Buzzard05 Posted October 17, 2016 Report Share Posted October 17, 2016 My family and I are booked on our first "real" cruise coming up in November....so this site has been a wealth of information for me as we prepare. A question I thought of yesterday is on any health precautions that you guys take before going on your trips. I am one of those who is about 50/50 on whether I get a flu shot on any given year. However, we are all going to get one this year being that we are flying down to Florida and then on a ship with 3000 + of our closest friends. It just seems like a sensible precaution (and, I agree...we should really do this every year regardless of going on a trip or not.) My question is, other than the obvious flu shot....are there any other health precautions any of you take before taking a trip such as this? I'm not so much worried about picking up some weird disease on our one day in port...but just generic crud from being around so many people in a somewhat "enclosed" space, sharing food and utensils at the buffet, etc. I am by no means a germophobe, but just got to thinking about any other precautions that might make our trip (and afterwards) more enjoyable, after getting my flu shot yesterday. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monorailmedic Posted October 17, 2016 Report Share Posted October 17, 2016 Great question. With the disclaimer that you should always seek medical advise from your doctor, I'll offer my opinion. It is true you'll be in close contact with many other people - the thing is that the perception of disease spreading on cruise ships is really more about the fact you're near the same people for several days or more. We come in close contact with people all the time, we we all spread out by miles or even continents in short order so we don't see the affects of disease spread as easily as we do on ships. You already mentioned ports, and as you seem to have thought through, unless you're going someplace particularly exotic, no extraordinary precautions are needed. On the ship, I'd say regular handwashing is the most important thing you can do for your sake as well as the benefit of everyone else on board. Again, no different than we should govern ourselves anywhere in public. For what it's worth, I've been on scores of cruises and haven't become ill once (I did unwittingly bring on a bit of a cold last month, sorry other passengers :-/) Below is a link to what the CDC says about this, as well as a link showing recent 100% scores on CDC inspections. https://wwwn.cdc.gov/inspectionquerytool/inspectionwith100score.aspx http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/cruise-ship DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted October 17, 2016 Report Share Posted October 17, 2016 My physician recommended, a number of years ago, that we always take a strong antibiotic with us on our cruises - just in case. She has prescribed Cipromycin (sp ??), which we take on every cruise. We have never needed to use it but we always have it - just in case. If you have a good personal physician who is proactive, perhaps he/she would do the same for you. It's a bit of a security blanket for us. Of course, antibiotics only cover certain contingencies....and if you get someone with a bad cold or some other viral malady then this wouldn't necessarily help but for food poisoning or some kind of stomach bug, at least you have something ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fonemanbob Posted October 18, 2016 Report Share Posted October 18, 2016 I agree with all of the previous posts. if you are flying we have found that the products like airborne are great to take as a precaution before flying. Other wise we have been on on several cruises and have never gotten sick. It might be redundant but just use the hand sanitize everywhere you go on board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidSodapop Posted October 18, 2016 Report Share Posted October 18, 2016 Consult your physician. My husband happens to be an infectious disease doctor, for our upcoming (first) European cruise through Greece we did get our flu shots and also Hep A. I figure why risk something serious that can be warded off by a quick shot. Happy to do it. That's my two cents. The flu shot this year has had no side effects on me or the kids for what it's worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asphodel Posted October 18, 2016 Report Share Posted October 18, 2016 Well. I think it's sensible to be up-to-date on all your recommended vaccinations. Including: influenza pneumococcal Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) shingles meningococcal Did you mean anything special? Only if you're travelling to some country that has a prevalent nasty disease like malaria. On the ship, your biggest concern is norovirus. Pack a strong anti-diarrhea drug like Immodium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHStoneman Posted October 18, 2016 Report Share Posted October 18, 2016 Well. I think it's sensible to be up-to-date on all your recommended vaccinations. Including: influenza pneumococcal Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) shingles meningococcal Get your shots and take care of yourself first. The cruise lasts one week or so....but the flu season runs for months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzard05 Posted October 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2016 Thanks for the replies. I wasn't thinking of anything "specific"....just looking for some good recommendations (and that is what I got). It sounds like good hygiene and general health practices, that should be practiced regardless of going on a cruise, are what we should follow (though the Imodium recommendation was a good one :D ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted October 19, 2016 Report Share Posted October 19, 2016 I'm going to agree with Billy here. Odds are your greatest risk of illness while cruising is Noro virus. Wash your hands regularly and DON'T rely on the hand sanitizer. I also wash my hands after serving myself at the buffet but before eating in case of cross contamination from others using the serving utensils who hadn't washed their hands. For what it's worth, I get a flu shot every year, but malty because i teach at a college and comes in contact with nearly 300 students per week, many who show up even when sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegal2539 Posted October 19, 2016 Report Share Posted October 19, 2016 I just returned from a Panama Canal cruise, 6 foreign countries, and my doctor recommended a flu shot about 2 to 3 weeks before I traveled, a pneumonia shot, if it wasn't up to date, taking an anti-diarrhea drug like Immodium with me. I am allergic to all antibiotics, (I know, what do I take, absolutely nothing), and to the hand sanitizer that the ship supplies. I found packets of sanitizer on Amazon that have different ingredients, that doesn't leave sores on my hands. The doctor also said that foreign countries are different, but since you are only there for 8 to 10 hours, that getting a bunch of shots isn't necessary, but that is just my doctor talking. Candie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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