HI Sharon,

Congratulations on the successful liver transplant! Great news.

I am an avid traveler and took my first trip to the Dutch West Indies just 5 months after my kidney transplant! I was so nervous but I had full approval from my medical team and I took every precaution possible. The Travel Clinic and my Transplant team worked together to advise me as they do anytime I leave the country. I was so happy to go somewhere after transplant and not be sick, I was beyond grateful to live my life!

Generally when we travel we rent apartments or houses because it allows us to cook and to live among the locals wherever we go.

I have only been on two cruises in my life and both were after transplant...

Cruise #1: was super short and a spur of the moment decision the ship went to a "Private Island" (which just means cruise owned) then to Nassau and back through the Port of Miami, it was ok and I was glad we tried it. Food wasn't a big deal for me I think I ate granola bars, bananas, bottled water, etc.

Cruise #2: was in the Western Caribbean and was much longer (Honduras, Belize, Cozumel). On this cruise we selected a plan that allowed us access to a less used section of the ship, we shared a dinning room and pools with 60 rooms. I made arrangements to bring all of my own bottled water on board. I also packed plenty of snacks in my suitcase. My hubby loves food so we'd go out to restaurants on the main section of the ship and I would be able to find something to eat like hot soup or fried shrimp which I knew it was safer, no raw veg. I never ate while off the ship. We are pretty independent travelers so we would travel all over the countries we stopped at and I would pack a granola bar and a liter of water, no big deal for me I'm not that into food. When we would go in the main areas of the ship, the bars, pools etc., it was wall-to-wall people! I never felt safe from germs! People were coughing and sick everywhere, it was gross and hard to avoid, you would see people on lawn chairs by pools shoulder to shoulder or up against each other waiting for drinks at the bars. We never ate the buffet style foods. My husband and I decided after we got home that A: it wasn't the kind of experience we were looking for and B: the risks of a large scale cruise to my health are more than we are comfortable with. We may try a smaller European river cruise sometime, but no more giant cruise line for us.

Keep seeking other opinions though, this is just one person's perspective.

Cheers.

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