Norovirus Caught on Koningsdam

[OlsSalt]

CDC Advice for travelers included a study showing strong black tea good for common traveler GI ailments.  Right up there with their advice about more commonly used OTC  Pepto-Bismol type products and cautious use of Imodium.

[OlsSalt]

CDC Traveler Information - good to check on their latest recommendations before you go anywhere:   https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/traveler-information-center

[OlsSalt]

CDC specific information  for cruise travel:  https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/cruise-ship

[oaktreerb]

13 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

I had a similar experience to oaktreerb.  I was ill during the night and reported in the morning.  A nurse came to the room to take my temperature and leave a packet of forms for me to fill out (what I ate, where I was, that type of info).  I was isolated until 24 hours past my last symptom.  There were no charges from medical for the same reasons that oaktreerb mentioned.  I did receive an FCC for the one or two days I was isolated that could be used on my next cruise.  It was the per diem rate of the fare I paid.  This was back in 2015.

 

I got no FCC reimbursement, this was 2009.   I was really happy that they didn’t bill me for the visit!

[Copper10-8]

4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

They have been there for years and are sort of like a nice hand massage😊

 

Are we talking about these bad boys found inside the Lido on K-dam and her two sisters? Nice warm water inside 😉 They - the machines - came out with K-dam when she joined the fleet in May 2016. Are we saying they now made to the other eight dam ships? 

 

 

[Mary229]

6 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Are we talking about these bad boys found inside the Lido on K-dam and her two sisters? Nice warm water inside 😉 They - the machines - came out with K-dam when she joined the fleet in May 2016. Are we saying they now made to the other eight dam ships? 

 

 

They were on the Volendam last month and I am pretty sure they have been on other ships I sailed on.  My memory is not perfect but I know for sure I used them on the Volendam

[AryMay]

30 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Are we talking about these bad boys found inside the Lido on K-dam and her two sisters? Nice warm water inside 😉 They - the machines - came out with K-dam when she joined the fleet in May 2016. Are we saying they now made to the other eight dam ships? 

 

 

 

The Zaandam has these swirly kind of hand washers. Love them...kind of like a jacuzzi for your hands! We were just on the Nieuw Statendam and only saw a sink with soap for hand washing at the entrance to the lido buffet. Rarely saw the sink getting used... 😞

[Mary229]

Just now, AryMay said:

 

The Zaandam has these swirly kind of hand washers. Love them...kind of like a jacuzzi for your hands! We were just on the Nieuw Statendam and only saw a sink with soap for hand washing at the entrance to the lido buffet. Rarely saw the sink getting used... 😞

That is what my foggy memory is too.  I was on the Zaandam last summer with my germ conscious sister.  I am glad you chimed in as I was about to write her to confirm

[OlsSalt]

Am I remembering the automatic hand washers were on the now retired Rotterdam? We used them years ago. Maybe it was the Zaandam - but on a R class ship.

[albingirl]

I like those. Definitely use them. I hope they never have self service again in lido. Wherever you get this dreaded noro, it really could happen anywhere. Lots of people onboard. It's either stay home or travel.  That's the choice we all face. 

[Mary229]

15 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

Am I remembering the automatic hand washers were on the now retired Rotterdam? We used them years ago. Maybe it was the Zaandam - but on a R class ship.

That is my recollection.  I wish they had them outside the MDR too.

[Destiny0315]

These cruisers actually made a video of their hand washing experiences with the Meritech automated hand washing machines back in 2018 on the Veendam. I first remember them back in 2011 and 2012 on the Veendam on cruises to Bermuda. The other thing that was new at the time were those tables with built in computer game monitors in the Mix that never worked well if at all.

https://youtu.be/Z2ooqg56yao

[slidergirl]

I always ask the server to change gloves.  Never know how long they had been using them and what they'd been touching.    I do that with the TSA folks, too.  Never let them touch my stuff with "used" gloves.  

 

The only time I came down with Noro was at the St. Regis Deer Valley.   Working at the Front Desk and such, goodness only knows where I came into contact.  I go home, go to work, repeat, so it had to be at work.  All I got was a day off without pay (no specific sick days, just PTO and I was saving).

[Cruiz'nBaers]

19 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

A few years ago I got noro on a 7 day Alaska cruise.  There was an announcement when we were in Ketchikan (1st port) about an outbreak and we were asked to contact medical if we were ill.  I had symptoms on our excursion so I called to report, the nurse came to my room to take my temp and offer meds which I refused since I already had Imodium.  There was no billing from HAL.  I had to stay in my room for a couple of days.  My traveling partner didn’t get sick so could be out and about on the ship.

 

 I told the nurse I thought it was the crab legs I had for dinner, she said a group who flew in from Calif had symptoms of Noro.  Anyway, no charge for the visit.  Maybe because we were asked to report.  

 

Since then I always pack Musinex, Imodium, Tylenol, and other remedies in my travel bag.  It’s best to take them with you!

I always bring a traveling pharmacy along on all of our trips.  Best to be prepared.

[BetsyS.]

slidergirl - You're right about the gloves.  Years ago when I lived in

Massachusetts, there was a coffee shop where the servers wore gloves.

They took money and then made your sandwich with the SAME gloves 

on! Gross!    

[VacationCharlene]

The Koningsdam JUST came out of drydock.  We were on the Koningsdam just before......there were about 30 people who had the virus, on a 35 day cruise.  It REALLY is hard to say where anyone GETS any illness (flying, train, cab, cruise, bathroom, etc)   So sorry for your wife and I would bet you will NOT have to pay for any medical for this "illness".  Enjoy your cruise and hope she is out soon to also enjoy!  It DOES bug me how so many people feel it is the cruise lines fault......(not saying you are) but from reading so many posts about a subject that is here for the long run.................

"Norovirus Caught on Koningsdam"

Maybe...maybe NOT!

(We were very lucky NOT to get it but we were very diligent to wash our hands OFTEN, cleaned the tables that we sat at in the Lido and by pool, brought our own drinking glasses 🙂  etc.  Wore a mask ALWAYS in the main lounge area as that is where we heard MOST of the coughs......We were lucky for sure)

Edited April 17, 2023 by VacationCharlene

[cbr663]

Interesting that there was norovirus on the ship just prior to its dry dock and it is still there.  You would think the dry dock would have broken the chain, unless of course it is still spreading through crew or through some other means.

 

People are very quick to blame others for poor hygiene, and it certainly can be a source of the spread.  Noro can also be introduced by infected food workers (a very common source) touching and handling food.  Noro can also be introduced to a ship by food contaminated with it like easy greens, fresh fruit and vegetables and shellfish (another common source).  And yes, healthy passengers going ashore can easily pick it up eating contaminated food and then bring it back to a ship.  

 

So yes, passengers can be responsible and so can the ship.  Cruise lines of course deny all responsibility with the line, "cruise ships don't get sick" and astonishingly, many people eagerly accept the cruise line denial rather than acknowledging that cruise crews and cruise food can be a source of the virus.

[0106]

I did not see a hand washing machine in the Lido on the Rotterdam in February; there was a sink with soap.  I liked using the hand washing machines on the Veendam.  I only use hand sanitizer if no soap and water is available.

Edited April 17, 2023 by 0106

[Florida_gal_50]

4 hours ago, slidergirl said:

I always ask the server to change gloves.  Never know how long they had been using them and what they'd been touching.    I do that with the TSA folks, too.  Never let them touch my stuff with "used" gloves.  

 

The only time I came down with Noro was at the St. Regis Deer Valley.   Working at the Front Desk and such, goodness only knows where I came into contact.  I go home, go to work, repeat, so it had to be at work.  All I got was a day off without pay (no specific sick days, just PTO and I was saving).

I do that while getting food near where I work because they are touching this or that.  This one woman that’s miserable already gets upset with me.  I’ve told her I’ll go elsewhere if you like because I’m eating it, not you.  Never think to do it on a ship but it’s a good idea.

[Guest ldtr]

9 hours ago, cbr663 said:

Interesting that there was norovirus on the ship just prior to its dry dock and it is still there.  You would think the dry dock would have broken the chain, unless of course it is still spreading through crew or through some other means.

 

People are very quick to blame others for poor hygiene, and it certainly can be a source of the spread.  Noro can also be introduced by infected food workers (a very common source) touching and handling food.  Noro can also be introduced to a ship by food contaminated with it like easy greens, fresh fruit and vegetables and shellfish (another common source).  And yes, healthy passengers going ashore can easily pick it up eating contaminated food and then bring it back to a ship.  

 

So yes, passengers can be responsible and so can the ship.  Cruise lines of course deny all responsibility with the line, "cruise ships don't get sick" and astonishingly, many people eagerly accept the cruise line denial rather than acknowledging that cruise crews and cruise food can be a source of the virus.

In North America during the peak noro months from November until May you can expect noro to be on any large ship at any embarkation. During that period about 6% of the US population will get it each year.  The chance of a noticeable outbreak will vary based upon a number of factors including embarkation port  ports of call, cruise length, etc.

 

A ship can be perfectly clean and have another infected person board the next embarkation. While there may certainly be cases among the crew, it is less likely, than new cases coming on board with new passengers. More likely transmission of passengers to crew than crew to passengers.  If a crew member has even the slightest symptoms they are immediately off duty and quarantined. With passengers who knows they may or may not report it. They may or may not stay in their cabin once the worst of the symptoms past.

 

 The VSP program is bery stringent when it comes to food handling. More so than land based health inspections.

Edited April 17, 2023 by ldtr

[Seasick Sailor]

12 hours ago, 0106 said:

I did not see a hand washing machine in the Lido on the Rotterdam in February; there was a sink with soap.  I liked using the hand washing machines on the Veendam.  I only use hand sanitizer if no soap and water is available.

 

We were on Rotterdam for 45 days Dec/Jan and there were sinks on both sides of Lido. Koningsdam had the washers on our Hawaii/Tahiti cruise in Feb/March.  

[VMax1700]

52 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

We were on Rotterdam for 45 days Dec/Jan and there were sinks on both sides of Lido. Koningsdam had the washers on our Hawaii/Tahiti cruise in Feb/March.  

Last September the water supply for those sinks was so hot it was dangerous to use.  Had to ask several times for someone to 'adjust' the flow mix.

[Seasick Sailor]

1 minute ago, VMax1700 said:

Last September the water supply for those sinks was so hot it was dangerous to use.  Had to ask several times for someone to 'adjust' the flow mix.

 

I'm wondering why Rotterdam didn't have the hand washers installed?

[VMax1700]

18 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

I'm wondering why Rotterdam didn't have the hand washers installed?

I really don't like those hand washers....can't see the condition of the inside of the machine and I am loathe to stick my hands where I can't see what is there. 😟

[Seasick Sailor]

20 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

I really don't like those hand washers....can't see the condition of the inside of the machine and I am loathe to stick my hands where I can't see what is there. 😟

 

Colin I agree with you. I like good old soap and water. My point was, Rotterdam is new and have sinks, not the washers. I don't think 12 seconds in the washer does much good. Maybe that's why HAL went back to regular sinks?