Cruising is one of my favorite ways to take a vacation and I’m going to teach you how to stay healthy on a cruise! Cruises have so many activities and all of your entertainment is within walking distance. I love that I can go to a show and then walk to the comedy club and walk to the piano bar all within the same night! I also love that I can have a drink and walk myself back to my room. My whole evening is in one place! One sure thing to ruin your Cruise would be getting sick. I’m going to teach you how to stay healthy on a cruise. I would also encourage you to read my post on avoiding motion sickness on a cruise here.
Wash Your Hands
This is probably common sense but please, make sure you wash your hands frequently. Most importantly, clean your hands before you eat. If you’re eating at the buffet and using the tongs or spoons to dip your food then you’re exposed to the germs from everyone else that touched it. Just think about the people that don’t wash their hands, EW! If you aren’t able to wash your hand, at least use hand sanitizer. If you are looking for a very high-quality hand sanitizer that won’t dry out your hands, I recommend this one.
Probiotics
It took me years to discover Probiotics and then a few more years to find some that actually worked. I now take them every day and they’re a life changer! When you’re on a cruise you are exposed to a lot of different bacteria and viruses. Probiotics help build your immune system and help prevent illness. Cruisers also tend to eat foods that they are not used to eating and probiotics help digest these uncommon foods. I still wouldn’t go crazy and eat tacos from a sketchy back alley food truck in Mexico but try those authentic tacos on your excursion! You can find the probiotic that I take here. They come in blister packets for travel or you can buy a larger quantity in a glass bottle. These probiotics do not require refrigeration and have a shelf life of three years. These are commonly prescribed for people who take antibiotics and have a unique strain that other probiotics do not contain. They are also gluten-free and in vegetarian capsules.
Limit Alcohol and Drink Plenty of Water
Staying hydrated is very important for your immune system. When people are cruising, they forget to drink water. Especially, those cruisers that have purchased the unlimited beverage package. While the beverage package is great, please make sure to drink water too! You don’t want to get alcohol poisoning on your cruise and miss out on all of the fun.
Sleep
Getting plenty of Sleep is hard to do but some of my best sleep is on a cruise. I run around all day and by the end of the day, I’m ready for bed. I also love the inside cabin rooms because they get so dark! No joke, it is pitch black in those rooms once you turn out the light. I am going to try a balcony room on my next cruise and I’m hoping it gets just as dark with the curtains. There’s a lot to do every hour of a cruise but you have to make sure you set aside time for sleep. Lack of sleep is a surefire way to weaken your immune system, make sure you rest.
Emergen-C/Vitamins
If you’re someone who doesn’t take a daily vitamin, I would recommend it during your cruise. Cruise ships have a lot of people in a somewhat small space. It is always safe to be precautious and take a daily vitamin or pop one of these Emergen-C packets into your water. I take a daily vitamin and don’t use the Emergen-C packet every day but I will do it a couple of times throughout the week. I also use these packets when I fly or take public transportation.
Disinfect your Cabin
When a cruise ship gets back into port they disembark and embark all within the same day. Think about how big a cruise ship is and how fast they have to clean it. I’m not saying they don’t do a good job but if you cleaned hundreds of rooms in that little amount of time, you’re bound to miss something. I always take these wipes with me and wipe down my cabin first thing! I work in a hospital and these are the wipes we use there. They kill EVERYTHING! Well, maybe not everything but close to everything. You do need to wear gloves when you use them because they are strong.
