What happens if...cold flue

[daka]

Wondering what happens if you get to the pier for your cruise and you have a cold/flue?

Doesn't the questionnaire you sign ask you about that..??

What happens if you do have a cold...you certainly don't want to lie about it...

Are you prevented from boarding...do you get a refund? 

[cruzrbachoua]

They no longer have you fill out the heath questionnaire anymore.  I have sinus issues and have boarded sniffling and they have not stopped me from boarding...because just because someone is coughing or blowing their nose doesn't necessarily mean they are sick...

 

With that said if I ended up sick I would seclude myself to my room and only leave when necessary and when I did not touch anything. 

[JimnKaren]

The last couple of cruises we were on (two this year - both Princess), there were no health questionnaires to be completed. My guess is that they were rarely looked at, and it would be too easy for passengers to misrepresent their conditions.

Jim

[Thrak]

They have discontinued that form. Everybody lied on it anyway and the communal pencils laid out for the form just spread germs. I had a nasty cold earlier this year and had a cruise booked. We were flying out a week in advance to stay with relatives and do a bunch of stuff. I paid (nasty) flight change fees to fly out a week later than planned - ONLY after my doctor had cleared me of being contagious. I didn't have much of in the way of a voice on the cruise (hate that!) but I did make sure I had been medically cleared. I've experienced what it's like to board a ship healthy and then, within a few days, have most of the passengers coughing their heads off. We had a great time on our land tour portion but the 7 day southbound from Alaska was ugly due to the ugly cold someone brought aboard. My wife and I each spent a (different) day self-confined to our cabin. No idea who brought the cold onto the ship but I think 60 - 80 percent of the folks were coughing by the time we disembarked.

[Bill B]

I don't know, except to say they will not give you a refund - that's what insurance is for (IF you're covered for cold/flu).

[cruzrbachoua]

But also please don't judge...just because someone is coughing doesn't mean they are sick.  I have sinus and allergies and the smoke from the casino and all the different perfumes that are caked on (men and women) within a few hours of being on the ship my nose is running and I am coughing from it irritating my throat....I am by no means contagious and always wash my hands after I blow my nose and cough into my elbow or will lift and cough into my shirt at my neckline.....

 

Oh and employees who work day in and day out with little time off to rest are just as likely to develop a cold and spread it as a boarding passenger as they usually can not keep themselves secluded as they have to work.  It sucks to get sick on a cruise but I highly doubt people are doing it maliciously

[Colo Cruiser]

No more questionnaire.

Maybe get some insurance?

[Thrak]

7 minutes ago, cruzrbachoua said:

But also please don't judge...just because someone is coughing doesn't mean they are sick.  I have sinus and allergies and the smoke from the casino and all the different perfumes that are caked on (men and women) within a few hours of being on the ship my nose is running and I am coughing from it irritating my throat....I am by no means contagious and always wash my hands after I blow my nose and cough into my elbow or will lift and cough into my shirt at my neckline.....

 

Oh and employees who work day in and day out with little time off to rest are just as likely to develop a cold and spread it as a boarding passenger as they usually can not keep themselves secluded as they have to work.  It sucks to get sick on a cruise but I highly doubt people are doing it maliciously

 

I do suffer from seasonal allergies. It's nothing contagious. My wife has a "sneezing issue" and sometimes sneezes quite loudly. She's not ill. However, a lot of folks will board knowing they have a cold. Cruises are expensive.

[Bill B]

It seems to me it's just the 'nature of the beast' - I think of a cruise ship is a floating petri dish.

 

When you put thousands of people in a confined space, combined with draconian cancellation penalties, you are bound to be exposed to a plethora of bacteria and viruses. Your best defense is hygiene and a good immune system.

[DrivesLikeMario]

So true what Bill says.  It's just like going to a movie and sharing all that air with tons of other people around you.  Or going to a hotel and sharing all the ladles in the morning breakfast buffet.  I really think the worst culprit of spreading germs is airplanes.  Get insurance if you're worried you may have to cancel.

[Thrak]

Agree about airplanes. Horrible places when it comes to spreading sickness. I'm sure many people who bring sickness onto ships don't even know they are sick as they were exposed on the plane ride to their cruise.

[MGAfhc]

Princess was never very good at explaining the consequences of filling out the form truthfully. It did say on the form that you would be allowed to board unless "you are suspected to have an illness of international public concern" but most pax had a fear that any illness whatever would bar you from boarding and so lied about their health. Had Princess been more open about what would actually happen, even if it meant a day or two of quarantine, I think most people would have been truthful and Princess might have been able to prevent a few outbreaks.

[wolfie11]

Then there’s ‘cabin cough’ (kind of like kennel cough for cruise ship passengers).  I’m not sure how often the ventilation systems are thoroughly cleaned on the ships, but I develop a nagging cough after a week or so that I’m sure is due to dust and who knows what else being blown into the cabin through the heating/cooling system.

[QuilterGirl]

A couple years ago, my son and his family (wife and two boys ages 2 and 5) were sharing a flu bug between them the night before their cruise.  Having filled out the (no longer used) health form honestly, they were allowed to board but were told to confine themselves to their room until 8 AM the next morning, when they were to call the nurse on duty and chat about the situation.  We brought them BRAT-type food from the buffet a couple times and they just laid low for the afternoon and evening.  They were much improved by the next morning and were released from quarantine by the nurse via phone.  BTW, their accounts had been modified during their "down time" such that if they had tried to exit the ship, their cruise cards would have initiated a "deny" notification to the Security officer doing the scanning.

[Micahs Grandad]

1 hour ago, Bill B said:

It seems to me it's just the 'nature of the beast' - I think of a cruise ship is a floating petri dish.

 

When you put thousands of people in a confined space, combined with draconian cancellation penalties, you are bound to be exposed to a plethora of bacteria and viruses. Your best defense is hygiene and a good immune system.

 

And not touch surfaces touched by many others

[neverbeenhere]

If you have a cold flue, you might want to check your furnace.  Cold flues many times lead to refunding and no one wants to be refunding while on a cruise. 🤮

[1emerald1]

2 hours ago, cruzrbachoua said:

They no longer have you fill out the heath questionnaire anymore.  I have sinus issues and have boarded sniffling and they have not stopped me from boarding...because just because someone is coughing or blowing their nose doesn't necessarily mean they are sick...

 

With that said if I ended up sick I would seclude myself to my room and only leave when necessary and when I did not touch anything. 

I too have severe sinus allergies and infections.  Years ago on a Mexico cruise I was so sick the night before I wondered if I would even be able to get myself on the ship.  I did, and was so sick of all the meds I decided to stop taking them.  The next morning, first sea day I felt fabulous and felt fabulous for the whole cruise.  That is until we returned to San Pedro and all of the allergies returned.

[Colo Cruiser]

The main concern is NORO.

[Thrak]

2 hours ago, Micah's Grandad said:

 

And not touch surfaces touched by many others

 

I always push any elevator buttons with a knuckle and I wash my hands with soap every time I'm in the cabin. It was nice on Caribbean Princess in March. They not only had the hand sanitizers but also had sinks with soap and water outside of the buffet.

[metairiegal]

18 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

I always push any elevator buttons with a knuckle and I wash my hands with soap every time I'm in the cabin. It was nice on Caribbean Princess in March. They not only had the hand sanitizers but also had sinks with soap and water outside of the buffet.

We used the Lido sinks every time we entered.  We noticed most people walked right them. 

[geoherb]

I caught the flu last summer on our British Isles cruise. Lots of passengers on the bus to Heathrow looked like they had it already. I went to my doctor's office the day after getting home. They tested me for flu with a nasal swab and said I had it--one of the earliest cases they'd ever seen (late August). I made sure to get my flu shot before our trans-Atlantic cruise this year.

[Thrak]

We've both had our flu shots. I got mine over a month ago and my wife got hers today. We can get them free at Walgreen's and other places but generally just get them during our regular visits to our physician. (Yes, we do the "regular checkup" thing.)

[elliair]

I have seen passengers on the ships who are coughing their brains out, blowing their nose on napkins, and you can tell they are sick.  I can avoid them which I do, but I wouldn't go out of my cabin if I had the flu.  I've never had the flu in my life, but I've heard you feel like you're dead.

 

"Are you prevented from boarding...do you get a refund? "

 

How would they know you were sick unless you went to the ships doctor and told them you were sick?  No refunds unless you were put off the ship and you had trip insurance.  Why would Princess refund your money when you showed up to the ship sick?  I wouldn't tell anyone.  If you get noro, you will be quarantined to your cabin.  If you are caught wandering around the ship while quarantined, you will be put off the ship at the next stop, at your own expense.  I wouldn't tell anyone I was sick, I would take care of it myself.  Loose lips sink ships.

 

[geocruiser]

5 hours ago, daka said:

Wondering what happens if you get to the pier for your cruise and you have a cold/flue?

Doesn't the questionnaire you sign ask you about that..??

What happens if you do have a cold...you certainly don't want to lie about it...

Are you prevented from boarding...do you get a refund? 

This has happened to me.  First of all I carry insurance.  I was sick, went to the Dr.  I had a fever, sore throat.  I stayed home.  Sent insurance papers in.  Got refund.  It would be no fun for me to be so sick and be on board.  I don't want to spend my cruise being sick, tired and sleeping. I don't want to get others sick either.  For me it was not the last cruise on earth.  There were other time for me to go.

A cold for me not a easy thing .  

Now, this is me.  Others do what they feel is right.

 

[EastBay Cruisers]

Quote

I always push any elevator buttons with a knuckle and I wash my hands with soap every time I'm in the cabin. It was nice on Caribbean Princess in March. They not only had the hand sanitizers but also had sinks with soap and water outside of the buffet.

 

Agreed.  Hand washing and using the Purell sanitizer is a great help in keeping germs from spreading.

In the elevators, I carry along a little pencil and push the buttons with the eraser end of the pencil.

 

We're booked on the Island Princess for a 14 day Thanksgiving cruise. After watching everyone handle the serving utensils at the Regal buffet last month, I'm taking along a package of medical gloves to wear to the buffet.  ( Seriously. I know this looks dorky, but I really, really want to avoid illness).

 

We both had our flu shots this season, and I'm taking along a container of wet wipes that are supposed to sterilize the cabin again noro virus.  ( Chlorox makes them). 

 

I'm normally not so germaphobic, but this upcoming cruise is a bucket list item - trip of a lifetime for us, and I don't want to ruin it.

 

Sometimes, though, just by chance,  we've had to sit next to someone coughing and sneezing on the plane trip to the port -- and even wearing a mask does not help much.

 

We are flying from San Francisco to Ft. Lauderdale, and I'm really praying that everyone on the plane will be healthy.  -- EBC

Edited November 6, 2018 by EastBay Cruisers