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Bed bugs on RC Liberty of the Seas 7/10-7/17

Ufam5

By Ufam5,
in Royal Caribbean International

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willcruise24

willcruise24

Posted
Posted

Everyone should check ALL beds for signs of bed bugs, before you take any of your belongings into the room. Bed bugs can be every where, not just cheap hotels...! I was on NOTS and the second night I found two bites on my leg, I told my room stewart and the "bug" guy came and tore my bed apart, using a flash light. He go them, because I was not bitten any more.

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time4u2go

time4u2go

Posted
Posted
You can rest assured your cabin has been checked, every time the sheets are changed and on turn around day. The hotel staff are trained for these kinds of things. And I suspect your cabin was checked again since you contacted them.

 

I thought you already confirmed where you got the bites, the title of your thread. Are you now saying you are not sure and want confirmation from others who sailed?

 

Do you know this for a fact? I'm sure it's possible, but I'm pretty skeptical that with as much work as they do on turnaround day, that they check every bed in every room for bedbugs.

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CapeCodCruiser

CapeCodCruiser

Posted
Posted
I read the OP. I thought Liberty has a bed bug infestation. I was offering my experience regarding lack of bed bugs.

 

If there were bed bugs on liberty the thing would be sitting under a tarp somewhere.

 

It's probably sand fleas.

 

Seriously? They're going to tarp the whole ship??

 

Just because bed bugs are present in one room does not guarantee they will be in all rooms.

 

OP stated that the two that slept in the twin beds were bitten- the third who slept in the pull down bunk was not - all in the same room.

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Sheebee

Sheebee

Posted
Posted
Sorry if this is a duplicate...just figuring out how to post reply with quote. :)

Any chance you can locate that message & post on here? I've searched on this site before posting but it's very confusing with all the different boards & areas. Thank you!

I'll try to find it ... Searched last night until my battery ran out . 😕

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Aboat1

Aboat1

Posted
Posted (edited)

My DH worked for the company that has the contract for RCCL's pest elimination. If you reported the problem to the cruise line a technician was sent to meet the ship and did a full inspection.

 

They examine the entire room and all voids in not only the room in question but the room above, below and on either side of the cabin in question.

 

Bed bugs can live in the walls for up to 6 months and only feed every few months.

 

ALL SA have extensive training from the Pest company to spot the presence of Bed Bugs.

 

Bed bugs are a big & expensive problem these days of air travel. They used to be a major problem that was treated to near extinction with a now outlawed chemical. Since that chemical is no longer is use we are seeing the rise in bed bugs in Theaters, Libraries, department stores just about any place there is fabric. They love to travel on your luggage in the belly of a plane.

 

The most obvious place to look for the critters is in the ticking around the edge of mattresses. If you see small blood spots there....check out!

 

Treatment is not just a simple spray. The furniture is disposed of, the room is fogged multiple times over of a period of months. the baseboards are removed and the wall void treated.

 

I will tell you RCCL and most other places take bed bugs seriously.

 

Have never heard of the 14 day thing. A bug bite is a bug bite. Scabies on the other hand take time to show up and also infest in a straight line.

 

This is a article from a another company! http://bedbugsremovalguide.com/bed-bug-bites.html

Edited by Aboat1
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Ufam5

Ufam5

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  • Author
Posted
My DH worked for the company that has the contract for RCCL's pest elimination. If you reported the problem to the cruise line a technician was sent to meet the ship and did a full inspection.

 

They examine the entire room and all voids in not only the room in question but the room above, below and on either side of the cabin in question.

 

Bed bugs can live in the walls for up to 6 months and only feed every few months.

 

ALL SA have extensive training from the Pest company to spot the presence of Bed Bugs.

 

Bed bugs are a big & expensive problem these days of air travel. They used to be a major problem that was treated to near extinction with a now outlawed chemical. Since that chemical is no longer is use we are seeing the rise in bed bugs in Theaters, Libraries, department stores just about any place there is fabric. They love to travel on your luggage in the belly of a plane.

 

The most obvious place to look for the critters is in the ticking around the edge of mattresses. If you see small blood spots there....check out!

 

Treatment is not just a simple spray. The furniture is disposed of, the room is fogged multiple times over of a period of months. the baseboards are removed and the wall void treated.

 

I will tell you RCCL and most other places take bed bugs seriously.

 

Have never heard of the 14 day thing. A bug bite is a bug bite. Scabies on the other hand take time to show up and infest in a straight line.

Thank you so much for this helpful response! I truly appreciate it! It does give me confidence that maybe the issue is being handled even though they have not contacted me. Thanks again!

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gerif

gerif

Posted
Posted

About 40 years ago I was getting bites all over that were freaking me out. Finally went to a dermatologist who did a biopsy on one of the bites which turned out to be flea bites. Had an indoor/outdoor cat at the time. No one else in the house, including overnight guests, got a single bite. Needless to say an exterminator was called immediately and cat never left the house again. My point is, couldn't the doctor biopsy one of the bites to determine what caused them? If it was a simple thing 40 years ago I'm thinking it would be even simpler today. Also, seems bugs can be pretty selective in who they choose to bite.

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Big_G

Big_G

Posted
Posted
About 40 years ago I was getting bites all over that were freaking me out. Finally went to a dermatologist who did a biopsy on one of the bites which turned out to be flea bites. Had an indoor/outdoor cat at the time. No one else in the house, including overnight guests, got a single bite. Needless to say an exterminator was called immediately and cat never left the house again. My point is, couldn't the doctor biopsy one of the bites to determine what caused them? If it was a simple thing 40 years ago I'm thinking it would be even simpler today. Also, seems bugs can be pretty selective in who they choose to bite.

 

Pre-Obamacare. :D

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MommaBear55

MommaBear55

Posted
Posted
About 40 years ago I was getting bites all over that were freaking me out. Finally went to a dermatologist who did a biopsy on one of the bites which turned out to be flea bites. Had an indoor/outdoor cat at the time. No one else in the house, including overnight guests, got a single bite. Needless to say an exterminator was called immediately and cat never left the house again. My point is, couldn't the doctor biopsy one of the bites to determine what caused them? If it was a simple thing 40 years ago I'm thinking it would be even simpler today. Also, seems bugs can be pretty selective in who they choose to bite.

 

Impressive that this could be done 40 years ago, ax that technology does not exist today. What we can tell from a biopsy is if is inflammatory, cancerous, infectious, allergy mediated, but not the exact transmission source. Hopefully the kids will recover quickly with symptom management.

 

And yes, bugs are very selective. I don't get flea bites but DH and DS do, but I am a mosquito magnet.

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Ocean Boy

Ocean Boy

Posted
Posted
About 40 years ago I was getting bites all over that were freaking me out. Finally went to a dermatologist who did a biopsy on one of the bites which turned out to be flea bites. Had an indoor/outdoor cat at the time. No one else in the house, including overnight guests, got a single bite. Needless to say an exterminator was called immediately and cat never left the house again. My point is, couldn't the doctor biopsy one of the bites to determine what caused them? If it was a simple thing 40 years ago I'm thinking it would be even simpler today. Also, seems bugs can be pretty selective in who they choose to bite.

 

What did they do a genotype from cells in the saliva or bug parts present in the bite? There is no way in he!! that someone made a diagnosis of the bug type from doing a biopsy of the bite site.

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killtheump

killtheump

Posted
Posted

Well I did want to stay out of this subject but there are so many wrong answers that I just had to put my 2 cents worth in. First of all I want everyone to know that I spent 25 years working for one of the Largest Pest Control Companies in the world. I am now retired and enjoying not treating for Bed bugs anymore.;)

 

Bed bugs can and will and have been found in some of the most luxurious hotels, resorts, cruise ships, colleges, etc. Bed bugs are brought in by people they don't just appear! Billions of dollars are spent on trying to rid and prevent bed bugs in these places. Yes passed on down to the consumer in the price. I would like to say that all of these places have some type of active bed bug program established but some still don't. I do know for a fact that Royal takes the issue very seriously and does work with a very respected pest control company.

 

Instead of arguing about who is right who is wrong on the issue I am going to just give some of my preventive tips.

 

1) Inspect your bedding, headboard, drawers and room. Look for blood stains on the sheets and live bugs.Many places now use bed bug proof mattress & pillow covers that are extremely effective on keeping them out of the mattress.

 

2) Report if any are found. Do not and I repeat do not spray any insecticide that you may have. One more time do not use anything that you have on the mattress or anywhere else. You will make the problem worse. You do not know what you are doing so leave it to the professionals.

 

3) Put your luggage in a large plastic bag away from the bed and off the floor.

 

4) When packing to go home pack your clothes in the plastic bags.

 

5) Bed bugs and eggs eggs will die at 122 degrees Fahrenheit. When unpacking I put all my clothes in the dryer for 35 minutes then wash them then dry again. A little OCD but I don't like bed bugs so I double up on the heat.

 

6) If it is Summer time I put the luggage in plastic bags in the garage for a couple days. I live in Illinois it is 110 heat index right now.:eek:

If other times I still leave in a plastic bag in the garage for a longer period.

 

7) If you think you may have brought bed bugs home with you, do not spray anything on them call a professional pest control company. Once again you have no idea of what you are doing so save yourself time and money and call a professional. Time & money you ask? Yes you will spend a lot of money on useless insect sprays and waste a lot of time applying them, it will cost you less to call the professionals in the first place.

 

8) Relax you are on vacation take some precautions and don't worry so much that it ruins your vacation. The odds are with you that you don't bring them home.

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reallyitsmema

reallyitsmema

Posted
Posted
I'm new to this site, so thank you for all of your advice & thoughts! Kids are doing a little better, but these bites are no joke! Just terrible.

 

First, yes, I contacted RC customer service & reported this. Based on their response & lack of urgency, I am concerned this was not looked into. There has been no follow up from them either. I realize this can happen to any hotel, cruise line, etc, so my intention was not to shame the cruise line. However, I do not appreciate the lack of response or follow up from them. I also hoped to find out if others were effected because there is a voice in numbers on getting something done.

 

For those cruising soon on this ship, I'm really sorry to worry you, but I would definitely call & inquire about it! Because I would want to know too, our cabin numbers were 2302 adjoining with 2304. My kids stayed in 2304 side. I will also note here that the two kids who slept on the separated king/twin beds have bites. The child who slept in bunk that lowers from ceiling has not one bite on her. To answer the hotel question, yes, we stayed at a nice hotel in Galveston on Sat night. Per our pediatrician, his assessment was based on how bed bugs "feed" (gag!!!)and there was no way the kids could have that many bites in one night. It was clearly over several nights to get the amount they have. Again, this is their best assessment given the facts & treating the kids today. Thank you for sharing about the sand fleas & sea lice possibility too! Dr talked about that too, but ruled out because those bites show quickly after bitten & it had been too long since we were at the beach.

 

Thank you all again for well wishes! Thankfully we had a great trip before this happened. I wish you all the best on your cruise!

 

Nor do we know what cabin the guest was occupying. She never told us.

 

She told us her cabins.

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