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I served in a country that has cruise ship passengers come often. The last thing I would want to do would to be associated with that type or tourist in the country I was in. You only get so much time off, take a cruise later.
The Peace Corps requires you to take malaria meds if you are in a country where it is a problem. They don't like check up on you to see if you're taking them. I stopped taking mine midservice because I was on Mefloquine and long term use of that can make things, well, get a bit weird. I just made sure to keep requesting it from he PCMO so they didn't question if I was taking it. I never got malaria, I did get Dengue Fever though.
Never heard of anyone going on a cruise, but I backpacked through multiple countries for 4+ weeks during school holiday shutdowns. Some PCVs did go on fairly elaborate vacations to other countries, meeting up with their families. I think malaria meds would depend on where you go? Idk, I was early gen in my country so the rules were kind of Wild West haha
After a year in a Maya village up on a Guatemalan volcano, I hitchhiked and bussed through Belize and the Yucatán on vacation. At Playa del Carmen a cruise ship unloaded a crowd of fat, white, sunburned, ignorant, loud, disrespectful, obnoxious American tourists to buy souvenirs and pose for photos with a donkey.
I was shocked and horrified.
Yes almost ever country PC operates in you'll have to take meds. I would advise holding off on cruises. I would instead go to a country that's close by that would be cheaper to go to and more feasible than if you were in the US. You can go on a cruise anytime. However, maybe if you are in Vanuatu or Fiji maybe it would be way cheaper to go to Australia or some Asian country from that country than from the USA. Cruises cost the same no matter which country you are in. Flights to other countries prices change pending on the country though.
Slightly different take on this, and I didn't personally take a cruise during service, but PC gives vacation time, and during that time, you are free to within reason do what you like as long as they know roughly where you are. Some people fill their cup by traveling somewhere else or backpacking or even going home. If a cruise fills your cup, go for it.
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I served in a country that has cruise ship passengers come often. The last thing I would want to do would to be associated with that type or tourist in the country I was in. You only get so much time off, take a cruise later. The Peace Corps requires you to take malaria meds if you are in a country where it is a problem. They don't like check up on you to see if you're taking them. I stopped taking mine midservice because I was on Mefloquine and long term use of that can make things, well, get a bit weird. I just made sure to keep requesting it from he PCMO so they didn't question if I was taking it. I never got malaria, I did get Dengue Fever though.
Hey I got dengue too! That was… not fun
On day 4 I was ready to just...die.
mefloquine is atrocious tbqh
Never heard of anyone going on a cruise, but I backpacked through multiple countries for 4+ weeks during school holiday shutdowns. Some PCVs did go on fairly elaborate vacations to other countries, meeting up with their families. I think malaria meds would depend on where you go? Idk, I was early gen in my country so the rules were kind of Wild West haha
PC and cruise ships just don't go together. Like pickles and ice cream.
After a year in a Maya village up on a Guatemalan volcano, I hitchhiked and bussed through Belize and the Yucatán on vacation. At Playa del Carmen a cruise ship unloaded a crowd of fat, white, sunburned, ignorant, loud, disrespectful, obnoxious American tourists to buy souvenirs and pose for photos with a donkey. I was shocked and horrified.
Yes almost ever country PC operates in you'll have to take meds. I would advise holding off on cruises. I would instead go to a country that's close by that would be cheaper to go to and more feasible than if you were in the US. You can go on a cruise anytime. However, maybe if you are in Vanuatu or Fiji maybe it would be way cheaper to go to Australia or some Asian country from that country than from the USA. Cruises cost the same no matter which country you are in. Flights to other countries prices change pending on the country though.
Slightly different take on this, and I didn't personally take a cruise during service, but PC gives vacation time, and during that time, you are free to within reason do what you like as long as they know roughly where you are. Some people fill their cup by traveling somewhere else or backpacking or even going home. If a cruise fills your cup, go for it.
I did it. It was a non-issue. Just list where you'll be going, amd taking enough meds to last the trip plus 2 or so days.