The year 2019 is upon us and that means the Carnival Triumph's days being the Carnival Triumph are limited. This is because the Carnival Triumph will be sent to dry-dock in Spain and after a long dry-dock will come out as the Carnival Sunrise. 
          Launched in 1999, the Carnival Triumph has been a part of Carnival's fleet for nearly 20 years. The ship's tenure as Carnival Triumph will come to an end on March 1, 2019. Carnival Triumph will sail its final cruise from New Orleans on February 25, 2019. When the ship returns on March 1st it will leave New Orleans for its dry-dock in Cadiz, Spain. 
             During dry-dock many of the ship's areas will be transformed into new spaces. For a deck by deck listing of the transformations being made click here for my previous article. 
​
               When the Carnival Sunrise emerges from dry-dock it will have its first sailing on April 29, 2019 from Norfolk. Carnival's original press release says a re-naming ceremony for the ship will occur, but I do not know the exact date of this ceremony. The Carnival Sunrise will then sail from New York City in summer 2019 and eventually move to Fort Lauderdale in October 2019. Exact information about the ship's itineraries can be found on Carnival's booking engine.

More Information About The Carnival Triumph To Carnival Sunrise Transformation - Articles By RyG's Cruise Guide
Carnival Triumph and Carnival Sunrise Deck By Deck Comparison
My Initial Blog Post About The Carnival Sunrise Coming

          When you are booking your cruise or if you make any modifications/adjustments to your cruise booking make sure you keep a record of everything related to your cruise vacation. This includes your booking number, guest confirmation email, invoice, and anything else that contains information about your booking. I recently learned that sometimes Carnival Cruise Line will require you to setup a PIN number for your cruise vacation that is required if you wish to speak with a phone representative about your cruise vacation.
            I recently learned about this 4 digit pin number procedure when I called Carnival to change a cruise booking date and was asked for my booking number as well as four digit PIN number by the representative. The representative was unable to speak with me at first because I did not know the PIN number, but after figuring it out I called back and was able to get help. 

Lessons I Learned From This:
1.  When you initially book your cruise you may or may not have to create a PIN number for the booking. However, if you do make sure you remember the number. If other people on your booking will need to conduct any business with Carnival you may want to share the booking's PIN number with them.If you do not wish for the others to have your PIN number, just don't share the information with them! 
2.  If you get a call from Carnival about possibly upgrading staterooms the phone representative will likely ask you to setup a PIN number for the booking then, if you do not already have one. 
3.  Carnival's website has no information regarding the PIN number procedure, but the phone customer service representatives are very into making sure a correct PIN number can be provided.  If you call Carnival's phone number and after selecting the option to speak with someone about an already booked cruise, you will hear the waiting system remind guests to have their booking number and PIN number ready. This means the PIN number process must be fairly common for it to be in the phone recording system.
4.  In theory, if a PIN number is created for a booking, only the person or people that can provide the correct PIN number should be able to make changes to the booking. However, I am not sure what happens if someone truly forgets their PIN number or if there are any cases where the PIN number system was circumvented accidentally. If you know of anything about either of these two possibilities please feel free to share because I am curious to know of any cases.
5.  I do not know for sure if this would be applicable to bookings with travel agents. 

                 There may be other parts of this system that I am unaware of, but I hope hearing my experience will make everyone a little more aware. I should also mention Carnival's customer service representatives were fantastic and did a great job assisting me. Although the first agent could not speak with me about the booking, she was extremely nice. The second agent quickly helped me once I provided the booking and PIN numbers and within minutes had my cruise dates changed! 

                Although I have been cruising for over a decade, I am always learning something new and finding out about different procedures. Keep records of all your booking documents and if you have a PIN number make sure you remember it!

           As the year 2018 comes to a close, it is time to look towards 2019 which will bring another year of cruising and exciting growth to the Galveston cruise industry. Over the past few years, Galveston's cruise industry has seen more cruise ships, larger ships replacing smaller ships, and an increasing number of sailings that resulted from the increased ships sailing from Galveston as a homeport.  Here is an overview of what to expect from cruise lines that sail from Galveston in 2019: 

Carnival Cruise Line
         Just like 2018, Carnival Cruise Line will continue having three year round ships departing Galveston. The Carnival Vista's seven night year-round cruises will continue. In the early part of 2019, the Carnival Vista's cruises will depart on Sundays, but in spring 2019 the Carnival Vista will begin departing on Saturdays. The Carnival Freedom will begin the year sailing 7 night cruises, but will begin sailing 6 & 8 night cruises in the spring. The Carnival Dream will replace the Carnival Valor to sail 4 & 5 night cruises beginning in May 2019. This change will mark a capacity increase for Galveston because the Carnival Valor carries 2,980 guests (double occupancy), but the Carnival Dream will carry 3,646 guests (double occupancy). Furthermore, the Carnival Dream has a gross tonnage of approximately 130,000 and is 1,004 feet long. This will be an exciting change for Galveston!

Royal Caribbean
           Royal Caribbean's number of cruises from Galveston will increase in 2019 when the cruise line re-begins 4 & 5 night cruises from Galveston. The Liberty of the Seas will continue primarily sailing 7 night cruises from Galveston that depart on Sundays. Although in 2018 Royal Caribbean had some 4 & 5 night cruises, the cruise line did not offer these voyages throughout the year. However, starting in March 2019 Royal Caribbean will begin 4 & 5 night cruises that last throughout the year and into 2020. The Vision of the Seas will come back to Galveston in March 2019 to begin the 4 & 5 night cruises, but in May 2019 the Enchantment of the Seas will replace the Vision of the Seas' place to continue these 4 & 5 night cruises. The addition of these voyages and an extra ship to Galveston will be exciting. This means starting in 2019 Royal Caribbean will have two year round ships from Galveston!

Disney Cruise Line
               Disney Cruise Line will once again sail seasonally from Galveston in 2019. The year will start with the Disney Wonder sailing from Galveston, but in mid-January the ship will reposition. However, in November 2019 the Disney Wonder will return to sail more seasonal cruises from Galveston. 

Overall:  It appears 2019 will be another exciting year of growth for the Port of Galveston! With the agreement for cruise terminal #3 in the works with Royal Caribbean, I am sure future years after 2019 will bring even more exciting news and growth for the port. 

​

For more information about itineraries, sailing dates, and for the most up to date information please visit each respective cruise line's website. ​All this information was compiled from the individual cruise line's websites.

         The Radiance of the Seas will once again be sailing to Alaska in the 2019 cruise season. As the leader of Royal Caribbean's Radiance Class ships, the Radiance of the Seas has 13 total decks, is approximately 90,900 gross tons, and has the capacity for 2,143 guests (double occupancy). Two exciting features on the ship are a rock climbing wall and nine hole miniature golf course. 
             During the 2019 Alaska cruise season, the Radiance of the Seas will be primarily sailing from Seward and Vancouver. The ship's 2019 Alaska cruise season will begin in May 2019. Most of the Alaska cruise season, will be spent alternating between departures from Seward and Vancouver. Furthermore, Royal Caribbean has land tours available for purchase online. However, the scope of this post will be focused on the cruising aspect of the Radiance of the Seas' 2019 season.

2019 Dates Listed For This Itinerary:  
May: 17, 31       June:  14, 28     July:  12, 26     August: 9,23

2019 Dates Listed For This Itinerary:  
May: 24       June:  7,21     July:  5,19     August: 2,16,30

2019 Dates Listed For This Itinerary:
September 6, 2019

          The Carnival Vista and the Liberty of the Seas are two of Galveston's largest cruise ships at this time. This past September, the Carnival Vista replaced the Carnival Breeze and primarily sails 7 night cruises that depart on Sundays. In spring 2019, the Carnival Vista will switch to sail 7 night cruises on Saturdays. The Liberty of the Seas has been sailing from Galveston for a few years and departs on Sundays to sail 7 night voyages. 
           On Sunday, December 16, 2018, I was in Galveston and wanted to see both ships sail. Here are some of my pictures of both ships sailing:

       The Mongolian Wok is a food service station located on the Lido Deck of several Carnival ships. Essentially, the Mongolian Wok is an Asian themed food station where a guest can create a customized bowl of stir fry noodles. 

What ships is the Mongolian Wok located on?
Currently, as of 10/19/2018, the Mongolian Wok is located on the Carnival Valor, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Splendor, Carnival Dream, Carnival Magic, and Carnival Breeze. Some of Carnival's newer ships have a similar feature called Ji-Ji Asian Kitchen, but that is a separate thing and will be in another post.


How Does The Mongolian Wok Work:
1)  First you will select your vegetables. There are a variety of different vegetables to choose from such as green beans, broccoli, carrots, corn, peas, and more.
2)   Next you will pick your sauce, if desired. The typical sauces I have seen on my cruises are black bean, thai barbeque, and schezchwan. The black bean sauce is considered the milest and schezchwan is the spiciest. At the Mongolian Wok counter a menu listing the sauces is posted and it will tell you what sauces are available for the day as well as the spice level of the sauce.
3)  Before your bowl is officially created you will choose your meat. The choice of meats has varied by day on some cruises, but typically I have seen meats such as beef, chicken, and shrimp available. If you do not wish to have meat you can tell the crew member you do not want any. If you wish you can have all three in your bowl. 
4)  After your bowl is assembled the crew member will stir fry your bowl. After it is cooked, it will be time for you to enjoy your food!

Tips:
1)   The Mongolian Wok's line can get extremely long. This is because it takes time to stir fry cruiser's food. I recommend getting in line a few minutes before lunch begins to avoid the rush. Another option would be to eat the Mongolian Wok on a port of call day when most cruisers are off the ship. 
2)  Typically, on sea days, Carnival has two lines going for the Mongolian Wok. You may want to pay attention to which line is moving faster to avoid having to wait in line longer than you have to.
3)  The Mongolian Wok is only open at lunch.

​

     Starting in late September 2018, the Carnival Vista will begin sailing from Galveston. The ship will be replacing the Carnival Breeze and will mark a capacity increase for the Port of Galveston. The Carnival Vista will be directly competing with Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas, which has been departing Galveston since November 2015.  The goal of this post is to provide some basic information about each of these ships and allow you to compare/contrast both of these ships. 

While both of these ships are of two different cruise lines, both have exciting things to offer Galveston's cruisers. I will be writing more on Galveston's cruise industry as time continues. ​

        Following a major dry-dock in 2019, the Carnival Triumph will become the Carnival Sunrise. Many features on the ship will be changing because Carnival is adding features that can be found on some of the newer Vista Class ships. In March 2019 the Carnival Triumph will go to Cadiz, Spain, for a two month dry-dock. When the ship emerges from dry-dock it will sail from Norfolk and then do summer 2019 sailings from New York City. In the fall of 2019, the Carnival Triumph will reposition to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Here are my observations of all the changes the ship will be receiving, based on Carnival's dry-docks: 

Deck 3:
​CHANGE:  Deck 3 Level Of The Main Show Lounge Will Become Staterooms...
Carnival Triumph:  On the Carnival Triumph, the front of Deck 3 is the lower level of the Rome Lounge. The Rome Lounge is the Carnival Triumph's main show lounge. 
Carnival Sunrise:  The former Deck 3 area of the Rome Lounge will be converted to 42 staterooms. 

KEEP:  The Guest Services and Shore Excursions desks will remain on Deck 3 in the atrium lobby. Furthermore, the glass elevators and atrium bar will remain. However, the decor of this area will very likely change. 

CHANGE: Deck 3 Atrium Lobby Port (Left) Side...
Carnival Triumph:  This space was used as atrium seating.
Carnival Sunrise:  The Dreams Studio will be in this space. Starboard (right) side seating will remain the atrium lobby. 

CHANGE:  Reconfiguration Of The Forward Dining Room & Addition Of A Chef's Table Space
Carnival Triumph:  The forward dining room on the Carnival Triumph is the London Dining Room. The back corner that will become the Chef's Table on the Carnival Sunrise was a part of the ship's galley. 
Carnival Sunrise:   The forward dining room's name on the Carnival Sunrise will be the Radiance Restaurant. The dining room will be reconfigured. A new space for the Chef's Table will be added to the back of the forward dining room. This will take some space away from the ship's main galley. 

KEEP:  The aft dining room will remain the same on Deck 3. On the Carnival Triumph this space is known as the Paris Dining Room. On the Carnival Sunrise this space will be called the Sunshine Restaurant However, the dining room decor will likely change and the tables/table layout will also probably change. 

Deck 4:
​CHANGE:  Deck 4 Level Of The Rome Lounge Will Become The Lower Level Of The Liquid Lounge
Carnival Triumph:  On the Carnival Triumph, the deck 4 level of the Rome Lounge was an open to below with very little seating compared to deck 3 and deck 5. 
Carnival Sunrise:  The Carnival Sunrise's Deck 4 will the location of the lower level of the Liquid Lounge. The Liquid Lounge is where Playlist Productions shows and other events will take place.

KEEP:  In general, the photo gallery will remain in the Deck 4 area of the ship's atrium. 

CHANGE:  Carnival Triumph's Washington Library Will Become JavaBlue Cafe on the Carnival Sunrise
Carnival Triumph:  On Deck 4 in the atrium area was the Washington Library. 
Carnival Sunrise:  This space will become the JavaBlue Cafe. This venue will cost extra. 

CHANGE:  Deck 4 Level Of The Forward Dining Room Will Be Partially Converted To The Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse
Carnival Triumph:  Deck 4 mid-ship contained the upper level of the forward dining room (London Dining Room). 
Carnival Sunrise:  Part of this area will be converted into the Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse. This venue will cost extra. However, part of this area will remain an upper level of the forward dining room. The dining room's former look to below will be reduced to allow for more seating and layout changes on the Deck 4 level. 

CHANGE:  Carnival Triumph's Oxford Bar Will Become The Limelight Lounge
Carnival Triumph:  The Oxford Bar was located on Deck 4 near the back of the ship. This lounge contained seating, a piano, and a bar area. 
Carnival Sunrise:  The Limelight Lounge will replace the Carnival Triumph's Oxford Bar. This lounge will be used for the Punchliner Comedy Club as well as other events. At night, this space is used as the ship's nightclub. This space will essentially serve as both the replacement for the Carnival Triumph's aft lounge and Hollywood Dance Club. Both of these former spaces were on the Promenade Deck. 

KEEP:   The Deck 4 level of the aft dining room will remain in the same place. Decor, tables, and the layout could change. On the Carnival Triumph this was the Paris Dining Room, but the space's name will likely change. 

Deck 5:
​KEEP:  The front of Deck 5 on the Carnival Triumph was home to the Rome Lounge. This was the highest level of the ship's show lounge and contained many balcony seats. The Carnival Sunrise's Liquid Lounge will occupy this space and will also serve as the show lounge's balcony seating. 

KEEP:  The Fun Shops will generally remain in the same places on Deck 5. However, Carnival's press release said some additional retail spaces will be added. The new spaces will likely be incorporated into this area. The layout within the individual shops will probably change as well. 

KEEP:   The Skybox Sports Bar will remain in the same place. Based on the deck plans, the layout of the bar area is not changing.

KEEP:    Cherry On Top will remain in the same place. 

CHANGE:  Casino Change & Promenade Walkway Change
Carnival Triumph:  The ship's casino was the Club Monaco Casino and this was located on the port side of the Promenade Deck right by the ship's Promenade walkway. 
Carnival Sunrise:  The old Promenade Deck walkway will no longer exist. The new Promenade Walkway will be in the middle of the casino, instead of being to one side of the ship. Essentially, a cruiser will have to walk through the casino when going from the atrium area to the middle of the Promenade Deck. As a result of these changes, the casino layout will change. However, the casino cashier station will remain in the same place.

KEEP:  The casino bar area will remain in the same place. 

CHANGE:  Arcade Location Change
Carnival Triumph:  The Underground Tokyo Video Arcade was located on Deck 5 mid-ship. 
Carnival Sunrise:  The arcade will come The Warehouse and will be moved to Deck 5 forward right by the atrium's area of Deck 5. For those that were familiar with the Carnival Triumph, this new space will be where the Carnival Triumph's promenade walkway began in the atrium.  The arcade costs extra. 

CHANGE: Vienna Cafe area will become Bonsai Express...
Carnival Triumph:  Deck 5 mid-ship contained the Vienna Cafe. The Vienna Cafe served specialty coffees and sweets for an additional charge. 
Carnival Sunrise:  The area that used to contain the Vienna Cafe will come Bonsai Express. Bonsai Express will serve sushi, sashimi, rolls, and more. This venue will cost extra. 

CHANGE:  Carnival Triumph's current arcade space and nightclub will be converted into several different lounges.
Carnival Triumph:  The middle to back area of Deck 5 contains the Hollywood Dance Club and Underground Tokyo Arcade. These two areas were side by side.
Carnival Sunrise:  This area will be converted into the Red Frog Pub and Piano Bar 88. 

KEEP:  The Alchemy Bar will remain in the same general area. However, based on the deck plan the space may be a little bigger. 

CHANGE:  Carnival Triumph's AFT Lounge To Be Converted To Staterooms on the Carnival Sunrise
Carnival Triumph:  The very back of Deck 5 contained the Club Rio Aft Lounge.
Carnival Sunrise:   This area will be converted into staterooms, both windowed and interior rooms. 

Deck 9:
​CHANGE:  Front Of Deck 9 
Carnival Triumph:  The front of Deck 9 was an exterior deck space that allowed for looking down at the ship's front.
Carnival Sunrise:  This space will be converted to Captain's Suites and Scenic Ocean view staterooms. 

KEEP:  The Blue Iguana Tequila Bar and Red Frog Rum Bar will remain in the same place. 

KEEP:  The Lido Main pool will remain the same place. 

KEEP:   The Blue Iguana Cantina and Guy's Burger Joint will remain the same place. However, it appears the restrooms that were located by these places will have some changes made to their location. 

CHANGE:  The South Beach Club Lido Buffet will be converted to the Lido Marketplace buffet concept...
Carnival Triumph:  The Carnival Triumph's buffet is known as the South Beach Club. This space contains the ship's deli, Chopsticks, main buffet lines, and dessert station. There are two stairwells that lead to the upper level of the South Beach Club because the buffet is two stories. 
Carnival Sunrise:  The Carnival Sunrise's buffet will be the Lido Marketplace. For the most part, it appears the general layout of the buffet will remain the same, but the decor will change. Furthermore, one of the stairwells to go up will be removed. The buffet will no longer be two stories because the upper level of the buffet will change to Cucina Del Capitano (free at lunch, costa extra at dinner).
The Lido Marketplace will also contain the ship's deli and Chopsticks. It appears both of these venues will remain in the same exact place. 

KEEP:  The aft pool area will still contain the pizzeria and Seafood Shack (costa extra). Furthermore, the aft pool will continue to exist as well as the aft pool bar area. 
Possible Change:  The retractable roof that was over the Carnival Triumph's aft pool could be removed, but I have not been able to confirm this yet. 

Deck 10:
​CHANGE:  Stateroom Additions At The Front Of Deck 10, But An Outside Deck Space Will Remain
Carnival Triumph:  The front of Deck 10 was mostly an outside area with obstructed ocean view staterooms located at the very front of the deck. 
Carnival Sunrise:  The forward staterooms will be reconfigured to allow for a few more staterooms. However, the outside front area will remain! The stateroom numbering will change some in this area.

CHANGE:  Deck 10 Waterslide Landing & Pool Area Will Become The WaterWork's Landing
Carnival Triumph:  Deck 10 outside was the Carnival Triumph's Twister Waterslide landing and where a pool was located. 
Carnival Sunrise:  This space will be the landing of the Carnival Triumph's Twister Waterslide and Aqua Tunnel. The 75 gallon PowerDrencher Tipping bucket will be located in this space as well as a kid area. 

CHANGE:  Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ Will Be Added Outside On Deck 10
Carnival Triumph:  This space was used for deck chairs. 
Carnival Sunrise:  The Deck 10 outside port side (in between the middle & back of the ship) will be home to Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ. Some tables will be located outside. 

CHANGE:  2nd Level Of Carnival Triumph's Buffet Will Be Carnival Sunrise's Cucina Del Capitano
Carnival Triumph:  This area was the 2nd level of the South Beach Club Lido Buffet. Essentially, this area contained additional seating and 1 drink station.
Carnival Sunrise:  This area will become Cucina Del Capitano, which serves italian food for an additional charge. On other Carnival ships this venue did serve pasta free at lunch. 

Deck 11:
​CHANGE:  Complete Redesign Of The Deck 11 SPA Stateroom Area & Fitness Center
Carnival Triumph:  The front of Deck 11 contained the SPA, gym, staterooms, and Camp Ocean. 
Carnival Sunrise:  At least seven additional staterooms are being added. The layout of the SPA will change and according to the current deck plans the fitness center can be accessed without going through the ship's locker rooms. Furthermore, Camp Ocean will no longer be located in this area and this will give the SPA additional space for facilities and staterooms. 

KEEP:  The atrium will continue to have a skylight that is located on Deck 11.

KEEP:  The aft part of Deck 11 will continue to have the ship's jogging track.

CHANGE:  The aft part of Deck 11 will be redesigned...
Carnival Triumph:  This space contained the ship's jogging track and the skylight for the buffet.
Carnival Sunrise:  SportsSquare will be added in this area. This will include a suspended ropes course, basketball court, the jogging track, ping-pong, foosball, and pool tables. The mini-golf course that is part of SportsSquare will be on Deck 12 aft. The Carnival Triumph's buffet skylight will no longer exist. 

Deck 12:
​CHANGE:  Reconfiguration Of Youth Program Facilities
Carnival Triumph:  The front of Deck 12 contained Circle C and Club 02. 
Carnival Sunrise:  The Carnival Sunrise's Deck 12 forward area will contain Circle C, Club 02, and Camp Ocean. 

CHANGE:  Mini Golf Course Location Change Will Allow For Serenity Adults Only Retreat
Carnival Triumph:  The Carnival Triumph's mini golf course was located on the starboard (right) side of the Deck 12. This was on the exterior adjacent to Circle C. 
Carnival Sunrise:  This area will become the lower level of the Serenity Adults Only Retreat. The mini golf course will be moving to Deck 12's back area. 

Deck 14:
​CHANGE:  Addition Of The Serenity Adults Only Retreat
Carnival Triumph:  This deck space was mostly empty and was home to the waterslide's entrance.
Carnival Sunrise:  This area will become the upper level of the Serenity Adults Only Retreat, which is for adults 21 & older. The WaterWorks entrance will be on this deck. 

Please note plans could be modified or change. I did my best to catch all changes, but I cannot guarantee that I did not make any mistakes. Please let me know if you think I am wrong about something or if part of wording is not 100% accurate. I want this to be as helpful as possible! 
Sources: www.carnival.com  (Carnival Triumph's Deck Plan & Carnival Sunrise's Deck Plan)

       Five years ago today on March 11, 2013, RyG's Cruise Guide officially became a website! Throughout these five years, I have enjoyed writing cruise tips, articles, and reviews. Thank you to everyone that has visited throughout these years as well as sent me questions, comments, and information about dry-docks. Also, thank you to my family that has offered ideas, suggestions, and edits to improve the website.
​         When I created RyG's Cruise Guide I wanted to have a place where I could help as many cruisers and potential cruisers learn about the cruise industry. This has been a fun hobby for me and I have greatly enjoyed helping people plan & prepare for their upcoming cruise vacations. I hope to continue writing more cruise tips, reviews, and answering questions as time continues. Thank you again to everyone for their support! 

        Your cruise vacation is a time meant for fun, relaxation, and time away from the troubles of the world found on land. When most people are on a cruise ship they can let their guard down and think some of the problems of the "real world" on land don't apply anymore. However, as guests and crew cross the gangway, various germs and pathogens can cross the gangway too. No matter what vacation destination a person chooses he or she will be exposed to germs and pathogens. Taking a cruise does not exempt anyone from this risk of exposure. Even though there is no way to completely protect yourself from getting sick, there are some precautions that one can take to protect themselves from sickness.


What You Can Do When Boarding The Cruise Ship 
1. Filling Out Your Health Questionnaire (If Asked)
        Many cruise lines require passengers to fill out a health questionnaire during embarkation. It is important to fill out this form honestly to the best of your knowledge. If you are dishonest and lie that you were not sick or in contact with someone with a highly infectious disease you could be putting yourself and your fellow passengers in danger of getting ill. Questions on these questionnaires may vary. These questionnaires will help a cruise line determine if you are a high risk to the safety of other passengers and people in the foreign ports of call you will be visiting. Cruise lines may have you further screened by medical staff or denied boarding depending on the answers you provide. Some passengers lie to prevent a possibility of being denied boarding. Please don't lie. By being honest you could be protecting the lives and well being of up to thousands of other passengers. 

What You Can Do Onboard During Your Cruise Vacation
1.  Wash Your Hands Often
          This may seem like common sense, but it can help. Wash your hands with warm water and soap prior to eating, drinking, after touching any surface, and after using the restroom. Some cruise lines provide hand sanitizer in dining areas. This is a good attempt on the cruise line's part to prevent the spread of germs, but hand sanitizer does not kill all germs. Washing hands is the best way to kill germs. 
2.   Feeling Sick?  Visit or Call The Infirmary 
          If you believe that you are sick (whether you are contagious or not) you should speak with the infirmary. The infirmary may be able to give you medication or treatment that will help you. By doing this you are also giving the ship's infirmary staff a record that you are not feeling well and they can determine whether or not you are a threat to the health of others on board.
           If you are contagious or don't have enough strength to walk to the infirmary you should call the infirmary from your stateroom phone. Tell them what is wrong and most likely they will send someone to your stateroom. This would allow you to keep from spreading germs in an elevator or in the cruise ship's public areas. 
            For those that walk to the infirmary, try to avoid crowded elevators and areas. Crowded environments make it easier for germs to spread quickly. 
3.  Report Unsanitary Behavior By Other Passengers
            Just like on land, passengers can do gross things. There are some people who break health regulations by using the same cup twice at a drink machine. There are also some people that will use a cup and then put it back with the clean ones (witnessed this before). Consider telling a staff member discreetly that this happened. This could help stop the spread of germs from contaminated dishes. 
4.   Comply With Health Regulations Onboard 
             In the event you are quarantined or the ship is placed on "code red" because of an illness outbreak you should comply with the measures that have been put in place. If quarantined, you should stay in your quarantined environment. It probably won't be a fun time, but you were placed on quarantine for some specific reason that was determined by the ship. If your ship has a major illness outbreak the staff members may have to abide by specific buffet regulations (such as serving food). Follow all directions from the staff on the cruise ship. 

Keeping Yourself Healthy - Additional Tips:
1.   Stay Physically Active     
             Try to work off some of your food or calories in the gym or on the jogging track.  Depending on the weather, I like to walk on the jogging track in the evening after dinner and watch the sunset.  I carry a camera and snap pictures as I go around in a circle.   However, be careful onboard not to overwork yourself, pull a muscle, or get sick from trying to burn off your food/calories. 

2.    Don't Overeat 
              At meal times don't eat an outrageous amount of food or drink. If you are over-stuffed you could get sick and vomit.  Be careful not to eat more greasy foods or rich foods than you can handle.  Overall, watch what you eat and how much you eat.  

There is not a way to 100% protect yourself from getting sick.  Always be careful and use common sense while you are on a cruise.