My Cruising Vacation Experience

I recently returned from my very first cruise. I was super nervous to go for various reasons. These reasons ranged from being stuck on a ship for 6 days to concerns over my health issues. Despite these initial concerns, I am overall glad that I did go.

Prepping my meds

In preparation for my cruise, I filled up some of those Sunday through Saturday pill containers with my nightly medications. I made sure to take enough for several extra days than I needed, just in case something happened.

Since I have pain conditions, I also had to pack my "as-needed" medications. These medications included what I would need for a migraine and nerve pain. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I needed these as-needed medications while on the cruise.

Guarding my immune system

I took various steps to guard my immune system while on the cruise. Some of the first things I packed were hand sanitizer and travel-sized disinfectant wipes. I knew there would be so many people on the cruise ship, and I was unsure how often I would have access to a sink to wash my hands as we were wandering around the ship.

Each day, I drank orange juice during breakfast. Additionally, I did not shy away from fruit and vegetables at mealtimes. I also made sure that I drank plenty of water, while only consuming alcohol in moderation. One of my friends gave me some Emergen-C packets to drink for an added boost.

I made sure that I was spending enough time relaxing. Personally, I took advantage of my room being on the spa floor because I had access to the spa amenities. The spa is an adult-only area that is restricted. They had a unique hot tub that I really enjoyed. There was also this area called a Tepidarium, which had these heated stone chairs that were so comfortable.

Finally, I made sure that regardless of what was going on I got adequate sleep each night. I also live with chronic migraine. One surefire trigger for my migraine condition is lack of sleep. Due to this, I try to stick to my normal sleep routine, even on vacation.

Post-cruise issues?

The day after being home, one of the couples we went with tested positive for COVID. I found out after making a cup of hot tea for a sore throat that I had been managing. Due to my immune system and my sore throat, I went ahead and took an at-home COVID test that I had in my medicine cabinet. My test came back negative.

A couple of days later, another woman that was in our group tested positive for COVID too. I am so glad that I was not sharing drinks with everyone in our group.

My throat is still a little wonky, but it seems like everyone, not the cruise party but my local family members, are having the same issue due to allergies. I do have a doctor's appointment already scheduled for a regular follow-up. Luckily, I can have them double-check while I am there.