CountArioch wrote:So, quick question. I was told that on a cruise if you go to the infirmary with any sort of digestive thing, they lock you in your room and post security at that door to prevent you from leaving for fear of Norovirus.
That concerns me... I mean, I get the reasoning and am not questioning that, but how do they police it? Is it "If you go to the infirmary with vomiting and diarrhea", or are they watching for symptoms? Without going into gory details, I have various digestive issues that might mimic the symptoms, but I take some immodium and drink some ginger ale and deal. And what if one of my roommates comes down with Noro, are we all quarantined? Because those quad rooms are way too tiny for four men to share for long periods of time... not so bad when the only time you're in them is to sleep but being stuck there? That's actually pretty terrifying for me (I don't have claustrophobia, but I can't stand the idea of being trapped somewhere).
The most responsible answer I can give you for that is that if you are really and truly ill with something that could make others horrendously ill then you likely will need the downtime. Most of us can handle ourselves if we come down with a violent illness, but don't hesitate to visit the infirmary if you feel THAT sick. Since you seem to be describing something with only the same symptoms as Norovirus I think you should be okay if that condition acts up and you visit and EXPLAIN it (bring some proof, like your emergency meds, maybe get your doc to write you a note so there is NO confusion just in case?). I had a mild cough when I boarded last year. The tail end of a cold, but by day 2 it was gone. I chose not to say anything about it because it was going away fast.
I, too, would hate to be confined to my cabin. I can only tolerate that many people because I know we're only likely all going to be in that room to sleep together for maybe 3 hours. Everyone is on a different schedule, so a lot of the time when you crash there's maybe one other peep in the room max. I was doing Biphasic (ie. Siesta) sleeps 2x per day and waking up at like 4:30am to go rock some karaoke and get drunk all over again...
Tips:
1. Only BLEACH will kill Norovirus. Hand sanitizer won't do it.
2. Use the hand sanitizer whenever you see it. The dispensers are all over the ship.
3. Don't be that filthy person. Ie. Jump in the pool, take showers when you need it.
4. Wash your hands when you get into your cabin. Before you touch yourself or your things.
5. Bring a ziploc baggie of all your over the counter drugs: painkillers, diarrhea relief, tums, anti-nausea pills, personal meds. You or someone you know will be happy they are there.
6. Take a little responsibility for sick cabin mates. Bring them food + water if they need it and check on them every few hours if they have a cabin-bound day.
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