Over here in the States, pretty much everyone has a bulging belly today, one day after the Thanksgiving holiday. There’s nothing like gorging on turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and wads of apple and pumpkin pie to remind you that, well, salad is probably a better way to go in the long run.
Yet as uncomfortable as it is to have tight pants post-holiday, it’s not nearly as horrid as having the stomach flu–which, I’m sad to say, has happened yet again onboard a cruise ship. This time, it’s the Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Pride of Hawaii, which reported more than 200 passengers coming down with uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea last week. That’s just shy of 10 percent of everybody onboard.
I haven’t blogged about cruise ship disease outbreaks in a while, but that’s certainly not because things have been hunky-dory. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been nearly two dozen outbreaks onboard cruise ships so far in 2007. That’s about two ships per month where guests are doubled over in agony. Certainly not my idea of a good vacation.
It bears repeating that these kinds of disease outbreaks simply aren’t seen onboard private yachts because so few people charter together at any one time. It’s you, your family, and your friends. That’s it. No stranger from a strange land bringing his exotic diseases with him to the cabin right next door to yours.
That’s something worth contemplating as you loosen the old belt buckle this holiday season. Food plays a major role in any holiday or vacation. You should try to make sure it’s a good role, not one that leaves your tummy in tantrums.
