The last thing you want when you are enjoying the vacation of your dreams on a cruise ship is to get sick. Even though I have never gotten sick on a cruise, I know that it happens to some people and most of the time it is completely preventable.
With thousands of people on a cruise ship it only takes one person to ruin it for a lot of people. That’s why you have to fill out a form saying you are not sick before you get on the ship. This post will include some ideas for staying healthy and avoiding those germs which lead to viruses and illness. You can also see some tips on avoiding seasickness here.
Keep Your Hands Clean
Fortunately, cruise ships make this very easy today. There are sanitizing stations all over the ship, but they will do you no good if you don’t use them. You should just make a habit out of sterilizing your hands and washing them as much as possible. After all, with 5,000 plus people on a cruise vessel and everyone touching the same elevator buttons, railings, and door handles, you will want to kill those germs on a regular basis.
You should always wash your hands before you eat, but on a cruise ship you are eating all the time, so just make sure you are washing your hands all the time as well, and avoid touching your face with your hands as well. If you have children on the ship, make sure they are just as active keeping their hands clean too.
Drink Lots of Water
Your doctor says drinking a lot of water is great for staying healthy, right? Well water is one of the few drinks that is actually free on a cruise ship, so staying healthy doesn’t have to cost you anything. But it might mean avoiding sugary drinks like soda. When you just drink coffee, soda, and beer all day you are just making your body more vulnerable to getting sick, and you need to replace these fluids with good old fashioned water. And don’t worry, cruise ship water is perfectly clean and safe to drink. It’s probably even cleaner than the water you drink at home since it is filtered with complex filters that allow the entire ship to have clean water.
Keep Your Body Moving
Exercise might seem like a lot of work when you are on a cruise vacation, but it’s important to keep your body moving and that blood pumping if you want to keep your immune system in prime condition. Of course, there is always the gym on the ship you can use that is full of treadmills, ellipticals, and weights, but even making little decisions like taking the stairs instead of the elevator can keep your body healthy.
Cruise ships are quiet long as well, so take a walk around the decks and explore a little. You don’t have to go crazy to enable your body to get the exercise it needs to fight off any viruses that might be going around.
Don’t Completely Over-do it on Junk Food
A cruise ship buffet is like a little slice of heaven, and it’s easy to just gorge yourself once you see all the tasty treats available. But there are always healthy choices available as well, and even a special vegan menu for the meat-deprived among us.
Get Some Sleep
Unless your room is right above one of the lounges that parties until 2 in the morning, you should be able to get enough sleep on your cruise. It can be tempting to want to stay up all night for the midnight snacks and to enjoy the amenities of the cruise ship, but getting enough sleep is also important for keeping your immune system strong. And even though there are a lot of great things to do in the morning, I always like sleeping in anyway. After all, it’s a vacation, right?
