How do you enjoy good health on your cruise?

[stargate fan]

We're sailing soon and thinking about the several times we have suffered poor health during a cruise. We've experienced stomach ailments to the sniffles on some of our cruises. Because of our location, we always have had to fly to our cruise port. (Except for our Alaskan cruise, we drove to the port, and... we didn't feel ill during the cruise!!) What do you do to keep your good health during a cruise?

When you fly to home ports, make sure the air vent on the plane is closed. The fact that you drove to the home port for your Alaska cruise and didn't get sick kind of confirms my hypothesis below:

My husband used to travel a lot for work. A few days after he got home, he got sick with a cold, which I caught a few days later. Then I made the connection with him flying and having air from the vent above blowing directly onto him. Since then, we always make sure the air vents are closed. Neither of us has gotten sick when we travel since and we take about eight round trip flights a year.

Once we board a ship, we constantly wash our hands. I refuse to use hand sanitizer!

 

26 cruises sailed and I've only gotten sick once, on Vista Transatlantic. (Most people we encountered were sick on that cruise. We called it "the Vista Crud.")

[navybankerteacher]

Catching a cold in any environment is going to happen much more frequently than suffering stomach issues. Cold viruses are air borne and can linger a while after the cougher has left your immediate area — so resisting is tough.

 

Most common stomach issues result, at least in part, from your own carelessness. Failing to properly wash your hands, regularly touching surfaces touched by others, and bringing whatever your hands pick up to your eyes, nose or mouth is how you can avoidably get sick.

[MicCanberra]

Catching a cold in any environment is going to happen much more frequently than suffering stomach issues. Cold viruses are air borne and can linger a while after the cougher has left your immediate area — so resisting is tough.

 

Most common stomach issues result, at least in part, from your own carelessness. Failing to properly wash your hands, regularly touching surfaces touched by others, and bringing whatever your hands pick up to your eyes, nose or mouth is how you can avoidably get sick.

Agreed, poor hygiene habits that may not matter so much at home, may result in illness when travelling.

[luvscruising2007]

We do nothing different on a cruise than we do at home. Frequent hand washing. That's about it. We have not been sick on any of our previous cruises.

[need2cruisesoon]

I increase my intake of alcohol, seems to ward off colds and infections.

 

Plus makes me feel good too.:)

[Gloworm2]

If you fly, take a decongestant such as Sudafed on flight day and maybe day after. Rest before the cruise. People do so much to get ready they board the ship run down with immune system low. Wash hands more than you want to on the ship. Keep hands off your face. (Google how often we touch our face each day). If you sneeze or have a runny nose, an antihistamine like Zyrtec or Claritin will help. Most people suffer because they are congested or just plain tired.

 

 

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[lynncarol]

I used to get sick frequently after flying before reading how unsanitary the trays and seat pockets are in planes. Now that I wipe the trays carefully with antiseptic wipes and don't use the seat pockets, I haven't gotten sick once.

PS

Also, at buffets, I always rewash my hands after serving myself before eating.

[misty57]

We always get our flu shots. I also bring antiseptic wipes. Zycam for any prodromal symptoms. We drink a lot of water, and wash hands. I also bring hand sanitizer, and avoid holding onto stair railings.Use knuckle or something else to push elevator buttons. I also bring a mini drugstore with me with lomodal, pepto, Tylenol and Sudaphed. We don't run ourselves ragged trying to see and do everything. We're there to relax and rejuvenate.

[new_cruiser]

With over 40 years of traveling extensively on business and sometimes as a tourist, I find the biggest difference is getting enough sleep. I'm often at meetings with around 1000 attendees for a week and if I get much less than 7 hours of sleep at night (which can be hard to do with needing to unwind after evening meetings and be up for morning ones), I have a high probability of getting a cold.

 

I also get flu shots and I'm careful to stay hydrated - especially when taking long plane flights. Drink alcoholic beverages only moderately - especially after a big time change because they can interfere with adjusting to the new time. Of course wash hands frequently. With that and getting enough sleep, I only rarely get a cold.

 

In all that time, I've only twice had some kind of stomach thing and neither time involved eating at a buffet. The first time in the 70's. After that avoided because they were on the salad at the (non-buffet) lunch and the dominant flavor when I was sick which mad the taste unpalatable to me after that.. I thought that was an unfair aversion but later found out that sprouts are a concern because the humid warm environment for sprouting them can be conducive to bacterial growth if there is any contamination, so maybe it was the sprouts. The other time, I'm pretty sure it was the dinner served in a restaurant because I hadn't had anything on the plane trip and then woke up in the middle of the night. No idea what element of the meal may have been contaminated. So I don't worry much about eating at buffets.

[Hlitner]

So, you are in travel mode where you are exposed to lots of other folks. There is no perfect solution so you should do simply the same things we used to do when I worked in an Emergency Room. Wash your hands, wash them again, and wash them as often as reasonable. Do it for about 30 seconds with warm soapy water. Try to avoid touching your face, especially anywhere near your mouth, nose or eyes. Go to a CVS drug store and buy a few CVS Health "Advanced Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer" which is an amazing product different from most other hand sanitizers. This one contains Benzalkonium Chloride..which is one of the few chemicals safe on hands that will kill Norovirus. Most other products are near worthless against this nasty virus which is found in many public places such as planes and cruise ships. Use that hand stuff a couple of times a day (it has a 24 hour residual effect). None of this is a guarantee, but its the best you can do without being a crazy germaphobe. If using Benzalkonium Chloride causes you concern you can certainly use the other alcohol based sanitizers (like Purell) but know that most of these products, while they will give you some protection from germs and viruses, have never proved to be very effective against Norovirus. The FDA is still reviewing the safety and efficacy of Benzalkonium Chloride which has been more common in hand sanitizers used in places like New Zealand and Europe. In fact a New Zealand company called Zoono has developed the formula used by the CVS product I referenced. If you want to know more about this company and its product you can go to

http://www.zoono.com/products-zoono-hand-sanitizer.php

 

We have a couple of other tricks which has served us well during recent years (we cruise 70-100 days a year). Avoiding elevators (which is the worst place to be if somebody coughs or sneezes) is a good thing (and walking the steps is healthy). And trying to steer clear of folks that are coughing and/or sneezing is just common sense. And finally, say some prayers because luck and prayer do sure help :).

 

And then there are the basic things such as getting flu shots. Having said all this we know there are many different opinions but

 

Hank

[Underwatr]

Go to a CVS drug store and buy a few CVS Health "Advanced Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer" which is an amazing product different from most other hand sanitizers. This one contains Benzalkonium Chloride..which is one of the few chemicals safe on hands that will kill Norovirus.

Looking at the website I can't find any CVS-branded hand sanitizer with Benzalkonium Chloride. Do you have any further info?

[Aquahound]

We're sailing soon and thinking about the several times we have suffered poor health during a cruise. We've experienced stomach ailments to the sniffles on some of our cruises. Because of our location, we always have had to fly to our cruise port. (Except for our Alaskan cruise, we drove to the port, and... we didn't feel ill during the cruise!!) What do you do to keep your good health during a cruise?

 

First off, resist the urge to turn down your cabin AC to Arctic temperatures. It's common for folks to pick up sinus or respiratory infections due to the lack of humidity drying out your mucus membranes. This might help you avoid the sniffles. Consider taking a steroid nasal spray with you.

 

Second, avoid overeating, over drinking, and make sure to get regular exercise. Being a gluttonous, drunken elevator riding lazy arse all week is a great way to weaken your immune system.

 

Third, wash your hands regularly and try your best to avoid touching hand rails, elevator buttons, etc with your hands.

 

This is my regiment and I am never sick on cruises. I don't even use hand sanitizers. I can't....they dry my hands too much.

[cruzeluver]

We do nothing different on a cruise than we do at home. Frequent hand washing. That's about it. We have not been sick on any of our previous cruises.

 

 

This. Plus making sure we stay hydrated. We are fortunate that we both have good immune systems so we let them do their job. I find sanitizing gels, sprays, wipes etc. obnoxious. They smell awful and dry out my hands while offering very little of value. Wiping down cabins is lovely and all and psychologically makes some folks feel better even if it does nothing, but don't most people leave their cabins at some point?

 

 

I touch handrails, elevator buttons and on rare occasions even grab something to eat at the buffet. That's me, living dangerously! :')

[Markanddonna]

I follow almost all the suggestions mentioned above but want to caution people to not get too confident just because they "have never been sick" on a cruise. I could have said that before my 2017 transpacific where I was stuck in front of a couple on a crowded bus on a shore excursion. They were sneezing and had glazed eyes and looked absolutely miserable but weren't going to NOT go on that ship excursion in Maui. So, they probably infected everyone on that bus.

 

There are times you can actually see the usually invisible viruses propelling their way toward you and that was one of those times. It was my first time being sick on a cruise which led to "cruise crud." You can tell how bad your ship has it by counting the number of coughs and sneezes per minute in the theater.

[donaldsc]

DH and I start taking Airborne a few days before a flight and throughout the travel days. I know some people say it doesn't work but it really seems to work for us.

 

On the cruise, it's mostly about washing hands, washing hands, and washing hands some more. We also don't go to the buffet--not because we are afraid of germs, just because we are not fans of buffets in general. But I'd imagine there's a bunch of germs hanging around in there so it probably helps.

 

Other than that, I'm following to see what other people suggest, because I've still come down with head colds while traveling on occasion. Never stomach issues though.

 

An uncontrolled scientific study with a population size of 1 is meaningless and thus the conclusions drawn from this study are also meaningless. Every well controlled study of the efficacy of Airborne shows that the product does not work. The product is worthless although on the positive side, there is no evidence that it will kill you.

 

DON

[Hlitner]

Looking at the website I can't find any CVS-branded hand sanitizer with Benzalkonium Chloride. Do you have any further info?

 

Yes as I have a bottle of their sanitizing foam in front of my face :). This is a product made in the USA according the Zoono formula that is becoming increasingly popular outside the USA. If you go to a CVS and find the hand sanitizers, look for a small display of small (1.7 ounce) white bottles (with a blue label). The label as CVS Health at the top...and then says "Advanced Antiseptic" Hand Sanitizer" Instant Foaming. towards the bottom of the label is says "germ free 24". On the back under "Active Ingredients" it says Benzalkonium Chloride 0.13%.

 

We recently cruised on the Celebrity Reflection right after the ship suffered a major Norovirus issue. Celebrity sent us a text (the day before our cruise) with a warning about Noro and that embarkation would be delayed for a deep cleaning. We had read about this product on another blog and found it great to use with little smell. But looking on the CVS web site they do not show this exact product but only have a smaller spray (we have the foam...which lasted us for the 3 week cruise).

 

Here is a link to the CVS page for the smaller spray.

https://www.cvs.com/shop/cvs-health-advanced-antiseptic-hand-sanitizer-instant-spray-27-oz-prodid-1760185?skuId=688358

 

The larger foam has a similar color label...which we easily found at a Ft Lauderdale CVS but does not seem to be on their web site.

 

Hank

[jagsfan]

An uncontrolled scientific study with a population size of 1 is meaningless and thus the conclusions drawn from this study are also meaningless. Every well controlled study of the efficacy of Airborne shows that the product does not work. The product is worthless although on the positive side, there is no evidence that it will kill you.

 

 

 

DON

 

 

 

I've used Airborne since it came on the market. Prior to that, I would get Dick with a head or chest cold or just cough constantly.

Since I started taking it, I haven't gotten sick.

Coincidence? Maybe, but it's been years.

I also use a saline spray to keep my nose moisturized. I think that helps.

 

 

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[jagsfan]

Sick, I would get sick.

I need to remember to check for autocorrect before I post!

 

 

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[marchie1053]

Sick, I would get sick.

I need to remember to check for autocorrect before I post!

 

 

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Your username suggests that some cold porridge from the dresser drawer and some healthy(?) West of Scotland air (or those bracing frosts at this time of year!) might help to maintain health and kill off infection :*

[Floridiana]

What people wrote before:

 

Avoid public restrooms on the ship.

Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, back and front and between fingers with soap and warm/hot water.

Use the provided hand sanitizers in addition to washing your hands.

On land, I use hand sanitizer wipes. They clean potential dirt off and sanitize. We don't eat street food and drink bottled water.

On ships with lots of sneezing and coughing people, we eat at a table for 2 and avoid the buffet.

My husband is very susceptible to colds and has not gotten any on our last three cruises which all started with an overseas flight. So far, we have also escaped the dreaded Noro virus.

[donaldsc]

We're sailing soon and thinking about the several times we have suffered poor health during a cruise. We've experienced stomach ailments to the sniffles on some of our cruises. Because of our location, we always have had to fly to our cruise port. (Except for our Alaskan cruise, we drove to the port, and... we didn't feel ill during the cruise!!) What do you do to keep your good health during a cruise?

 

My trick is to take absolutely no precautions at all except for what I normally do on land. I don't wipe down the cabin. I don't wash any more than I do on land which means before meals and after the toilet. I touch everything. I don't worry if the menu is contaminated. I go off the ship and touch everything. I drink tap water. Get my drift.

 

The only precaution that I do is that when I am off the ship, I drink bottled water. Bottled beer also works.

 

So far (knock wood) I have never ever had any health problems on any ship ever. Not even any stomach problems ever. I figure that all the germs and viruses that I get are busy killing each other so they leave me alone.

 

DON

[jagsfan]

Your username suggests that some cold porridge from the dresser drawer and some healthy(?) West of Scotland air (or those bracing frosts at this time of year!) might help to maintain health and kill off infection :*

 

 

 

Are you saying some good cold Scottish air would keep Floridians healthy?

I'm all for it!

 

 

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[cruisefan59]

After getting sick a couple times on cruises, I always wipe down door handles, drawer pulls, light switch buttons, TV remote, safe, and phone with antiseptic wipes as soon as I get in the cabin. Only takes about 10 minutes. So far, I think it’s helped for just a little bit of effort.

 

 

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[TravelinGert]

We start our preparation well before our cruise. We get our flu shots and we've updated all our vaccines. We always try to eat healthy and drink plenty of water for at least a month prior to our cruise or any travel. We know we're bound to overindulge ourselves during the trip and especially during a cruise so we don't worry about the desserts we pass up during that time.

 

It is especially very important to maintain hydration when flying, or so I've read. Apparently viruses and bacteria are better able to get a foothold in sinuses if you are dehydrated or they are dry. I always make sure to take an empty sports water bottle and refill it at the airport as soon as I'm through security. I also flush out my sinuses with a saline nasal spray before and after my flight. Aside from any possible health benefits I find I don't suffer from sneezing or dry sinuses after flights anymore since I read flushing the sinuses is helpful. I wash hands the same as I do in my usual day and try to be mindful to not touch my face at all times. I've read many illnesses are thought to enter the system via touching eyes and mucous membranes with dirty hands.

 

I carry Lysol spray and hydrogen peroxide wipes with me on every trip or cruise. Clorox wipes will not kill noro unless it is the Clorox Healthcare wipes. These are not the familiar Clorox wipes generally found in grocery stores and cost about 3-4x as much. This is because the concentration of bleach is higher in those rated for Healthcare use.

 

The first thing I do in any cruise cabin or hotel room is wipe down the things everyone touches with hydrogen peroxide wipes. That means door knobs, light switches, handles on faucets and of course the toilet flush handle and seat. I always clean toilet seats whether in public bathrooms or in our hotel rooms or cruise cabins, although I usually just use the Lysol spray in public bathrooms. I always cover the seat with seat covers if provided or toilet paper if not. I also use the hydrogen peroxide wipes whenever we fly. I wipe off the seat arms and fold out tray as well as whatever buttons everyone touches.

 

It might seem excessive but it really doesn't take that long. I was quite ill with some sort of upper respiratory thing after a trip some years ago. Took me forever to get over it fully. I went on a school trip as a chaperone where several kids came down with noro and another group came down with strep after I started using all the precautions above. I was one of the few who never came down with any of it.

 

I don't purchase pre-manufactured hydrogen peroxide wipes which were quite expensive when I started this. I think now they've come down to about 3-5x the price of regular Clorox wipes. I cut up a stack of clean t-shirts my kids didn't want anymore to make the wipes. I get 12-14 wipes per t-shirt. I wet them with 10% hydrogen peroxide by keeping them in a cleaned baby wipes plastic box and pouring it over them. For trips I just seal a dozen or so in a zip sandwich bag and place it in my handbag. The TSA has never so much as raised an eyebrow at them.

 

Other than this I don't worry. I eat and drink whatever looks good to me. I eat in the buffet sometimes. I play cards with friends, enjoy the pools and hot tubs, and enjoy sleeping soundly. So far it has worked a charm.

[donaldsc]

We start our preparation well before our cruise. We get our flu shots and we've updated all our vaccines. We always try to eat healthy and drink plenty of water for at least a month prior to our cruise or any travel. We know we're bound to overindulge ourselves during the trip and especially during a cruise so we don't worry about the desserts we pass up during that time.

 

It is especially very important to maintain hydration when flying, or so I've read. Apparently viruses and bacteria are better able to get a foothold in sinuses if you are dehydrated or they are dry. I always make sure to take an empty sports water bottle and refill it at the airport as soon as I'm through security. I also flush out my sinuses with a saline nasal spray before and after my flight. Aside from any possible health benefits I find I don't suffer from sneezing or dry sinuses after flights anymore since I read flushing the sinuses is helpful. I wash hands the same as I do in my usual day and try to be mindful to not touch my face at all times. I've read many illnesses are thought to enter the system via touching eyes and mucous membranes with dirty hands.

 

I carry Lysol spray and hydrogen peroxide wipes with me on every trip or cruise. Clorox wipes will not kill noro unless it is the Clorox Healthcare wipes. These are not the familiar Clorox wipes generally found in grocery stores and cost about 3-4x as much. This is because the concentration of bleach is higher in those rated for Healthcare use.

 

The first thing I do in any cruise cabin or hotel room is wipe down the things everyone touches with hydrogen peroxide wipes. That means door knobs, light switches, handles on faucets and of course the toilet flush handle and seat. I always clean toilet seats whether in public bathrooms or in our hotel rooms or cruise cabins, although I usually just use the Lysol spray in public bathrooms. I always cover the seat with seat covers if provided or toilet paper if not. I also use the hydrogen peroxide wipes whenever we fly. I wipe off the seat arms and fold out tray as well as whatever buttons everyone touches.

 

It might seem excessive but it really doesn't take that long. I was quite ill with some sort of upper respiratory thing after a trip some years ago. Took me forever to get over it fully. I went on a school trip as a chaperone where several kids came down with noro and another group came down with strep after I started using all the precautions above. I was one of the few who never came down with any of it.

 

I don't purchase pre-manufactured hydrogen peroxide wipes which were quite expensive when I started this. I think now they've come down to about 3-5x the price of regular Clorox wipes. I cut up a stack of clean t-shirts my kids didn't want anymore to make the wipes. I get 12-14 wipes per t-shirt. I wet them with 10% hydrogen peroxide by keeping them in a cleaned baby wipes plastic box and pouring it over them. For trips I just seal a dozen or so in a zip sandwich bag and place it in my handbag. The TSA has never so much as raised an eyebrow at them.

 

Other than this I don't worry. I eat and drink whatever looks good to me. I eat in the buffet sometimes. I play cards with friends, enjoy the pools and hot tubs, and enjoy sleeping soundly. So far it has worked a charm.

 

One thing I have never understood is how people who wipe down their cabins when they move in keep up the level of cleanliness. I will grant that once you have done your check in cleaning routine, the cabin is cleaner than the cabin steward left it. However, the steward is in and out of your cabin several times per day to clean, change out stuff or just to check the cabin. He hs a cleanliness routine that he has to follow but who knows what he touches in your cabin. Who knows if he might feel rushed and take shortcuts when he cleans your cabin. Maybe the cabin before yours was a real pigsty so he come from the pigsty cabin into yours. Maybe one of the people in one of the cabins before he gets to yours was sick. This means that it is hard to maintain the level of cleanliness that you originally had.

 

So. Do you do the cleanliness wipe down every day or several times per day? Do you have another technique to maintain the cleanliness of your cabin. Or do you figure that you will just live w it?

 

DON