Boarding delayed on Diamond for sanitation

[Kiwi Kruzer]

News media are reporting that boarding is being delayed on Diamond Princess today due to cleaning after a Norovirus outbreak.

 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=11187177

 

 

Arriving this morning 16 Jan 2014.

Diamond is at Queens and Sun Princess is also in town and berthed at Princes Wharf

 

 

[Murgat]

Thanks for the capture of them together. No wonder I felt I was walking a lot on Diamond after Sun and Dawn.

[MicCanberra]

The diamond is a great ship, shame she has some illness onboard delaying the boarding process.:D

[OzKiwiJJ]

Potentially it could happen with any cruise ship if passengers don't observe proper hygiene precautions.

 

Shame that the media beat it up as the fault of the cruise line. Imagine the reaction if they told the truth. Here's my "news release" ;)

 

"DIRTY PEOPLE DELAY CRUISE SHIP BOARDING

Passengers who failed to observe the most basic hygiene precautions have caused an outbreak of norovirus on the Diamond Princess. It is due to leave on its next voyage from Auckland today but check-in will be delayed by about four hours while the ship is thoroughly sterilised.

 

The highly contagious bug can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy and headaches, among other symptoms. Norovirus can be transmitted through faecally infected food or water, person-to-person contact and surface contact."

 

:eek:

[yatchet]

 

"DIRTY PEOPLE DELAY CRUISE SHIP BOARDING

Passengers who failed to observe the most basic hygiene precautions have caused an outbreak of norovirus on the Diamond Princess. It is due to leave on its next voyage from Auckland today but check-in will be delayed by about four hours while the ship is thoroughly sterilised.

 

Well done!

That's the way all news should be.:)

[happysnapper]

Potentially it could happen with any cruise ship if passengers don't observe proper hygiene precautions.

 

Shame that the media beat it up as the fault of the cruise line. Imagine the reaction if they told the truth. Here's my "news release" ;)

 

"DIRTY PEOPLE DELAY CRUISE SHIP BOARDING

Passengers who failed to observe the most basic hygiene precautions have caused an outbreak of norovirus on the Diamond Princess. It is due to leave on its next voyage from Auckland today but check-in will be delayed by about four hours while the ship is thoroughly sterilised.

 

The highly contagious bug can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy and headaches, among other symptoms. Norovirus can be transmitted through faecally infected food or water, person-to-person contact and surface contact."

 

:eek:

Advice from a nurse on Sea Princess "wash your hands before entering the dining areas, in the buffet serve yourself then the last thing you do before you sit down and pick up your utensils is wash again as you can't depend on those who have gone before you to have clean hands" . I think even the back of the chairs can be contaminated so we use antibacterial wipes at the table. Shame it has to be like this but its better than being ill on a cruise and something that, with care and thought for others, can be avoided.

[yatchet]

Washing hands is the ONLY way.

Antibacterial gels/wipes don't work on viruses.

[Flipper133]

Potentially it could happen with any cruise ship if passengers don't observe proper hygiene precautions.

 

Shame that the media beat it up as the fault of the cruise line. Imagine the reaction if they told the truth. Here's my "news release" ;)

 

"DIRTY PEOPLE DELAY CRUISE SHIP BOARDING

Passengers who failed to observe the most basic hygiene precautions have caused an outbreak of norovirus on the Diamond Princess. It is due to leave on its next voyage from Auckland today but check-in will be delayed by about four hours while the ship is thoroughly sterilised.

 

The highly contagious bug can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy and headaches, among other symptoms. Norovirus can be transmitted through faecally infected food or water, person-to-person contact and surface contact."

 

:eek:

 

Whilst I agree that the media tends to often sensationalise, I found it interesting that your own "Media Release" contained some words that are an obvious "cut and paste" from the NZ Herald. :D

[OzKiwiJJ]

Advice from a nurse on Sea Princess "wash your hands before entering the dining areas, in the buffet serve yourself then the last thing you do before you sit down and pick up your utensils is wash again as you can't depend on those who have gone before you to have clean hands" . I think even the back of the chairs can be contaminated so we use antibacterial wipes at the table. Shame it has to be like this but its better than being ill on a cruise and something that, with care and thought for others, can be avoided.

 

Unfortunately it's those who don't have any care or thought for others that cause these outbreaks in the first place :mad:

[OzKiwiJJ]

Washing hands is the ONLY way.

Antibacterial gels/wipes don't work on viruses.

 

Hopefully one of these days someone will invent a wipe that does work on viruses.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Whilst I agree that the media tends to often sensationalise, I found it interesting that your own "Media Release" contained some words that are an obvious "cut and paste" from the NZ Herald. :D

 

Who me? Nah! Couldn't be! Purely coincidental! All my own work, honestly :D

 

Seriously though, I just wanted to do a different spin on the NZ Herald article so it was easier to use clips from that. I probably should have put "With apologies to the NZ Herald" below my "press release" LOL.

[happysnapper]

Washing hands is the ONLY way.

Antibacterial gels/wipes don't work on viruses.

 

Yes I know that and some of them don't ever kill bacteria but the alcohol based wipes are better than nothing.:cool:

[OzKiwiJJ]

Hopefully one of these days someone will invent a wipe that does work on viruses.

 

Just discovered someone does

http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Advanced-First-Aid-Anti-Viral-Hand-Foam-200ml_1036207/

Unfortunately they don't ship to Australia!

[OzKiwiJJ]

Also according to this thread Wet Ones may also do the trick

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=935088

 

I just checked and Australian Wet Ones do contain Benzethonium Chloride.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

She has not been delayed that much. Was due too leave at 6pm and she pulled away from Queens at 7pm. Not far to go tonight though, just back to Tauranga, which she could do in a few hours , if the Captain put his foot down:D

 

 

[Cruisebugg]

We have just sailed on Voyager of the Seas and had no outbreaks of Novo virus. It may well have been due to the fact that all entrances to the dining rooms and buffet areas are monitored by staff (for the whole cruise) who insisted that passengers use the hand sanitisers. This was done with good humour and we were always reminded to "Washy Washy!" (No-one got through without washing!) :)

 

Alternatively, on all our other cruises, I noted that the sanitisers were only monitored for a few days and I was shocked at the number of passengers who ignored them and walked straight through to the dining areas. It was no surprise that after a short time, quite a few passengers became sick. Staff had to serve all food in the buffet areas to help stop the spread of the virus. :eek: Suddenly, using the hand sanitises became a priority once again.

 

It would be great if all cruise lines followed the example I witnessed on Royal Caribbean. :)

[rkmw]

We have just sailed on Voyager of the Seas and had no outbreaks of Novo virus. It may well have been due to the fact that all entrances to the dining rooms and buffet areas are monitored by staff (for the whole cruise) who insisted that passengers use the hand sanitisers. This was done with good humour and we were always reminded to "Washy Washy!" (No-one got through without washing!) :)

 

Alternatively, on all our other cruises, I noted that the sanitisers were only monitored for a few days and I was shocked at the number of passengers who ignored them and walked straight through to the dining areas. It was no surprise that after a short time, quite a few passengers became sick. Staff had to serve all food in the buffet areas to help stop the spread of the virus. :eek: Suddenly, using the hand sanitises became a priority once again.

 

It would be great if all cruise lines followed the example I witnessed on Royal Caribbean. :)

 

we have cruised a lot on p&o aus and never had the noro onboard once so they are doing it right too

[yatchet]

No so many years back, some cruise lines had hand sanitisers in the public toilets, they later removed them and the incidence of Noro decreased.

 

Reason being that pax were using sanitiser instead of washing and of course it doesn't do the job.

[MicCanberra]

I honestly do not understand some people who do not wash their hands after going to the toilet or before eating, these are basic hygiene practices, we all learnt these rules as a child and yet, some people ignore them.:D

Edited January 16, 2014 by MicCanberra

[The_Big_M]

I don't understand the obsession with antibacterial additives, when it's washing that does the most.

 

Guess it's like selling water in bottles!

[OzKiwiJJ]

Sometimes washing properly just isn't possible. Some of the toilets at rest areas around Australia leave much to be desired. Usually no soap and sometimes no washing facilities at all. I've learnt to carry Wet Ones with me when travelling, just in case.

 

Some Asian countries also don't have good hand-washing facilities although hotels and shopping malls are usually OK.

[MicCanberra]

Sometimes washing properly just isn't possible. Some of the toilets at rest areas around Australia leave much to be desired. Usually no soap and sometimes no washing facilities at all. I've learnt to carry Wet Ones with me when travelling, just in case.

 

Some Asian countries also don't have good hand-washing facilities although hotels and shopping malls are usually OK.

 

I have a little pack of soap towels about (25mm x 30mm x 10mm), if you have water in a bottle you can wet your hands, use the soap towel and then rinse. It uses a minimal amount of your water and the towel is disposable. They work great.:D

[OzKiwiJJ]

I have a little pack of soap towels about (25mm x 30mm x 10mm), if you have water in a bottle you can wet your hands, use the soap towel and then rinse. It uses a minimal amount of your water and the towel is disposable. They work great.:D

 

They sound useful. What brand are they and where do you get them?

[MicCanberra]

They sound useful. What brand are they and where do you get them?

I cannot rembember the brand,will check it out when I get home. I just bought it at a travel/luggage shop off one of the racks that they normally have set up with adaptors , and travel clocks etc.:D

Here is a link for something similar. http://www.seatosummit.com.au/products/modular-packing/wilderness-wash-pocket-soap/

[OzKiwiJJ]

I'll keep my eyes open for some next time I'm near a travel store. I looked in a discount chemist earlier today just in case but they didn't have anything like it.