I just got this

Hello, this is Royal Caribbean International. We would like to provide you with some important information regarding your Saturday, April 12th, sailing onboard Grandeur of the Seas out of the Port of Baltimore. During the ship's last sailing, a number of guests experienced a gastrointestinal illness. We will conduct enhanced sanitizing onboard the ship and within the terminal to help prevent any illness from affecting your cruise. Therefore, your check-in and boarding will be significantly delayed. Because space and seating is limited in the facility, guests will not be able to access the terminal until 3:30 PM. Check in for your cruise will now take place between 3:30 PM and 5:30 PM. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation and we look forward to welcoming you onboard.

You will be on a clean clean ship and hopefully who ever brought it onboard is over it. They do an excellent job of cleaning on a daily basis but when someone brings it onboard they do everything they can to keep it from spreading. Washy Washy

I am pleased they notified you in advance, that saves you hanging around at the port for hours.

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I am pleased they notified you in advance, that saves you hanging around at the port for hours.

 

 

 

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I agree. It always takes longer to clean the ship after a noro outbreak.

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Sounds like they are doing their best to make the ship as clean as possible... and that's a good thing!

It was nice to let you know so you could plan. It sounds like you will be boarding an ultra-sanitized ship. Enjoy your cruise.

Unfortunately, tis the season for noro!. It's not really the ship, it's the people! People carry the virus...and it spreads like wildfire. As long as no new passenger comes aboard with the virus in their system, you'll be good to go. Good luck!

So is that now 2 weeks? I know they had it last week, so if they're still cleaning Sunday it must mean they had it again this week. Anyone know?

So is that now 2 weeks? I know they had it last week, so if they're still cleaning Sunday it must mean they had it again this week. Anyone know?

They did do that before the current sailing. Evidently they didn't get it all or someone else came on board for this sailing. I hope they get it straightened out soon.

Gwen :)

So do I. I'll be on her next Saturday!:eek:

We were on the Navigator on a B2B during the first two weeks of December 2012. The week before we boarded the ship experienced an outbreak of the N-Virus with over 200 people getting sick.

We were delayed boarding while the ship went into a deep cleaning mode. Even as far as steam cleaning the walls, carpet, door handles, etc. in the hallways, we saw this happening during the second week change over.

Once onboard that first week we were not allowed to touch anything in the Windjammer. Someone handed our dish, utensils, etc. We couldn't serve ourselves. We told whoever was manning the food selection what we wanted and they placed it on our dishes. Everyone working wore gloves for our protection and theirs. The Captain was serious about not spreading the virus any further.

Every Department on the ship was helping make sure we would not get sick. The Dancers were manning the entrees and the ice skaters were helping out with the desserts. Even the men in the blue jumpsuits (maintenance dept.?) were helping out with the cereal selections. One morning I asked for a box of Special K and he pick up a box of Fruit Loops and showed it to me. I shook my head, pointed to the box and said Fruit Loops. He picked up Cheerios and shrug his shoulders and I repeated the process telling him what he had. Third time was the charm. He picked up the Special K and when I said "yes, Special K" and pointed to the big K, he gave me a big smile and repeated "Special K" a couple of times.

In the evening the tables set up with watches, tee-shirts, purses, etc were roped off. We were not allowed to pick up anything. The sales person asked what we wanted to see, we told them and they picked it up, showing it to us while still holding it.

Even the old playing cards and games were removed and replaced with newly wrapped cards and games.

Every day the Captain stressed that if you felt like you were getting "tummy problems" to please stay in your cabin and not go down to the Medical Center. He didn't want anyone touching hand railings or elevator buttons if they were getting sick. He told us that someone from the Medical Center would come to your cabin; either the doctor or a registered nurse. And then he were update us on how many sick people we had on board. It started with 13 people and by the end of the week it was down to one.

At the beginning of the second week we went into another deep cleaning mode. And almost repeated the same thing with a few minor adjustments. We were allowed to pick up our own dishes and silverware and get our own packs of cereal and milk. The only thing that didn't changed was that when going through the buffet someone place our food selection on our dishes since there were no tongs out for us to use.

It was amazing to see everyone in the bio-hazards suits with face masks on steaming the walls. It was almost like walking through a fog. We only saw this because my sister who is a two year breast cancer survivor forgot to take her medicine (she has to take a pill every morning for the next five years) so when we boarded the ship for the second week we asked an officer if we could go to our cabin to retrieve something. At first he said no but when we explained that my sister needed to take her morning medicine he agree to come with us. If we didn't go back to our cabin we never would have know exactly how serious there were about the cleaning.

So now I apologize for writing such a long post but what can I say except I had to lot to say. :)

I have been quietly watching.

My next door neighbor and new beau are sailing on Saturday. She is a little high strung about problems so I have not shared the Noro news the last weeks.

I just got off the phone with her assuring her the ship will be very clean. She got the text too.

Jim and I love cruising and we hope the have fun. They are such a cute couple and she deserves it after many years of caring for her Mom and family.

Fingers crossed.

I have been quietly watching.

 

My next door neighbor and new beau are sailing on Saturday. She is a little high strung about problems so I have not shared the Noro news the last weeks.

 

I just got off the phone with her assuring her the ship will be very clean. She got the text too.

 

Jim and I love cruising and we hope the have fun. They are such a cute couple and she deserves it after many years of caring for her Mom and family.

 

Fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed here too for her. After all, we cruise lovers, have to look out for each other.

Better double-up on your probiotics.

We were on an Alaskan cruise a few years ago and received the same letter prior to boarding Sorry to say, but we went 6 days very healthy and then our son came down with it. He was so sick. The rest of us (myself, daughter, and mother-in-law) came down with it the day we were off the ship. Husband got it the next day. Wow, we were SICK. The good news is that we had a beautiful cruise and luckily we were only ill for a few hours.

RCI was really trying to get everyone to wash their hands on a constant basis and use their hand sanitizer at all times (you couldn't enter their dining areas w/o using it).

 

Every Department on the ship was helping make sure we would not get sick. The Dancers were manning the entrees

I don't usually get seconds but in this scenario I would probably go all the way to thirds.

So is that now 2 weeks? I know they had it last week, so if they're still cleaning Sunday it must mean they had it again this week. Anyone know?

They did do that before the current sailing. Evidently they didn't get it all or someone else came on board for this sailing. I hope they get it straightened out soon.

 

Gwen :)

I'm not very excited about this 2 weeks in a row, we're boarding Sat so hoping they get it all this time

This happened to us on Princess a couple of years ago. Our ship didn't start boarding until about 7pm and we couldn't touch anything onboard as far as buffet, salt and pepper etc.

we were supposed to be at Princess' private island the next day but that was canceled and we were to go right to Curacao from there and then onto Aruba.

It wasn't much fun onboard but we made the best of it. The morning of the Curacao port stop the Captain came on and said the CDC had ordered the ship back to port as we had about 400 pax and crew with Noro.

We wound up with a 5 day cruise to nowhere, they paid our airfare home, and refunded all of our cruise fare along with 25% discount on future cruise.

Lost a weeks vacation time but it's a story we laugh about now.

Bill

You will be on a clean clean ship and hopefully who ever brought it onboard is over it.

Fingers crossed here too for her. After all, we cruise lovers, have to look out for each other.

Thanks.

They are way too cute. Met in a community dance class and he has swept her off her feet. They could easily become addicts and he can afford the addiction.

My Jim had never cruised until we met. The Radiance and Alaska changed his mind forever. The Grandeur could easily do the same.

I don't usually get seconds but in this scenario I would probably go all the way to thirds.

We had a good laugh. Here were these size 0 dancers standing near all these sugary, high calorie desserts. I wondered how they could stand it without taking a bite.

This happened to us on Princess a couple of years ago. Our ship didn't start boarding until about 7pm and we couldn't touch anything onboard as far as buffet, salt and pepper etc.

 

we were supposed to be at Princess' private island the next day but that was canceled and we were to go right to Curacao from there and then onto Aruba.

 

It wasn't much fun onboard but we made the best of it. The morning of the Curacao port stop the Captain came on and said the CDC had ordered the ship back to port as we had about 400 pax and crew with Noro.

 

We wound up with a 5 day cruise to nowhere, they paid our airfare home, and refunded all of our cruise fare along with 25% discount on future cruise.

 

Lost a weeks vacation time but it's a story we laugh about now.

 

Bill

I was on the cruise before you on Crown Princess. (Is that the ship you were on)? On our cruise, there were hundreds sick. Not all sick PAX were able to be seen by the medical staff. From what I saw while on board the true number of PAX sick was never recorded. Friends of mine got sick the day after the ship dock. We were lucky and did not get sick. I never saw anything like that sick ship. It was bad. The Captian on the PA system telllpeople to wash their hands, etc.

I was on the cruise before you on Crown Princess. (Is that the ship you were on)? On our cruise, there were hundreds sick. Not all sick PAX were able to be seen by the medical staff. From what I saw while on board the true number of PAX sick was never recorded. Friends of mine got sick the day after the ship dock. We were lucky and did not get sick. I never saw anything like that sick ship. It was bad. The Captian on the PA system telllpeople to wash their hands, etc.

Yes that is the ship we were on. We didnt get sick either but we stayed in our cabin a lot.

Bill

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Yes that is the ship we were on. We didnt get sick either but we stayed in our cabin a lot.

 

Bill

 

 

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People were sick all over. I just kept washing my hands and did not eat with my hands. It got really bad the day before the ship docked in Fort L. The head chef at the lido was sick too.

Plenty of people have it here on land right now. I know at least 2 dozen of my friends who I chat with with on social media who said it went thru entire schools, hospitals, offices and so on. Just wash your hands frequently.