Cruise ships are usually kept incredibly clean. In fact, you can often see crew members wiping down railings and tables several times a day.
Still, thousands of people are sharing the same relatively small space.
Everyone is touching the same doors, serving utensils, screens, and handrails. And it only takes one person skipping the handwashing station after using the restroom to create a problem for everyone else.
Obviously, you shouldn’t walk around the ship wearing gloves or become afraid of touching anything. That would make for a pretty miserable vacation.
But there are a few things you should try not to touch with your bare hands whenever you can. These are the main ones.
1. Public Restroom Door Handles
The inside handle of a public restroom door is probably one of the last things you want to grab with a freshly washed hand.
Most passengers wash their hands properly. Unfortunately, not everyone does, and you have no way of knowing who touched that handle before you.
Many newer cruise ship restrooms have doors that can be opened with an automatic button.
Some also have small paper towels near the exit specifically for opening the door.
If neither option is available, you can use the paper towel you used to dry your hands. Then just throw it away in the bin near the door. It’s a tiny habit, but it makes the difference.
2. Buffet Serving Utensils
It’s almost impossible to eat at a cruise buffet without touching serving spoons, tongs, or ladles. Hundreds of other passengers may have handled them before you, though.
Some people even touch the utensils and then pick up bread, fruit, or pastries with the same hand.
You can still use the buffet utensils, obviously, but never start eating immediately afterward. Either wash your hands again or just use hand sanitizer before touching your food.
And please use the provided utensils instead of reaching for food with your fingers. I’ve seen that happen more times than I would like to remember.
3. Elevator Buttons
Elevator buttons are touched constantly from early morning until very late at night.
Passengers touch them after eating, swimming, visiting the casino, or coming back from shore.
Children tend to press several buttons at once, too. Sometimes all of them, for reasons known only to children.
It’s a good habit to press the button with your knuckle instead of your fingertip. You can also let someone else select the floor if they are already standing near the control panel.
The same applies to the buttons used to call the elevator.
4. Stair Railings, Unless You Need Them
Cruise ship handrails are another heavily touched surface. They run through nearly every public area and are used by thousands of hands during a typical sailing.
Avoid running my hand along them out of habit, especially on busy indoor staircases.
However, safety comes first. Cruise ships can move unexpectedly, even when the sea looks calm. If you need the railing for balance, use it.
A few germs are much better than falling down a flight of stairs. Just wash or sanitize your hands afterward, particularly before eating.
5. Casino Chips and Slot Machine Buttons
Casinos are busy, crowded places, and chips can pass through a lot of hands in a single evening.
Slot machine buttons and touchscreens are not much better. People often sit at the same machine for a long time while drinking, eating snacks, coughing, or rubbing their faces.
You can still enjoy the cruise ship casino. Just try not to touch your mouth, eyes, or food while playing.
And remember to wash your hands once you finish, especially if you have been handling chips.
6. Public Touchscreens
Many modern ships have interactive screens that help passengers find restaurants, check activities, and navigate around the ship.
They’re useful, particularly during the first couple of days when everyone is still getting lost. But they are also touched by one passenger after another.
Use one finger or a knuckle and avoid touching your face afterward. If the same information is available through the cruise line’s app, I usually check it on my own phone instead.
7. Shared Condiment Bottles
Ketchup bottles, salt shakers, pepper grinders, and other shared condiments can become surprisingly grimy.
This is particularly true around the pool deck, where people may have sunscreen, food, or pool water on their hands. The bottles sometimes feel slightly sticky, which is never a wonderful sign.
When possible, choose individual condiment packets or ask a crew member if they have any available.
If you use a shared bottle, try to do it before cleaning your hands for the final time and eating. It’s one of those small details that is easy to overlook, just like these other cruise buffet mistakes you should always avoid
8. Used Glasses, Plates, or Towels Left by Other Passengers
You will occasionally find abandoned glasses, plates, and towels on tables, loungers, or hallway floors.
Don’t move them with your bare hands just because you want to use the space.
You don’t know how long they have been sitting there or whether the person who used them was feeling unwell.
A used glass may also be broken or chipped, while plates can have sharp cutlery hidden underneath napkins.
Ask a crew member to remove the items. They have the proper equipment and procedures for dealing with them.
The same rule applies to belongings left on pool chairs. It’s usually better to follow these strategies for dealing with chair hogs rather than moving everything yourself.
9. The Cabin Remote Control
The television remote might be one of the most frequently touched objects in your cabin.
It’s also full of buttons and small gaps that can make it difficult to clean thoroughly.
Even when the rest of the room looks spotless, I still give the remote a quick wipe before using it.
Some experienced cruisers place the remote inside a clear plastic bag. You can still press the buttons through the bag without directly touching the remote. It’s actually one of the clever travel hacks shared by a cruise crew member.
That might sound slightly excessive, but after seeing how quickly a remote disappears between sofa cushions, lands on the floor, and returns to the bed, I understand the idea.
10. Anything Wet, Sticky, or Unidentified
If something looks wet or sticky and you don’t know what it is, don’t touch it.
This sounds obvious, yet curiosity sometimes takes over. Cruise ships have drinks, food, sunscreen, cleaning products, pool water, and plenty of other mystery liquids moving around all day.
Be particularly careful around public tables, deck chairs, children’s areas, elevator walls, and restroom counters.
Tell a crew member if you notice a spill or an unusual substance. Don’t try to clean it with your hand or wipe it away with your clothing.
There is really no prize for solving the mystery.
You Don’t Need to Be Afraid of the Ship
It isn’t realistic to avoid every shared surface on a cruise. You are going to open doors, press buttons, use serving utensils, and probably hold a railing at some point.
The most important thing is what you do afterward.
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, especially before eating and after using the restroom. Hand sanitizer is convenient, but it should not completely replace proper handwashing.
There are also a few other simple things you can do to avoid getting sick on your next cruise.
