I've caught a cold several times on a cruise, and maybe the flu once. In most cases, symptoms didn't start until the very end and then the worst of it came once I got back home, so it didn't really affect my enjoyment of the cruise itself. As someone else mentioned, it's the same kind of thing you often get after air travel. But I've never had norovirus or food poisoning on a cruise. The thing is, after a few of these colds, I started to get extra cautious on future cruises: always use pocket hand sanitizer that I bring, as well as the DCL-provided wipes at the food outlets. Also, I make it a point to ALWAYS follow the hand-washing recommendations each and every time I return to my stateroom or use a public restroom: what is it, 45 seconds of vigorous washing with warm water? It seems like a long time when you're doing it but it is under a minute - does it really take that much out of your day? And, when leaving a public restroom, never touch the door handle with bare hands. Plus, I use the trick of pushing the elevator button with the back of a knuckle rather than a fingertip, so I don't inadvertently touch my eye and fill it with the germs of the last 100 people to use the elevator. I don't wipe down the stateroom or anything drastic, but I do try to let the stateroom attendant do the twice-daily cleaning, as among other things, they clean all of the surfaces with anti-viral spray. I felt a bit goofy (gawrsh!) doing all of those things at first, but since I've started doing those things - no more colds. It could be a coincidence, but it sure seems to have made a difference.
