Anyone else gotten sick after Disney cruise?

[bobgobblin15]

It has been a few years since I went on my first Disney cruise which was I think 2015. I also haven't went on another cruise since. The day after we got back from our cruise I got what I guess was the famous norovirus that is popular on ships. Which I know it is just food poisoning and that can happen anywhere. But it was bad!! Has anyone else been in the same boat or know someone who has? I would like to go on another one but..

 

[Carolynleanne]

We have never gotten sick after a cruise. We have, however, gotten sick LOTS of times after a simple plane ride.

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

I think you are going to find many people who know someone who has gotten sick. I wouldn't keep let that keep you from going on a DCL cruise unless you have an auto-immune disorder or some other condition that places you at high risk.

 

[ImDMous]

I always seem to get a cold on the cruise, I'm not usually around too many kids so I assume I'm just picking something up from the kindergarten set. So thoughtful of them

We've been on 5 cruises and neither of us has ever had any intestinal issues during or after. Probably just luck, I'm sure it will happen eventually.

 

[bobgobblin15]

I've had food poisoning before. But that time it was so bad that I swore off another cruise lol. Oh well maybe one day again.

 

[FigmentSpark]

DH got sick on his last day and then was sick for our one park day, but it was a cold, not noro or anything like that. He just had to get some rest rather than enjoy the resort with us.

DS got sick on the ship on the first night. I'm pretty sure it was from the soft ice cream. It was a cool day and I don't think a lot of people were having it. When he got some, he said it was really soft and a little runny. Who knows how long it sat in the machine. Anyway, that was only one night of sickness, but no fun, for sure.

 

[squirk]

One of my kids got it once on the first day of our first DCL cruise. All five of us got it at WDW the year before that. It happens. Not once have I ever thought "I better not go to WDW again because I got noro that one time...."

 

[Lisa F]

if you got it the day after, chances are you picked it up at the airport not on the cruise. It's a risk of travel, just wash hands like crazy, try to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth and wash hands like crazy.

 

[Chirple]

Nine days post 2017 WBTA I ended up with pneumonia (hospitalized after blacking out twice). I had started coughing earlier in the week but didn't start running a high fever until the night before I blacked out.

I went back to our DISboards meets thread to see if anyone else had gotten sick with something other than noro, and they or someone they knew had.

ETA: We've been on two more DCL cruises since then (all on the Magic) with two more scheduled on the Fantasy.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

I have never gotten sick on or from a cruise (we've sailed five, all with DCL, and three of them were in the winter). What I tend to get sick from is work: I'm an elementary school teacher. I'm huge on keeping things clean in the stateroom though: I bring lots of disinfectant wipes and wipe down all handles, switches, TV remote, all the common surfaces that are frequently touched. Back when I used to fly, I did the same thing on the plane, as well.

 

[vikequeen]

Only two cruises. but zero illnesses. And I don't wipe anything down extra (even though I know I probably should).

 

[bobgobblin15]

Thanks for all the replies! Maybe I will look into going again. I figured this board would be the place to go to see how many people have had it happen to them or not. Thanks y'all!

 

[MomOTwins]

Thanks for all the replies! Maybe I will look into going again. I figured this board would be the place to go to see how many people have had it happen to them or not. Thanks y'all!

My DH got noro on our first disney cruise, and so did my coworker's daughter (on a different disney cruise). I think that as a general proposition, in winter months the risk is higher.

 

[insureman]

21 cruises since 2004 with no one in my family getting ill except for occasional motion sickness.

 

[SnowWhite2]

Food poisoning isn't norovirus. Food poisoning isn't contagious. Noro is. Haven't gotten norovirus on our 18 DCL cruises.

 

[SuperDry]

I've caught a cold several times on a cruise, and maybe the flu once. In most cases, symptoms didn't start until the very end and then the worst of it came once I got back home, so it didn't really affect my enjoyment of the cruise itself. As someone else mentioned, it's the same kind of thing you often get after air travel. But I've never had norovirus or food poisoning on a cruise. The thing is, after a few of these colds, I started to get extra cautious on future cruises: always use pocket hand sanitizer that I bring, as well as the DCL-provided wipes at the food outlets. Also, I make it a point to ALWAYS follow the hand-washing recommendations each and every time I return to my stateroom or use a public restroom: what is it, 45 seconds of vigorous washing with warm water? It seems like a long time when you're doing it but it is under a minute - does it really take that much out of your day? And, when leaving a public restroom, never touch the door handle with bare hands. Plus, I use the trick of pushing the elevator button with the back of a knuckle rather than a fingertip, so I don't inadvertently touch my eye and fill it with the germs of the last 100 people to use the elevator. I don't wipe down the stateroom or anything drastic, but I do try to let the stateroom attendant do the twice-daily cleaning, as among other things, they clean all of the surfaces with anti-viral spray. I felt a bit goofy (gawrsh!) doing all of those things at first, but since I've started doing those things - no more colds. It could be a coincidence, but it sure seems to have made a difference.

 

[ColoradoMom12]

Not a cruise or norovirus (which is a contagious virus, FYI, not food poisoning) I get sick with a cold almost every WDW vacation we take (as does my DD). We now have a name for it. We call it “the Disney bug” lol. It doesn’t seem to matter how cautious we are. We wash our hands very frequently and use hand sanitizer in between. We still get the Disney bug despite our beat efforts to stay healthy on vacation ! A few years ago, I got the flu (despite having had a flu shot) after traveling home from Disney. I am certain that came from the airplane, though.

 

[Karin1984]

Whether it was noro virus or food poisoning, or something else. Whenever you get in a (relatively) small space with loads of people, chances of catching something are very high. Can happen on a long flight, a short train ride or just during a trip to the mall. You will never know where the people who are around you have been before, if they are healthy or contagious and you also never exactly know your own resistance.

The only way to avoid everything is to stay in bed. There is too much fun to be had in life to be scared.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Anytime you are in close proximity to large amounts of people chances rise to catch anything that's going around. The common cold and Norovirus are just extra contagious so we hear about those the most. Its not just cruises but conference, theme parks, concerts, etc. If you're in enclosed places with a bunch of people there's a good chance you catch something. Add buffets to the mix and the chance of stomach issues really shoots up.

 

[AngelDisney]

I have never gotten sick on or from a cruise (we've sailed five, all with DCL). What I tend to get sick from is work: I'm an elementary school teacher. I'm huge on keeping things clean in the stateroom though: I bring lots of disinfectant wipes and wipe down all handles, switches, TV remote, all the common surfaces that are frequently touched. Back when I used to fly, I did the same thing on the plane, as well.

Same here! I am a secondary teacher and I have been bringing hydrogen peroxide wipes with me when I travel. I wipe down things I may touch on the plane and in the hotel room. Also wash hand thoroughly before eating. Definitely clean my hands after getting food from buffet before eating as others have touched the utensils to get food. Luckily I have not gotten sick on or after a Disney cruise. Going on our 7th soon. I got sick once travelling to China when I volunteered to teach in a kindergarten. Despite all the precautions and medication I took before the trip, I still got sick. The kids kissed me to greet me every day. Hard to resist their love and their gifts!