With several cases emerging of passengers coming down with gastro during their cruise holidays, there are holiday-makers worried that their own cruises will be ruined by a nasty bug while on board.
Unfortunately, two gastro outbreaks have occurred within the last two weeks, with highly contagious norovirus infections causing havoc throughout the vessels.
The norovirus causes gastroenteritis and can lead to between 24 and 48 hours of vomiting and diarrhoea, and spreads throughout any areas where there are a large group of people sharing a small, enclosed environment.
Luckily, there are a variety of ways to make sure you don’t fall ill on a cruise, to make sure you can enjoy that trip of a lifetime without having to run to the bathroom.
Read more: 8 ways to stop wasting money on a cruise
One of the easiest ways to avoid getting sick on a cruise is to keep your hands clean. You’d be surprised how often your hands make their way to your face and mouth, so after going to the bathroom, touching communal items and dirty surfaces, make sure you wash your hands or use hand sanitiser.
The bathrooms on your cruise ship are cleaned regularly, but if you can hold it long enough to visit your own restroom, it’s worth the effort. If you really must use the communal bathrooms, just be sure to give your hands a good wash afterwards.
It may sound a bit extreme, but you just never know who has been touching the cutlery at the buffet. So, pack yourself a cutlery set and don’t worry about the people giving you sideways glances. Jokes on them when they start rushing to the loo!
Ok, we’re not suggesting that you walk around with plastic bags covering your hands, or lock yourself in your cabin throughout your cruise, but just be careful about the amount of people you go touching, you social butterfly you! If you do go shaking hands with a variety of people, just be sure to wash your hands before you go eating or touching your face.