Glad I wasn't on the cruise ship...

You said it. No power and pitch dark rooms for those who don't have a balcony or oceanview. Spam for meals. And temporarily at least backed up toilets.
Nightmare at sea.

Funny, I just started a thread like this over on the IBS forum.

GMTA, huh?!!! lol

I forgot to add, I put up with a marine toilet for 7 days on one of our family vacations, on a floating house on a lovely lake in Tennessee. Nothing but bodily waste could be flushed, it was quite the experience. I've often wondered if that's the rule on cruise ships' toilets. Doesn't matter though, I'd never risk drinking the water on a cruise. People tell me, drink bottled water! Sure, that's possible but then you couldn't enjoy ice in your drinks, couldn't eat foods that had been washed using their water supply (salads). So the whole cruise ship experience just sounds way too risky for my touchy gut.

The water on the ship is not the problem it's when you're on excursions that you have to be careful.
I'm going on my second cruise in February and am crossing my fingers that I'm still feeling ok.
I bought cancellation insurance just in case!
We have an inside cabin and when I heard about those ppl I just about canceled on the spot.
But I'm an optimist:)

kops2da - I like your way of vacationing! I prefer hotels or state park lodges, where I not only have my own bathroom but can also find a variety of restrooms off the beaten path, near a restaurant entrance, an indoor pool, even more obscure (the one employees use). My daughters always tell me - Mom, you seem to know where ALL the bathrooms are located, how do you do that? lol

sobroken - I agree, it's not the actual water on cruise ships that is the problem, it's if the ship keeps the lines clean or not. I'm told this can happen at any restaurant on land too, especially in the soda fountain lines. You can easily pick up bacteria by simply ordering a Pepsi. You don't know if the kitchen staff cleans the lines the correct way or not. Good call on switching your cruise room type. When my husband told me people were sleeping and showering in total darkness, I reminded him that we always travel with working flashlights. He just rolls his eyes at me, but I also supply my daughters with them (one is working in Washington DC now and the other in college). The latest flashlight I found was only $6, LED, but it comes with a strap to wear and also a magnet, so you can keep it on the refrigerator or I told my daughters, just put it on a door hinge near your bed and then you always can find it. Do they tease me for thinking ahead? lol Yes but years ago I'm sure I read a story about a family on vacation in a resort w/o power. Hence why we pack flashlights for each trip. And individual rolls of TP - the ones wrapped in paper, I just spend the high price for them and put them in my suitcase, so no one sees them (when checking in). It's such a relief to see the roll placed say next to my sox. Just for extra precaution. You never know when you'll need one in the middle of the night and you can't find hotel staff.

Old Hat - that is just what we had to do with the floating house's marine toilet, first we used the small plastic shopping bags with handles. We disposed of our bags in an outdoor garbage can on the deck (I started referring to this can as the diaper pail). Later we started using full sheets of newspaper and then rolling them up with our tissue inside. When it was over, my husband said - don't worry, we won't ever stay on a floating house again. I hugged him!

The occasional horror story you read about rampant stomach viruses being passed around on a cruise ship or bouts of sea sickness are pretty scary, too. I'd much rather fly to a beachy destination and stay put. Looking at Cabo San Lucas for next year!

I wouldn’t let this incident affect your decision to go on a cruise or not. What happen to this ship is extremely rare. I was on 2 different cruises when I had UC and I find them to be very UC friendly. The cleanliness and health conditions on board are as good as any 5 star hotel. There are plenty of washrooms throughout the ships. If you are not feeling well you can head back to your cabin at any time. You have more to worry about the stops on the cruise, but then you don’t have to get off the ship if you don’t want to. There are plenty of activities on the ship.

I went a fun Disney cruise about 25 years ago with my first husband (right about the time I was diagnosed, in fact! I remember pooing sheets of blood...). But my current husband has a huge fear of throwing up (I know there's a word for it) and so is afraid of getting seasick. And the stories about sickness that spreads on cruises are scary too. So I wasn't counting on cruising ever again. And that cruise absolutely confirmed it for him!

Post Edited (Peety) : 11/14/2010 2:50:26 PM (GMT-7)