Star Princess--great crew but Norovirus sucks

[yseone]

Posting live from the Star Princess where we are having a blast!

 

Unfortunately the dreaded stomach bug has struck AGAIN on this cruise thanks to the ignorant people who love to not wash their hands (yes I have seen them personally).

 

We started the cruise after a thorough cleaning along with serving in the buffet, no salt/pepper on the tables--you know the drill.

 

The crew worked their butts off trying to contain this thing and 5 days into the cruise we finally went yellow which was a step down from red and then 2 days later we got green lighted for normal activity.

 

Yesterday we went to code RED again thanks to .73 % of passengers reporting a stomach flu like illness (more than likely norovirus).

 

The captain is amazing and keeps us posted every day with reports on what is happening and the poor crew is working extra hours every day sanitizing the ship.

 

Hopefully they get this bug under control.....but we are being careful, washing our hands frequently and having FUN!

 

Yasmine :)

[Ethel5]

Posting live from the Star Princess where we are having a blast!

 

Unfortunately the dreaded stomach bug has struck AGAIN on this cruise thanks to the ignorant people who love to not wash their hands (yes I have seen them personally).

 

We started the cruise after a thorough cleaning along with serving in the buffet, no salt/pepper on the tables--you know the drill.

 

The crew worked their butts off trying to contain this thing and 5 days into the cruise we finally went yellow which was a step down from red and then 2 days later we got green lighted for normal activity.

 

Yesterday we went to code RED again thanks to .73 % of passengers reporting a stomach flu like illness (more than likely norovirus).

 

The captain is amazing and keeps us posted every day with reports on what is happening and the poor crew is working extra hours every day sanitizing the ship.

 

Hopefully they get this bug under control.....but we are being careful, washing our hands frequently and having FUN!

 

Yasmine :)

 

Glad you have a great attitude and I hope you stay healthy:). It's so bad that people just won't wash their hands. :(

[Colo Cruiser]

Glad you have a great attitude and I hope you stay healthy:). It's so bad that people just won't wash their hands. :(

 

But wait! I thought it was not the passengers fault? :eek:

 

Anyway its unfortunate that its reared its ugly head again regardless of who started it.

 

Try and enjoy the rest of your cruise. :)

[OCruisers]

Stay noro-free and continue to have a great cruise! :D

Unfortunately, even the most careful of people (including the crew and staff) get noro.

LuLu

[melody hounddog]

Hope you stay healthy!

[Ronnieslady]

We were on the Star, April 4th cruise just before yours & the by the 2nd day the Captain (he was great) announced that there was about 40 cases of the virus. He put into place the Red Alert right away to prevent more, but by the next day it had doubled to over 80 cases. Then it went to over 100 cases. Then it seemed to slow down. We still had a great cruise. We don't go to the buffet, much , only to get more of a variety of cookies to bring back to our room :D so It really did not effect us. And since there was so much written on these CC boards about the Noro, I brought my own anti-bacterial hand soap for our cabin, & Clorox bleach wipes. We did use them.. We were prepared thanks to all on these boards & that made us feel really good. Plus I never washed my hands so much in my whole life.

 

We loved the cruise & that captain. Forgot his name, but he was from Canada. We actually understood everything he said (no accent). He did a great job of keeping us informed. I asked a crew member if the cruise before ours had the virus, he said no.

[canadianbear]

Thanks for the heads-up....we board her on Sunday.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!:)

[peachykiehn]

We are on the cruise starting on the 9th. Hope they get it cleared up.

[mattR]

Posting live from the Star Princess where we are having a blast!

 

Unfortunately the dreaded stomach bug has struck AGAIN on this cruise thanks to the ignorant people who love to not wash their hands (yes I have seen them personally).

 

We started the cruise after a thorough cleaning along with serving in the buffet, no salt/pepper on the tables--you know the drill.

 

The crew worked their butts off trying to contain this thing and 5 days into the cruise we finally went yellow which was a step down from red and then 2 days later we got green lighted for normal activity.

 

Yesterday we went to code RED again thanks to .73 % of passengers reporting a stomach flu like illness (more than likely norovirus).

 

The captain is amazing and keeps us posted every day with reports on what is happening and the poor crew is working extra hours every day sanitizing the ship.

 

Hopefully they get this bug under control.....but we are being careful, washing our hands frequently and having FUN!

 

Yasmine :)

 

Thanks for the info please up date us again in the next day or two:)

[trbarton]

I'm signed up for a BVE on the Star, May 12th as it leaves San Francisco for the Alaska Season. As other have said keep us posted as to the status on the ship. Hope the BVE doesn't get cancelled.

 

Tom:)

[CoronaCRZR]

That is one stubborn bug.... we also were on the cruise right before yours, and were in code red from day 3 on.

With all of the cleaning the crew did each day and the deep cleaning when we departed, I thought the bug was gone.

 

We did not have any stomach problems and had a great cruise.

 

Hope you'll have a nice time remaining in Ensenada tomorrow.

[Colo Cruiser]

That is one stubborn bug.... we also were on the cruise right before yours, and were in code red from day 3 on.

 

It doesn't help when its reintroduced cruise after cruise.

[Colo Cruiser]

[pusywillow]

 

Enjoy your cruise and thanks for keeping us updated. I board on June 3.

 

Sue

[RubberCityRebel]

We are Departing Sunday May 4th on the Star Princess.

This just came in my e-mail, from Princess......

 

IMPORTANT NOTICES

STAR PRINCESS PRE-BOARDING HEALTH ADVISORY

 

Please be advised that during the current cruise there has been an increase in the number of suspected cases of norovirus (also known as stomach flu) among passengers, the most common cause of gastroenteritis in the developed world. A comprehensive sanitation program was launched in response, and Star Princess will undergo a prolonged and additional disinfection in Los Angeles on Sunday, May 4, 2014.

 

Check-in for your cruise will be delayed until 2:30 PM, and your stateroom will not be ready until 4:00 PM. Please do not arrive earlier than 2:30 PM as the terminal will be closed for sanitation.

 

To minimize terminal congestion we use a progressive check-in schedule as follows:

2:30 PM - Caribe & Dolphin Decks / Cabins beginning with C and D

3:15 PM - Lido Deck & Aloha Deck / Cabins beginning with L and A

4:00 PM - Baja Deck & Emerald Deck / Cabins beginning with B and E

4:45 PM - Plaza Deck / Cabins beginning with P

 

Star Princess is expected to depart Los Angeles at 6:00 PM. Thank you for your attention to this notification, and we look forward to welcoming you on board.

[yseone]

Hello,

 

just an update--we are finally home and it was a great cruise but my mom came down with Noro last night and it was REALLY bad for her and us!

 

Since we are all in the same cabin we thought they would quarantine us but they said as long as she stayed in her room (which she had NO problem doing since the symptoms took everything out of her and she slept all day after the nurse saw her) we could be free to do what we wanted since the ship was already serving all the food already and we would not have self-service anywhere.

 

That visit and the pills cost $122 which I will seek reimbursement for from our insurance.

 

A really crappy way to end a cruise and we are hoping the rest of us stay healthy and mom is now on the mend.

 

Thanks for all the good wishes--hopefully the next cruise will not have the same one two punch we had and will enjoy ALL 15 days!

Yasmine

[KarenCL]

We were on the Star, April 4th cruise just before yours & the by the 2nd day the Captain (he was great) announced that there was about 40 cases of the virus. He put into place the Red Alert right away to prevent more, but by the next day it had doubled to over 80 cases. Then it went to over 100 cases. Then it seemed to slow down. We still had a great cruise. We don't go to the buffet, much , only to get more of a variety of cookies to bring back to our room :D so It really did not effect us. And since there was so much written on these CC boards about the Noro, I brought my own anti-bacterial hand soap for our cabin, & Clorox bleach wipes. We did use them.. We were prepared thanks to all on these boards & that made us feel really good. Plus I never washed my hands so much in my whole life.

 

We loved the cruise & that captain. Forgot his name, but he was from Canada. We actually understood everything he said (no accent). He did a great job of keeping us informed. I asked a crew member if the cruise before ours had the virus, he said no.

 

Capt. Is Todd McBain...we were on your cruise, too. He was amazing!!

[Widebay]

On our last Celebrity Millenium Cruise from Hawaii back to Australia, we had a wonderful crew member from the Phillipines, who confronted everyone before they entered the main Dining Room for lunch (Buffet that is), armed with an handwash device, and said, "Washy Washy everyone" and no one, and I mean no one escaped, his squirt of hand wash onto your hands. What did we get, we got a cruise, which I believe had no Noroviris outbreak. Well done, Washy Washy.

 

My wife is a registered nurse, who deals with Infection Control, so she was impressed with mr washy washy.

 

Congratulations to Celebrity Cruises.

[Talisker92]

We were recently on a 31 day cruise on the Golden Princess.We were concerned about coming down with the dreaded virus also.

We found that Lysol#3 spray is for the virus, so we brought a can with us. When we got to our cabin, as soon as our steward opened the door, we started spraying everything. That included the telephone, TV remote, every knob and handle, and the entire bathroom.

We are also a little fanatic about hand washing. It is the first thing we do at home if we have gone outside. Also the first thing we did after coming back to our cabin.As a result, the only time we get a cold is when we travel, being trapped in a plane with recirculated air or at an airport.

As a result, we now have cold meds from Germany, France, Russia, Chile and Argentina

[Sillyjilly]

 

We loved the cruise & that captain. Forgot his name, but he was from Canada. We actually understood everything he said (no accent). He did a great job of keeping us informed. I asked a crew member if the cruise before ours had the virus, he said no.

 

Lol. I thought the same thing! Loved his little stories.

[Salacia]

Hello,

 

just an update--we are finally home and it was a great cruise but my mom came down with Noro last night and it was REALLY bad for her and us!

 

Since we are all in the same cabin we thought they would quarantine us but they said as long as she stayed in her room (which she had NO problem doing since the symptoms took everything out of her and she slept all day after the nurse saw her) we could be free to do what we wanted since the ship was already serving all the food already and we would not have self-service anywhere.

 

That visit and the pills cost $122 which I will seek reimbursement for from our insurance.

 

A really crappy way to end a cruise and we are hoping the rest of us stay healthy and mom is now on the mend.

 

Thanks for all the good wishes--hopefully the next cruise will not have the same one two punch we had and will enjoy ALL 15 days!

Yasmine

 

Hi Yasmine. Sorry that your mom got sick, I hope she is recovering well. Just a suggestion, but even if she doesn't feel like eating, sip fluids frequently. I found sips of ginger ale worked well. Dehydration is really nasty - we want to avoid that!

 

I read that some cruise lines don't charge for medical attention when there is an outbreak of gastrointestional illness which seems to make good sense to me. Anyway, best wishes to your mom, and thanks for your reports. -Salacia

[yseone]

Thanks for your good wishes and advice Salacia !

 

Mom is feeling better but my husband felt sick yesterday. It is such a annoying thing to have to deal with this after a great cruise otherwise. Bad luck of the draw I guess.

 

Thanks again!

Yasmine

[Mrs.Gosse]

Hi first time cruiser here! I am NOT familiar with the things that are done or not allowed on a cruise ship during Noro outbreaks. I have repeatedly seen about serving at the buffet but are there things you are no longer allowed to do? Like activities or the gym?

 

I am however familiar with Noro as my 7 year old granddaughter brought it with her during Thanksgiving break and it spread through my house! I had to catch vomit in my hands so needless to say I got it. A few other members of my house did as well. Then we had a outbreak at work which I luckily was not a victim!

 

My husband is not a fan of taking wipes or lysol with us. Has anyone gotten Noro on a ship even while doing those precautions personally?

[crackupforlaughs]

Has anyone gotten Noro on a ship even while doing those precautions personally?

 

Not to dissuade you (you'll have a great time!), but yes, my husband and daughter did despite us taking (and using often) hospital grade wipes that kill everything (wiped down the room, knobs, remote, handles, etc. daily), and taking clorox noro-killing (or so said the label) hand spray plus hospital grade hand wipes. We used our elbows for elevator buttons, etc.

 

We're guessing that our daughter may have picked it up from sitting on carpet for a bit in the Horizon court...after she got it, we heard that someone had vomited on the carpet some place on the Horizon court eating area (nice thought/visual... sorry, but you asked). Carpet is one area hard to eradicate of this stuff I would imagine. My daughter may have let her guard down and maybe contracted it that way and then spread to my husband. Anyway, the other two of us did not get it (thankfully -- I've had it and never want it again).

 

Just be careful, mindful of things you touch and maybe just use utensils! I think that's what we'll do, but it is everywhere...when we got it years ago, it was from the airport.