Norovirus on Sunshine

[HamSammie]

I find it funny everytime someone gets sick on a cruise ship its either norovirus or food poisoning. It could not possibly be anything else... :rolleyes:

[TerReuv]

I find it funny everytime someone gets sick on a cruise ship its either norovirus or food poisoning. It could not possibly be anything else... :rolleyes:

 

Isn't that the truth. Would love to count how many posts on here swear they had food poisoning because they got sick after eating, even though no one else on the cruise got sick.

 

Those two things seem to mean a generic "I got sick" to everyone.

[1tuckersmom]

it was on the sunshine for the cruise 2/21-3/5 I know because I had it

 

So did I, on the same sailing...NOT fun.:(

[jimbo5544]

I am not cheerleader. I think their water game is terrible. However, to be fair, cleaning the room 1x per day would technically SLOW the spread of the virus. I don't want my steward going in and out of my room and the sick people's room any more than necessary. My germy tissues are better off in my trash can than having the same person from the sick room come into mine to get them.

 

OK, I have to ask, what is the water game?

[txmom11]

The CDC recommends washing your hands with soap and water to prevent the spread of Norovirus.

 

You use the alcohol gel if soap and water are not available (but hand sanitizer is NOT considered a substitute for soap and water). The friction when you wash helps to remove the contaminants from your hands.

[Korvyn]

Carnival Sunshine was plagued by Norovirus on last weeks cruise 3/9/16...I know some people are more mindful of their hygiene as others. The Cruise companies don't want to over enforce hygiene, its just some people are pigs. If you cruise, Purell will not help with Norovirus. You need something that contains Benzalkonium Chloride to kill germs. X3 is a reasonably inexpensive sanitizer that should be with you on all cruises. We need to put pressure on the cruise companies to ensure their ships are safe.

Sorry but to say a ship was Plagued with NoroVirus is ridiculous. it is perhaps the most common viral infection. Crew are not likely to be the source or every ship would have it every single cruise. it is not a cruise ship problem but a people problem.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/overview.html

[Lenliner]

The ships are fine. How are things sanitized before getting to the ship:eek:

 

 

 

 

 

Not particularly fond of using the words pigs.

 

 

 

When one see's a person leaving a toilet stall, and leaving NO DOUBT as to what was passed then walks straight out the door without washing! What in gods name would YOU call them? 🐷 Hmmm? 😝

[RuthlessBoss]

When one see's a person leaving a toilet stall, and leaving NO DOUBT as to what was passed then walks straight out the door without washing! What in gods name would YOU call them? Hmmm?

 

You certainly put your own spin about my post. First off, I said I didn't like the "word" pig. People are not pigs.

 

My question within the post was regarding how do things get sanitized "before" entering the ship. This is mostly how noro makes it to the ship, yet people blame the ship itself.

[Lenliner]

I agree, it's a people problem but it's easier for most to blame the ship. It will take a while for the Sunshine's CDC score to get back to where it was before this latest outbreak.

 

I'll still call a spade a spade though. 😳

[chengkp75]

I agree, it's a people problem but it's easier for most to blame the ship. It will take a while for the Sunshine's CDC score to get back to where it was before this latest outbreak.

 

I'll still call a spade a spade though. 😳

 

The presence of a noro outbreak has nothing to do with a ship's USPH score. That is based on the inspection at the time, sort of a snapshot, and even if they are inspected as a result of this outbreak, they could still score a 100, provided they show they were following the company's and USPH's remediation methods once the outbreak started.

[Lenliner]

Thanks for sharing that information. I checked the score before we booked last year, and it certainly was higher than it is now. If my memory serves me correctly, it was 99 a year ago. So I assumed the lower score was due to the outbreak on our cruise last month. How often are the inspections performed? Thanks Again ✈

[chengkp75]

Thanks for sharing that information. I checked the score before we booked last year, and it certainly was higher than it is now. If my memory serves me correctly, it was 99 a year ago. So I assumed the lower score was due to the outbreak on our cruise last month. How often are the inspections performed? Thanks Again ✈

 

They try for twice a year, but that will vary with budgets, ship's schedules, and availability of inspectors.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Why aren't people ever blamed for bringing noro onto a ship...instead it is always the ship which is at fault, as though they cause the outbreak instead of trying to provide a safe clean environment that people violate all the time. There have been many reported outbreaks of noro all over the US this year, at schools, offices, factories and yet people living in those areas still, who may have been exposed to the virus, blithely board ships knowing that they are establishing a risk. And no cruiseline can exclude them.

 

I say call a spade a spade and put the blame where it actually lies.

[martinhughes1]

I have cruised 12 times on two different cruise lines and have become ill four times. I wash my hands with soap and water many times a day. Avoid touching bathroom door handles when exiting.

Two times I became ill from already sick passengers were coughing up their lungs as they were roaming the public spaces. I too contracted the coughing either during or after the cruise. This happened once on Carnival and the second time on RC.

One of the two other times I am nearly certain I received food poisoning after eating grilled chicken at Mojos in St Thomas. I was awoken by sharp knife like pains and bloody stool within 12 hours after eating at Mojos. The problem passed after 24 hours.

The most recent illness occurred during the last two days of our recent Carnival Magic cruise (April 23-30). A friend of mine also contracted the same illness. We spent those two days trying to figure out where we contracted the illness that caused nausea, stomach pain, chills, low grade fever, and horrible watery stool (nearly every symptom except vomiting listed for noro virus). I am now on day 4 and symptoms are finally subsiding and going away on their own without any relief medication (there is no treatment because it is a virus).

So what caused the illness is a mystery, but the most common place to contract the virus (if that is what I have) is the cruise ship spaces and food/water sources (look it up on any other site besides CC). Yes people do spread it very rapidly and may bring it with them when they board, but everything I have read indicates that cruise ships are the most common place for the virus to breed and spread due to all of those people eating constantly like it is their last meal.

Bottom line here is I am certain I contracted noro while on this ship. I have all but one symptom, was perfectly healthy before I boarded and was fine until the morning we arrived in Grand Turk. Will I cruise again? Of Course I will and have already booked for next April 15th on the Sunshine.

[RuthlessBoss]

I have cruised 12 times on two different cruise lines and have become ill four times. I wash my hands with soap and water many times a day. Avoid touching bathroom door handles when exiting.

Two times I became ill from already sick passengers were coughing up their lungs as they were roaming the public spaces. I too contracted the coughing either during or after the cruise. This happened once on Carnival and the second time on RC.

One of the two other times I am nearly certain I received food poisoning after eating grilled chicken at Mojos in St Thomas. I was awoken by sharp knife like pains and bloody stool within 12 hours after eating at Mojos. The problem passed after 24 hours.

The most recent illness occurred during the last two days of our recent Carnival Magic cruise (April 23-30). A friend of mine also contracted the same illness. We spent those two days trying to figure out where we contracted the illness that caused nausea, stomach pain, chills, low grade fever, and horrible watery stool (nearly every symptom except vomiting listed for noro virus). I am now on day 4 and symptoms are finally subsiding and going away on their own without any relief medication (there is no treatment because it is a virus).

So what caused the illness is a mystery, but the most common place to contract the virus (if that is what I have) is the cruise ship spaces and food/water sources (look it up on any other site besides CC). Yes people do spread it very rapidly and may bring it with them when they board, but everything I have read indicates that cruise ships are the most common place for the virus to breed and spread due to all of those people eating constantly like it is their last meal.

Bottom line here is I am certain I contracted noro while on this ship. I have all but one symptom, was perfectly healthy before I boarded and was fine until the morning we arrived in Grand Turk. Will I cruise again? Of Course I will and have already booked for next April 15th on the Sunshine.

 

Thanks for your illness history on an old thread. Now people who don't read original post dates will panic and think it's current.

[chengkp75]

Thanks for your illness history on an old thread. Now people who don't read original post dates will panic and think it's current.

 

 

So what caused the illness is a mystery, but the most common place to contract the virus (if that is what I have) is the cruise ship spaces and food/water sources (look it up on any other site besides CC). Yes people do spread it very rapidly and may bring it with them when they board, but everything I have read indicates that cruise ships are the most common place for the virus to breed and spread due to all of those people eating constantly like it is their last meal.

Bottom line here is I am certain I contracted noro while on this ship. I have all but one symptom, was perfectly healthy before I boarded and was fine until the morning we arrived in Grand Turk. Will I cruise again? Of Course I will and have already booked for next April 15th on the Sunshine.

 

First off, what does this have to do with the Sunshine, since you got sick on the Magic?

 

Secondly, yes, you probably had noro. Now, not sure how you equate "people eating constantly like it is their last meal." with a noro breeding ground. Cruise ships, according to the CDC, account for less than 10% of all noro cases reported in the US, so I wouldn't say that "cruise ships are the most common place" to contract noro. Then you mention food and water sources, when in fact the protocols for food safety and water sanitation are far stricter on cruise ships than nearly any other industry, just ask the next USPH/CDC inspector you see on a cruise ship, most of whom used to be ex-health inspectors in cities like NYC.

 

One thing you did not mention as a precaution, and one that is probably the most important, is eating with your hands. Even after washing, if you touch an infected utensil and then touch your food, the food is now infected and you will ingest the virus.

 

Not sure the point of your post, and sorry that you've had bad luck with illness while cruising, but I see no need to come here and whine with a pointless post.

[martinhughes1]

First off, what does this have to do with the Sunshine, since you got sick on the Magic?

 

Secondly, yes, you probably had noro. Now, not sure how you equate "people eating constantly like it is their last meal." with a noro breeding ground. Cruise ships, according to the CDC, account for less than 10% of all noro cases reported in the US, so I wouldn't say that "cruise ships are the most common place" to contract noro. Then you mention food and water sources, when in fact the protocols for food safety and water sanitation are far stricter on cruise ships than nearly any other industry, just ask the next USPH/CDC inspector you see on a cruise ship, most of whom used to be ex-health inspectors in cities like NYC.

 

One thing you did not mention as a precaution, and one that is probably the most important, is eating with your hands. Even after washing, if you touch an infected utensil and then touch your food, the food is now infected and you will ingest the virus.

 

Not sure the point of your post, and sorry that you've had bad luck with illness while cruising, but I see no need to come here and whine with a pointless post.

 

Either I did not write this post so you could understand or it is some other issue you may have the tone of the writing.

This thread is a March 2016 post on Sunshine and not old. We have sailed on Sunshine 2014 and I only shared my recent experience with Magic as an awareness and not to whine about any specific ship or cruise line. The awareness is to let everyone know on this forum who is competent enough to understand there is a possibility the virus may be on any ship no matter how clean the standards are by our US health organization.

I checked when the Magic last received an inspection and it was in February 2016. Do you realize that is nearly 9 weeks ago and 9 cruises times 3600+ passengers. Things do happen and I wanted everyone to know it happened to me and a friend of mine who were traveling together with our wives neither of which contracted any symptoms we experienced.

By the way the stats are only 10% because the land population far exceeds the passengers per year on cruise ships worldwide (not very difficult math). Also statistics are only as good as the folks collecting them and those required to provide the information. I do know cruise ships are supposed to report this stuff, but my friend's wife told the nurse on duty the day before we left about our condition and I am wondering if she made a report for the CDC to collect in their stats?