SAVVY TRAVELERS, CHECK OUT SHIP CLEANLINESS:
THE U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL SITE

By
The Savvy Old Lady ©
Joan Giorgianni

I am sure you have all heard the phrase, “I’m here from the Federal Government, and I’m here to help you.”  I must admit just seeing it in print brings a bit of a smile to my face.  But there is a Federal Agency website that you cruisers (experienced and novice alike) may want to refer to before booking your next voyage extraordinaire.

The Centers for Disease Control is a wonderful medical agency of our Federal Government dedicated to protecting the public health.  They work hand in glove with the U. S. Public Health Service too, among other things, tracking health problems, infections and epidemics and respond to health emergencies.  In addition those great men and women in the USPHS are the ones who do such a great job of working with the cruise line’s officers and crew to keep things healthy and even give advice (which, thankfully cruise lines almost always take – and take very seriously) on how to manage problems, such as that pesky old Norovirus (see my blog on www.thesavvyoldlady.com on this).  Did you know that these thankfully finicky guys and gals even inspect the spa-tubs on board.  Oohrah!  The Crabby Old Guy, my Hubby, who has worked with the folks from CDC and the USPHS, says they are top-notch and dedicated health professionals and he trusts what they say and so do I.

Well, it turns out that all those statistic-loving scientists at CDC and the USPHS collect reams and reams of data on their sanitation inspections, and even keep stats about outbreaks on cruise ships. The CDC site has all this information.  It also has some great tips from the real pros on how to protect your self from diseases while cruising and tips on proper hand washing (your best safeguard against the stomach-nasties).  There is also another area on the site where you can check out general travel health information, including the latest for vaccination requirements and recommendations for travelers. 

And, because this is funded by tax-payer dollars it is public information and free. 

Now doesn’t it make savvy sense that while you are checking out fares, food and fun to also check out sanitation and the CDC’s rating of your ship?  It sure does to The Savvy Old Lady.  We all know that things can happen at anytime and even ships and cruise lines that come out on top of the stats regularly can have a problem, but you can bet that when they do these are the cruise lines that work big time overtime on sanitization.  And besides, who wants to cruise on a dirty ship?

Thanks to one of my readers, Mrs. D., here is the link: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/default.htm.

You know, an informed traveler is a savvy traveler.   We all know that one of the worse things that can spoil a great vacation is sickness.

Stay Savvy!

Hugs,
The Savvy Old Lady

For more Traveblogs, Sounding-Off Blogs, Stories and Tips check out my website, "thesavvyoldlady"