Lessons Learned from the Carnival Triumph

A Few Cruise Packing Must-Haves

From the non-stop television coverage of the recent nightmarish Carnival Triumph cruise, one quickly realized that the passengers on-board just weren't prepared. They obviously hadn't packed the right stuff.

To help those Triumph cruisers plan for that free cruise Carnival is giving them (and perhaps help prepare others for an "Anything Can Happen" cruise), we've put together a list of must-haves to pack.

The Prepared for Anything Cruise Packing List

1. Lots of granola and/or diet bars and a couple of cans of SPAM. (The SPAM is really not for eating. It's for selling. Think of the big bucks you can make on Day 3 of eating nothing but cucumber sandwiches.)
2. Clorox wipes...packages and packages of wipes. You'll need them to wipe down everything you touch, especially the sewage on the walls.
3. Two or three super sized bottles of sanitizers.(No need to explain why you need these.)
4. Rope, duck tape, and a bed sheet (preferably white.) You'll need these in case you have to build your own tent if sleeping on the deck.
5. Extra cell phone batteries, or better yet, a Sat-phone. You'll want to contact the outside world or perhaps call CNN with news updates.
6. Checkers, dominoes, a board game and a mammoth flashlight. This way you'll have your own G-rated in-the-dark entertainment.
7. A pair of stylish rubber boots. If you have to walk thru poo, at least you'll look good doing it.
8. A not-in-your-phone camera with lots of SD cards. You'll want to take picture after picture, and, of course, sell them to the media when you dock. Or you might want to use those photos for your "I Survived the Cruise from Hell" tell-all book.
9. Colored markers. These will come in handy for that SOS sign to hang on the ship's side. (This is where you can use that extra sheet you packed.)
10. And disposable masks and a couple dozen of your own red bio-hazard bags. (You just can't be too prepared on a stinky, plumbing-doesn't-work cruise.)

But most importantly, should you ever find yourself on a miserable, Triumph nightmare cruise, remember your sense of humor. After all, thousands of other people are literally in the same boat.

The Flu and You

It's flu season and unfortunately, that nasty flu bug is stinging folks right here in North Georgia. In fact, a friend spent four days in Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville with the flu and pneumonia. What makes her story even more interesting is that she had the flu shot. (Like so many flu victims are reporting.)

What are we doing to stay flu-free? Wearing a garlic necklace was our first thought, but we weren't sure if garlic worked as well against germs as it does vampires. So in lieu of garlic, here is D&B's battle plan against the Flu of 2013:

1. Use lots of hands sanitizer. We keep sanitizer in the cars and carry a container for our out-of-car adventures.
2. Use Clorox Wipes. Yes, hand sanitizer works wonders but does it really kill the germs on the grocery cart or your cell phone or even that restaurant table? That's what Clorox Wipes are for.
3. Take Vitamin C. Lots of Vitamin C. If one Vitamin C tablet is good, why shouldn't 4 tablets at a time be even better?
4. Drink water. Lots of water. Not sure if this has any effect against the flu, but health experts are always saying Drink Water.
5. Forget about Hello Hugs. Now when we meet friends, we just say, "We think we're coming down with a cold." That deters anyone and everyone (even close family members) from hugging. Sometimes the old elbow shake works too.
6. Wear a mask. Now this might be a bit drastic for a trip to Walmart, but if we're going to visit anyone in a hospital, a mask would be a must-do. In fact, a number of hospitals are requiring masks or limiting visitors.
7. Use HALO. A pharmacist family member recommended HALO. Two squirts of spray just may keep the flu bug away.
8. And most importantly of all....Wash our hands. Wash our hands. Wash our hands with lots of soap and warm water, too.

Hopefully, with a few safeguards, D&B will stay flu free and not spend our oh-too-hard-earned dollars on bottles of Nyquil and Mucinex.