Cruise Ship Illness

It's no mystery to me, after my last vacation's debacle, why viri spread like wildfire on cruise ships. The cruise ships are created to force social interaction. Literally, you're "all in this together". Any attempts at quarantine (self-administered) are futile.

A few recommendations:

1. Enhance room service beyond the basic menu so sick people can get a bowl of soup in their rooms (thus not spreading their germs).
2. The staff cause these outbreaks. They are stressed and working 24-7. They share confined quarters. They don't wash their hands before serving people. On the one cruise we sailed, our waiter had the flu (and his assistant did, too) and I saw him cough and sneeze right into his hand. Ewwww! The workers need to be taught clean procedures and rigid hygiene must be enforced.
3. Check for fevers before people board the ship. Yeah, I know. The publicity will be terrible, but my mom saw a weak and listless kid being hauled onto a cruise ship. Stupid people deserve stupid measures. The cruise could ameliorate the disappointment by putting the family on another cruise later at no cost. Warning people ahead of time that a fever will deny you access (staff or visitor) will eliminate sick people boarding and infecting others.
   
4. Cruise in the summer. Part of the problem is that lack of sunshine equals low immunity. On the miserable Thanksgiving cruise we endured, the lack of sunshine resulted in everyone being stuck together indoors on a smelly ship. Not. Good.

Happy sailing!