Hygiene on board.

[SuiteTraveler]

Use only your own cabin's bathroom and avoid the public restrooms if at all possible. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water and avoid touching your face. Also when you are about to eat, wash your hands and try not to touch anything anyone else has touched. If you do use a public restroom, nowadays many ships have touchless hand soap and sinks in the public restrooms and hand dryers. If they have paper towels, use these to open doors instead of your hand.

 

The other thing is avoid doing something foolish like eating 30 slices of bacon at one time. (I actually saw 3 people with plates piled high with nothing but bacon on my last cruise. I guess they ate it all. Yuck!)

[GUT2407]

Use only your own cabin's bathroom and avoid the public restrooms if at all possible. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water and avoid touching your face. Also when you are about to eat, wash your hands and try not to touch anything anyone else has touched. If you do use a public restroom, nowadays many ships have touchless hand soap and sinks in the public restrooms and hand dryers. If they have paper towels, use these to open doors instead of your hand.

 

The other thing is avoid doing something foolish like eating 30 slices of bacon at one time. (I actually saw 3 people with plates piled high with nothing but bacon on my last cruise. I guess they ate it all. Yuck!)

 

 

I doubt even 100 slices of Bacon will give you Noro.

[chengkp75]

Some great points. While the USPH has strict time/temperature rules, we don't know whether these rules are always being followed. I have, unfortunately, been served, on numerous time, foods that were not at the correct temperature. Of course, as a passenger, I have no idea whether the food is safe to eat. But why take the chance? Send it back. An efficient rule is not always an indication of an efficient practice.

 

I have noted that according to the CDC website, since 1994 there have been 2 incidents of salmonella outbreaks on cruise ships, 2 of shigella (closely related to salmonella) and 10 cases of e-coli.

 

As someone who has lived the USPH culture, I tend to trust the "mind set" of most cruise crews and supervisors, that stresses absolute adherence to USPH requirements at all times, so that when the inspectors are onboard, the correct procedures are second nature. This is why many ships that only cruise out of the US part of the year, will keep up USPH protocols even when not calling on US ports.

 

While your food may not have been at the temperature that you prefer, do you know what the "safe" temperature ranges are? The danger zone is between 40*F and 140*F. 140*F is not what most would consider "hot" food, but as long as it is above this temperature, even potentially hazardous food is safe.

 

Compare those cases of food borne illness to what has happened in any major city over the same 20 years.

[SPacificbound]

Wash your hands way more often then you think you need to.

 

Learn to keep your hands away from your face, including your eyes.

 

Use knuckle for elevator button.

 

Don't run hands along railings.

 

Don't shake hands.

 

After washing hands use paper towel to open restroom door.

 

Be aware of those around you. If they are exhibiting signs of being ill, move.

 

Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.

[cruzeluver]

I wash my hands thoroughly before meals and after using the restroom.

 

That is it.

 

Nothing else.

 

Hand sanitizers dry my skin to the point it itches, so no thanks. And I have a very healthy immune system.

[Disey56]

Appreciate the information and advice. Wasn't expecting sarcasm and wise guy cracks though.

[GUT2407]

Appreciate the information and advice. Wasn't expecting sarcasm and wise guy cracks though.

 

You must be new to CC if you didn't expect sarcasm and wise guy cracks

[OzKiwiJJ]

The sanitizer provided onboard the ship is (arguably) more effective against norovirus than what you can buy, at least in the US.

 

Maybe but it's only provided at the entrance of the restaurants. So you go to the buffet, touch serving implements that other possibly less hygienic people have touched, then go to a table, sit, and pull in your chair. That's when you need to resanitize your hands before eating.

 

Plus the alcohol-based sanitizers play havoc with my skin. I use a non-alcohol foam product available online in Australia. It's very good.

[cbr663]

As someone who has lived the USPH culture, I tend to trust the "mind set" of most cruise crews and supervisors, that stresses absolute adherence to USPH requirements at all times, so that when the inspectors are onboard, the correct procedures are second nature. This is why many ships that only cruise out of the US part of the year, will keep up USPH protocols even when not calling on US ports.

 

While your food may not have been at the temperature that you prefer, do you know what the "safe" temperature ranges are? The danger zone is between 40*F and 140*F. 140*F is not what most would consider "hot" food, but as long as it is above this temperature, even potentially hazardous food is safe.

 

Compare those cases of food borne illness to what has happened in any major city over the same 20 years.

 

I also tend to trust the cruise staff and crew, otherwise, I wouldn't sail. My concern with food being served at the incorrect temperature is that I don't why it is at the incorrect temperature. As I stated earlier, why risk getting sick when all you have to do is send it back? Even if that risk is minimal, why take the risk at all?

 

My comments on the occurrence of e-coli and other diseases was in response to your statement that these issues are a thing of the past, which is to imply that these diseases do not happen any more on cruise ships. They still do, albeit in small numbers, but they can and are still being found on modern day cruise ships. I am not trying to be alarmist, just presenting the numbers so the OP can come to their own conclusions.

[Langley Cruisers]

You must be new to CC if you didn't expect sarcasm and wise guy cracks

 

Yes, as you can see, OP just joined.

[Underwatr]

Maybe but it's only provided at the entrance of the restaurants. So you go to the buffet, touch serving implements that other possibly less hygienic people have touched, then go to a table, sit, and pull in your chair. That's when you need to resanitize your hands before eating.

 

Plus the alcohol-based sanitizers play havoc with my skin. I use a non-alcohol foam product available online in Australia. It's very good.

It's useless against viruses. The Purell VF481 has some clinical evidence showing it kills norovirus.

[Lerin]

Same way you do at home

[slidergirl]

Appreciate the information and advice. Wasn't expecting sarcasm and wise guy cracks though.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

You will find that, along with helpful advice and information, we do tend to serve up heaping spoonfuls of sarcasm and snarkiness. (food pun intended).

[TruckerDave]

First time on a cruise boat. Carnival Legend Alaska. How to avoid tummy upsets especially when eating buffet style?

 

 

Don't eat so much. :D

[BruceMuzz]

Some great points. While the USPH has strict time/temperature rules, we don't know whether these rules are always being followed. I have, unfortunately, been served, on numerous time, foods that were not at the correct temperature. Of course, as a passenger, I have no idea whether the food is safe to eat. But why take the chance? Send it back. An efficient rule is not always an indication of an efficient practice.

 

I have noted that according to the CDC website, since 1994 there have been 2 incidents of salmonella outbreaks on cruise ships, 2 of shigella (closely related to salmonella) and 10 cases of e-coli.

 

Very few passengers realize how serious the USPH and the cruise people are about food hygiene.

 

There are basically two sets of rules about holding prepared foods:

 

1. Cooked or prepared foods that are served hot or cold must be maintained in a safe

temperature zone at all times.

Called Temperature Control in USPH parlance. These hot and cold temperature zones reduce or

stop growth of bacteria and viruses that can harm us.

 

2. Once foods have been prepared, cooked, and ready to serve, they must be served within 4

hours - regardless of the temperature they were held at.

After 4 hours they must be discarded. Known as Time Control in USPH parlance.

USPH has determined that any prepared food, once ready to eat, can be held at nearly any

temperature for 4 hours (maximum) before dangerous bacteria or viruses can multiply to the

point where they can be harmful to us. On most cruise ships, you will find small colored

adhesive stickers attached to each container of food. Each color signifies the time the food

was ready to eat and the time that it must be discarded if not served.

 

So on a ship, even if you are served food that may not be as hot or cold as you might like, the time control rules ensure that it cannot be a hazard to your health.

 

Of course if you happen to be sailing with passengers who were rasied by wolves, these hygiene rules do not prevent them from contaminating the food once it has been placed on the buffet.

[Rala]

Don't eat so much. :D

 

Good one! This made me laugh out loud. You would think people could figure this out, but I am amazed on every cruise by the humongous platefuls of food I see going by. They are not going to run out of food, folks...you will not go hungry! :D:rolleyes:;)

[cbr663]

Very few passengers realize how serious the USPH and the cruise people are about food hygiene.

 

There are basically two sets of rules about holding prepared foods:

 

1. Cooked or prepared foods that are served hot or cold must be maintained in a safe

temperature zone at all times.

Called Temperature Control in USPH parlance. These hot and cold temperature zones reduce or

stop growth of bacteria and viruses that can harm us.

 

2. Once foods have been prepared, cooked, and ready to serve, they must be served within 4

hours - regardless of the temperature they were held at.

After 4 hours they must be discarded. Known as Time Control in USPH parlance.

USPH has determined that any prepared food, once ready to eat, can be held at nearly any

temperature for 4 hours (maximum) before dangerous bacteria or viruses can multiply to the

point where they can be harmful to us. On most cruise ships, you will find small colored

adhesive stickers attached to each container of food. Each color signifies the time the food

was ready to eat and the time that it must be discarded if not served.

 

So on a ship, even if you are served food that may not be as hot or cold as you might like, the time control rules ensure that it cannot be a hazard to your health.

 

Of course if you happen to be sailing with passengers who were rasied by wolves, these hygiene rules do not prevent them from contaminating the food once it has been placed on the buffet.

 

You seem to be contradicting yourself. On the one hand you state in #1 that food must be maintained in a safe temperature zone at all times, but then state further down state that even if you are served food that is not as hot or cold as you might like, it cannot be a hazard to your health.

 

Fact is that bacteria are all around and even food that is cooked to a safe temperature must be served and consumed at a safe temperature. For instance, chicken that is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees is considered safe to eat. But, if that chicken is then allowed to sit around and cool to say 120 degrees, bacteria can quickly start to grown on that chicken. Bacteria can grown very quickly in temperatures of 40 to 140 degrees, in as little as 20 minutes.

 

As most times we don't have an actual thermometer to take the actual temperature of the food, and we don't know whether that food has been sitting at the incorrect temp for 20 minutes, or as you noted, up to 4 hours, why take the risk?

[dhill]

Wash your hands why do you feel that the Buffet will get you sick a lot of people eat there every day:)

[chengkp75]

You seem to be contradicting yourself. On the one hand you state in #1 that food must be maintained in a safe temperature zone at all times, but then state further down state that even if you are served food that is not as hot or cold as you might like, it cannot be a hazard to your health.

 

Fact is that bacteria are all around and even food that is cooked to a safe temperature must be served and consumed at a safe temperature. For instance, chicken that is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees is considered safe to eat. But, if that chicken is then allowed to sit around and cool to say 120 degrees, bacteria can quickly start to grown on that chicken. Bacteria can grown very quickly in temperatures of 40 to 140 degrees, in as little as 20 minutes.

 

As most times we don't have an actual thermometer to take the actual temperature of the food, and we don't know whether that food has been sitting at the incorrect temp for 20 minutes, or as you noted, up to 4 hours, why take the risk?

 

No, what Bruce is saying is that the science says that if your chicken is cooked to 165, and then allowed to cool to 150, it is safe to eat for an extended time. If it is allowed to cool below 140, it takes 4 hours for the bacteria to grow to the level where it is harmful. This is the science from the CDC/USPH, who are considered world experts on contagious diseases and food safety. Countless studies over many, many years have recognized that below 40 and above 140, bacteria will not grow in harmful concentrations, if at all. Even the local health regulations that follow the "SafeFood" codes recognize this time/temperature relationship.

 

So, if you want to return a dish because it isn't hot enough for your taste, feel free to do so, but don't rationalize it on the basis of food safety, there is no science to support this.

 

I assume from your concerns that you don't eat cold cut sandwiches? This meat has been cooked to the proper temperature, and then allowed to cool to room temperature. Is this a bacterial swamp?

Edited June 24, 2015 by chengkp75