Official Statement from Celebrity RE: Norovirus on Celebrity Solstice

[royalcruz]

Sorry to hear you were stricken with this too. I wanted to point out how you also mentioned "you can't believe it unless you have it". I am glad you had a great cabin steward. Now imagine if you didn't....that was our experience. = ( Someone in a previous post thought it was impossible for my 4 & 5 year old to have "hit the curtain" with projectile vomit, or soil the bed something awful with diahhrea. God forbid they ever have to know the truth of how this can happen with Noro.

 

Hey, Kutty. I hope that you are all feeling better. I saw you a few times the first few days around the pools but didn't see you after that and never met you. I recognized you from the picture that you sent to Deb on the roll call. Hopefully your next trip will be better. 3 in our group got ill too.

[Denny01]

Before many start to canc or try to move to another ship, you might read the post from someone currently on Solstice says there are no issues.

 

I assume most who are interested in this are reading the other related threads....but just in case.

 

Den

[jackdiamond]

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.

That sounds fair.

[Kini12]

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

 

Nice reply Becky and I also believe Kutty. What an awful experience.

[user2835]

Until you have had this virus you really can not judge someone elses experience. The symptoms can be severe and for those with other health issues, life threatening. My 80 year old parents both got the Norovirus while on the 1/23 cruise. They were told 58 rooms on just the 10th floor were infected and indeed they noticed the hallway had been closed down. Thats 118 passengers or more. Talk about truth in reporting!

[Wanderlost]

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.

Your are right. I could have spent $2000.00 to cancel my cruise rather than have Celebrity give me the option.

[lobster129]

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.

 

Robin,

 

Thank you for taking the time to present your well thought out ideas for an action plan for Kutty1101.

 

You raise many excellent points to consider when one is able to pull back from the emotional impact of the suspected noro on ones family and lived...and try to report "just the facts, observations or experience".

 

I noted the link to the CDC manual does require documentation (see pages 24 & 25 of above link)

The*gastrointestinal*illness*surveillance*log*entry*for*each*

passenger*or*crew*member*shall*contain*the*following*

information:*

(1)**The*first*date*of*clinic*visit*or*report*to*staff*of*illness;*

(2)**The*person’s*name,*age*and*gender;*

(3)**A*designation*as*passenger*or*crew*member;*

(4)**Crew*member*posi tion*or*job*on*the*vessel ,*if*

applicable;*

(5)*Cabin*number;*

(6)*Meal*seating*informati on;*

(7)**Date*and*time*of*illness*onset;*

(8)**Illness*symptoms,*including*the*presence*of*the*

following*selected*signs*and*symptoms:*numbers*of*

episodes*each*of*diarrhea*and*vomiting*per*day,*bloody*

stools,*fever,*recorded*temperature,*abdominal*cramps,*

headaches*and*muscle*aches;*

(9)**Notation*on*whether*or*not*a*stool*specimen*was*

requested*and*received;*

(10)**Use*of*antidiarrheal*medication;*and*

(11)**The*presence*of*underlying*medical *conditions*

which*may*affect*interpretation*of*acute*gastrointestinal*

illness*for*example*diabetic*diarrhea,*inflammatory*bowel*

disease,*gastrectomy,*or*others.*

 

Per several of other postings from my observations of my DH's treatment in the medical care clinic....this evaluation and documentation simply did NOT occur. Not even a name and date of birth or cabin number of the patient....ANY way of tracking evaluation of symptoms and care provided.

 

For those that agreed with a poster that documentation was merely a method that health care personnel use to "CYA"....it is comforting to know that is not the way the CDC views documentation.

 

(Sorry about all the ***....that what happened when I did a copy and paste directly from the CDC site)

[jcrandle]

Several posters have stated that they would have wanted to be informed that GI illnesses were present on the previous cruise, so that they might have the option to cancel that cruise and rebook. Let's review some of the possibilities.

 

Note that in the following statements, all statistics are made up, based on my observation that 83 per cent of all statistics on the internet are made up on the spot.

 

You arrive at the embarkation port, and are met by a cruise rep and told that on the previous cruise 8 per cent of the passengers suffered GI distress (possible noro). You are offered the opportunity to rebook your cruise at a later time with no penalty, though it is possible that the cabin that you have so carefully researched might not be available the next time you can schedule vacation time.

 

Secondly, you have already paid for a round trip air ticket, and it is non refundable. Since you just used the first leg, you can't even pay a change fee to take for a later cruise. (I do realize that 18 per cent of the cruisers can fly/bus/train to the port, so their exposure will be somewhat less).

 

Thirdly, you arranged for the grandparents to keep the kids (God bless them all), boarded the dog, threw away the cat (OK, that was totally uncalled for) and made several other negotiations with neighbors/friends about home maintenance issues.

 

So after all that, the cruise rep tells you the last cruise had problems that affected 8 per cent of the passengers, they are proactively sanitizing the ship to ensure that it is in it's best condition, but If you want to go back to the 8 foot snowdrifts, frozen tundra, unhappy coworkers, they will be happy to allow you to transfer your booking to another date at NO cost (at least to the cruise line), WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

[Mr. Luckytoo]

We were forced to board a sick ship and were not the ones who brought the Noro onboard.

 

Was it something like this?

 

[Mr. Luckytoo]

For those that agreed with a poster that documentation was merely a method that health care personnel use to "CYA"....it is comforting to know that is not the way the CDC views documentation.

 

Again it can be dangerous to take something out of context.

 

The CDC deals with infectous outbreaks. It is IMPORTANT to trace back to the source of patient zero. Dealing with epidemiologic studies involves the guidelines that you have mentioned.

 

However with the norovirus and cruise ships there are several differences:

 

1. Unlike your city/community a cruiseship can be considered an isolated environment due to the limited movement

2. Unlike many of the illness's that the CDC deals with (H1N1/AIDS/HIV, etc.,) the norovirus is extremely similar to the rhinovirus in the modes of transmission.

3. If patient zero were to be determined on a cruiseship but the time they are identified they leave the ship - incubation times range from 3-5 days and on a 7-day cruise it screws the data

4. While the norovirus is horrible it is self-limiting, except in the very young and those with suppressed immune systems.

 

The CDC has suggested guidelines for dealing with these instances and they are expected to be followed. While some may be cynical and feel the need for a CDC inspector to observe that their guidelines are being followed others (such as myself) understand that it is in the industry's best self-interest to police themselves and not only to do the CDC recommended minimum but to go above and beyond.

 

Finally I don't disagree with you about proper documentation in the field of healthcare. We follow and exceed recommended recommendations in our office. I just don't believe that cruise ship visits for GI illness's rise to the same level. I guess we can agree to disagree.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

Several posters have stated that they would have wanted to be informed that GI illnesses were present on the previous cruise, so that they might have the option to cancel that cruise and rebook. Let's review some of the possibilities.

 

Note that in the following statements, all statistics are made up, based on my observation that 83 per cent of all statistics on the internet are made up on the spot.

 

You arrive at the embarkation port, and are met by a cruise rep and told that on the previous cruise 8 per cent of the passengers suffered GI distress (possible noro). You are offered the opportunity to rebook your cruise at a later time with no penalty, though it is possible that the cabin that you have so carefully researched might not be available the next time you can schedule vacation time.

 

Secondly, you have already paid for a round trip air ticket, and it is non refundable. Since you just used the first leg, you can't even pay a change fee to take for a later cruise. (I do realize that 18 per cent of the cruisers can fly/bus/train to the port, so their exposure will be somewhat less).

 

Thirdly, you arranged for the grandparents to keep the kids (God bless them all), boarded the dog, threw away the cat (OK, that was totally uncalled for) and made several other negotiations with neighbors/friends about home maintenance issues.

 

So after all that, the cruise rep tells you the last cruise had problems that affected 8 per cent of the passengers, they are proactively sanitizing the ship to ensure that it is in it's best condition, but If you want to go back to the 8 foot snowdrifts, frozen tundra, unhappy coworkers, they will be happy to allow you to transfer your booking to another date at NO cost (at least to the cruise line), WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

 

One thing that you did NOT include in your scenario is travel - to and from the ship on AIRLINES!

 

How many passengers who are 'carriers' (either pre-symptom or post-symptom) and get onto an airline and contaminate the plane lavatory/airport restrooms/airport eatery, etc.,

 

I'm more concerned about catching something (bug) when I fly then when I cruise. :eek:

[lobster129]

Again it can be dangerous to take something out of context.

 

The CDC deals with infectous outbreaks. It is IMPORTANT to trace back to the source of patient zero. Dealing with epidemiologic studies involves the guidelines that you have mentioned.

 

However with the norovirus and cruise ships there are several differences:

 

1. Unlike your city/community a cruiseship can be considered an isolated environment due to the limited movement

2. Unlike many of the illness's that the CDC deals with (H1N1/AIDS/HIV, etc.,) the norovirus is extremely similar to the rhinovirus in the modes of transmission.

3. If patient zero were to be determined on a cruiseship but the time they are identified they leave the ship - incubation times range from 3-5 days and on a 7-day cruise it screws the data

4. While the norovirus is horrible it is self-limiting, except in the very young and those with suppressed immune systems.

 

The CDC has suggested guidelines for dealing with these instances and they are expected to be followed. While some may be cynical and feel the need for a CDC inspector to observe that their guidelines are being followed others (such as myself) understand that it is in the industry's best self-interest to police themselves and not only to do the CDC recommended minimum but to go above and beyond.

 

Finally I don't disagree with you about proper documentation in the field of healthcare. We follow and exceed recommended recommendations in our office. I just don't believe that cruise ship visits for GI illness's rise to the same level. I guess we can agree to disagree.

 

Actually, the guidelines I posted are DIRECTLY from the CDC link posted above...so did not to imply they are my guidelines.

 

The reason I posted about the Noro-like issues on our cruise initially was to help the CC boards community be more aware that the outbreak of Noro-like symptoms were greater than Celebrity has thus far reported. And one of the reasons they have be unable supply accurate data is that they failed to obtain the most BASIC of patient information.

 

My DH was not asked name, age, DOB or cabin #....or ANY two identifying pieces of patient information. No questions except how many episodes he had experience and if he had allergies and would be agreeable to a "shot and pills"?

 

I am not expecting a head to toe complete history and physical....or anything close to that. But I do believe that current meds and significant previous medical history would be valuable to at least ask. (AND I did have it in my hand... all one a one page printout that I would have been happy to have shared) Also NO assessments were done...no vital signs, no stethecope ever appeared.

 

Had I not INSISTED that we be provided documentation of his visit to the clinic and what treatment was provided (meds administered) it would not have been provided. I needed this in case he required follow up medical care (deteriorating condition, unable to fly home etc)...and at that point he felt too awful to ask for it... or care. So as his health care advocate, I did insist.

 

The RN (per her badge, not introduction) gave us the "we do not do that" line. I explained "you do not do that"...because you can't. You don't even know the patient's name! She then decided to "discuss w the doctor" and later came back to waiting room and obtained my DH name and cabin# and provided confirmation of treatment (listed meds) for XYZ symptoms.

 

What still amazes me....it that this most BASIC gathering of information and documentation is not a standard operating procedure. I don't know how Celebrity feels they can accurately report the number of "suspected" cases per sailing...when they do not record who they see and how treatment delivered.

 

Honestly, we love Celebrity and had a great time on our cruise (since DH did not get ill until morning of disembarkation). I think that overall, (not all cases though) Celebrity staff did make zealous attempts to help control the spread of this virulent virus.

 

I understand the Celebrity does not take any responsibility to what occurs in the Medical Care Clinic since the staff there are "independent contractors".

 

I am just trying to make it clear that there are several opportunities for improvement in the whole Norovirus like episodes these last few weeks. I am still hopeful that improvements will occur.

 

Respectfully,

Becky

[royalcruz]

Several posters have stated that they would have wanted to be informed that GI illnesses were present on the previous cruise, so that they might have the option to cancel that cruise and rebook. Let's review some of the possibilities.

 

Note that in the following statements, all statistics are made up, based on my observation that 83 per cent of all statistics on the internet are made up on the spot.

 

You arrive at the embarkation port, and are met by a cruise rep and told that on the previous cruise 8 per cent of the passengers suffered GI distress (possible noro). You are offered the opportunity to rebook your cruise at a later time with no penalty, though it is possible that the cabin that you have so carefully researched might not be available the next time you can schedule vacation time.

 

Secondly, you have already paid for a round trip air ticket, and it is non refundable. Since you just used the first leg, you can't even pay a change fee to take for a later cruise. (I do realize that 18 per cent of the cruisers can fly/bus/train to the port, so their exposure will be somewhat less).

 

Thirdly, you arranged for the grandparents to keep the kids (God bless them all), boarded the dog, threw away the cat (OK, that was totally uncalled for) and made several other negotiations with neighbors/friends about home maintenance issues.

 

So after all that, the cruise rep tells you the last cruise had problems that affected 8 per cent of the passengers, they are proactively sanitizing the ship to ensure that it is in it's best condition, but If you want to go back to the 8 foot snowdrifts, frozen tundra, unhappy coworkers, they will be happy to allow you to transfer your booking to another date at NO cost (at least to the cruise line), WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

 

To add to your list:..... you are self-employed and have arranged to close your business for a week so you now have no work no income and no cruise.....Or you are employed by a company that gives you one week of vacation a yr and it's too late to take it another time.

[Kutty1101]

acwmom- I really appreciate you taking the time to write those things out. Our Pediatrician's visit went great, but he also shook his head at what I showed him from our visit on the medic ship. (paperwork, and Amox bottle)

 

I'm in the middle of (3) 12 hr shifts, so I'll absorb it all in more when I'm out of this set. Thanks again.

[shorebilly]

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

 

 

We were on the QM2 for Xmas and New Years and there was a major outbreak of noro virus. Our son was quarantined ofr more than 48 hours on xmas eve, xmas and part of the following day, I was quarantined for new years day. Not only did Cunard not offer any compensation for ruining the trip, but they wanted to charge $250 for reporting the problem. And yes, they had crew members with noro at the start of the voyage! Sounds like all of the other lines handled it more competently!

[phoenix_dream]

Several posters have stated that they would have wanted to be informed that GI illnesses were present on the previous cruise, so that they might have the option to cancel that cruise and rebook. Let's review some of the possibilities.

 

Note that in the following statements, all statistics are made up, based on my observation that 83 per cent of all statistics on the internet are made up on the spot.

 

You arrive at the embarkation port, and are met by a cruise rep and told that on the previous cruise 8 per cent of the passengers suffered GI distress (possible noro). You are offered the opportunity to rebook your cruise at a later time with no penalty, though it is possible that the cabin that you have so carefully researched might not be available the next time you can schedule vacation time.

 

Secondly, you have already paid for a round trip air ticket, and it is non refundable. Since you just used the first leg, you can't even pay a change fee to take for a later cruise. (I do realize that 18 per cent of the cruisers can fly/bus/train to the port, so their exposure will be somewhat less).

 

Thirdly, you arranged for the grandparents to keep the kids (God bless them all), boarded the dog, threw away the cat (OK, that was totally uncalled for) and made several other negotiations with neighbors/friends about home maintenance issues.

 

So after all that, the cruise rep tells you the last cruise had problems that affected 8 per cent of the passengers, they are proactively sanitizing the ship to ensure that it is in it's best condition, but If you want to go back to the 8 foot snowdrifts, frozen tundra, unhappy coworkers, they will be happy to allow you to transfer your booking to another date at NO cost (at least to the cruise line), WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Let's tweak the scenario a little bit. All of the above is true, but in addition, two days before the cruise you had a touch of what you think might be noro. You are feeling fine now, but are likely still a bit contagious, and your cabin mate may in fact be 'incubating'. Are you altruistic enough to report the illness and risk missing the cruise? Or do you lie on the questionnaire and do your best to contain yourself for a day or two in the hopes you do not infect anyone? I suspect 80-90%+ of people would do the latter. I think that's the reality, and goes a long way towards explaining how noro thrives on cruise ships. Human nature.

[goodsampam]

We sailed on Celebrity Jan. 30th. We made it until the last day without getting sick. We were extremely diligent in all aspects (never touched a handrail or elevator bottom or door handle the whole trip) in trying to prevent any contamination throughout our cruise but was VERY disappointed in how poorly they handled outbreak. I am an RN and right away, I said it was completely wrong for them to have shared bread baskets, coffee creamer & sugars the first 2 nights. We had a couple at our table come down with on day 3 after they had been passing these items down the table to us. I always washed my hands immediately after diner though.

Most of all, the practice of bartenders swiping my card for my drink and handling the same pen by several people (I never use a common pen & have my own ready to go) after having observe him do the same with several other people without washing hands or disinfecting them then touching my drink! My drink is now contaminated with everyone elses germs and I am supposed to put this glass to my lips? Celebrity is directly at fault for not putting in all infection control measures from day 1 instead of adding layers each day as more people became ill. This is not the first time norovirus has broke out so they have no excuse and should have been fully ready to put all infection control measures needed! My husband became ill with norovirus Sunday as we were flying home. It was one horrible flight for my husband & any passengers he may have ended up infecting, unknowingly. My teen son ended up getting 2 Liters of fluids today as he vomited 20 times last night with diarrhea. His BP was 60/30 and could barely stand up by the time I finally convinced him he needed to be seen. We will get no compensation but I have had to take sick days all week & son has to miss most of week from school. Luckily, my husband can do job from computer at home so didn't have to take more vacation or sick leave.

[mommy2jays]

It's official, our fine ship made the CDC list:

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2011/february06solstice.htm

[Denny01]

Goodsampam noted a number of ways to reduce exposure or transmission, especially carrying your own pen but in reality when we are on a cruise we are 'confined' to a 'building' with a few thousand people for a week (or more if we are lucky). I don't want to get into a back and forth of Celebrity's responsibilities to specific people getting infected. The main way to minimize getting infected is to keep your hands out of your mouth,nose and eyes. The idea is to keep those bugs you Will get on your hands outside your body.

 

We can complain about the waitstaff handing us common pens but they also hand us a common bill holder. we share a bread basket but the waitstaff also picks up used tablewear and then serves us our plates. There are a thousand ways bugs are transferred including sitting in a common chair touching the armrest and so on.

 

No one will know the transmission path of how they came down with the virus, and what was described happening on the way home (what a terrible experience) is what people experience after coming back from Disneyworld or another vacation where infections aren't tracked, reported or shared on a forum such as this.

 

Not a defense of Celebrity since our RN identified a number of shortfalls just a reality check at least from my limited view of life.

 

Den

[cruzfanatic]

.

Most of all, the practice of bartenders swiping my card for my drink and handling the same pen by several people (I never use a common pen & have my own ready to go) after having observe him do the same with several other people without washing hands or disinfecting them then touching my drink! My drink is now contaminated with everyone elses germs and I am supposed to put this glass to my lips? Celebrity is directly at fault for not putting in all infection control measures from day 1 instead of adding layers each day as more people became ill. This is not the first time norovirus has broke out so they have no excuse and should have been fully ready to put all infection control measures needed!

 

First, let me say I'm certainly sorry to hear about the illness you family experienced. If I was on a cruise and got sick from the norovirus, I'd be quite unhappy as well.

 

That being said, we are talking about a cruise ship - not an ICU. While I cannot vouch for what Celebrity did or did not do, I'd venture to say they are interested in ridding the ship of any virus or contagious disease as quickly as possible so that they minimize their loss as well. Having the norovirus aboard one of their vessels must be a public relations nightmare. I don't believe Celebrity intentionally avoids addressing the problem while the virus infects countless customers, all of whom are going to be unhappy passengers. The best form of advertising they have is a satisfied passenger.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

We sailed on Celebrity Jan. 30th. We made it until the last day without getting sick. We were extremely diligent in all aspects (never touched a handrail or elevator bottom or door handle the whole trip) in trying to prevent any contamination throughout our cruise but was VERY disappointed in how poorly they handled outbreak. I am an RN and right away, I said it was completely wrong for them to have shared bread baskets, coffee creamer & sugars the first 2 nights. We had a couple at our table come down with on day 3 after they had been passing these items down the table to us. I always washed my hands immediately after diner though.

Most of all, the practice of bartenders swiping my card for my drink and handling the same pen by several people (I never use a common pen & have my own ready to go) after having observe him do the same with several other people without washing hands or disinfecting them then touching my drink! My drink is now contaminated with everyone elses germs and I am supposed to put this glass to my lips?

 

But how is this different from every other cruise? I've been on 30+ cruises and gotten hundred's of drinks and guess what - that' the procedure that's used. In fact when I go to a car dealership same thing; when I go to a land-based restaurant same thing; when I go to Wal-mart I have to use the common 'pen' to sign for a purchase.

 

 

Celebrity is directly at fault for not putting in all infection control measures from day 1 instead of adding layers each day as more people became ill. This is not the first time norovirus has broke out so they have no excuse and should have been fully ready to put all infection control measures needed! My husband became ill with norovirus Sunday as we were flying home. It was one horrible flight for my husband & any passengers he may have ended up infecting, unknowingly. My teen son ended up getting 2 Liters of fluids today as he vomited 20 times last night with diarrhea. His BP was 60/30 and could barely stand up by the time I finally convinced him he needed to be seen. We will get no compensation but I have had to take sick days all week & son has to miss most of week from school. Luckily, my husband can do job from computer at home so didn't have to take more vacation or sick leave.

 

This is a cruiseship and not a hospital. There really are different standards. I'm not saying that Celebrity has no responsibility but at the same time people have to realize that there limits as to what can be done PRACTICALLY. I mean there can always be more levels added but in the end do we want to sail on ships where the crew are dressed like this?

 

[TOCruz]

I was with a party of four on the sailing date of January 23-30th and two of us fell sick. We both sought medical attention on different dates and can confirm at least 40 plus individuals affected in the 60 mins I spent in the infirmary. I witnessed wait staff, front desk staff and one of the dancers psychically sick when I was in the doctor’s office.

Despite Celebrity deception on the numbers, the crew and the staff worked very hard to make me feel comfortable as possible. I received a letter yesterday with a $200 future cruise credit, which I probably won’t use but the jester was appreciated.

My only suggestion would be that Viruses like the Norvovirus cannot be killed by simply washing your hands or using a hand sanitizer. I like most passengers were under this impression that I could avoid the virus if I washed my hands and constantly used hand sanitizers. I washed my hands a min. of 10 times a day and constantly used hand sanitizers even carrying a bottle with me and I still got sick.

I am not saying people should not wash their hands (I witnessed 2 men in the washroom not washing at all) however the only thing that can kill the virus is Benzethonium Chloride. Alcohol based sanitizers just kill bacteria, (this is why they are called antibacterial gels)

Wet Ones brand wipes have Benzethonium Chloride as the active ingredient and it’s widely available in most stores. If I knew this I would have added this line of protection.

We all take these risks when we travel however Celebrity knew its ship was at very high risk and should have shared more information about a known virus on their ship. I still would have sailed but would have been even extra diligent

[Zam]

I was with a party of four on the sailing date of January 23-30th and two of us fell sick. We both sought medical attention on different dates and can confirm at least 40 plus individuals affected in the 60 mins I spent in the infirmary. I witnessed wait staff, front desk staff and one of the dancers psychically sick when I was in the doctor’s office.

 

Despite Celebrity deception on the numbers, the crew and the staff worked very hard to make me feel comfortable as possible. I received a letter yesterday with a $200 future cruise credit, which I probably won’t use but the jester was appreciated.

 

My only suggestion would be that Viruses like the Norvovirus cannot be killed by simply washing your hands or using a hand sanitizer. I like most passengers were under this impression that I could avoid the virus if I washed my hands and constantly used hand sanitizers. I washed my hands a min. of 10 times a day and constantly used hand sanitizers even carrying a bottle with me and I still got sick.

 

I am not saying people should not wash their hands (I witnessed 2 men in the washroom not washing at all) however the only thing that can kill the virus is Benzethonium Chloride. Alcohol based sanitizers just kill bacteria, (this is why they are called antibacterial gels)

 

Wet Ones brand wipes have Benzethonium Chloride as the active ingredient and it’s widely available in most stores. If I knew this I would have added this line of protection.

 

We all take these risks when we travel however Celebrity knew its ship was at very high risk and should have shared more information about a known virus on their ship. I still would have sailed but would have been even extra diligent

 

 

Hey TC, we were on the same cruise and our very healthy 21 y.o. son came down with the virus and like you, he washed and disenfected at every chance. We are wondering if you guys visited the gym at all during the trip? Because of the number of people who use the gym, they cannot keep it clean and feel that is where he caught the virus and think others may have caught it there as well (our cabin stewart said the gym is the worse place for the virus). Anyway, just wondering if there is any commanailty of people who had the virus and where they went on the ship? Any thoughts?

[TOCruz]

I did use the gym but only once (probably should have gone more) my sister in law never used it and got sick as well. It's very hard to say where I got sick, I o know of 8 cabins around us where people got sick and we were on deck 6 near the back of the ship and the cabin steward said it was particularly bad in this area

[cpj]

Hey TC, we were on the same cruise and our very healthy 21 y.o. son came down with the virus and like you, he washed and disenfected at every chance. We are wondering if you guys visited the gym at all during the trip? Because of the number of people who use the gym, they cannot keep it clean and feel that is where he caught the virus and think others may have caught it there as well (our cabin stewart said the gym is the worse place for the virus). Anyway, just wondering if there is any commanailty of people who had the virus and where they went on the ship? Any thoughts?

According to the CDC in Atlanta the virus can get into the food and water supply. Celebrity or its cheerleaders never talk about that. You think they dump the food. Thats why I believe it takes two or three sailings to get rid of it