopefully I won't have to do the above ;)

 

Excellent link. I guess I have never thought about checking the luggage stand. I will be adding this to my list to do when I enter the hotel rooms. :)

[jackson bernard]

I am not even going to chance it. No gem for us.

[Weluv2cruise2gether]

If you won't take a chance on the gem, then you better not travel at all anymore. Bed bugs are a problem all over and you run the risk of them everywhere you go. I work in an ER and we see cases every week. About half the cases are people who recently returned home from a vacation somewhere. You can pick them up anywhere you go and sit down or place your belongings down. I will be on the gem on 3\27 and will just be diligent and keep checking my stuff. Life is too short not to enjoy yourself.

[din2play2]

If you won't take a chance on the gem, then you better not travel at all anymore. Bed bugs are a problem all over and you run the risk of them everywhere you go. I work in an ER and we see cases every week. About half the cases are people who recently returned home from a vacation somewhere. You can pick them up anywhere you go and sit down or place your belongings down. I will be on the gem on 3\27 and will just be diligent and keep checking my stuff. Life is too short not to enjoy yourself.

Totally agree with you - would NEVER let it stop me. You can get them ANYWHERE - restaurant, movie theater, someone even had them at work. We don't even know if this is true! You can't let something like this stop you unless you plan on never leaving your home.

You just need to be aware and take precautions ;)

P.S. - I'll be on the Gem in April - Can't Wait!!!

Edited March 12, 2015 by din2play2

[mommyto2girls]

We were on the same cruise as the OP who had the supposed bed bugs.It was our 10th cruise on the Gem in four years. Not one word was spoken by anyone we met over 10 days about bed bugs. Not one other person from our cruise posted about bed bugs, that is because THERE ARE NO BED BUGS ON THE GEM. This thread should end.

[peg013]

We were also on the same sailing and I coordinated the Meet & Greet, a Cabin Crawl and two Slot Pulls. One slot pull was the 1st full sea day and the other was the second to last full sea day. Not one word was mentioned to me or any one else that I talked to on the ship about any bed bugs, or even bites of any kind. Word of bed bugs would travel fast if there were any - which there wasn't!

[jackson bernard]

If you won't take a chance on the gem, then you better not travel at all anymore. Bed bugs are a problem all over and you run the risk of them everywhere you go. I work in an ER and we see cases every week. About half the cases are people who recently returned home from a vacation somewhere. You can pick them up anywhere you go and sit down or place your belongings down. I will be on the gem on 3\27 and will just be diligent and keep checking my stuff. Life is too short not to enjoy yourself.

 

 

You're right, but with so many choices out there I am certainly not going to pick one with a reported bed bug problem.

[din2play2]

You're right, but with so many choices out there I am certainly not going to pick one with a reported bed bug problem.

 

First of all it was never confirmed.

Second - I'm sure if u looked up every ship from every company you will find at least 1 post mentioning them somewhere along the line.

Third - For you NOT to go on the Gem is ridiculous - you might as well NEVER vacation again via cruise or hotel

 

I started this thread ONLY to find out if there was some kind of traveling spray out there for them. Maybe I should have titled it differently - too late now.

[ginny0034]

I too was on this 10 day cruise. If there was a case of bed bugs word would have gotten all over the ship, no one heard this at all. GEM is a great ship, the crew works hard to keep it clean and shiny!

[hpecorari]

Sometimes one goes to a beach. That beach has sand-flies.

People get bitten up. A day or two later they start itching.

 

Maybe that was the problem.

 

Harriet

[newmexicoNita]

This subject pops up every few years; it is either a ship, a hotel or whatever, but rarely is it confirmed. I would be pretty spaced out if I really thought the bed I was sleeping in I was sharing with both my husband a lot of bugs. My husband can be bad enough.

 

That being said, I don't think there is much that can be done while the passenger is in the cabin. it takes some effort to eleminate the little fellows.

[dna529]

Sometimes one goes to a beach. That beach has sand-flies.

People get bitten up. A day or two later they start itching.

 

Maybe that was the problem.

 

Harriet

 

Exactly. This happens to me every cruise. It's never bed bug bites. Even with bug spray they eat me up!

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

[zubee23]

Stateroom 9524 was bed bug free in November 2014!

Pristine! Immaculate! Staff was lovely.

Gem is one of my favorite ships. I don't bother listing cruises I've been on but I am at NCL's Platinum level. Also, totally bug phobic. I can pick out a moth (totally irrational fear of those) on flocked wallpaper! If there is a bug to be found, I'll spot it. Think part of the reason I like cruising is the absence of bugs, vermin - whatever.

NCL staff keeps everything so clean and tidy.

[travelady65]

Bed bugs are everywhere these days and spreading fast. Consider yourself lucky if you haven't encountered them. I picked a few up last year most likely from taking public transit. Besides nasty bites, these evil critters cost me $600 on pest control plus I had to throw out all my bed sheets, pillows and a bunch of clothes in my closet. It can easily happen on cruise ships or anywhere where people congregate.

 

Yes you can encounter bed bugs anywhere, and you can be the cleaniness person....I to encountered a few of the critters from public tranisit, as i take the buss back and forth to work...but i didn't notice them at first...when i started to notice i thought that they were ticks, as i do have a dog...i use the Frontline Plus on the dog, and that is suppose to keep the ticks off the dog....I still did nothing about it, as it seemed that they disappeared...didn't seem any more...the next week i went to turn over my mattress on the bed...and OMG...i saw all this black little critters....blood stains...and black stains all over my mattress... Not only was it me...but the entire complex in my apartment building was invested with these critters... had to throw out my mattress and complete bedroom set, living room, clothing in my closet etc... needless to say i moved from that complex but fast...

 

But getting back to the subject, you can encounter bed bugs anywhere...on public transit, in a hotel, a restaurant, on a cruise ship....My boyfriend who works on a cruise ship.....he is the facitlities dispatcher...already told me that you can encounter bed bugs on a cruise ship....from checking in your luggage at cruise terminal...or airport....but that they do have all the proper chemicals onboard to fumigate and get rid of them....and them if you should notice them in the cabin, you must report this matter to the Hotel Director immediately....DO NOT WAIt!!!!

[travelady65]

Dryer sheets will not get rid of (or keep away) bed bugs. Changing the sheets OR the entire mattress will not get rid of bedbugs. You can fumigate until your hearts content, but if they're on the ship, they're ON THE SHIP. They travel in the walls, the electrical...everywhere. So if they have been spotted in 1 room, I can guarantee they are in others. My boss was head of the "bud bug committee" here in my home state (which happens to be the 3rd state on the list for the outbreak of bedbugs). Also working at the hospital for so many years, we would have Orkin come out to spray rooms with patients that brought in bedbugs...they would flat out tell you that they are everywhere once they get into something. They would come out and wipe everything down and spray with a substance that contained some type of alcohol (because spraying alcohol on them kills them). The rate at which the eggs hatch and then become mature to reproduce and lay more eggs is like only weeks. Then of course you have the fact that they can live for an entire year without feeding on any host. :eek: Nasty nasty critters!

 

You are so so right.....Once you have bed bugs they get into everything.....At first i didn't know what they were, as i have a dog, and i thought at first that they were either fleas or ticks.... they were all over my apartment....they were in the rugs...and i had white carpeting so they were easy to see, they were in my furniture, i had a wood dining room, and entertainment center, they were living in them, my entire bedroom set including matteress....notified the maintentance in the aprartment complex, and he came into and told me that these were bed bugs and the entire building that i livied in were invested with them also.... the exterminators notifed all of us we had to get rid of everything, furniture, bed room set....clothing....everything that was in that apartment i had to get rid of....i cannot tell you how much it cost me to replace it with new....needless to say i moved out of that apartment fast...i did not move back in there with new stuff.... and you can encounter these anywhere...but the exterminator told us that being that we are all attached in one building....that these critters travel...and if one apartment has them....everyone else has them as well....

[ColinIllinois]

We were on the same cruise as the OP who had the supposed bed bugs.It was our 10th cruise on the Gem in four years. Not one word was spoken by anyone we met over 10 days about bed bugs. Not one other person from our cruise posted about bed bugs, that is because THERE ARE NO BED BUGS ON THE GEM. This thread should end.

 

 

Not to be snarky but that would be impossible for you to know.

[alicia68]

Well you really are quite rude. My experience on the ship I am sure was different from yours. Like I said the room steward looked at the bites and said they were bed bug bites. He did change bedding including bed skirt etc and had them come to spray. We were also told that there were no available rooms left on the ship. No we did not ask for compensation, why would we? This is not a problem only for ships, but for private homes, business, hotels etc. Other people had the same problem but not everyone is on cruise critic

I only posted it to give people a heads up to check once they get to their cabin. If you dont want to check, so be it. There really is no reason to be as condescending as you are.

 

 

We were on the same cruise and I do not believe Bed Bugs were ever verified. Another case of screaming fire in a crowded movie theater.

 

If you had Bed Bugs wouldn't you have reported it immediately to the HD not the room Steward?? Wouldn't you have had your room changed? (and there were available rooms)

 

This was posted as" by the way " under a thread called "Gem Medical in New York" really this is not even worth discussing.

[newcruiser48]

You are so so right.....Once you have bed bugs they get into everything.....At first i didn't know what they were, as i have a dog, and i thought at first that they were either fleas or ticks.... they were all over my apartment....they were in the rugs...and i had white carpeting so they were easy to see, they were in my furniture, i had a wood dining room, and entertainment center, they were living in them, my entire bedroom set including matteress....notified the maintentance in the aprartment complex, and he came into and told me that these were bed bugs and the entire building that i livied in were invested with them also.... the exterminators notifed all of us we had to get rid of everything, furniture, bed room set....clothing....everything that was in that apartment i had to get rid of....i cannot tell you how much it cost me to replace it with new....needless to say i moved out of that apartment fast...i did not move back in there with new stuff.... and you can encounter these anywhere...but the exterminator told us that being that we are all attached in one building....that these critters travel...and if one apartment has them....everyone else has them as well....

 

My husband owns a pest control company, I've worked for him since 1996 and know more than I ever wanted to about bed bugs. Furniture can be treated, clothing and personal items can/should be laundered and dried as hot as possible or treated in an enclosed container to eliminate bed bugs. We also use a vacuum for large infestations. Granted, it could take a few applications of insecticides, but it will work. So sorry you had to get rid of so much. Apartments are trickier than single family homes. Some just can't afford the cost of these very involved treatments, and if all units aren't treated, the insects could travel everywhere in the building.

[Trevor Fountain]

What is this thread supposed to achieve? So one person who claims to have bed bugs on the ship has to tell everyone else so they can be stopped from looking forward to a future vacation.

If there was a problem, report it on the ship, let the staff take care of it, and let everyone else look forward to a great trip.

[sfaaa]

Yes you can encounter bed bugs anywhere, and you can be the cleaniness person....I to encountered a few of the critters from public tranisit, as i take the buss back and forth to work...but i didn't notice them at first...when i started to notice i thought that they were ticks, as i do have a dog...i use the Frontline Plus on the dog, and that is suppose to keep the ticks off the dog....I still did nothing about it, as it seemed that they disappeared...didn't seem any more...the next week i went to turn over my mattress on the bed...and OMG...i saw all this black little critters....blood stains...and black stains all over my mattress... Not only was it me...but the entire complex in my apartment building was invested with these critters... had to throw out my mattress and complete bedroom set, living room, clothing in my closet etc... needless to say i moved from that complex but fast...

 

But getting back to the subject, you can encounter bed bugs anywhere...on public transit, in a hotel, a restaurant, on a cruise ship....My boyfriend who works on a cruise ship.....he is the facitlities dispatcher...already told me that you can encounter bed bugs on a cruise ship....from checking in your luggage at cruise terminal...or airport....but that they do have all the proper chemicals onboard to fumigate and get rid of them....and them if you should notice them in the cabin, you must report this matter to the Hotel Director immediately....DO NOT WAIt!!!!

 

I feel your pain. Sometimes, I still have nightmare wondering when these nasty critters are going to once again invade my bedroom. Once bitten, twice shy.

[OceanBlue123]

This thread is creeping me out.

[b_cruise]

What is this thread supposed to achieve? So one person who claims to have bed bugs on the ship has to tell everyone else so they can be stopped from looking forward to a future vacation.

If there was a problem, report it on the ship, let the staff take care of it, and let everyone else look forward to a great trip.

 

I think a lot of people are getting their " backs up" for nothing. I believe the whole thread is just to make people aware bed bugs are on the rise again, and it is your responsibility to check your room be it a hotel, cruise etc. Report anything immediately so it can be fumagated and try not to spread the bugs. It is not to ruin anyone's vacation , just to be proactive.

 

I put my suitcases in the garage when returning and make certain all clothing gets washed on very hot.

 

Honestly though if I saw bed bugs on my bed on a cruise and they could not move me, I would be very upset! But your kind of stuck..Gosh!! .tough one!

[lgdesign]

i think a lot of people are getting their " backs up" for nothing. I believe the whole thread is just to make people aware bed bugs are on the rise again, and it is your responsibility to check your room be it a hotel, cruise etc. Report anything immediately so it can be fumagated and try not to spread the bugs. It is not to ruin anyone's vacation , just to be proactive.

 

Well said!

Edited March 18, 2015 by lgdesign