Anyone recently come home sick from a cruise?

[n2mm]

must be something wrong with me. I’ve cruised 7 times since the restart and was not sick on the first 3, but was sick on the last 4 (the last one was a 7/7 b2b). In May/covid, September/flu…..so got my newest booster and flu shot and took my 7/7 b2b Oct/Nov. Never got off the first cruise, except castaway, started the second cruise and the headache, sore throat started. Tested daily, always negative. respiratory infection this time. Ended up under home medical care, bronchitis, respiratory Infection, antibiotics, etc. but my husband never got sick. On the November FB group there were many folks sick afterwards. Though my son-in-law got covid in May when I did and my teen granddaughter got the flu when I did in September. Getting sick on three trips in a row is pretty depressing. So taking a little break. Next cruise is amother b2b, 7 night western and 7 night eastern this AprilMay. I sure hope 2023 is better.

 

[holula]

This year I’ve been on four cruises, went to Disneyland (twice), WDW, and Disneyland Paris and came home sick once on a cruise (June, COVID) and once from Disneyland Paris (literally just got home, sinus infection.)

I feel worse having the sinus infection than I did covid honestly.

 

[ScooterScott44]

In December, we drove to the cruise from home the morning of the cruise. Were on the ship for 10 days (Non-DCL, due to a unique itinerary). After the cruise my wife and son tested positive for COVID.

We have done 5 cruises this year and other trips including to DL. The risks seem to be higher at this time based on our experience.

 

[Jsoenning]

We have cruised 3 times this year - July on RCCL Liberty of the Seas (mother-in-law's husband caught COVID), November on Carnival Breeze (I caught COVID) and December on Disney Magic (daughter caught a cold). The Facebook groups for each had a good percentage of the cabin's reporting someone within their travel party catching COVID or the flu.

I will say that luckily none of the three of us that got sick felt really all that bad. I was probably the worst in that I was super sleepy, had chills and lost taste / smell (everything tasted like metal for a while).

I jokingly blamed the drink packages as mother-in-law and husband had one in July and wife and I did in November; which in all seriousness probably caused us to be around people more than had we not had one.

 

[mamaburrito]

Cruised in July and our family tested positive for Covid. Just got off the ship and so far so good.

Traveling has always been increase in catching SOMETHING. It’s about your comfort level of being exposed to something. The best thing you can do is practice good hygiene and hope for these best or stay home.

 

[sophy1996]

Caught something nasty though not COVID (probably RSV) on our November cruise on Wonder. Not surprising, with the number of people that were coughing and sneezing.

At one point a little girl a couple groups ahead in line for Mickey had a terrible cough. When the handler tried to get the people ahead of us to close the line up, they point blank refused to get closer to her. I supported that (though in hindsight, we should have just left as soon as she started coughing).

 

[Cheburashka]

That is just not true due to the forced indoor space.

How much more forced indoor space is there than at your regular job? A lot of cruise time is spent on deck or at ports.

 

[HunterGatherer]

We have a cruise just two weeks out and my excitement is slightly turning into concern. With everything going around I’m getting really nervous and we’re at the point where it’s too late to cancel. I understood the risk of Covid when I booked 6 months ago but I in no way expected that to be piled on with Flu, RSV and Pneumonia

The simple answer is yes, I took a Virgin Cruise last month and came home with COVID from it, my wife did not get COVID though. The symptoms were mild, just a drippy nose, but I took a test anyway. Now before anyone asks, yes I am fully vaccinated, and have had 2 boosters (including the new omicron one.) The cruise was also less than half full and I was amazed at low crowds there were on it. The boat was kept very clean.

I would not let that dissuade you though. like others have said, you can get sick anywhere. On a cruise ship, some aspects are cleaner than around town like hand washing and sanitation especially on DCL. (They are constantly having you was your hands and giving hand wipes) While the closeness to other people is also more prevalent on a cruise. I have been on 3 cruises in 2022 and only got sick on 1 and it was the least populated of them all. I have been may pre covid and never got sick.

Side note, I also got COVID last July of 2022, most likely at the Airport or the Mall of America as I was in a private co-hort on the boundary waters for an extended period before that. I had no symptoms, but my son did, so I tested when he did and popped a positive. We had to rebook a cruise due to that positive test.

So, the question is would I go on another cruise tomorrow if I could? Ya, Absolutely!

 

[SleepyDeb]

I get it. We're cruising in about 2 weeks too and I'm very nervous. We're fulled vaxxed and boosted, but we had COVID in May and it was the sickest my DH or I have ever been. 4 weeks in bed. We can't even imagine what the illness would have been like without being vaxxed. We probably would have been hospitalized. We've continued to do everything we can to avoid getting it again. We feel like this cruise is a big risk, but we're going to do it anyway. At some point we need to get back to normal life.

(We both work from home and wear a mask almost always in public places indoors. The one time we didn't recently was at a wedding. We caught strep + some virus and it was another 3 weeks in bed.)

 

[gotomu212]

We cruised second week in December and did all come home with a nasty respiratory illness (it was all different daughter‘s got better after antibiotics for an ear infection, mine became a pretty bad sinus infection, husbands strep throat). We all had CoVid a month earlier so didn’t have an issue with that (it’s been quite a fall). I will say by day five there were a lot of people coughing and sneezing, especially at dinner.

It feels like a common problem with winter cruises as we’ve had issues in the “Before Times”. We were packed in more than we are in day to day lives so it is a higher risk for our family.

 

[ZehnJahren]

We have a friend who just got off the Magic with covid. I think she's been home 2 days!

 

[Anna131517]

I kind of just expect to get COVID on the cruise we’re taking in February if I don’t get it earlier. It’s depressing but I’m resigned to it because I feel like I’m just as likely to get it at home. I have three school aged kids and work. I can’t live in a bubble. We get everything. We’re all vaccinated and boosted for everything but what are you going to do? There’s just a lot going around. We went to WDW last spring and came home with COVID. That’s one reason we’re taking a shorter cruise and driving this time. Hopefully if we do get sick it won’t be until after we get off the ship. We n the plus side we’ve already had RSV and one type of flu this year

 

[Flying Fish]

I can’t live in a bubble.

This, this, and this. We have to learn to live our lives. We were sure getting back on ships meant covid or something else. We went in November and got nothing. We just got off a second one and got something. I'm pretty sure it's covid, but we haven't tested yet. I'll probably test tomorrow, but we had an AMAZING time. If we get it, we get it. Like you said, you're going to get sick, it's just part of life. We'll get over this and still go another one.

 

[Cheburashka]

I just got back from the Dream and I'm fine. We even had cold weather, missed Castaway Cay, and most people were indoors most of the time onboard. Still fine.

 

[Tink3815]

We did our first cruise since 2018 on Carnival. We were saving for a European cruise in 2020 for our 40th anniversary, which never happened. We traveled a lot starting in the fall of 2020 on planes to Florida and were fortunate not to get Covid. Had to get out of lockdown NY.

Even before Covid, I was the person who wiped down the plane tray table, seat belt and around the seat. I also wiped down the hotel room as soon we came in. Light switches, door handles, rods to close the curtains, anywhere a person might touch. Hotels may have done the deep cleaning in the middle of Covid, but I’m sure they no longer have the staff to do it any longer. We normally do not have the room serviced and just call to get more towels and give them the garbage. The cleaning rags they use from room to room spreads the germs.

The turnaround time on cruises is from 830am to 130.pm There is no way they can do a deep cleaning on the cabins. I gave our cabin a wipe down as soon as we got in. After the steward was in the room, I would wipe the bath counter and desk and table area again. I used hand sanitizer around the ship when I went by one, especially after getting our food at the buffet before eating. I read that the spoons on the buffet harbor a lot of germs. It’s been 5 days and so far, we are ok. Go enjoy yourself, take precautions when you can.

 

[NAB]

We have a friend who just got off the Magic with covid. I think she's been home 2 days!

We just got of the Magic too , thought I had a cold starting the Last night. Lots of coughing going on.

Got worse when we got home tested and yep have Covid. My husband does not. It is one wicked cough which makes my throat sore. Runny nose and lost my smell and taste.

The family beside us at dinner only made it 2 days than the mother and son were sick. Of coarse we don’t know with what. Our server wasn’t there the first night because he was out sick. So maybe that was our luck ….

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I am vaccinated and boosted for Covid. I came off of our August cruise last year on the Magic with Covid.

I just got off of the Wonder last week and did not pick up any of the nasty viruses going around. We were on a full ship and I can honestly say I did not wear a mask more than a few times.

You just never know.

 

[jenushkask8s]

I got sick with a sinus infection after our Thanksgiving cruise on Wonder of the Seas. We cruised 2 other times in 2022 and neither of us got sick. I caught COVID from someone at my local hair salon in the spring and DH caught it on a trip to WDW over the summer.

We're doing a B2B on the Dream in 2 weeks. If we get sick, so be it. We know the risks, especially during cold & flu season (and, yes, we are vaxxed for COVID & flu).

 

[pixiedust2u]

My son and I both contracted covid from our December cruise. It was kind of expected. At least we got it doing something fun

 

[Princesca]

I'm just thinking we'll have to be very careful. It's going to be rough because we're traveling with a 5 and a 4 year old and they will be in the kids' club and touching everything. Our 2.5 year old, less so. But I'm investing in these little one ounce hand sanitizer bottles that I'm going to attach to lanyards, and then just bring a big bottle of hand sanitizer to refill them with. We'll use what's on the boat as much as we can, but if we sit down to eat at Cabanas and forgot to hand sanitize, this way there will be no excuses.

I think wiping down the rooms is a great idea, and for the week at the parks, I'm going to try to find us outdoor places to eat as often as possible. May also recommend to our party that they mask in enclosed spaces.