Arcadia and Delhi Belly

[chineplate]

Just heard from a friend that there maybe a spot of mild food poisioning on board. Ship is currently anchored off the Norfolk coast sheltering from the previous rough seas.

[Meg67]

Hi,

I live in Lowestoft which is Englands most easterly point and I can confirm that Arcadia has been anchored just off shore all day.

I hope all is well on board xxx

[Florry]

Oh dear [emoji53] hope they do a deep clean on Wednesday.

 

 

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[Scuttlebutter]

Arcadia and Delhi Belly

Just heard from a friend that there maybe a spot of mild food poisioning on board. Ship is currently anchored off the Norfolk coast sheltering from the previous rough seas.

 

I hope it is only a mild outbreak and not norovirus. If more than 2% of passengers and/or 2% of crew get it then an outbreak of infectious intestinal illness will be declared and we should be told at embarkation. Deep cleaning may be needed.

 

This was the case at the start of Aurora’s 2014 World cruise. We sensed heightened cleaning going on although we were not told officially until we reached our cabins and read a letter from the Medical officer warning us and setting out what we can do to protect ourselves.

 

There are higher food handling standards, such as crew serving only at the buffet for the first 2 to 3 days at the beginning of any winter cruise. I also will wipe down all hard surfaces in my cabin with bleach.

 

We can as responsible passengers maintain high personal hygiene ie hand washing in hot soapy water to Happy birthday before eating.

 

The other thing I am keeping an eye on is the weather coming across the North Atlantic. We do not want storm Doris or Ewan to arrive in the next 8 to 10 days. :eek:

 

Happy Christmas. :)

[Florry]

We hit storms on her in the Atlantic in September, she was fairly stable but you do begin to tire of it after several days. Hopefully all will be well!

 

 

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[tjwa]

They should cook the food properly but I have seen blood in under cooked chicken. IMO Norovirus is an excuse for food poisoning.:eek:

[Florry]

They should cook the food properly but I have seen blood in under cooked chicken. IMO Norovirus is an excuse for food poisoning.:eek:

 

 

Where you get a large population all sick at the same time the most likely cause is food poisoning. Obviously poor hygiene also spreads disease, through cross contamination [emoji53]

 

 

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[the english lady]

They should cook the food properly but I have seen blood in under cooked chicken. IMO Norovirus is an excuse for food poisoning.:eek:

 

If you were served this on a Pando ship, did you ask the waiters to replace the plate.

If I was served something like that I would just ask the waiters to replace.

Mind you I have never been served undercook meat on any cruise ship so far, pando or otherwise.

[sussexboy1954]

I'm currently on Arcardia and can confirm we have been told there are a fair number of norovirus cases on board. Breakfast is being served to you in the buffet.

The letter we received last night was that a passenger brought it on board.

Same old story... passengers being blamed, just as likely could have been a member of crew.

Why o why didn't they practice better hygiene from the start of the cruise.

[Host Sharon]

It probably was a passenger that brought norovirus on board. It is rife in the community round here at the moment, including at work, and you may be harbouring it for a day or two before symptoms appear.

[the english lady]

I'm currently on Arcardia and can confirm we have been told there are a fair number of norovirus cases on board. Breakfast is being served to you in the buffet.

The letter we received last night was that a passenger brought it on board.

Same old story... passengers being blamed, just as likely could have been a member of crew.

Why o why didn't they practice better hygiene from the start of the cruise.

At a guess crew have to report if they feel unwell.and would get into trouble if they didn't report.

I agree I think it is likely to be a passenger.

If you are just aboutility to go on a cruise and feel iffy. Do you still go on the cruise and say nothing..I would guessh that is what most peoplet would do.

One of the reasons I only ever use the cabin toilet onboard. Even if it's a long walk. Better safe than sorry.

People have posted on numerous cruise lines boards about seeing someone use a public toilets. . Not wash their hands and then go straight to the buffet.

[tjwa]

It probably was a passenger that brought norovirus on board. It is rife in the community round here at the moment, including at work, and you may be harbouring it for a day or two before symptoms appear.

 

3 cheers for P & O as they would not serve under cooked food nor would a crew member bring on norovirus - 'Cloud cuckoo land'.:eek:

[Host Sharon]

3 cheers for P & O as they would not serve under cooked food nor would a crew member bring on norovirus - 'Cloud cuckoo land'.:eek:

 

I didn't say that! In fact I have been served undercooked food once - and sent it straight back.

[jeanlyon]

Have to say I have never been served undercooked chicken yet, but yes I would send it back if it was like that. Same for pork. But I agree it is much more likely to be a passenger that brings it on board. It's in schools, hospitals everywhere.

[chineplate]

Further info from on board:

 

Latest news, now docked in Zeebrugge for a run ashore to Ghent, Brugge etc.

 

All on board received notification of a tightening in hygiene practice and that the medical director was favouring Norovirus, introduced at the start of the cruise (5 days ago), as the source of the current gastrointestinal issues. it is now effecting approximately 50 passengers, the majority of whom fell to the illness at about the same time. I have no doubt that I and many others have suffered because of contaminated food consumed on xmas eve. To make matters worse, when trying to get information from the medical or reception staff you're met with a brick wall or worse, ignorant indifference. There are some very unhappy people on board.

[jeanlyon]

Why would you assume contaminated food? More likely to be noro picked up from a passenger touching something and then the next person and so on.

[the english lady]

Further info from on board:

 

Latest news, now docked in Zeebrugge for a run ashore to Ghent, Brugge etc.

 

All on board received notification of a tightening in hygiene practice and that the medical director was favouring Norovirus, introduced at the start of the cruise (5 days ago), as the source of the current gastrointestinal issues. it is now effecting approximately 50 passengers, the majority of whom fell to the illness at about the same time. I have no doubt that I and many others have suffered because of contaminated food consumed on xmas eve. To make matters worse, when trying to get information from the medical or reception staff you're met with a brick wall or worse, ignorant indifference. There are some very unhappy people on board.

 

If they are I'll they probably are unhappy. However pando could not afford to serve food not prepared correctly..Think of the compo claims from that...And once one person has it..It is very quickly spread.

I was on a cruise a few years ago..Not pando I think and was in the shops. A person was complaining that their cruise card was not working. The person at the checkout said it was blocked as they should be confined to the cabin..So this person was going against medical advice. With this sort of person cruising was sort of hope does the cruise lines have.

[danielundecided]

Why would you assume contaminated food? More likely to be noro picked up from a passenger touching something and then the next person and so on.

 

 

Noro would make much more sense than food poisoning, and the idea of a passenger bringing it on is very viable. When they give you the medical form, do people think that others are going to be completely honest if it risks their holiday?

 

There's a lot of colds and viruses going around right now; I was a bit iffy a week or so ago and quite a few people at DD's college have been off with a sick bug.

 

Dan

 

 

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[kruzseeka]

Would it be true to say that if a significant number of passengers fell ill almost simultaneously then the likelihood is that it's some type of food poisoning? If NV has been brought on board by passengers then I would think there would be a recognisable pattern of exponentially increasing numbers of victims from a given date until the outbreak is brought under control. If it seems likely it's food poisoning I guess this is the kind of information which any cruise line would prefer not to share with passengers but I'd be surprised if they haven't a pretty reliable measure of what the problem is based on the pattern of reported illness.

[jeanlyon]

Myself and husband have had terrible viruses and we are still coughing after 5 weeks. We cruise next week, so shall I lie on the form? I think it says are you suffering from a cough or cold. Only kidding - it's not that bad.

Edited December 26, 2016 by jeanlyon

[Florry]

Nobody will ever know whether it is Noro or Food Poisoning without a stool test if those affected. It is much more socially acceptable to say it is Noro than food poisoning for a multitude of reasons all in P&O's favour. If 50 people were taken ill at the same time I would say it is almost certainly food related. I believe P&O would observe high standards of hygiene, however it would only take one member of staff preparing high risk foods to cause a problem - something which can be mitigated against but there will always be a risk. High risk foods are generally those which won't undergo any cooking prior to consumption. So if one member of staff didn't wash their hands and prepared food which 50 people eat - bingo. Then of course if just a few of those people have poor hygiene standards you get cross contamination. I'm not saying Noro doesn't exist I'm saying it is more unlikely and because nobody ever tests people involved in an outbreak no robust conclusion can ever be drawn.

 

 

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[Cahpek]

They should cook the food properly but I have seen blood in under cooked chicken. IMO Norovirus is an excuse for food poisoning.:eek:

 

Last year, on a South American cruise from Rio to Valparaiso, there was one evening in the buffet restaurant (not on the Arcadia, but on the Aurora, but still a P&O ship), when we noticed some seafood which did not smell good - it was as if something had gone "off". We informed one of the Filipino senior waitresses and she just ignored us. That dish was not removed. Fortunately, no one got sick the following day, or at least, we did not think so. Hope P&O will make their staff be more keen on good hygiene standards, if they have not done so already. Ignoring passengers who inform them of food smelling a bit "off" is not what we'd consider to be recognising good hygiene standards.

Edited December 26, 2016 by Cahpek

[Host Sharon]

Myself and husband have had terrible viruses and we are still coughing after 5 weeks. We cruise next week, so shall I lie on the form? I think it says are you suffering from a cough or cold. Only kidding - it's not that bad.

 

The form says cough PLUS fever so you should be Ok Jean.

 

In my thankfully limited experience norovirus symptoms are self-limiting and usually go away in 24-36 hours whereas the symptoms of my two bouts of food poisoning lasted over a week.

[Josy1953]

If you were served this on a Pando ship, did you ask the waiters to replace the plate.

If I was served something like that I would just ask the waiters to replace.

Mind you I have never been served undercook meat on any cruise ship so far, pando or otherwise.

 

I was served undercooked chicken, for the first time, on Oceana last week. I pointed it out to our waiter who immediately took it away and brought the menu back to me asking me to choose something else as he did not feel comfortable getting another chicken in case that was also undercooked. Whilst I was choosing my replacement meal he went to the other diners in his section who had chosen chicken and asked them if they would like choose an alternative, explaining that I was the first of his diners that evening to have chicken and that it had been undercooked. He also reported it to the head waiter. I thought at the time that it was an over reaction to one person's complaint but in retrospect I realise that he was being proactive in trying to prevent possible illness.

[kruzseeka]

Very good to hear - they're clearly being proactive and very much 'on the ball'. Since it was Oceana which failed a US inspection in March of this year (didn't make good reading!) I guess they are keen to make sure that doesn't happen again. Being booked on her later this year your report is reassuring.

Edited December 27, 2016 by kruzseeka