Any cases of the dreaded NV?

[raz455]

We are boarding the Royal in 48 days (Yippee) and I have not seen mention of Noro on any threads. Is this a mild year, has Princess improved their cleaning/education of passengers, or is it a combination of these two or more factors? If this is a calmer year, I just hope it lasts . . .so please remember to wash your hands!:D

[Pam in CA]

The Sun Princess recently had a few cases but haven't heard of any on the Royal. FYI, on the Royal, there are hand-washing stations at every entrance to the buffet. Having tableside beverage service also helps.

[rkmw]

the Sea Princess got the noro over xmas

[raz455]

The Sun Princess recently had a few cases but haven't heard of any on the Royal. FYI, on the Royal, there are hand-washing stations at every entrance to the buffet. Having tableside beverage service also helps.

- What a great idea!

 

Thanks, Pam - you are truly the "go to" person for Princess info.

[Mommypig]

We are boarding the Royal in 48 days (Yippee) and I have not seen mention of Noro on any threads. Is this a mild year, has Princess improved their cleaning/education of passengers, or is it a combination of these two or more factors? If this is a calmer year, I just hope it lasts . . .so please remember to wash your hands!:D

 

My hubby got a case of food poisoning from something he ate in port on our Tahiti trip last February, and I have to admit that I was impressed with how well the Ocean Princess staff dealt with it. We called the doctor shortly after Mount Vesuvius erupted and he came immediately. Since he was no longer in severe distress by the time the doctor arrived, he felt that it was not Noro. He brought anti nausea and anti diarrhea meds, and quarantined him. Once doctor decided it was not Noro and was some other food poisoning, I decamped to spend the day in the library and by the pool. Doctor left him a specific menu he could order from room service 24/7 at no charge (included cans of ginger ale). A decontamination team was sent in to clean bathroom and change bedding. Steward was allowed to bring towels to the door but was not allowed to enter room. After 24 hours with no more eruptions (there was only the one truly horrible bout) he was allowed to leave the room. The decon team cleaned once more after he was cleared, and then the steward was allowed to enter again. Doctor told hubby that for the rest of the cruise he should eat in the MDR, not because he was a danger, but because he was at greater risk from the germs of the general public in the buffet. He said that if hubby had had Noro that only staff would handle serving utensils in the buffet.

 

Hubby tried to order yogurt from room service, but they told him no because it was not on the prescribed diet.

 

The day quarantine was lifted hubby decided he wanted to see Riatia, and when he swiped his card to get on the tender an alarm went off . The doctor forgot to take him off the sick roster so as far as the staff knew he was still supposed to be quarantined. A quick call to the doctor fixed it.

 

Our excursion fees were refunded with a signed doctors note.

 

There was no charges on our account for the medical service or drugs.

 

So, wash your hands often. Call the doctor if you get ill. The biggest spreader of Noro is passengers who don't notify staff when they are ill so proper cleaning and quarantine measures are not put in place.

 

 

 

 

 

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[Mommypig]

Since hubby was no longer in severe distress by the time the doctor arrived, doctor felt that it was not Noro. Doctor brought anti nausea and anti diarrhea meds, and quarantined hubby.

 

 

Sorry duplicate pronouns.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

 

 

 

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[OCruisers]

There are normally some digestive issues on most ships ... sometimes more wide spread than others. :rolleyes:

 

LuLu

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[caribill]

We are boarding the Royal in 48 days (Yippee) and I have not seen mention of Noro on any threads. Is this a mild year?

 

Noro is the 2nd most prevalent illness in the USA after the common cold.

 

I venture a guess that the lack of outbreaks on cruise ships is due to a lack of outbreaks on land recently.

[Ethel5]

Noro is the 2nd most prevalent illness in the USA after the common cold.

 

I venture a guess that the lack of outbreaks on cruise ships is due to a lack of outbreaks on land recently.

 

People fail to realize that the ship isn't sick-the people are and they bring it with them when they board.

[Cruise_me_Crazy]

Hi there. We have just disembarked from Sea Princess on 28.12.13. We were on her when the noro outbreak was announced 26th. Other than no communal access to any foods or drinks, the outbreak had minimal impact on us.

 

Interesting to note that staff were vigilant re hand sanitising to start with. After 4 days or so no-one manned them to remind us (we still used them but noted numerous passengers that didn't !) and I think after a few shore visits the outbreak occurred.

 

Funny to see that items like pencils were still shared around, so not sure how that worked. Not a biggy in my opinion, other than the bars not serving some mock tales :( LOL! Staff were everywhere constantly cleaning, so it must double their work load. Our waitstaff removed all cutlery etc from their stations, sanitised the area and re-washed the lot, so they do take it seriously.

[Astro Flyer]

According to the US Centers for Disease Control it's washing with soap & water that's the best preventive measure for Norovirus.

 

Practice proper hand hygiene Always wash your hands carefully with soap and water— •after using the toilet and changing diapers, and •before eating, preparing, or handling food.

 

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used in addition to hand washing. But, they should not be used as a substitute for washing with soap and water

[beg3yrs]

People fail to realize that the ship isn't sick-the people are and they bring it with them when they board.

 

According to the US Centers for Disease Control it's washing with soap & water that's the best preventive measure for Norovirus.

 

Practice proper hand hygiene Always wash your hands carefully with soap and water— •after using the toilet and changing diapers, and •before eating, preparing, or handling food.

 

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used in addition to hand washing. But, they should not be used as a substitute for washing with soap and water

 

I agree.

 

A ship's history with Noro is a poor indicator of how your own cruise will be or not be affected. Rather it is the passengers, the itinerary and possibly the weather (as it changes people's behavior).

 

Passengers who don't wash their hands appropriately and touch things (like elevator buttons, banisters, door handles, buffet food and utensils, other passengers) inappropriately are a big problem.

 

Passengers who come on board already sick are a big problem.

 

Passengers who get sick and refuse to be isolated (by hiding their distress) are a big problem.

 

Passengers who rely solely on the hand sanitizer are a big problem as the sanitizer doesn't kill viruses, just bacteria. Hand washing doesn't kill the virus either but it does send it down the drain.

 

Cruises whose itineraries include areas of the world where sanitation is less than stellar are more prone to outbreaks of norovirus as it is then brought on-board by the passengers mentioned above.

 

Weather contributes a little bit as people in closer proximity are more likely to spread the disease among themselves.

 

So, to OP, enjoy your cruise on the Royal. It's over a month away and as you indicated, maybe education is helping some and I hope that's true but all the other factors are pretty much beyond your control.

 

Similar to voting in Florida or Chicago, wash your hands and wash them often!

[Colo Cruiser]

With thousands of people coming and going each cruise Noro is on every ship, sometimes you hear about it sometimes you don't.

[OCruisers]

We took a cruise once where Noro was there and awaiting us when we boarded.

 

So many of the staff, crew, and entertainers were sick.

 

There were no shows in the main show lounge that involved singers & dancers because too many were ill.

 

The specialty restaurants were closed the entire cruise (14 nights) because the staff from them was needed in the MDR and buffet.

 

Except for the gift shop with the better jewelry and the one with booze & sundries, the others were either closed or on the honor system where purchases could be paid for at one of the ones that were open. (Take care in gift shops ... the virus can live for weeks and it's impossible to really sanitize the clothes, etc.)

 

Passengers began getting sick in about four days. They didn't bring it with them.

 

CDC finally boarded the ship it was so bad. They did several Q&A sessions for pax which were also repeated over and over on cabin TVs. I learned more about Noro than I ever wanted to know. :rolleyes:

 

LuLu