Just read review of Jewel that freaked me out, anyone ever come across bed bugs??

[zackiedawg]

It is unfortunate that hotels, cruise ships, airplanes, and other forms of hospitality or transportation receive the bulk of the bad press, the scrutiny, the lawsuits, and a general expectation that they are at fault when it comes to illnesses and human-host infestations.

 

The simple fact is this: the hotel or ship didn't get the bedbugs because they did anything wrong. Nor did they trigger an outbreak of Norwalk virus. These things were brought on board the ship, and then transmitted to others due to the confined spaces and constant contact and interaction. This can happen on a plane, train, ship, or any other mass transit, and can spread easily in hotels, conference centers, hospitals, or any other enclosed public space.

 

In the case of bedbugs, the hotel or ship is expected to be free of them, but they can be brought in by any of the thousands of guests. Perfectly legal, safe, and approved sanitary conditions and procedures will NOT eradicate bedbugs...so their existence doesn't mean the hotel/ship staff is unclean or deficient in their sanitary cleaning procedure. And until they are notified by passengers of the existence of the bugs, they cannot take special action to eradicate them.

 

With Norwalk virus - this is one of the more common strains of virus, and is commonly and routinely spread in any public gathering area, from schools to mass transportation to hotels and ships. Why there was suddenly a rash of news stories about 'sick ships' painting the industry as some foul, dirty, unsanitary and corrupt industry trying to lie to and deceive millions of passengers per year...I can't quite explain. But it is especially sad to see how many of these occasional reports blossom into hundreds of affected people, all who want a refund and other reimbursement from the cruise lines for catching a common contagious virus from one of the dozens of locations one might contract such a disease, and ironic to think that one of these people is likely the person who brought the disease aboard to begin with.

 

Oh well...I hope I don't ever have to deal with bedbugs...if I do, a simple move of cabins would suffice so the problem can be dealt with for the next cruise. I certainly wouldn't expect to get some free perk or financial payout from the cruise company because a random person brought a common bug into the room before me. and as for Norwalk...I've had it before. I think last time I got it was in a conference at a hotel...I never considered demanding the hotel reimburse the cost of my trip and give me free vouchers to come back and stay another week on them.

 

Besides, even with bedbugs becoming more prevalent...the chances of getting them are still pretty infantesimal considering there are hundreds, possibly thousands, of reports per year out of hundreds of millions of hotel rooms and cruise cabins being used at high turnover rates every year!