Norovirus Cabin B435

[DrivesLikeMario]

Hmmmm, I wonder who it might be?

 

Bob Leininger. Probably my least favorite.

[shipscat]

I had heard Holland America did not let you touch utensils, etc. for the first 2 days. That did not happen on the Holland America I left on Monday after 2 weeks. Wonder if they have changed their policy?

[iceleven]

I wish the elevators had buttons where you didn't have to make skin contact to activate them. We could then use a tissue or sleeve to get the elevators to work.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

I wish the elevators had buttons where you didn't have to make skin contact to activate them. We could then use a tissue or sleeve to get the elevators to work.

 

I agree--a definite design flaw, especially on a passenger ship. I wouldn't be surprised if they are a major noro vector, no matter how often they try to disinfect them.

[tartanexile81]

On our recent cruise we had an outbreak of Norovirus and a whole range of measures were put in place to deal with it

 

1. If you had sickness symptoms you had to stay in your cabin and phone the doctor who visited free of charge.

2. If you were diagnosed with it, you were confined to your cabin for 48 hours after the last time you were sick.

3. Your cabin was deep-cleaned by a special group wearing appropriate clothing and your food was delivered by the same people.

4. All food in the buffet was served by the crew wearing gloves. 'Crew' included singers, dancers, shore staff etc.

5. There were no salt cellars, butter dishes etc on your table in the MDR and your waiter also wearing disposable gloves served them to you.

6. The laundrettes were closed and the handrails were disinfected at least 3x a day.

 

It was the first time we'd ever been on a ship where there was a Norovirus outbreak and I'm pleased we managed to avoid it by avoiding direct contact with hard surfaces around the ship and frequent and thorough hand-washing

BTW it wasn't a Princess ship but a UK line.

 

In my working life as head of a primary school we had an outbreak and I know it wasn't because the school was unclean but it is a sad fact that norovirus is virulent and it is hard to stop when someone brings it in to your ship/workplace etc Three words at a local hospital are closed because of it so if it can happen in hospital it can happen anywhere.

[tartanexile81]

I agree--a definite design flaw, especially on a passenger ship. I wouldn't be surprised if they are a major noro vector, no matter how often they try to disinfect them.

 

 

I used my elbow or back of a finger or wore a disposable solve (supplied by our steward) to touch them, but people were also using tissues on their fingers and that seemed to work.

[Cindy]

In my working life as head of a primary school we had an outbreak and I know it wasn't because the school was unclean but it is a sad fact that norovirus is virulent and it is hard to stop when someone brings it in to your ship/workplace etc

 

Very true! I was the principal of a large elementary school, and it went around every year, along with several other easily transmittable illnesses. The biggest difference is there was no media reporting it!;)

[centralcalicruzer]

We joined the Ruby the day you left and our daughter, who is one of the entertainers, told us there had been an outbreak of noro and the ship was on "yellow" alert. No salt and pepper in the Horizon Court, no silverware on the tables, plates and silverware were handed to you as you entered the buffet and they were quite insistent on everyone using the hand sanitizer. You could, however still serve yourself, and soup bowls and small plates were available at the various stations. We are pretty vigilant about washing hands anyway. Also, there was a letter in the cabin encouraging folks to use their own bathrooms instead of the public ones, but I think I have seen that letter on my last few cruises. So sorry that a big portion of your vacation was ruined, but I do not think the fault is with Princess.

[glojo]

Interesting topic and I always wonder about the cause and contracting this awful bug...

 

I ask this simply because on one of the warships I served on we lived and ate in an extremely confined area where we ate off of a metal tray that was washed in a communal bucket that started off having hot water in it but by the time we had all eaten and washed our tray, that water would at best be luke warm, and perhaps not the most clean of water (more like soup). Cutlery was kept in a rack and you just grabbed whatever was available.

 

The toilets (heads) did not have wash basins, our bread locker was on the upper deck which meant that we 'emptied' it before encountering rough weather.

 

Norovirus was unheard of, as was bad bouts of upset tummies.. I think it fair to say we were a very healthy bunch of hot blooded sailors although perhaps our rum ration might have been the elixir of health and vitality.. Perhaps it was a case of....'A tot a day, kept upset tum's away' ;) Just as well as the ship did not have a doctor.

 

Twenty four of us lived here and this image was taken on Christmas Day, hence those white sheets on the tables.In the foreground I see 'Tubby' eating out of his metal tray although on that day most of us purloined china plates from the wardroom.

 

Eat, drink and be merry but not a sign of that awful norovirus. Yes we were a bunch of blokes that had at least one shower a day, but washing hands after going to the toilet was simply unheard of and not practical. My thoughts are that sadly norovirus is bought onto the ship by some unfortunate passenger and it then gets spread but how??

 

A ship might experience just a few cases, or a full blown disaster and are these ships dirty??? Speaking as I find, I am amazed at the high standard of cleanliness\hygiene on cruise ships and sadly if the OP wants to avoid going on cruise ships that have been a victim of this horrible bug... They might never cruise again.

 

How long was the OP on-board before going down with this bug and do we know how long the incubation period is?

[donaldsc]

Noro just hit 3 different high schools in Washington State, should they stop going to school? It's gonna happen, you need to wipe down the entire cabin when you check in, wash your hands when you venture into public spaces, and use the hand sanitizer. Noro is not new and it's on all ships. Sorry to hear about your trip, hopefully you bought the insurance so you get reimbursed for the days you were confined to cabin.

 

 

article about high schools

 

Bring one of these on board with you -

 

http://www.mrsa-uv.com/uploads/8/9/7/2/8972491/helix_450xl_brochure.pdf. Only weighs 32 pounds and is comes in its own bag.

 

Also one of these

 

http://www.defensedevices.com/uv-sterilizer-portable.html for when you are out of your cabin

 

DON

[SoCal Cruiser78]

I used my elbow or back of a finger or wore a disposable solve (supplied by our steward) to touch them, but people were also using tissues on their fingers and that seemed to work.

 

Some elevators on Princess seem to respond to skin contact only, and some will let you use a tissue or other method of contact, I have found.

 

This is not only a Princess thing; my local bank has ATMs that will let you key in your pin # using a tissue, but requires skin contact for selecting the $ amount to withdraw (different keypads) :(.