Avoid always getting sick on cruise

[Adora227]

I searched the forum and couldn’t find an answer so I thought I’d ask. Ok here goes I always get sick on my Disney cruises. I mean I’m fine no sign of a cold or sinus problems or anything then I get on the ship. By the time the mandatory drill happens I have a runny nose and by the time the first nights dinner happens I can barely taste the food. I’ve been on 4 cruises happens every time. I take medicine before I embark and doesn’t work. Anyone else have this happen and figured out how to avoid it. Any advice greatly appreciated as I don’t want to stop cruising.

 

[clten]

If it is happening that quickly, I maybe it is something you are picking up in the day or two before the cruise. Are you always flying in for your cruises? With recirculated air on planes, it is very easy to pick up little bugs while flying. (My sister has a weak immune system and since she started flying using a face mask, she has been picking up less colds, sniffles, etc. during our cruise vacations.)

My second piece of advice is not to depend on the hand wipes - either for you or others. Don't know where you do embarkation lunch but if it is the buffet, watch other people. They have no problem touching their face or hair (or worse) then picking up a serving spoon. If you've washed your hands or used a hand wipe on your way in, you think you are all set after you get your food. But you have just touched all these serving spoons that may be contaminated. So while we do wash our hands before going into the buffet so we aren't adding to the germs on the serving spoons, we also always use hand sanitizer (or leave and rewash our hands) after getting our food but before eating it.

 

[fdefulvio]

I agree with the previous post. Either you are picking something up before the cruise, or there is something on board that you are allergic to. I don’t think a cold or virus would show symptoms that quickly.

 

[dvcdisney]

I agree with pp. It sounds like allergies.

I have a mild reaction to dust. It takes me a day or two, but inevitably, I'm stuffed up. I can still taste my food, but I can tell that some places are a bit dusty. I have the same reaction on flights but I feel it much quicker.

I don't take medication but if I walk out in the fresh air, I'm okay.

 

[Barbydoll8]

You can call DCL before and ask them to do a deep clean of your room due to allergies. It takes a little longer so your room won't be ready early but it could help. They only do this upon request due to the time involved but they don't want you to be miserable.
Rather than medicine before you leave, bolster your immune system in advance by adding simple suppliments like extra magnesium & zinc about 10 days before you leave. Continue to take them through the cruise just in case.
Hope this helps.

 

[Mobbane]

One thing I work hard at in my life is to not touch my face with my hands, especially when traveling. Most germs enter your body via the face holes.

If it's alegerries, probably just medicate.

 

[olafLover]

.

 

[KdKyA]

I would try taking allergy pills a few days leading up to the cruise and then while on the cruise.

 

[MomOTwins]

I’m going to assume OP knows the difference between a cold and allergies. I suspect air travel is the culprit. We are very diligent about frequent hand washing and sanitizing at airports and cleaning the airplane seatback tray.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I don't usually do this when I fly, but if I'm flying in for a cruise, I will take the industrial strength Lysol wipes to the airplane tray, arm rests and anything else I might be touching. Also, I use Cold F/X. I know it doesn't work for everybody, but it works for me. OP, are there things you do at home to avoid colds? I'd make sure you were doing those things beforehand and have those meds on hand.

By the way, do you always fly at the same time of the year? Could it be seasonal, which could weaken your immune system?

 

[jrabbit]

try taking AirBorne for several days before leaving for vacation and continue while onboard. Comes in both a chewable (multiple tabs several times per day) or dissolve and drink formats. If it's a cold, this will help your body fight it off. If you are flying, that always will make you feel - "not quite right"

 

[Shanti]

• Bring Zicam dissolvable zinc tablets (much quicker & more effective than sucking on hard zinc lozenges- these quickly melt on your tongue) and take them every few hours from the moment you start to feel a little off. I'm a schoolteacher constantly exposed to germs, and can tell you that this does really help to nip prospective colds in the bud.
• Bring a few packets of disinfectant wipes and disinfect everything around you once you sit in your airplane seat: armrests, buckle, tray table, edge of seat pocket in front of you, buttons/knobs above you, window shade if you're in a window-seat, etc. (This sounds like "too much" to some people, but that is where you're picking up the germs: those common surfaces touched by so many, & then you are eating airplane snack food with your hands, bringing the germs into your body.) After wiping everything down, sanitize your hands.
• Follow the same wiping down protocol when you first enter your cruise cabin, sanitizing common touch points: all door & drawer handles, all light switches, remote control, cabin phone, sink & shower handles, toilet handle, verandah railing.
• Make a habit of washing your hands each time you retire to your stateroom.

This all sounds like a lot, but once you're in the habit of having the wipes with you during travel, it's quite easy. I'm not advocating constant wipe-downs, just upon first arrival to flight and cruise stateroom. I don't believe airline attendants and cabin hosts are sanitizing all of this between guests.

 

[southerngirl528]

If it is happening that quickly, I maybe it is something you are picking up in the day or two before the cruise. Are you always flying in for your cruises? With recirculated air on planes, it is very easy to pick up little bugs while flying. (My sister has a weak immune system and since she started flying using a face mask, she has been picking up less colds, sniffles, etc. during our cruise vacations.)

My second piece of advice is not to depend on the hand wipes - either for you or others. Don't know where you do embarkation lunch but if it is the buffet, watch other people. They have no problem touching their face or hair (or worse) then picking up a serving spoon. If you've washed your hands or used a hand wipe on your way in, you think you are all set after you get your food. But you have just touched all these serving spoons that may be contaminated. So while we do wash our hands before going into the buffet so we aren't adding to the germs on the serving spoons, we also always use hand sanitizer (or leave and rewash our hands) after getting our food but before eating it.

I agree with all said here.

 

[southerngirl528]

I don't usually do this when I fly, but if I'm flying in for a cruise, I will take the industrial strength Lysol wipes to the airplane tray, arm rests and anything else I might be touching.

I take Lysol wipes on each and every flight and wipe down ANYthing I might touch: Tray table for SURE as they say those are the nastiest items on a plane, seat belt buckles, window shade pull, armrests, you name it! It's no guarantee, but lets face it, even those of us that WANT to do great hand washing can't exactly hop to a sink anytime we need or want it on a plane.

I do the same in our cruise cabin: light switches, door knobs, remote controls (those are a key item that is usually very germs), etc. At least I know that for the most part, it's our own germs we are dealing with during our week onboard.

 

[Danigrl9876]

This happened to me everytime I traveled or went on a cruise. No matter how prepared I was or wiped everything down I still got sick on my vacations. The last time I traveled my doctor suggested I wear a mask on the plane, sounds crazy and it looks odd believe me I wasnt thrilled at the idea lol. BUT it worked!!! I wore the mask as boarded the plane for the entire flight and I did NOT get sick on my vacation for the first time in years! It must be for me anyways, breathing the air on the plane. Give it a try, it couldn't hurt

 

[b2k1121]

try taking AirBorne for several days before leaving for vacation and continue while onboard. Comes in both a chewable (multiple tabs several times per day) or dissolve and drink formats. If it's a cold, this will help your body fight it off. If you are flying, that always will make you feel - "not quite right"

Came here to post this. It seemed like I was always getting sick on DW vacations by the middle of the week, so I started taking Airborne every day for a week before a trip and during the trip and haven't been sick since.

Also, airplanes are filled with germs. We always 'sanitize' the trays and armrests with wipes as soon as we get our seats and offer them to those around us if they want to do the same. The last flight we took, a flight attendant smiled and said, 'I don't want to gross you out with specifics, but that's a good idea' and walked away. They really don't deep clean them and they do nothing more than pick up trash between flights.

 

[Bonnie1222]

DH and I been on the Fantasy 5 times in the last 4 years. He has gotten a really bad cold 4 of the 5 times by day 2 or 3, and the 5th time he got it the day we got off the boat. I have gotten sick once, maybe twice, but always the weekend we get home. He is OCD about washing his hands, not me. We take airborne for weeks before we go and take it with us. Our last cruise he went to Cabanas for breakfast on day 2, washed as the wash station and as the person next to him was walking away - they sneezed all over everything/one. He said he knew he'd get sick and YUP, he started later the next day. I started with a sore throat, but it calmed down and never got worse. He was sick for 2 weeks.

I like the suggestions about wiping down the drawer/door knobs etc in the stateroom. We always check the bed and linens, and wipe down the remote control but I honestly never thought about the drawers etc. Another place everyone touches are the hand rails, and elevator buttons. After reading this I am thinking I need to give him a small anti bacterial to carry around.

I also agree with a PP that sometimes it is your body make-up, and how easily susceptible you are to catching something.

 

[piglet1979]

My DD gets really bad when we travel to Florida. Her noses runs like crazy. This last trip the Dr. had us give her 1 4 hour sudafed every 4 hours, 1 claritin a day and Flonase. This helped her a lot. She is not taking Singular so I am not sure how our next trip will be.

Dh and myself get bad as well but sudefed works for us.

 

[RogueKnits]

Does this only happen on a cruise, or have you noticed you get sick often when you vacation? I ask, because for a while my husband was coming down with a cold every single time we went on vacation, even when no one else in the family had been sick. We finally figured out that he was getting way too stressed at work in the weeks leading up to vacation (trying to get ahead of his workload) and that was sapping his immune system. So, he basically was extra susceptible to cold viruses once he got on a plane. Now, he takes care to give himself plenty of sleep, eat healthy (cut back on alcohol, eat more fruits/veggies, etc.), and try to keep his stress levels in control starting about 2 weeks prior to travel, and so far has managed to stay healthy. We are also very diligent about hand washing in the airport/plane, not touching our faces, wiping down the tray tables with Clorox wipes, and using hand sanitizer more often than we would at home.

 

[mousefan73]

I wonder if it‘s the A/C and their air vents???

The past few years I drink ginger water and actually eat the stuff raw. Noticed no more sinus issues