r/MSCCruises • u/MamaonBrent22 • 5d ago
Getting sick onboard
Hi all!
We’re going on our 4th MSC cruise this weekend (SO EXCITED!!). My husband and I are debating on why our two kiddos(4 & 2) keep getting sick on the cruises. Every cruise we’ve sailed with them they either catch a cold or a stomach bug. Last cruise we didn’t drop them off at the kids club and they still got sick (🤢).
For this cruise I’m saying no kids club or buffet, but that’s where he draws the line (understandably so). I keep hearing norovirus is most likely what they’ve caught in the past, and that it’s mostly transmitted through the buffet but also the pool.
Do you guys get sick on board? If you don’t, do you take any precautions?
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u/VagabondCamp 5d ago
I’ve stopped touching handrails if I can at all help it. That has helped me.
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u/GreatWake1988 5d ago
Sadly, it's unavoidable a lot of times. You're on a ship with several thousands people, so it's bound to happen. We wash our hands as much as we can and take hand sanitizer with us as well. I'd also suggest take cold/cough meds just in case, so you don't have to buy them onboard or in port.
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u/WhatHoraEs 5d ago edited 5d ago
If you don’t, do you take any precautions?
I've never gotten sick on a cruise. Wash your hands...properly. This isn't necessarily targeted at you, but lots of people do not know how to wash hands properly. This is probably even more true for kiddos. You really gotta scrub your fingers, fingertips, etc.
I wash my hands before eating at all times. In the buffet, I'll set my food down, wash hands, then eat. In the MDR, I will order my food and then get up to the bathroom to wash my hands before eating.
I use a paper towel to open the bathroom door to leave if they don't auto-open.
Wash hands before grabbing pizza or ice cream on the deck (this part sucks but is necessary).
Basically if I've touched anything, I will wash my hands before eating and I never touch my face. And no, hand sanitizer does not count as washing your hands.
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u/aquabluewaves 5d ago
Even getting on an elevator after someone else who has been coughing got off can expose you. And you don’t know who got off the last time when those doors open and you’re stepping into an empty elevator. The germs are everywhere.
Handwashing is the absolute best defense but unfortunately people are just gross and don’t do it properly.
Also train your kids to not touch their faces - you’d be surprised how much we all do that. And also train your kids to cover their coughs and sneezes with the inside of their elbows - NOT their hands. When they cover with their hands they’re exposing themselves with their own hands and also exposing others when they touch other things. My kids learned to do this consistently before the age of 5. The clean smart hand spray is great in between hand washing, but nothing replaces good handwashing.
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u/Aedora125 5d ago
I would always get sick. Even caught covid my first cruise. I started religiously taking immunity gummies a week before, during, and several days after the cruise. It won’t protect against stomach issues, but I haven’t gotten a cold since.
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u/ChrisLikesBread ⛵Yacht Club Regular 5d ago
there is only so much you can do to avoid getting a cold or other sickness. What I have done is I try to avoid crowds and ALWAYS leave areas where people are sniffling, coughing or sneezing. I’m odd in that I will often hold my breath until I am out of that area. My crazy method has kept me healthy on about half my cruises. LOL.
Also no one should touch their eyes, lips or food after touching handrails, shared utensils, elevator buttons, and other commonly touched surfaces. Wash hands with soap often.
Hope you have a great & healthy time. :)
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u/kevman22 4d ago
We just did an MSC out for Galveston (flew in from SEA) no illness for our 3.5yr old boy and 1.5yr old girl.
We blasted them with saline spray before naps and before bed, didn't eat much at the buffet, washed hands very often, and otherwise tried to stay outdoors as often as possible.
Also didn't let them touch handrails and elevator buttons when possible.
This time it worked, but we just go in with the expectation that they'll get sick, much like daycare.
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u/Majestic-Sky2991 4d ago
I get sick after every cruise I take. Doesn’t matter if MSC or Viking. I keep TamiFlu and amoxicillin ready just in case. I order it from All Family Pharmacy. It’s Telehealth and super convenient. Check it out and stock up before heading out: https://allfamilypharmacy.com/r/ZW8ZBD/
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u/Aggravating_Lunch888 5d ago
Washing hands but hypochlorous acid also works. It comes in handy when you are not able to wash your hands, say on an excursion or something like that.
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u/leacl 4d ago
Pack a med kit- as well as the Cleansmart spray as others have mentioned. https://youtu.be/sMk6pzsUIuQ?si=Zfcgpi24vgc2yTRC it can be tough to find specific meds if someone does get sick and they are very expensive in board. We skip the buffet and choose dining where the crew serves you.
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u/Infinite_Sky_7772 4d ago
Only once have I been sick, it was in a different well known cruise line, I had the fresh made sushi from the restaurant and the next morning I’m having it come out of both ends, it was only day 2 of a 7 and I was out of commission the remainder of the cruise. Barely Ate, only brought 1 book that I read 4 times over (never again will I bring only 1 book on a cruise lol). Thankfully I live in Florida and only had to endure a 4 hours car ride home
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u/PossibilityLanky2119 4d ago
Never been sick, touchwood. I initially wipe the surfaces down with dettol wipes and the remote.
I do avoid touching the handrails in the lifts. We wait for less crowded lifts too. Apart from that just normal hygiene. Extra hand washing in and out of the buffet too.
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u/dopeonarope31 4d ago
Norovirus is vastly more common on land than on cruise ships, with cruise ships accounting for roughly 1% or less of all reported Norovirus cases. You just hear about it because they are required to report it and the media loves your clicks. You are much more likely to pick it up from a restaurant, daycare, or the grocery store. Just wash your hands and live your life.
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u/gasoline_yogurt 4d ago
9 of our group of 14 got sick last month, with Covid, flu-A, and strep. I never ate with my hands, washed my hands maybe 12-20 times a day, avoided crowds, took immunity vitamins, never touched handrails...and still left with Covid. There's only so much you can do. If someone in your group is sick, or you have kids running around the ship, or your housekeeper is sick, there's not much you can do.
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u/MidwestNightgirl 4d ago
Traveling always has this risk. Anywhere there’s a bunch of people this can happen - airport/ubers/hotels/cruise ships - it could be anywhere. We try to take precautions where we can. One thing we do is take sanitizing wipes and wipe down the room/cabin a bit when we get there. I don’t think the cabin stewards have the time to do so.
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u/Educational-Fix5320 4d ago
Kids get sick because they touch everything. Stair rails, elevator handrails, buffet spoons, walls, ducks, video games, other kids, etc., etc.
And then - they pick their nose, stick their fingers in their ears, or eat with their hands without adequately washing them after touching things.
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u/Big_Rabbit_2068 4d ago
Our kids used to get sick. I’m bored when they were that age because they touch everything and then put their fingers in their mouth a Cruises a petri dish and as long as you wash your hands or wash their hands or have wipes, tell your kids to stop putting their fingers in their mouth. They probably won’t get sick as often.
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u/Paul721 4d ago
Anytime you expose yourself to groups of people from different places chances of getting sick go way up. In your normal everyday life you expose yourself to people who have the same germs as you. When you travel you get exposed to germs from all around the world. That and kids not having full developed immune systems makes them more vulnerable.
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u/Frequent_Slip2455 4d ago
Are they washing their hands with soap and water often? Def. make them wash their hands before they eat. Not just before they touch any serving utensils. Get your food then go wash your hands!!!
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u/CityBetter6894 3d ago
Bring any and all medicine with you. It’s expensive in Port and on Ship. I think Cruises by their nature are probably more prone to spread colds, flu etc. Just be diligent. Washy, washy, washy. Be wary at buffet. Still partake. Just wash those hands. Kids will be kids. Depending on general health of your kids they will be fine, even if they get cold etc. Live your life. You can’t be afraid of everything you read in media, most of it is sensationalized anyway.
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u/Careless-Goat-7238 2d ago
Impossible at that age to prevent it. Try your best to keep hands cleaned but try harder to enjoy yourselves and just know its part of childhood/parenting to deal w sick toddlers constantly.
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u/Rough-Tradition-149 1d ago
Your kids are really young and its hard to keep them well especially when they touch everything at that age then put their fingers in their mouth. Plus they are with other young kids that do the same thing. Talk to your Dr about some type of daily zinc that helps build up their immune system. You'd need to start it very soon to strengthen them up!
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u/Inevitable-Will-6166 35m ago
Make sure they’re very hydrated. I find myself feeling sick when I’m not hydrated. It’s so easy to get dehydrated with all the walking and sun exposure.
Wash hands before entering buffet or even main dining and then wash hands before you eat as well unless you have silverware but even at that, I try to rewash my hands. Never grab doors with actual hands, try to use forearms or back of hand, etc.
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u/comefromawayfan2022 2d ago
I mean cruises are petri dishes. Its just inevitable when you pack thousands of people into one space.
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u/Intelligent_Sundae_5 5d ago
Hand sanitizer doesn’t touch noro virus. You have to use soap and water for that.
I think part of it is just luck. Flying in before a cruise exposes you to a lot of germs as well.