Anthem delayed boarding 11/18!

They deep clean the cruise terminal too? Check in desks, new pens...just a thought.

 

 

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They were cleaning the check in areas in the terminal last Saturday. All week things were being cleaned on the ship. No more buffet setup at breakfast and lunch in the MDR, so meals took longer. We came home in one piece though!

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Just got home from the 11/11 sailing. My wife and 2 small children got bit by the bug Thursday night into Friday. It came on sudden, was ferocious for about 10-12 hours, and then the kids bounced back pretty quick last night. Wife/kids self-quarantined Friday and only left the cabin this morning to depart. Our housekeeper and the medical center were notified. Vomit linens and our trash were removed in biohazard bags.

My wife is still recovering, and I'm hoping I'm not next! At least, being home, we are in a much better position to handle it. The situation was more miserable than I could imagine (exacerbated by 4 in the cabin, 2 of which are toddlers). Thank goodness for the balcony.

Some notes:

-I've been on many cruises, and this had the most cleaning/precautions I've seen. They're trying.

-Purell everywhere, forced upon you, over the top, but PURELL DOESN'T KILL NOROVIRUS. I suspect this disconnect gives a false sense of security to many.

-People blatently do gross things. I don't get it. We often ate at the windjammer buffet and couldn't believe some of the nastiness we saw.

-The staff is very vigilant about enforcing the rules, but it's often misplaced effort, imho. For example; I can't get my own napkins or sugar packets in certain areas, but all kinds of unsanitary things go unnoticed with windjammer tongs and drink dispensers.

-I didn't get sick. I washed my hands VERY often, didn't use purell unless required, and avoided putting my hands near my face. It worked for me, so far.

-Room attendant said they are doing a deep cleaning today with foggers and such. They said that before our cruise too.

-My kids often "share" what my wife is eating. They'll have a sip of her drink, lick of an ice cream cone, bite of sandwich, etc. I don't really do that much, and I think that may explain why all 3 of them got it, and not me.

-Chatting with other people/parents made me realize that the CDC reported numbers do not necessarily reflect all of the sick passengers. I believe it is under-reported.

Overall: This noro outbreak is real. Royal seems to be doing their best, but I would not be surprised to see continued issues on the 11/18 cruise. It was frightening to see how sudden and violent the onset was. I have a new empathy for anyone who goes through this awful illness while confined to a tiny cabin, with one toilet on a rocking ship at sea.

Btw I believe cruise lines are required to report noro to the cdc when it reaches a certain percentage of people on board while schools, hotels, etc, do not have the same reporting requirements, which is why you hear about it on cruise ships but not in other venues.

Just got home from the 11/11 sailing. My wife and 2 small children got bit by the bug Thursday night into Friday. It came on sudden, was ferocious for about 10-12 hours, and then the kids bounced back pretty quick last night. Wife/kids self-quarantined Friday and only left the cabin this morning to depart. Our housekeeper and the medical center were notified. Vomit linens and our trash were removed in biohazard bags.

 

My wife is still recovering, and I'm hoping I'm not next! At least, being home, we are in a much better position to handle it. The situation was more miserable than I could imagine (exacerbated by 4 in the cabin, 2 of which are toddlers). Thank goodness for the balcony.

 

Some notes:

 

-I've been on many cruises, and this had the most cleaning/precautions I've seen. They're trying.

 

-Purell everywhere, forced upon you, over the top, but PURELL DOESN'T KILL NOROVIRUS. I suspect this disconnect gives a false sense of security to many.

 

-People blatently do gross things. I don't get it. We often ate at the windjammer buffet and couldn't believe some of the nastiness we saw.

 

-The staff is very vigilant about enforcing the rules, but it's often misplaced effort, imho. For example; I can't get my own napkins or sugar packets in certain areas, but all kinds of unsanitary things go unnoticed with windjammer tongs and drink dispensers.

 

-I didn't get sick. I washed my hands VERY often, didn't use purell unless required, and avoided putting my hands near my face. It worked for me, so far.

 

-Room attendant said they are doing a deep cleaning today with foggers and such. They said that before our cruise too.

 

-My kids often "share" what my wife is eating. They'll have a sip of her drink, lick of an ice cream cone, bite of sandwich, etc. I don't really do that much, and I think that may explain why all 3 of them got it, and not me.

 

-Chatting with other people/parents made me realize that the CDC reported numbers do not necessarily reflect all of the sick passengers. I believe it is under-reported.

 

Overall: This noro outbreak is real. Royal seems to be doing their best, but I would not be surprised to see continued issues on the 11/18 cruise. It was frightening to see how sudden and violent the onset was. I have a new empathy for anyone who goes through this awful illness while confined to a tiny cabin, with one toilet on a rocking ship at sea.

I hope you all recover quickly.

Not putting blame on any one group of people, but my husband continually informs me how many men do NOT wash their hands in the bathroom....on ship and in society in general. It appalls both of us. So then they go to the buffet line and...well, you know.:o

Not putting blame on any one group of people, but my husband continually informs me how many men do NOT wash their hands in the bathroom....on ship and in society in general. It appalls both of us. So then they go to the buffet line and...well, you know.:o

A great reason to avoid buffets. Hope RC gets the Noro virus under control soon. No fun to be sick on a cruise ship.

I, too, just debarked from Anthem this morning. I agree with all that was said by Ambiverol. I commend Royal Caribbean for all that I saw being done this past week. None of the 6 in our group has been sick-and I hope it stays that way! As said previously, be vigilant about hand washing, and do not put your hands near your face.

I'd like to think that things are getting better. There was no lack of people in all the public places on this sailing. I have read accounts of the previous sailing that describe public venues as noticeably less crowded.

As for the person who noticed that Noro has hit the Anthem harder than other ships, it makes sense that it would happen that way. The November 4-11 cruise included a lot more children as public schools are closed during teacher's convention week here in NJ.

It seems the whole mess started on the 10/28 sailing!!! Each of the sailings after that had more people who reported it to Medical. There is also the issue of how many did not go to the doctor for fear of being confined to their cabin. Then you have others who came down with it after the cruise ended.

I applaud all the efforts and cleaning that RCCL is doing to contain/end Noro. Unfortunately, having so many people in a confined area only makes it spread quicker.

Having been one of its victims (even though it was a mild case at the end of the sailing) it still took me nearly 2 weeks to get back to normal and for my appetite to return. My cousin/cabin mate was hit at home after our return.

While they are cleaning and spraying everything, unless the less than sanitary habits of some passengers change people will continue to be infected. Better to have food served to you than touching the serving tools that everyone else has handled.:(

MARAPRINCE

Good advice there...I usually like to grab a quick bite for breakfast at the WJ, but I am thinking that it might be prudent to sit down and be served in the dining room for breakfast, instead...even if it takes a lot longer....

I recommend Clorox Commercial Solutions hand sanitizing spray. You can get it on Amazon and it is one of the few hand sanitizers that does kill norovirus. I carry it with me and we all spray our hands right before eating (after we've ordered/touched menus) and also each time we return to the room. I think this, along with frequent hand washing and constant reminders that my kids don't put their hands near their mouths/faces has definitely helped us avoid stomach viruses when cruising. We also tend to avoid the buffet, only eating their a few times on our cruises.

I recommend Clorox Commercial Solutions hand sanitizing spray. You can get it on Amazon and it is one of the few hand sanitizers that does kill norovirus. I carry it with me and we all spray our hands right before eating (after we've ordered/touched menus) and also each time we return to the room. I think this, along with frequent hand washing and constant reminders that my kids don't put their hands near their mouths/faces has definitely helped us avoid stomach viruses when cruising. We also tend to avoid the buffet, only eating their a few times on our cruises.

Thx! Just ordered it.

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Same here, along with the Saalfeld Hydrogen Peroxide wipes. Thanks a million!!!!