Bed Bugs on Gem???

[Trevor Fountain]

"bed bugs are on the rise again". Travelled many countries in my lifetime and stayed in thousands of hotels and a few ships, never encoutered a bed bug in my life.

[NLH Arizona]

"bed bugs are on the rise again". Travelled many countries in my lifetime and stayed in thousands of hotels and a few ships, never encoutered a bed bug in my life.

I'm right there with you; traveled extensively both on land and sea and have never seen or been bitten by one.

[Solararc]

I think this thread was started by someone with an axe to grind, I have never seen bed bugs anywhere but the discovery channel, be vigilant but chill out

 

 

*Living large one week at a time*

[sfaaa]

I have never encounter an ISIS terrorist either. Does that mean they don't exist?

[Solararc]

Nobody said bed bugs don't exist, but as far as the gem is concerned, staying on topic. No problem exists. As far as you ridiculous comment goes, why don't you join the team and find out first hand, mouthpiece

 

 

*Living large one week at a time*

[Windy56]

I have never encounter an ISIS terrorist either. Does that mean they don't exist?

 

Excellent comeback.

 

The OP's initial report was not hysteria driven. It was a factual account of what happened to her and her family on this ship. She didn't accuse NCL of any wrongdoing or negligence. She didn't want any compensation. She merely reported a case of bed bugs in her cabin and how it was dealt with.

 

Why on earth would this result in responses accusing her of lying or a demand that this thread be taken down? I am really starting to wonder about the motivations of some regular posters on this board. I have heard about brand loyalty before, but this borders on the irrational. People who cruise want to know these things. We can make our own judgements about the believability of a particular report, without posters devoted to the brand, resorting to rudeness and insults. These kinds of responses will prevent members from posting any negative reports on this board and as a result it will lose its credibility as a place to find and exchange information. I have wanted to do a comparison thread of our last year's back to back on the Carnival Breeze to our this year's back to back on the Norwegian Getaway but I can't stand the thought of the inevitable flaming that will occur when I criticize certain aspects of the Getaway and conclude with my preference for the Breeze.

 

This board is becoming a place that is not conducive to any kind of spirited debate or discussion unless there is rudeness, sarcasm or just good old mean behaviour. It's not about me or others getting a thick skin. It's about using a forum to exchange information and ideas, not barbs.

 

For the love of God, play nice!

[lgdesign]

This board is becoming a place that is not conducive to any kind of spirited debate or discussion unless there is rudeness, sarcasm or just good old mean behaviour. It's not about me or others getting a thick skin. It's about using a forum to exchange information and ideas, not barbs.

 

 

OMG... you have hit the nail on the head! Generally speaking, the snark level and rudeness on CC seems to be getting higher everyday. It's very disturbing and completely unnecessary. Mean spirited comments and nasty responses speak volumes more about the posters than they do about the OP or the original subject matter. Too bad for the rest of us!

 

Maybe the sarcasm and nastiness can be toned down a bit???? I will await the rude posts that are sure to follow these comments!

Edited March 20, 2015 by lgdesign

[Solararc]

Excellent comeback.

 

 

 

The OP's initial report was not hysteria driven. It was a factual account of what happened to her and her family on this ship. She didn't accuse NCL of any wrongdoing or negligence. She didn't want any compensation. She merely reported a case of bed bugs in her cabin and how it was dealt with.

 

 

 

Why on earth would this result in responses accusing her of lying or a demand that this thread be taken down? I am really starting to wonder about the motivations of some regular posters on this board. I have heard about brand loyalty before, but this borders on the irrational. People who cruise want to know these things. We can make our own judgements about the believability of a particular report, without posters devoted to the brand, resorting to rudeness and insults. These kinds of responses will prevent members from posting any negative reports on this board and as a result it will lose its credibility as a place to find and exchange information. I have wanted to do a comparison thread of our last year's back to back on the Carnival Breeze to our this year's back to back on the Norwegian Getaway but I can't stand the thought of the inevitable flaming that will occur when I criticize certain aspects of the Getaway and conclude with my preference for the Breeze.

 

 

 

For the love of God, play nice!

 

 

I have No love for God, free debate is the best way to get all the facts and opinions out here. Yes it's true sarcasm and insults fly, but really isn't all that bad, if you want support for your love of carnival perhaps posting a glowing review in the carnival boards is in you best interest, I didn't "drink the NCL cool-aid" but I certainly prefer them over other mainstream operators. As far as the original topic goes an isolated incident doesn't constitute a red alert issue so we can all relax and focus on real issues such as enjoying our much deserved and earned vacations

 

 

 

*Living large one week at a time*

[chengkp75]

She merely reported a case of bed bugs in her cabin and how it was dealt with.

 

 

No, the OP reported a case of what she perceived to be, and was never confirmed as a case of bed bugs. As I stated earlier in this thread, I have no idea of OP's experience level with sand fleas, and I seriously doubt that if the crewmember thought it was bed bugs, they would not have instituted more serious measures than changing the sheets. Remember, the crew live on the ship a lot longer than the passengers, and if bed bugs get on the ship, the crew will have to live with them longer as well.

[ldlewis45]

I'm sorry, but all we have here is someone with bug bites and a cabin steward that "confirmed" that they were from bed bugs. Somehow, I'm not very confident in a cabin steward's expertise in entomology and determining what is or is not a bed bug bite. Until there's more than one report of bed bugs on the Gem, I'm going to file this as a rumor and nothing more. Sure, it could be accurate, but it has just as good a chance (or better) of being an overreaction due to an inaccurate ID by the steward.

 

OP, if you actually did have bed bugs in your stateroom, you brought them home with you, too. You'll soon have an infestation that will prove that you were correct. If there were bed bugs in the room, they will have spread throughout the Gem and you will have brought them home with you in your clothing and luggage.

[din2play2]

I am the OP for this tread - I have not sailed on the Gem yet. I merely quoted someone that stated they had them, (please re-read #1). By the way, it was not confirmed.

 

I did NOT want to start a debate wither or not they DO exist on the ship or anywhere else in the world. I only wanted to know if there was something I could bring on the ship with me. (as I stated previously, I wish I had titled it differently).

 

For those of you who answered my question - THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

 

For those of you who have traveled to thousands of hotels/cruises wherever and never encountered even a bite - consider yourself extremely lucky, but if I were you, I would take my head out of the sand and face reality - THEY DO EXIST!

Even your 5 Star hotels/cruise ships have had them :eek: For you to think they don't is just plain ignorant and it's people like you that cause them to spread!

 

Now - we all know what we can or cannot do, so can we PLEASE just let this thread die out like bed bugs should :o

[staceyv64]

I had an infestation this past summer (no idea where they came from). I did a lot of research on how to make sure these critters never come home with me again, but they are everywhere these days! Previous posters say to check the sheets for red, brown, black stains...yes, definitely....but also pull the sheets back and check the seams of the mattress and pillows, especially tags. There are mattress covers that specifically block the bugs in, and you can get disks that go under the feet that block the bugs from climbing up the legs. If possible, DON'T put your suitcase under the bed, as the bugs hang out in out of the way places when they are not feeding (they feed on you when you are sleeping because they are attracted to your breath...the carbon dioxide). Chances are, there isn't much room in the cabin so if you must put the suitcase under the bed, bring large hefty bags to put them in while they are there. Be careful when you remove. I was told to never unpack or put clothes in the closet. That's difficult....but as another poster mentioned, leave everything outside the house and empty suitcase contents into a bag and wash and dry in hot water. Heat kills them.

 

Everyone has different reactions and reaction times to the bites. I had a delayed reaction, and the bites would surface 12 or so hours after I was bitten. These bites are unlike any other bite I have ever experienced. Way different than a flea or mosquito bite. I still have nightmares about them.

[missintuitive]

Wow! This corroborates with a yelp review I read stating cases of bedbugs on the gem. The person who posted on Yelp was upset about hearing about the infestation while on the ship and personally had an infestation in their home after returning from the ship (and upset about that too). MY opinion is where there is smoke, there is fire! I use Trip advisor, yelp, and cc for travellinsights. I have traveled extensively and have found other people's reviews and experiences helpful, both the good and the bad. A bedbug infestation on a boat that leaves out of Manhattan is NOT surprising nor unbelievable. My favorite movie theater on 42nd street once had a major bedbug outbreak. It's a public health risk the same as norovirus and the flu.

 

I really was having a hard time choosing between the gem and getaway. I know something like this could happen on either ship but I think it's more likely on a ship that leaves NYC. This is definitely going to be a major datapoint in my determination of the ship I cruise.

[newmexicoNita]

Wow! This corroborates with a yelp review I read stating cases of bedbugs on the gem. The person who posted on Yelp was upset about hearing about the infestation while on the ship and personally had an infestation in their home after returning from the ship (and upset about that too). MY opinion is where there is smoke, there is fire! I use Trip advisor, yelp, and cc for travellinsights. I have traveled extensively and have found other people's reviews and experiences helpful, both the good and the bad. A bedbug infestation on a boat that leaves out of Manhattan is NOT surprising nor unbelievable. My favorite movie theater on 42nd street once had a major bedbug outbreak. It's a public health risk the same as norovirus and the flu.

 

I really was having a hard time choosing between the gem and getaway. I know something like this could happen on either ship but I think it's more likely on a ship that leaves NYC. This is definitely going to be a major datapoint in my determination of the ship I cruise.

 

I have no idea if there are beg bugs on the Gem or anywhere else, but let me just put my 2 cents worth in: don't pay too much attention to anything you read on YELP. I personally know of several false reviews posted on there. Trip advisor and CC are different. Yes, you can still get a frustrated passenger that chooses to overstate, or down right not tell the truth, but that isn't the same as false reviews. I have learned to take every review with a grain of salt. Even here on CC and I trust them more than almost any other website I remember a time when an entire family wrote negative reviews, all under different names of course and I guess different computers. It brought the overall rating of a particular ship down for awhile. Obviously they had a bad experience or just wanted to gripe. It seemed to me, but I don't remember they had a couple of personal issues that could have been their own fault.

[lgdesign]

I am the OP for this tread - I have not sailed on the Gem yet. I merely quoted someone that stated they had them, (please re-read #1). By the way, it was not confirmed.

 

I did NOT want to start a debate wither or not they DO exist on the ship or anywhere else in the world. I only wanted to know if there was something I could bring on the ship with me. (as I stated previously, I wish I had titled it differently).

 

For those of you who answered my question - THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

 

For those of you who have traveled to thousands of hotels/cruises wherever and never encountered even a bite - consider yourself extremely lucky, but if I were you, I would take my head out of the sand and face reality - THEY DO EXIST!

Even your 5 Star hotels/cruise ships have had them :eek: For you to think they don't is just plain ignorant and it's people like you that cause them to spread!

 

Now - we all know what we can or cannot do, so can we PLEASE just let this thread die out like bed bugs should :o

 

 

Well said and on point!