Solstice Jan. 23 Norovirus Numbers

[#1grammy]

BAPON, thanks for the links. We are on the Feb 13 sailing so I hope everything gets worked out by then. Sounds like they are enjoying the cruise anyway.

[dmp223]

Since I'm going on the Solstice on Feb 27 I'm hoping that the cleaning program is successful as well.

 

Same here! We'll be on the 2/27 sailing as well and I will be packing a lot of hope and positive thinking that this outbreak of noro will be long gone!

[Mr. Luckytoo]

I'm sailing this Sunday (2/6) Solstice with my 2 year old (she will turn 3 on Wednesday) and I'm taking Pedialyte Powder Packs just in case. These are tiny and handy. You just need to mix with 8oz water and that instantly becomes a bottle of pedialyte. Since she has more stuff than mine in the luggage and we are also flying to FLL, I'm trying to pack as light as possible.

 

I would really recommend the liquid Immodium for kids - just in case. I HOPE no one in your party gets ill but just in case....

[Mr. Luckytoo]

What we can't figure out tho; library closed, casino open:rolleyes:

 

Library's don't bring in $$$ while the casino does.

[phoenix_dream]

Our 4 & 6 yr old were ill on the Jan 23rd. I am an RN, and had some supplies but we still went down to the Medical Unit to report for CDC. They did not carry children's immodium. They DID carry and provide a pediatric dosed Antimedic suppository that unfortnately did not stop the projectile vomiting. We got Pedialyte with our first ill child, but then they ran out for the 2nd. Luckily I went into the Puerto Rico CVS and got more.

 

I would bring a box of medical rubber gloves. (Thankfully, I had them with) In the event that anyone in your cabin does get ill, you can care for them and help clean them up and prevent illness yourself. I was the only one of all 4 in our cabin who did not get ill and I wore the gloves when touching anything in our cabin and when cleaning up puke and diahhrea.

 

Be careful if they try and give anything unrecognizable. They tried to give my 4 yr old an adult dose of Amoxicillin but I am thankful I knew better and declined it.

 

I would be leary of the kid's club. They tried to do their best with cleaning in this area but I feel it's a harder dept to control the spread. The Doctor on board also wanred us of the hot tubs.

I thought if anyone in a cabin were still actively ill, their roommates were confined to the cabin as well. How did you escape? Am I misunderstanding the rules? Just wondering.

[Kutty1101]

I thought if anyone in a cabin were still actively ill, their roommates were confined to the cabin as well. How did you escape? Am I misunderstanding the rules? Just wondering.

 

They never ever said that. And if that were the case.....I would be pissed! Each of my 3 family members (husband and 2 kids were all sick on different days.) Then I would have been stuck for 4 days! Basically I was in the cabin a majority of the time anyway taking care of my children and husband, but not confined. Infact, Celebrity will only give them a "future credit for 24 hrs of isolation", but not for me since I was not ill. We also lost $400 for our St Thomas excursion. (4 people) The Celebrity tickets said we had to cancel 10 pm 2 nights before and the excursions dept would not make any exceptions. = ( I was not going to go without my husband or children and leave them ill behind.

 

Also, it would have been different if we had an attentive CC stateroom attendent.

 

Celebrity called me today based on the survey I filled out on the last day. I have mentioned things in previous posts about what Celebrity could have done better...and forgot about this one until the caller brought it up. On the 2nd to the last sea a child had diahhrea in the pool. They drained and refilled it. Really, it should have been treated with chemical before refilling, but was not.

[lobster129]

There ARE standards. The medical personel are acredited and approved by the EU. Just because someone states, 'there are no standards' doesn't mean it's true. How do I know?

 

I looked into working in the medical centers for cruise ships in the past and found their process accrediation of American trained doctors sufficient but the wages leave a lot to be desired, compared to US.

 

In addition 'standards' in the US include a patient chart, documents, records, etc., and have NOTHING to do with good medical care - rather most of the US "standards" are related to legal issues and CYA.

 

I strongly disagree....since CC encourages the expression of personal opinions.

 

Most standards in the USA are for patient safety. A patient chart with current med list and previous medical history helps medical caregivers to provide the most appropriate care while taking into account patients other medical issues. This involves a coordinated effort from the health care team.

 

5 basic pt rights for treatment of medication include the right pt (requiring pt identification), right drug, right dose, right route (oral , IV etc) and right time.

 

Documentation of care is much more vaulable for a communication tool than to merely "CYA".

 

If each patient seen in the medical clinic for care was recorded with name, date of birth, symptoms, duration and treatment....there would be accurate information to pass on to the CDC, the cruise lines and passengers. Unfortunately that was not the way care was "managed" on Solstice...hence the reason for this entire thread.

 

There is certainly opportunity for improvement....and medical record documentation would be a great place to begin!

[phoenix_dream]

They never ever said that. And if that were the case.....I would be pissed! Each of my 3 family members (husband and 2 kids were all sick on different days.) Then I would have been stuck for 4 days! Basically I was in the cabin a majority of the time anyway taking care of my children and husband, but not confined. Infact, Celebrity will only give them a "future credit for 24 hrs of isolation", but not for me since I was not ill. We also lost $400 for our St Thomas excursion. (4 people) The Celebrity tickets said we had to cancel 10 pm 2 nights before and the excursions dept would not make any exceptions. = ( I was not going to go without my husband or children and leave them ill behind.

 

Also, it would have been different if we had an attentive CC stateroom attendent.

 

Celebrity called me today based on the survey I filled out on the last day. I have mentioned things in previous posts about what Celebrity could have done better...and forgot about this one until the caller brought it up. On the 2nd to the last sea a child had diahhrea in the pool. They drained and refilled it. Really, it should have been treated with chemical before refilling, but was not.

My understanding of the rules was that each stateroom passenger would be confined at least 24 hours if another passenger in the room were ill. Maybe that is no longer the case? Not sure. I am sorry about the h**l you went through, and I am just astounded at how badly you were treated by Celebrity. I can see this was not your first cruise with them so I am guessing you were astounded as well. Every new item you post sounds more frustrating that the previous. To give your family only credit for a 24 hour confinement when they were clearly sick for more than that - what are they thinking?!?! I thought when you were confined it was something like 48 or 72 hours. So why would they only credit you for 24? And to stick you with the shore excursion $$ when you couldn't cancel due to a virus that was caught onboard the ship - can hardly believe it! (and I mean I can hardly believe they would treat you so poorly - not that I think you are making it up). I know stuff happens and they can't prevent this type of sickness from being brought onboard and spread to some extent, but to treat passengers like this? Ugh. Not the Celebrity I know.

[lobster129]

My understanding of the rules was that each stateroom passenger would be confined at least 24 hours if another passenger in the room were ill. Maybe that is no longer the case?

 

They were placing passengers that were ill in isolation in their cabins...UNLESS they became ill during the last 24 hours of the cruise. Then they were "treated and released". This is not a judgement....as I really don't know that they have another alternative. I am posting it merely as a point of information. There were certainly passengers in the disembarkation line that were clearly ill, some even in wheelchairs (that was probably not their usual mode of transportation)

 

I DO beieve that Kutty1101 and family experienced extremely poor customer service and support from their stateroom attended. I am so very sorry that anyone would have to survive the conditions they did. I do however, fully believe what she has reported. They were on our roll call prior to sailing and were very social/chatty about looking forward to the cruise, loving Celebrity, etc.

 

We also had a shore excusion booked through Celebrity for FLL on disembarkation. We were obviously not able to go due to my DH's illness on 1/30. We also will not be credited for that cancellation.

 

We love Celebrity and had a wonderful cruise. We had an unfortunate experience. Overall, I think Celebrity was very proactive in trying to prevent future outbreaks of Norovirus. While I was very disappointed in the medical documentation that occurred (or didn't occur) in the Medcal Care Clinic, the treatment that DH rec'd was appropriate for his symptoms and did help him feel better. Would we cruise with Celebrity again....yes.

 

I have tried to be fair and only report my observations (unless I stated something was my opinion). That is what I love about cruise critics....that people try to report their experiences, to the best of their ability. I value those reports and postings, so hope this is taken the same by those reading it.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

I strongly disagree....since CC encourages the expression of personal opinions.

 

Most standards in the USA are for patient safety. A patient chart with current med list and previous medical history helps medical caregivers to provide the most appropriate care while taking into account patients other medical issues. This involves a coordinated effort from the health care team.

 

5 basic pt rights for treatment of medication include the right pt (requiring pt identification), right drug, right dose, right route (oral , IV etc) and right time.

 

Documentation of care is much more vaulable for a communication tool than to merely "CYA".

 

If each patient seen in the medical clinic for care was recorded with name, date of birth, symptoms, duration and treatment....there would be accurate information to pass on to the CDC, the cruise lines and passengers. Unfortunately that was not the way care was "managed" on Solstice...hence the reason for this entire thread.

 

There is certainly opportunity for improvement....and medical record documentation would be a great place to begin!

 

You bring up valid point but I disagree with your reasoning. The purpose of patient charts is NOT for patient safety - it is for the health care provider. Certain minimal standards are in the chart for legal reasons only.

 

On a cruise ship, in international waters, for an illness suchas norovirus, there will be no follow-up. The medical staff makes a diagnosis and dispenses medications - so name, birthdate, etc., isn't applicable. In the US patients have the possibility of returning - hence the record. On a ship the odds of a return patient to the medical staff is (or should be) incredibly small.

 

Providing information to the CDC is required when a certain percentage of the ship comes down with the illness. The cruiselines would much rather attack and 'take care of' the problem before the CDC gets involved.

 

In the case of norovirus you 'manage' it with prevention first and foremost. For infected people it's palliative treatment because while it makes one feel terrible for 95% it is self-limiting.

 

When I visit a medical facility I'm more worried about: (a) cleanliness and (b) the abilty to the staff to be competent [i.e., recognize the difference between hypoglycemia and dehydration] vs. their ability to complete medical records.

[mommy2jays]

I think record keeping on the ship would be helpful in terms of keeping track of cabin numbers, where the patients dined and where they were on the ship for the last 24 hours. Wouldn't this make sense so that the ship staff would know where start in their cleaning process?

[lobster129]

I think record keeping on the ship would be helpful in terms of keeping track of cabin numbers, where the patients dined and where they were on the ship for the last 24 hours. Wouldn't this make sense so that the ship staff would know where start in their cleaning process?

 

Exactly...if you don't know where you are and where you are going...how will you know when you get there?

 

I'm not asking for any fancy documentation....just the basics!

 

The cruise line DOES need to know who they treated and who they followed up with for continuing symptoms. Intelligent decision making is based on facts, not merely pulling a "rabbit out of your hat" and hope that works and solves the problem.

 

Are number of cases increasing per week? Does highest onset occur on a particular day of the cruise? What treatments/medications are working best for the symptoms presented? I don't know how they can track this information without documentation.>>>IMHO.

[Wanderlost]

Exactly...if you don't know where you are and where you are going...how will you know when you get there?

 

I'm not asking for any fancy documentation....just the basics!

 

The cruise line DOES need to know who they treated and who they followed up with for continuing symptoms. Intelligent decision making is based on facts, not merely pulling a "rabbit out of your hat" and hope that works and solves the problem.

 

Are number of cases increasing per week? Does highest onset occur on a particular day of the cruise? What treatments/medications are working best for the symptoms presented? I don't know how they can track this information without documentation.>>>IMHO.

I agree. It seems the cases are increasing so whatever Celebrity is attempting to do to contain the virus may not be working. We need to be well informed of what we are facing, prior to boarding a ship for our vacation after spending hundreds of dollars for the pleasure of doing so. As a health care provider, I often have to go into facilities where this virus is active. While I vacation, I would like to have the option. :cool:

[GRBlizz]

It seems the cases are increasing so whatever Celebrity is attempting to do to contain the virus may not be working.

 

From the posts made during the sailing just completed, I had the impression that things were getting better. We are sailing next week, and I sure hope they are getting better!

[mncruise]

We sailed the Solstice from Jan 30- Feb 6 and there were cases of the Norovirus. We were not boarded until after 2:00 PM and could not get to our cabins until about 4:30 PM. The buffet lines were served by the crew and no salt and pepper on the tables as examples of what they were doing. I do not know how many were sick but there were lots. Our friend got sick and they did clean his room right away, his wife was OK. The crew cleaned all week and there was Purell all over the place. The airport did not have any Purell even at the food areas. The library still did not have books but a good point from someone about the casino. No "sale" tables for goodies and someone thought because of so many touching everything. One in our group said she did not see bar prices and I realized all the bar menus were remloved. No magazines or information book in our cabin. Still a good cruise and Celebrity tried their best.

[bailey57]

From the posts made during the sailing just completed, I had the impression that things were getting better. We are sailing next week, and I sure hope they are getting better!

 

Other than mncruise just above (below your post above) I haven't seen any reports of what last week (1/30-2/6) was like... are there current posts elsewhere about this?

[CCShayne]

We reached out to Celebrity for more information and received an official statement detailing exact figures. The statement is posted below in its entirety:

 

Celebrity Cruises Statement

February 6, 2011

 

 

During Celebrity Solstice’s last two sailings, an elevated number of persons have experienced gastrointestinal illness. Over the course of the sailing that concluded on January 30, five out of 1,234 crew and 39 out of 2,858 guests experienced the illness, thought to be norovirus. Over the course of the last sailing, which concluded on February 6, nine out of 1,227 crew and 118 out of 2,839 guests experienced the illness. Those affected by the short-lived illness responded well to over-the-counter medication being administered onboard the ship.

 

At Celebrity Cruises, we have high health standards for all our guests and crew. Therefore, in an abundance of caution, when Celebrity Solstice arrived at the Port Everglades on Saturday, January 30 and February 6, we conducted an extensive and thorough sanitizing onboard the ship and within the cruise terminal, to help prevent any illness from affecting the subsequent sailing.

 

Also, all guests on both sailings received a letter at boarding that asked if they had experienced any gastrointestinal symptoms within the last three days. Similarly, if guests were uncomfortable taking their cruise at that time, for reasons related to personal health or otherwise, our staff would assist them in rescheduling their sailing for another time.

 

According to health experts, each year as many as 300 million people worldwide are affected by Norovirus. Only the common cold is more prevalent.

 

Celebrity Solstice is currently on seven-night Caribbean sailings that include port calls in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; and Philipsburg, St. Maarten.

[phoenix_dream]

So one question slightly off-topic: What happens if you get the questionnaire and answer 'yes' to the question about experiencing symptoms in the previous three days? Do you get denied boarding or quarantined? Let's say you and your cabin mate both got hit with a similar virus two days before sailing, and are feeling much better. What happens?? Never happened to me before but I wonder what is done??

[npb]

We are also sailing on Sunday. Sure hope we hear more before than and are notified if boarding will be delayed.

[joyc804]

Record keeping is easy. Just walk down a corridor and see the red stickers on the doors. Those cabins have illnesses. There were 7 stickered doors in our section of deck 7. (1/4 of the deck) They try to quarantine the sickies for 24 hours including cabin mates and they clean like crazy. The crew is exhausted. My daughter got sick the second day out. It was disappointing since 7 mothers/daughters were on the cruise together. She missed Puerto Rico, but managed to make the private tour of St. Maartens. They do everything to keep the Norovirus from spreading, but it's very difficult to accomplish. Eventually you do get used to having everything done for you around the food. A different way of cruising, I will say. You can always find wonderful experiences on any cruise, this one took some work for me. The casino slots were pretty sticky. I hated to touch them. (that didn't stop me from losing my $$) You might want to bring your own wipes.

Solstice - 1/30 to 2/6

[MEcruzr]

People are going to keep on getting sick if the quarantine is only 24 hours. Sufferers are contagious for three days after recovery from symptoms. :eek: I don't have the answer to this. Just saying, if you've been sick... just because you feel better doesn't mean you aren't spreading the virus to more people.

[Pjatscfy]

My parents just got back (Feb 6th) from their cruise. They went with my mothers 7 brothers and sisters and their spouses, and my grandfather and his wife. During the trip my father and aunt were both sick. The third day in, my grandfather got the virus, and died on that Saturday in his cabin. This was a healthy man who got the virus and then died. The cruise line was going back out that Sunday with a new group of people. So, there is someone new sleeping in the room my grandfather died in less than 48 hours later. That is messed up! Two of my other uncles have been admitted to the hospital since returning, due to the virus. All travelers can make up their own mind, but if it were me, I wouldn't be getting on that boat.

[MEcruzr]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[phoenix_dream]

My parents just got back (Feb 6th) from their cruise. They went with my mothers 7 brothers and sisters and their spouses, and my grandfather and his wife. During the trip my father and aunt were both sick. The third day in, my grandfather got the virus, and died on that Saturday in his cabin. This was a healthy man who got the virus and then died. The cruise line was going back out that Sunday with a new group of people. So, there is someone new sleeping in the room my grandfather died in less than 48 hours later. That is messed up! Two of my other uncles have been admitted to the hospital since returning, due to the virus. All travelers can make up their own mind, but if it were me, I wouldn't be getting on that boat.

I am very sorry for your loss.

 

It is important to note that dying from norovirus is extremely rare, as is the need for hospitalization. This does not in any way lesson the pain your family suffered, but it is true. Unfortunately, norovirus is prevalant in the winter to early spring time of the year regardless of where you are. In fact, many more cases are caught in restaurants, schools, and shopping centers than on cruises. Would I be hesitant about getting on the Solstice right now (and I presume that is the ship you meant, is that right?)? Yes. But will it stop me from cruising in general - absolutely not. Statisticaly I am much more likely to catch the virus in my day-to-day activities.

[MMAMOM]

so sorry about your loss - incredible. We were on the 1/23 sailing - noticed when we were getting off the ship on 1/30 that a couple of people were being taken away by an ambulance. No idea why but that must have been pretty scary for all involved.

 

my husband I were lucky - no sickness on the trip. We were on deck #11 and had a great experience there. I guess we were lucky. We thought the staff on the ship did a great job of keeping things clean, etc.

 

Best of luck - enjoy your trip - the ship is beautiful and we had no complaints.

 

Again, I can't imagine what your family must be feeling.