Are Cruise Illnesses Common?

Question

A friend just returned from a Caribbean cruise with Hep A--really suffered, and you're always hearing about Montezuma's Revenge on Mexican cruises. Is it because of workers from third world and people crammed together, or what?

Answer 1

Anytime you cram a whole bunch of people from different areas together in one place, where they eat and sleep relatively close together, you are going to have some risk of cross infection.  Minimize the danger by building up your own immune system before you go ont he trip, and be prepared for what you may confront by asking the travel agency what the risks are.  It's really no worse than visiting a hospital or going to a hotel.  Don't forget, exotic locations are often the culprit as well.

Answer 2

Sailing, even in olden times needed some doc or pharmacist mate before it set the sea detail and ventured forth.

Answer 3

It just seems to me that when you get that many people from so many different places all crammed together, germs are bound to spread more easily. Our bodies haven't built up a tolerance for all of them because we aren't around them regularly.

Answer 4

I have never gotten sick on a cruise, except maybe from eating too much, but that would be my fault.

Answer 5

Oh Yea!! We were on one of the Carnival cruises when lots of people developed Norovirus including my spouse. keep your hands washed and away from your face. Remember every time you go through those buffets just stop and wonder who touched that spoon prior to you and where have their hands been. When a virus(norovirse) becomes bad on the ships they actually close the buffets to people serving themselves and serve the food to you. I prefer this...

We keep the antibacterial soap with us and use it all the time now....

Answer 6

VERY COMMON!

Answer 7

I have been on more than a dozen cruises with several cruise lines and never gotten sick or even seen anyone on ship sick.  The cruise lines take contaminations very seriously because it mean srevenue loss.  On our last cruise last week the captain said in response to a question that they know when the chances of the Norwalk Virus (the one which has made people sick on ship) will appear and take extra precautions.  For the past couple years many cruise ships have had the hand sanitizers available at the entrance of all eating places and even some times when you first get on board ship.  

People who go to Mexico on cruises and get sick usually eat foods and or drink water and other things that they get on shore.  thus the cruise line is not the cause of their illness.  Many places in Mexico the advice is don't drink the water, and don't eat the food no matter how good it smells.