Tips for Staying Healthy on a Cruise
Cruising is one of my favorite ways to travel and have a relaxing vacation. I love cruising so much that I actually worked and lived onboard cruise ships for five years!
Cruises are amazing, and the last thing you want to disrupt your well-deserved vacation is unexpectedly getting sick!
After nearly 25 years of cruising, I’ve either experienced or witnessed the main health issues that plague cruisers repeatedly.
I’m going to share my cruising expertise as well as my health knowledge as a Nurse Practitioner to help you avoid the 5 most common health issues on cruises and avoid getting sick on vacation!
Learn all the medications to bring on cruises in my YouTube video
Related: How to Maintain Weight Loss on a Cruise,
The 13 Must-Have Accessories for Your Cruise, and
How I Saved $1000 on My Cruise
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Seasickness
The first illness that can interrupt your cruise fun is the most obvious—seasickness. First of all, seasickness has everything to do with the weather, the itinerary, the size of the ship, and the location you are on the ship—not the length of the cruise. I don’t recommend booking a shorter 3-4 day cruise because you fear seasickness on a longer cruise. The ship often has to sail faster on a short cruise to get back to its home port which can make the ride choppier. You may be miserable on a short cruise, yet have no issues on a 7-day cruise.
My top seasickness tips I learned working on cruise ships:
Don’t risk cruising the Bahamas or Caribbean during hurricane season (August through October)
Don’t book a Mexican Riviera cruise in the winter (sailing back to California is always stormy and choppy)
The larger the ship, the less it rocks and sways in the waves—try a big ship if you’re a first-time cruiser fearing seasickness
Book a stateroom in the middle or back of the ship—the front of the ship gets the most motion. The top decks are also rockier, while the lower decks are more stabilized.
Pack over-the-counter seasickness remedies:
6. Ask your health-care provider to prescribe motion-sickness medication before you leave
7. If you are seasick, the worst thing to do is sit in one place and stare at one spot (like watching a show, sitting in the casino, or sitting at dinner)—get up and walk. Moving with the motion of the ship helps your equilibrium.
Finally, the crew will also do everything in their ability to avoid rough seas. The cruise line wants happy, healthy guests! In my years at sea, I’ve never seen someone seasick for 7 days straight—it’s usually a short-lived annoyance.
2. GI issues
The next health issue that sickens cruisers is Norovirus or gastroenteritis. This is the virus spread by dirty hands touching surfaces and induces violent vomiting and diarrhea. Sounds like fun on your vacation, right?
The best way to prevent Norovirus is meticulously washing your hands—especially before you bring food to your mouth with your fingers. The cruise ships have addressed this with handwashing stations at the entrance to the buffets. Since I’ve suffered the wrath of Norovirus in the past, I don’t trust that everyone washes their hands well enough.
So, I use hand-sanitizer after touching serving utensils, chair backs, drink dispenser buttons, etc. It may sound obsessive, but I haven’t gotten Norovirus on cruise ships in about 20 years!
While hopefully, you don’t become ill with Norovirus, many cruisers still experience stomach upset and/or diarrhea from the rich, decadent food. When your body is not acclimated to eating lobster, oysters, and multiple desserts throughout the day, GI issues can arise.
I recommend bringing antacids and an anti-diarrhea medication to be prepared.
I also recommend keeping your gut healthy with probiotics. I take probiotics everyday, so I pack them for my cruise as well. My favorite probiotics are Plexus. Check out how Plexus changed my life here.
3. Sunburn
My next health woe on cruises has the potential for more long-lasting damage than seasickness or GI symptoms because it’s a bad sunburn.
The worst sunburns I have ever seen have all been on cruise ships. The sun’s rays reflecting off the ocean water are more intense than on land. Add this to the fact that your skin hasn’t seen sunlight all winter, and you have a dangerous combination. Cruisers also lose track of time when they’re relaxing on the pool deck, and their skin gets overexposed to harsh rays for way too long.
I recommend a high SPF sunscreen that you reapply hourly. The problem with spray sunscreens on a cruise is that you can lose the majority of the spray to the breeze. I love this Blue Lizard roll-on mineral sunscreen.
A hat is also essential to protect your face and scalp from the sun’s rays
Consider sleeved swim shirts for children. Because kids often can’t keep a hat on during playtime in the pool, reapply facial sunscreen repeatedly.
Be extra vigilant if you take a medication that increases sun sensitivity. Similarly, women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medication with estrogen (birth control, hormone therapy) or some medications for breast cancer, need to be cautious of developing melasma.
Melasma produces uneven splotchy dark patches on the face. I developed melasma on a cruise excursion in the Caribbean, and unfortunately, melasma does not spontaneously fade.
I tried countless products for many years to help fade my melasma. I recommend avoiding melasma in the first place!
My go-to is now iT CC Cream with SPF 50 worn over a moisturizer with SPF 25. I also wear a wide-brimmed hat.
4. Dehydration
Another hazard of lounging in the sun, drinking alcohol all day, and losing track of time on a cruise is dehydration. Dehydration may not seem like an obvious cruise health issue, but throughout my years aboard ships, I saw tons of cruisers end up in the medical center with dehydration.
Combined with a hangover headache, dehydration can make you feel awful and waste your precious vacation time on a cruise. I recommend bringing a water bottle from home and continuously filling it all day in the buffet. (I like my budget-priced, light-weight Camelbak Eddy).
If you are drinking alcoholic drinks throughout the day, you need to chase every drink with a full water bottle. I also recommend limiting time in the sun to 2-3 hours or less at a time.
I bring my Plexus Slim powder when I cruise. My Plexus flavors my water, and encourages me to drink water all day. Find out how Plexus changed me life here. Check out my Plexus store to learn about products and current promotions.
5. Upper Respiratory Illnesses
My last health hazard on cruises is upper respiratory illnesses—cold, flu, COVID. Luckily, cruise ships aren’t getting slammed with COVID as much as in past years. However, traveling in an enclosed space with thousands of people can put you at risk for viruses.
I recommend taking a good multivitamin and Vitamin D (up to 5000IU daily) at home leading up to your trip to hopefully keep you healthy en route to the ship. Vitamin C and zinc are also good supplement choices.
Many guests and crew still wear masks in public areas on cruise ships (and on airplanes), so this is an option as well.
Don’t forget your vitamins at home—I recommend maintaining your vitamin regimen for the duration of the cruise.
Airborne and Emergen-C are also great remedies to bring to fight off the sick germs while traveling.
Excessive hand washing and staying hydrated will also help your immunity.
I pack cold medicine and liquid Ibuprofen for my daughter just in case. Keep in mind, the cruise ship stores can only open when the ship is sailing (not docked in port), so you can’t depend on buying medications onboard. Plus medications are very overpriced onboard the cruise.
Urinary Tract Infections
For women that suffer from recurrent urinary tract infections, Ellura is a game- changer to prevent UTIs. I have personally used this supplement, and I order this for all of my patients with frequent UTIs. Ellura is highly superior to regular cranberry supplements. Urinary symptoms are so uncomfortable and have the potential to disrupt a vacation. I would rather take a daily supplement than pay an outrageous medical center bill or suffer in agony waiting until the ship reaches port to buy medication on land.
Me onboard the Discovery Princess
So, now you know the most common health issues that affect cruisers and have the potential to wreck a vacation. I hope the tips and products I have shared will keep you and your family healthy to enjoy an amazing cruise vacation! Hope to see YOU at sea!