sunburn

[ganurse]

has anyone gotten really friend on the ship or elsewhere?

 

[lrmillen]

Castaway Cay really really fried me. On the other islands and the ship there are plenty of shady places. But, unless you want to sit under a pavilion for the whole day CC is the worst for sun IMO.

 

[tkd lisa]

Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! Especially on the parts in your hair (those braids make for LOTS of parts!) We've never been badly burned, but even with consistent sunscreen application every 3 hours or so, my DD got a bit red on CC.

 

[Scratch42]

I had half an hour to kill before meeting up with DD to go to the movies. So I figured I'll go and check out secret deck 7. Well there was this lounger just calling my name and I stayed without going back to the cabin to reapply sunscreen (I had put on 30 that morning). Can you say LOBSTER RED! And this was mid afternoon!

Slather on the Sunscreen!

Scratch

 

[webray]

We just finished a three day on the wonder..our second disney cruise. Daughter and I both got fried at castaway cay. We booked this short notice, didn't have time to tan before hand...we even used sunblock, didn't help.

Our first cruise (magic)..we tanned at the salon for a couple months before the cruise..we had a great base tan..no burns at all while on the islands or beaches.

 

[MarkRG]

We never use anything less than spf45 when on the cruise, and even then we get color. Can't stress enough - the sun is a great deal stronger than it is in Florida, and you WILL burn very easily without proper protection.

 

[mickeyboat]

I second the other posters' comments and would like to add another. Get a spray type sunscreen for your part and for braids. My zig zag part is the only place I got burned. Also make sure you apply under your suit straps (in case they move) and the tops of your feet (DH was in a lot of pain!).

Denae

 

[jrabbit]

Slop up early and slop up often. On CC I missed a quarter size spot on my forehead near my part and within 1 hour it started glowing. It was tender for a week or so.

On St. Maarten I walked downtown from the ship and walked on the beach for about 2 hours and my arms got pretty red. I'm have a darker complexion and am "furry". Didn't help got burnt.

Best story. Later in the day we went over to Orient Beach and there was a large white guy who decided to let it all hang out since he was on a clothing optional beach. We saw him from a distance and I can tell you that his cheeks were flaming red He forgot a basic rule of tanning - if the don't shine there, don't let it shine there without a lot of protection. I can not imagine how he was able to sit down for a very long time. We only say him from the backside so I don't know if his front side was a burnt as his backwas, but speaking as a male, that would really, really, really hurt

As far as sunscreen goes, when we go to water parks or the beach (in FL or the caribbean) we use waterbabies 45. It works really well for general all over the body coverage. The spray on sunscreens are great for you scalp and for a touch up coat later on in the day.

 

[plano4]

Don't forget to put sunscreen on your feet. My feet got so burned the first sea day, I wasn't able to wear my cute new sandals.

 

[Kimnicki]

I got sunburned on my head near my part...ouch. DS5 was lathered every 2 hrs with 35spf and he got sun poisoning on his shoulders. That was day 2. It was very difficult to finish a 7 day cruise with a 5 year old with sun poisoning. He wore a shirt (with sunscreen under) a hat and sunglasses for the rest of the week. On the beach and in the pool. He was not happy. Next time, he'll get in every 1/2 hour!

Kim

 

[Katdb]

If you do get sunburned.... which many people (myself included) do, even with sunscreen, one thing that really helped me was Solarcaine Aloe Gel. All the goodness of normal solarcaine without the pink goopieness (yes, that is a word in my world). Also, my Mom put it in the fridge before putting it on my very red skin, and the coolness helped, along with some damp cold facecloths/towels.

If you can, buy a small bottle of sunscreen (or use a random bottle that you have a home) so you can always carry some with you. If it's hot, you will sweat and your sunscreen goes bye-bye rather quickly.

I went from Snow White (all I need is the black hair, and I really could be her... it was my nickname for a little while) to lobster red in half an hour with spf 45... don't skimp out on the sunscreen, buy the best! Also, try sunscreen with parsol in it, it works much better than most of the sunscreens I've tried.

 

[videogal1]

About all I can add to this discussion is that if you snorkle like me you probably look like a bottom-feeding duck. The only part of me that got a bad burn last time was where my bathing suit bottom scootched high around my tail feathers and I had a ruby red burn right above where the leg band of my bathing suit cut....sun don't normally shine there! For arms and shoulders I was careful to do my snorkeling and beach exploring wearing a t-shirt.....best sunscreen of all and it doesn't wash off unexpectedly!

Cash doesn't have to worry except for his nose...Anyone have a sure-fire way to burn-proof the nose of a black lab?

 

[DIZZNY]

Studies have shown that most people do not apply enough sunscreen to provide adequate protection. You may use a SPF of 45 but only be getting the protection of 15 if enough is not applied. You really need to be generous in the amount you apply then reapply often. Unfortunately, we can get a false sense of confidence when we apply sunscreen and stay out longer than we should. Using clothing to protect, such as hats, long sleeves, etc. when out in the sun will definately increase protection as well as staying out of the sun - however, it is difficult to even seriously consider that on a cruise.

SPF 30 or 45 + a UVA protection of titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or parsol 1789 are really the minimum quality you should look for and "glop" it on often.

Also, sun tans are signs of damage to the skin. They are not healthy and cause premature aging. Spray on tans or chemical tans are healthier and may provide a small amount of protection but it is still necessry to practive avoidance, cover-up, and use sunscreens.

Sorry, not trying to lecture. It is the dermatologist in me coming out.
Have a great trip!!!!!

 

[Minnie&Mickey]

Thirty some-odd years ago, my parents took my sister and I on a cruise in late July. We left port from New York and cruised down to Bermuda. We left NY late in the afternoon and spent the next day at sea. Since it was July, my sister and I already had tans, but my mother didn't. The next morning, my mother knocked on our stateroom door and when we opened it we were totally shocked at her appearance. Her face was all red, shiny, and swollen! It turns out that she had sun poisoning! The ship's doctor gave her something to put on it, and told her that she would need to stay out of the sun for the remainder of the cruise. So she spent the rest of the cruise inside or totally covered up with long clothes and a hat. That was our very first cruise (and for me, it was my last) but my parents took many, many cruises in the years to follow...she never got sun poisoning again!

 

[GenieDana]

Treat outdoor clothes with RIT Sunguard. It works.

http://www.ritdye.com/sun_guard/about_sun_guard.asp

We're exposed to a lot of sun here in Florida, and my kids spend their beach days in their treated, long-sleeve T-shirts. You can then concentrate sunsreen on faces, necks, and other exposed skin. Wear a hat.

Even with protection, there is a real risk. My DD-10 got melanoma at age 7, and had to have a golfball-sized chunk of flesh extracted from her thigh! Scared us! Think about it - a young kid had to go through that from the sun, even with protection and she has NEVER had a sunburn in her life!

Be careful. Protect yourself and your loved ones.

 

[UMTerp]

Hi everyone!

My DS is a redhead and can sunburn at the drop of a hat. The
answer for him and my DD who is not as fair is a sunscreen shirt. It is a lightweight shirt that is equivalent to SPF 45. No sunscreen to reapply to the areas the shirt covers - they are long sleeved. We have used these for years including full days in Grand Cayman and CC with excellent results. I would highly recommend them for the kids and adults who are sun sensitive!

 

[Madaboutthemouse2004]

I'm redhead and so pale that milk looks tan next to me. I slathered the kids and myself with a watersports SPF#50 prior to leaving the stateroom. I covered myself and DD from top to toe before we put our swimwear on. DS got to cover his tush himself. Scalps were liberally dosed with 50 and hats were uniform of the day. We reapplied a short time later on CC and after water activities. Between poolside and the beaches, the only person to tan was DS. DH thought I was a kook sunblocking between toes and all over feet. DH decided to go SPF 30...poor toasted man.