Loading Page...

Can I go on a cruise if I have a cold?

If you are feeling sick before your voyage, do not travel and ask your cruise line about rescheduling or reimbursement options. If you feel sick during your voyage, report your symptoms to the ship's medical center and follow their recommendations.



People Also Ask

If you feel ill in the days before your cruise, you should not travel. Keep in mind you will need to answer a health questionnaire prior to boarding. A positive test result, or documented symptoms of communicable disease during the boarding process, will result in denial of boarding.

MORE DETAILS

Guests may be quarantined to their cabins if the illness is infectious and could be disembarked from the ship if the illness needs further medical care. The vast majority of illnesses happening on cruises are simple colds, coughs, and stomach bugs.

MORE DETAILS

Some cruise lines offer pills at the purser's desk for free, while others sell it in onboard stores. On particularly rough sailings, most cruise lines will provide medicine free of charge. Other remedies include pressure point wrist bands, eating green apples or ginger, getting fresh air and staring at the horizon.

MORE DETAILS

How Common is it to Get Sick on a Cruise? 15% of people have reported feeling seasick while onboard. In our experience we can add an other 10% of passengers that will suffer from other illness, such as colds, flu and hangovers.

MORE DETAILS

Cruise ship doctors work as independent contractors and may charge a basic hourly fee. There will be additional charges for medications and tests. All must be paid for at the time of service and will be billed to your shipboard spending account.

MORE DETAILS

Respiratory Illnesses. Respiratory illnesses are the most common medical complaint on cruise ships.

MORE DETAILS

If you contract Covid on your cruise, you'll also be refunded for the days of your quarantine, according to your original form of payment. Mine was a media sailing, but most guests can expect a refund within 30 days.

MORE DETAILS

If any of our guests or crew members ever feel unwell during their sailing, they can be immediately evaluated by medical staff, with an in-stateroom visit or by video tele-consultation. A multitude of evaluative tests can be conducted right onboard in our medical lab.

MORE DETAILS

Do Cruises use Body Scanners? Cruises do not have the nude-type body scanners that you sometimes find in airports. They do have the whole-body walk-through metal detector scanners to forbidden detect metal objects on your person, such as any form of weaponry.

MORE DETAILS

These facilities are typically equipped to treat only minor nonemergency conditions. If your illness is serious or you find yourself needing emergency treatment, you'll be referred to a facility on land and disembarked to get care.

MORE DETAILS

A medical consultation on a cruise usually costs around $100 (£85) if during medical centre opening hours. This price rises to around $165 (£137) for appointments outside of opening hours and can rise as high as $205 (£170) if a doctor needs to visit a guest's cabin.

MORE DETAILS

In 2023, a decade-high number of cruise ships have reported an unwelcome passenger on board: norovirus. Outbreaks of the stomach bug have surged on cruise ships this year, reaching the highest levels seen in 10 years.

MORE DETAILS

If you're worried about seasickness, pick a cabin that's as close to the water level as possible and in the center of the ship. You'll be at the ship's fulcrum point, which means you'll feel less movement than people on higher decks with cabins far forward or all the way at the back.

MORE DETAILS

The middle of the ship and not too high is your safest bet. A mid-ship stateroom with a balcony for quick access to fresh air may be ideal. If not available, consider a room that is either lower or closer to the back, as the front of the ship tends to experience the most movement.

MORE DETAILS

Cabin Choice The lower you are, and more towards the middle of the ship, you will not feel it as much. Cabins at the front and back of the ship tend to sway the most, so you want to avoid any rooms in these areas.

MORE DETAILS