Official Statement from Celebrity RE: Norovirus on Celebrity Solstice

[User 2020]

We sailed on the Solstice from 1/30 – 2/5, there were a significant number of cases of the virus. Several people throwing up right in the common areas, even in the dining room. I know this happens on all ships but I thought that the Solstice management people were entirely unprepared to deal with it.

 

From the beginning when boarding people were forced to wait in a line that stretched around the building and across a main street in the hot sun for hours. No food, water or shelter from the sun was provided until very near the end – this could have been tragic for elderly folks if it were hotter.

 

Once on board they went into their sanitation mode, removing salt pepper, butter, rolls etc from the table. In the Café they removed all the trays and served everything to everyone individually. These should have been good things but the crew was totally understaffed, overworked and untrained. Ask for salt and wait 10 minutes, want more water – forget about it until after dinner. In the Café try balancing a dinner plate and a salad plate while waiting 20th in line for a drink, trying to find your spouse, and then looking for a non existent clean table.

 

Guests got angry and the crew got surly, many standing around not knowing or caring what to do next. It is incomprehensible to me that there was not a viable contingency plan in place for this sort of thing which is a well known potential for any ship.

 

Bad planning, bad execution, bad ship, bad management, bad cruise line

[lobster129]

-As stated in a previous post....the MD questioned my credientials and asked how I could call this "Norovirus" on my son's admission sheet.

 

-We travel about every 3-4 months to some very remote places as a family. Our international travel MD has us all in for annual appts where we recieve current vaccinations and prophylaxic Rxs. To bring the Cipro with was not going against his orders.

 

-I did mention that the Amox dosage was incorrect, and he fixed that problem. He then wrote an appropriate pediatric dose. I questioned the usage of it in this circumstance and his answer did not make sense. This was also when he had to abruptly leave for the second time on account of his own illness.

 

-what did I hope to gain from this visit? I wanted to report for the sake of CDC. I also needed Pedialyte since we did not bring any with and I had no way to get it onboard otherwise. They also gave us a pediatric antimedic suppository that I did not have.

 

Also, as a physician....if you can offer any furthur info I can include in my next correspondance with Celebrity, let me know. We have a follow up with our Pediatrician tommorrow and hopefully he can also provide info for us.

 

Kutty1101. IMHO, you are doing a great job of trying the explain the situation you and your family were in with suspected Norovirus and the impact it had on your lives. I am saddened that in addition to all those issues, so many posters on CC do not seem to believe your statements.:o

 

I just want to say that I DO BELIEVE YOU!!!

 

I was on the same cruise. I am also an RN and certainly have seen and cared for patients with severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. I know it may be hard for others to even imagine if you have never seen an otherwise healthy adult sucumb to these ravaging symptoms.

 

I understand your objective in posting is to...

1. Make passengers aware of Noro-like symtoms on our cruise.

2. Make passengers aware that not all syspected cases were reported to the CDC so data is likely skewed and underestimaated.

3. Make passengers aware of the medical care clinic care that you and your family experienced, in addition to what you observed.

4. Make passengers aware of YOUR experience with Celebrity cabin attendant and their superviors.

 

I am not sure what anyone would think you would gain by falsifying statements. I believe people, unless they give me a reason to doubt my faith in my fellow man (or woman). Your motives for posting seem correct to me.

 

Hoping that this long nighmare can soon be over for you. Thank you for your persistance in trying to make CC readers more aware of a very undesireable situation.

 

Respectfully,

Becky

[klingoncruiser]

Kutty1101,

 

I'm sorry to have some doubts on the reasons your "crusade":

 

You claim that you thankfully knew how much ANTIBIOTICS to give your son who apparantly suffered NoroVIRUS symptoms...:eek::eek::rolleyes:

So you are A Registered Nurse?

NO Medical staff will EVER prescribe antibiotics for a virus. Why not? Because at least they know that antibiotics are only effective on certain bacteria. Your story is thus proven incorrect in that respect.

 

LOL, I noticed that first thing. If this all is true and they DID give antibiotics, she has an even bigger story of incompetence. Oh well.....

[Sunlightlover]

I also felt compelled to reply. My husband and I were on the Solstice cruise January 30 through February 6. He got ill on day 3, was treated with an injection on day 4 early morning and then isolated in the cabin. He had a fever, nausea, vomiting, severe stomach pain and cramps, headache, but thankfully, no diarrhea. He slept entire day, then woke up feeling horribly for an hour and continued to sleep another 10 hours through the night. Next morning he felt better, and was released to go off the ship. However, he was very weak and didn't feel well through the end of the cruise, lost his appetite, and even now, after coming back home, he still doesn't feel well.

 

I should mention that our room was very clean when we arrived on the ship, but we found some food leftovers on the table at the veranda. Disgusting! We showed this to the room steward, and it was cleaned, but, obviously, it was too late. Also, another person at our MDR table got sick one day before DH, but they didn't diagnose this person with Norovirus until a few days later.

 

Celebrity letter states that they will issue a future cruise credit for the days in isolation. However, we don't want a credit that will be valid for one year only. We feel that we should get a refund, not a credit, as we may or may not cruise with Celebrity again. Also, this virus completely killed our entire vacation, not just the two days in isolation as stated in the Celebrity letter. Both of us were affected, as I didn't go anywhere when he was ill. How other people who got Norovirus feel about offered compensation? Do you think it's just and fair or Celebrity should offer more than a simple proration based on the cruise portion of the fare paid and the number of days in isolation?

[Gonzo70]

[quote name=Sunlightlover;27850728

Celebrity letter states that they will issue a future cruise credit for the days in isolation. However' date=' we don't want a credit that will be valid for one year only. We feel that we should get a refund, not a credit, as we may or may not cruise with Celebrity again. Also, this virus completely killed our entire vacation, not just the two days in isolation as stated in the Celebrity letter. Both of us were affected, as I didn't go anywhere when he was ill. How other people who got Norovirus feel about offered compensation? Do you think it's just and fair or Celebrity should offer more than a simple proration based on the cruise portion of the fare paid and the number of days in isolation?[/quote]

 

I am sorry that you spouse became ill and it put such a damper on your vacation. Keep in mind that very few vacation venues often any compensation whatsoever if you become sick during the vacation. Any compensation offered is generous and above and beyond what is required or even expected. The reason Celebrity does offer a credit is to encourage people to report to medical when they possibly have noro symptoms so they can be assessed and quarantined if necessary. This helps minimize the risk of the virus spreading to others. Many passengers do not want to miss out when sick and unfortunately still frequent public areas rather than remaining in their rooms when ill; this is how the virus spreads.

[#1grammy]

The Noro illness is beginning to have me worried. Not just the virus, but the added inconvenience of boarding late, no self service, staff tired. It must take away from the festive atmosphere I long for. I want more than a "fair" cruise, I want a Great cruise. I know this must be a difficult situation for Celebrity to handle, but I think it is more wide spread than is indicated in the "all is well" letter posted. Considering that the number of people on this chat board is minuscule compared to the ships manifest, the comments so far from this limited group indicate some rough sailing ahead.

[Kutty1101]

LOL, I noticed that first thing. If this all is true and they DID give antibiotics, she has an even bigger story of incompetence. Oh well.....

 

Laughing?! I am sorry, but you are downright evil if you can laugh at the experience some of us had, what we endured, or how Celebrity handled some of us. I HAVE the antibiotic bottle from Celebrity, and the instructions from the Doctor. With photos and letters to Celebrity, I hope they can gain from their experience and mistakes.....

 

But again, I never thought this would happen to us. And like some of you who can laugh, I am deeply uphauled.

[Wanderlost]

Laughing?! I am sorry, but you are downright evil if you can laugh at the experience some of us had, what we endured, or how Celebrity handled some of us. I HAVE the antibiotic bottle from Celebrity, and the instructions from the Doctor. With photos and letters to Celebrity, I hope they can gain from their experience and mistakes.....

 

But again, I never thought this would happen to us. And like some of you who can laugh, I am deeply uphauled.

I agree, some of these posters are mean!!!NO ONE wants to spends hundreds of dollars and take precious time off from their jobs to cruise on an infected ship. :cool:

[mommy2jays]

I am sorry that you spouse became ill and it put such a damper on your vacation. Keep in mind that very few vacation venues often any compensation whatsoever if you become sick during the vacation. Any compensation offered is generous and above and beyond what is required or even expected. The reason Celebrity does offer a credit is to encourage people to report to medical when they possibly have noro symptoms so they can be assessed and quarantined if necessary. This helps minimize the risk of the virus spreading to others. Many passengers do not want to miss out when sick and unfortunately still frequent public areas rather than remaining in their rooms when ill; this is how the virus spreads.

 

The key issue you seem to be missing here is that with other venues, getting sick may just happen like it can happen at home. The problem here is that Celebrity actually has a SICK SHIP. It is the ship that is making people sick, so - YES, Celebrity should be compensating those falling ill as it is their facility causing their paying passengers to have diarrhea and vomiting. Yuck!

[Solstice23]

Nice observation. I was already kind of suspicious of many of her prior posts, but I think this just about proves she is not to be taken seriously.

 

I am really over all this myself

[MEcruzr]

"The problem here is that Celebrity actually has a SICK SHIP."

 

And who brought it onboard to begin with? Passengers!!

 

I really don't think you can hold X responsible or expect compensation. If they offer anything (credit on a future cruise) I think they're being generous. No one is forcing you to get on that ship. You choose to take your chances if you know there's a problem (which they are working VERY hard to rectify).

 

And yes... I'm boarding the Solstice in 12 days so I'm taking MY chances, too.

[Solstice23]

Our insurance covered my mom for days lost when she had it on the Mariner of the seas!

[cruzeluver]

The problem here is that Celebrity actually has a SICK SHIP.

 

No Such thing. An inanimate object cannot get sick. Illness is brought on board by passengers, yet somehow Celebrity ends up getting the blame.

[Adammara]

My wife had norovirus onboard Independence last month. Despite following all the precautions, she went down with it on the 2nd full sea day of the cruise. It appears it was not as infectious as the Solstice outbreak, and she was only confined to the cabin for one day. We did warn anyone we chatted that she had just had the virus.

 

The care we recieved was excellent, and I did not get it, and was allowed to go out if i wanted, but I stayed with my wife most of the time. Films, soft drinks and room service were all free and extra bottled water was supplied, the crew were excellent and really looked after her. At the end of the cruise she recieved a letter saying she would recieve a cruise credit for the time she was confined to the cabin, which was a pleasant surprise.

 

In this mornings post, she recieved a cruise credit for the day pro-rata to the total cost, and this is valid for TWO years on Royal Caribbean. (Not Celebrity or Azumara)

 

The most amazing thing is, I received one as well!! Guess we will be booking Indy again!;)

 

Richard

[#1grammy]

I wonder what kind of insurance Celebrity has in case they have to cancel a cruise to clean the ship and let the crew recover. It seems like after this many weeks and who knows what is happening on this cruise, it might be prudent to dock for a week of intensive cleaning and crew rest.

[phoenix_dream]

Kutty1101 - Don't mean to question your "crusade" but you raise some interesting points.

 

Why would the give your son any form of anitbiotic for a virus?

 

You say people were so sick that they stayed in line and went the bathroom in a diaper instead of going back to their rooms??? :eek:

 

Just doesn't add up.

 

Gonzo - I think we posted at almost the exact same time, didn't mean to steal your thunder.

 

B.

I have my doubts as well. Not saying there were not issues, but comments on this post and others just do not often make sense. I do not know what the situation was - it may very well have been bad. But there are many indications that the situation is being, at the least, exaggerated (as respects how Celebrity handled the illness).

[dpw1959]

I was reading that Celebrity is reporting that only 39 guests had the virus on this sailing. If you saw the lines outside the infirmary EVERY day you would have seen a lot more than 39 people. MAYBE 39 people stuck around long enough to see the doctor and get diagnosed but I can assure you that MANY MANY MANY more than 39 people had it. I know that 6 of the 8 people in OUR party got it and NONE of us are on that list. To say that 39 guests had it on that sailing is either a joke or a cover up.

[cpj]

I was reading that Celebrity is reporting that only 39 guests had the virus on this sailing. If you saw the lines outside the infirmary EVERY day you would have seen a lot more than 39 people. MAYBE 39 people stuck around long enough to see the doctor and get diagnosed but I can assure you that MANY MANY MANY more than 39 people had it. I know that 6 of the 8 people in OUR party got it and NONE of us are on that list. To say that 39 guests had it on that sailing is either a joke or a cover up.

Its more then a cover up its a lie from a very arrogant company. The virus most likely is in the food supply by now and also the water on the ship. According to the CDC in Atlanta it can get in the food and water. I also believe this is why its takes a few sailings to get rid of it. Indeed it is a sick ship.

[cruzeluver]

Celebrity would have no need to launch a "cover up" if people with gastrointestinal illnesses would not board their ships.:rolleyes:

[Wanderlost]

"The problem here is that Celebrity actually has a SICK SHIP."

 

And who brought it onboard to begin with? Passengers!!

 

I really don't think you can hold X responsible or expect compensation. If they offer anything (credit on a future cruise) I think they're being generous. No one is forcing you to get on that ship. You choose to take your chances if you know there's a problem (which they are working VERY hard to rectify).

 

And yes... I'm boarding the Solstice in 12 days so I'm taking MY chances, too.

We did not have a choice to cancel prior to boarding which I would have done. We were forced to board a sick ship and were not the ones who brought the Noro onboard.

[#1grammy]

That's something I am concerned with. If I did not read the chat board how would I know about the illness on prior cruises. I have not been given the option to cancel, nor have I been notified by Celebrity that there is an issue.

 

I don't choose to cruise on a ship that has staff that are infected, and I am not comfortable with the numbers given by Celebrity. I am betting that you could multiply those numbers by at least 3.

[MEcruzr]

We did not have a choice to cancel prior to boarding which I would have done. We were forced to board a sick ship and were not the ones who brought the Noro onboard.

 

Forced? How? Yes... if you didn't buy "cancel for any reason" insurance you might have lost money, but you DID have a choice. We all do.

[acwmom]

-Also, as a physician....if you can offer any furthur info I can include in my next correspondance with Celebrity, let me know. We have a follow up with our Pediatrician tommorrow and hopefully he can also provide info for us.

 

In what little spare time I had this morning, I skimmed through the CDC's VSP operations manual. Interesting reading. It lists who the illness can be reported to (doesn't specify it has to be done in person, nor is it limited to medical personnel); what constitutes and doesn't constitute a GI illness, what information needs to be documented, who can report it (cabin attendant, food service worker, or infected person) etc.

 

There is also a section on housekeeping. Also very informative. Here is the link for the entire manual if anyone wishes to read it.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/operationsmanual/OPSManual2005.pdf

 

Personally I find that I have more success communicating any issues I have if I do so in writing, and back it up with documentation.

 

In your case, from what I recall reading (and please feel free to correct me if I am wrong), you arrived to a less than suitably cleaned cabin-which may or may not have been the source of the virus-and had a cabin attendant with a severe case of short-timer's syndrome. You were willing to clean the cabin yourself, but weren't provided the supplies, you asked for new barware, but it wasn't provided. List the name of the supervisor as well, and what that person did or didn't do for you.

 

Medical care: after reading to VSP manual, compare it to the documentation you provided-was it the same? Were all the questions asked that should have been to the best of your recollection? Was there more than one provider on board? (and this is off point, but what were the hours the center was open-they seemed very limited the last time I cruised)

 

Missed shore excursion due to illness: Perhaps (and this is just a guess) Celebrity has to prepay the folks on shore for those doing the excursions??? While I understand your wanting a complete refund, I can see both sides to this one, maybe a percentage in the form of a credit? After all, it isn't like you all overslept, you had documented visits to the med center.

 

Other posters sound like they had much better cabin attendants then you, and that is unfortunate for you. An overworked, and ill, doctor can also be a danger in any situation (thus all the recent, and continuing changes to residency hours rules). It does sound like the Solstice crew has been following the manual as far as cleaning the public areas, food service areas, etc.

 

Once you write your letter, set it aside, and read it again in 24 hours. Have someone at work read it, keep it to the facts and leave out the emotion, as hard as that is. LIst a timeline, list suggestions for improvement from a cruiser's standpoint.

 

From a pediatrician standpoint, children are always going to be more susceptible to dehydration. It does sound like the ship was equipped with Pedialyte. (an alternative, if none is available, is 1/2 tsp salt, 6tsp sugar, and 1 liter of bottled water) Zofran is now the preferred antiemetic of our local ERs since Phenergan is blackboxed in the PDR under age 6, I believe. Imodium is also not recommended under age 6, and can actually prolong the course of illness. I am not sure if any of these treatments were given or offered to your children. But again, since the physician is an independent contractor, I don't know how far this info will get you with Celebrity.

 

I hope you all have recovered, and your visit this am went well with the pediatrician.

[mommy2jays]

Its more then a cover up its a lie from a very arrogant company. The virus most likely is in the food supply by now and also the water on the ship. According to the CDC in Atlanta it can get in the food and water. I also believe this is why its takes a few sailings to get rid of it. Indeed it is a sick ship.

 

I hear you about the ship! I just wish there was some system in place to communicate with us pending passengers as to how/who/where the cleaning process is being done.

[royalcruz]

I was also on the January 23rd sailing and while my husband and I escaped the virus, one of our traveling companions had it. He also experienced projectile vomiting and uncontrollable diarrhea. He and his wife were not as lucky as some cruisers. Their cabin stewards were reluctant to change the sheets or clean the bathroom. My friend had to speak with a supervisor. They missed three days of their cruise and had other friends on deck twelve who also had the virus. My friend had to wait quite awhile in the infirmary due to other sick passengers crowding the hallways waiting for treatment.

We were not offered a rebooking option during embarcation.As consumers shouldn't we be allowed to choose whether we board a ship infected with Noro? I had Noro several years ago and my husband has irritable bowel syndrome. We may have rebooked this cruise had we known how widespread the virus was. :cool:

We were on that cruise and prior to checking in we were each handed a letter from Celebrity that stated that many passengers were sick on the previous cruise with an illness that was thought to be norovirus, that boarding may be delayed due to extra cleaning, and it suggested that if we had any symptoms that we would get a free exam by their medical staff prior to boarding and that we would be assisted with rebooking if ill.