Cruises offer people an ideal way to relax and travel with resort-quality amenities, limitless food and drinks, and an opportunity to visit multiple destinations in a single vacation without having to wait out multiple flights in airports. However, the popularity and affordability of cruising also has led to health hazards.
There are a number of things you can do to make sure your next cruise is a healthy and enjoyable one, and if you follow these five simple dos and don’ts of cruising, you should expect fair skies and calm seas on your upcoming vacation:
Get Vaccinated
Regardless of where you’re traveling, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise you to make sure that you are up to date on routine vaccines, including measles/mumps/rubella, varicella and seasonal flu. Even if you’re traveling to a destination where these vaccines are routine, others on the cruise may be coming from parts of the world where these diseases are still common and vaccines are not routine. Because of this and because of the close quarters that cruisers travel in, there have been chickenpox and rubella (German measles) outbreaks on cruise ships.
Depending on your destination, you may need additional vaccinations to ensure that you are protected. You can research the CDC’s vaccination recommendations by country on its Travelers’ Health pages, but you may want to discuss your travel plans and specific activities with your doctor to determine whether or not you should consider additional vaccinations prior to traveling.