Traveling With Emetophobia-Cruise ships

[centipede]

I just added this article to my blog. If you're extremely fearful of cruise vacations, it won't change your mind about going on a ship, and that's not my intent. But some of you may have some slight reservations about cruising and I wanted to set the record straight.

fearsandphobias.blogspot.com

Traveling With Emetophobia - Cruise Ships

The thought of traveling is tremendously stressful for emetophobes. Many factors contribute to this anxiety. First, the mode of transportation and the small but existing chance of getting motion sickness. And what about cruise ships? Doesn’t everyone get sick from the stomach virus on those massive floating resorts? Well, no.

Lucky for me, I’ve been traveling way before I became emetophobic. Additionally, I work in the travel and tourism industry which would be awkward for me if I stayed home on vacations. Traveling is enjoyable to me and it has taken me to places all over the world including undeveloped countries. Even though I’ve always had the fear of vomiting, it never controlled my life nor did I really think about it constantly, especially when traveling. So now, I’m so used to traveling, that emetophobia won’t stop me. Instead, I take a few more precautions than the average person. And by the way, I have never, ever gotten sick where vomiting is involved while traveling *Knocks on wood*. This blog entry will focus primarily on traveling by cruise ship.

I have been on over 20 cruises and never contracted a stomach virus nor have I been seasick. Those brand new mega-ships run smoothly and ships use stablilzers to further reduce swaying. Unless the ship is sailing in rough water or a storm may have passed by, very few people get seasick. And guess what? There are ways to prevent seasickness, medical and non-medical.

*Pick an itinerary that with calmer seas and less days at sea. The Caribbean is a good bet but no place is guaranteed not to have a day of rough water. Ships generally are in port during the day and sail in the evening and overnight unless there are days at sea and even then, the water is usually smooth.

*Motion sickness remedies are out there. You can buy them before stepping on the ship or pick them up onboard. They include prescription medications such as the patch behind the ear, over the counter anti-emetics like Bonine and Dramamine, or homeopathic remedies which include the acupressure wristbands and ginger capsules, which work very well. The secret to using these remedies is that you must take them before you feel the effects of motion discomfort. Usually ½ to 1 hour before sailing.

According to the CDC norovirus is associated with cruise ships because:

*Health officials track illness on cruise ships. They do not track stomach viruses in schools, nursing homes or other places unless it is epidemic. Therefore, outbreaks are found and reported more quickly on a cruise ship than on land.

*New passenger arrivals may bring the virus to other passengers and crew. Cruise ships are very clean. The spread of norovirus is from other people, not the cruise ship itself. With that said, the norovirus can be spread just as easily anywhere – whether it’s a cruise ship, hospital, school, recreation center, or your neighborhood grocery store. That’s why it’s so important to WASH YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY.

People become infected with norovirus by:

*Eating food or drinking liquids infected with norovirus.

*Touching surfaces or objects infected with noroviruses and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

*Having person to person contact with a norovirus infected person by being close enough to someone vomiting that the droplets may reach you; sharing food or eating from the same utensils; and shaking hands.

*Not washing hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers and before eating or preparing food.

Norovirus is NOT airborne. I repeat. Norovirus is NOT airborne. You cannot b

[gumdropper1]

Lately I have been thinking not of seasickness or norovirus outbreaks but of the rapes that happen on cruise ships. Some new reports out say that there are two rapes by crew members per month per ship, at least.

Women travelling alone are at highest risk. Many of the crew members are from places where men have the idea that if a woman is alone in public, she is asking to be raped.

There is more information at this web site: http://www.cruiserape.com

Doug

[party_boi3423]

as far as im concerned, cruise ships are a travelling germ.
my mum, who doesn't suffer from emetophobia, says she would never travel on a cruise ship!

besides, i hate being cooped up with the same people all day long on a ship where you cannot escape them. go to the european cities - eg. barcelona, rome, vienna, edinburgh, london (my home city!!), milan etc. they are very easy to get to and are safe for emets to eat in!

[sage]

My sister works on cruise ships (Royal Caribbean) as a theatre production manager. She says the cleanliness standards are unbelievable now - esp. in the kitchens - because the cruise lines do NOT want any more bad press. They also have a complete disinfecting routine requiring all crew members (even her) to be cleaning with bleach if there's any sort of outbreak.
I don't know about the rapes, but it seems like it might be fairly easy to catch the guy would it not? Not like they can get away anywhere.
She cruises the mediterranean with 10 ports of call. Sounds marvelous. I may try it sometime! (Seasickness of others worries me more than norovirus on a ship)