Cruise guests issued warning to stay away from one area

Contagious illnesses can quickly pass between passengers on a cruise ship, due to the confined space and mix of people.

Winter is often the worst time for illnesses such as norovirus but how can cruise passengers keep themselves safe?

Yasmin Pekel, CEO of Blue Cruise, has shared some of her top tips to avoid becoming unwell on a cruise.

According to Yasmin, avoiding one area of the ship could help passengers lower their risk of catching illnesses such as norovirus.

Yasmin said: “Avoid the buffet. While the rules say not to pick up food with bare hands, and buffets provide many tools, there is no guarantee that people will follow them.

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“Many cruise buffets will often have staff standing by to ensure no slip-ups happen, but they will not always catch culprits.

“Instead, giving the buffet a miss and choosing to eat at one of the ship’s restaurants, wherein you know the staff will be following food hygiene standards, may be best.”

Although cruise crew work hard to keep communal areas clean, the buffet is often one of the least unhygienic areas.

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Passengers may touch the food with their hands or even cough next to the food. Guests who are concerned about hygiene might be better off dining at one of the ship’s other restaurants.

Large cruise ships often have a choice of restaurants although passengers may have to pay extra for some.

Yasmin added: “Many diseases are transmitted by an individual touching a contaminated surface. To combat this, you should always wash your hands before you touch your mouth, eyes or nose.”

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How to prevent norovirus (NHS Inform)

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water
• Be aware alcohol-based hand gels don’t kill the virus

Symptoms of norovirus include vomiting, diarrhoea, nausea, stomach cramps, headaches and aching limbs.

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