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Posted: 8 years ago | 13029 Views

Bed Bugs

I'm curious, how many have ran into a bed bug situation on a cruise ship? I keep hearing about these problems all the time, this article in the NYT this morn got me to thinking again. We travel the world, stay in lots of hotels and staterooms. Never had a bed bug problem, except once. That was on a cruise ship and on the luxury line we sometimes use, of all places.

It is possible that once or twice in Hawaiian condos we ran into them, but I didn't get bit, my wife did, the doctor thought it was spider bites, she used to do a lot more snorkeling than I do and laying on the sand, maybe I got bit too but it never bothered me.

So when she started getting those little red welts on her legs on the cruise ship about three weeks into it, it was a 4.5 week cruise, and then I started to get the same with about a week left on my legs too, it certainly got our attention. One or two welts showed up a day or so after disembarkation, then we had no more problems. I read up on ships and bed bugs after that. I see where they jack the temperatures way up in the staterooms in order to get rid of them.

I didn't mention the problem as it was a great cruise and I couldn't figure out just exactly where they came from. After all, we had been up the Amazon and all over the Caribbean where bugs thrive. It wasn't until after the cruise and I had studied the buggers, that I was pretty sure they were bed bug bites. I'm almost certain it wasn't from the bed though. I think it was either the big couch in our mini-suite or the couches on the stern of the ship. We spent a lot of time in both areas reading in our shorts and all bites were on our legs. It was Regent's Seven Seas Navigator, a great ship. $$$.

I did a search of bed-bugs on this forum. My gosh. Talk about the huge volume of reviews where folks have had these issues.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/01/business/for-hotels-bedbugs-are-bad-enough-and-social-media-adds-to-irritation.html?hpw&rref=business&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0

22 Answers

Posted: 7 years ago

Unless there is photographic evidence, I think it is too easy to blame bed bugs. We have not experienced problems to our knowledge. There are all kinds of bugs that bite... especially in the tropics. The one incident I almost blamed on bed bugs one time ended up being sand flea bites. If there is a bug within a 100 mile radius, it will find its way to me - - - and bite.
Posted: 7 years ago

I've had the bite put on me for tips.
Posted: 7 years ago

I agree toddrohl totally agree its the people.............
Posted: 7 years ago

Never had a problem. I doubt the cruise line would comp you for it as well let alone getting moved to a different cabin. Filthy people and bad habits is the only way bugs get on board.
Posted: 7 years ago

Wish I didn't know what they looked like Crying
Posted: 7 years ago

Now that sounds more likely. Of course, I wouldn't know a sand flea from a bed bug.... we don't see many sand fleas in CO.Wink
Posted: 7 years ago

I work in property management, and if anyone has found a miracle spray, I could get a huge bonus for recommending it to my boss.

If the bugs are gone and no more bites after one spraying of a product not obtained from an exterminator, they likely weren't bed bugs. It takes several hours of high heat to treat a home. The heat is more effective and less costly in the long run than spraying. Even a professional treatment regimen often takes several weeks to completely get rid of them, and that's only if all steps are taken such as washing and drying all linens on high heat.

That's why I doubt 99% of the bedbug sightings reported on cruise ships. I'm not saying it can't happen, but the reporters are generally disgruntled about something else. Anyone can post a picture off the internet.

What we did bring home with us from a Florida vacation was sand fleas. My daughter called saying they had bedbugs, and the bites and how they were finding them were similar, but we were able to trace the sand fleas back to a tote where one of the toddlers had dumped a bucket of sand and they didn't worry about cleaning it too well then---they were going to toss it in the washer at home. They weren't difficult to get rid of, so I wonder if some of the reports are actually due to these little pests.
Posted: 7 years ago

Turning up the heat in the cabin won't get it hot enough to kill them. And you would have to leave it on for hours. I don't know if those sprays work, but you would have to spray your entire cabin ( bed, rug, wall ) and the cabins next to yours. From what I have read, they retreat into the wall cavities during the day.
Posted: 7 years ago

We've never had an issue! Knocking on wood it doesn't start now....
Posted: 7 years ago

Hey! One upon the time i went with my wife in cruise! So we coming into our cabin on a cruise ship, We have spread out their belongings, then go outside to watching a beautiful landscape! The case was nearing evening, and we go to speep into our cabin! So when we get up on the next morning, i found on me and my wife few red spots (bittes from bad bugs)! I was angry! I complained about it to the ship's Administration! But they can't do nothing! They only washed up this one and give to us a new linens! SO after that incident, i alwayt take with me this spray http://stoppestinfo.com/199-the-complete-guide-to-killing-bed-bugs.html#sprays ! I dont use him before, but i think its useful way to kill them!Happy
Showing 1 - 10 of 22 Answers

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