Saturday, September 12, 2009

10 Things NEVER to Do on a Cruise

http://www.concierge.com/images/ideas/top_hawaii_hotels_video/cathayche_hanamaui_001p.jpg
by Cathay Che


Roughly 35 million people take a cruise ship holiday every year and spend upwards of $60 billion dollars. Maybe it’s the appeal of only having to unpack your suitcase once, or the idea that you travel from destination to destination while you sleep, maximizing your precious vacation time. But yes, cruising can be fun. Of course, there are the occasional accidents, illnesses, crimes and mysteries – with that many people onboard in somewhat cramped quarters, how could there not be? Also, being out on the open ocean has its inherent risks. But for those who don’t care to fly or who have their grandmothers in tow, cruises are a solid, family friendly option, as long as you follow a few simple rules.

NEVER: Touch a Bible!

No one is judging you for your piety or lack thereof, but Bibles were among the items replaced in cruise ship cabins after multiple outbreaks of the Norwalk virus from 2002 to 2007. The Norwalk virus is named after Norwalk, Ohio, the town where the earliest documented cases over thirty years ago. Though the symptoms are rarely life-threatening, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea for up to three days is no picnic on the high seas. The Holland America line got serious about debugging their ships and enlisted 600 crew and subcontractors supervised by Harvard School of Public Health epidemiologist Megan Murray. Everything touched by hands that might have carried the virus—from Bibles to poker chips, railings to remote controls—had to be sanitized to a temperature of 170 degrees or thrown out. NEVER: Rock the boat.
(Excerpt of Article)
.
.
.
.
.
P.S. This is the only point that I wanted to cover here; The headline shocked when I read it, and shows me just one of the reasons why people are so confused now a days.
If you'd like you're welcome to read the rest of this article.
. .
.