Grand Princess Gastro And Covid Outbreak

[Normanville]

We had to fill out Public Health questionnaires but they looked like they were from the USA, but these may have been handed on to Aus Health authorities.  I can tell you there were a LOT with Noro and a Lot of tables down the corridors [Covid] but I believe Princess did everything possible and anyone who needed medication got it. A lot of the staff got Noro and I did ask how long they got off and  I believe it is 3 days. I hope it is all gone before the NZ cruise.

We are back on in December so have confidence in Princess.

[Jean C]

13 hours ago, JohnGc said:

I don't know if it is true but I did read the following. I wish all ships had a hand washing station on entry to the buffets.

 

Hand sanitizer does not work well against norovirus. You can use hand sanitizers in addition to hand washing, but hand sanitizer is not a substitute for handwashing, which is best.

Exactly! My daughter, a nurse, explained it like this. Soap is slippery, something about soap forming a coating around the bugs, and that when you rinse your hands the bugs slide off and go down the sink. Sanitiser on the other hand will kill the bugs but because you don't rinse your hands, your hands will still have the dead bugs on them - ugh 😧

[Jean C]

On 11/13/2023 at 12:34 PM, mum and son said:

Sometimes when I'm trying to locate my parents on board I'll walk through each side of the buffet several times while doing circles. I don't touch anything on my walk through but I happily sanitise each time because that's the process.

 

Good for you 😊 I don't particularly like sanitiser, but like you, each time I re-enter the buffet selections or drinks station I sanitise. I find it sticky and don't like the build up of it, but I do it all the same as that's the right thing to do 😇

[mum and son]

1 minute ago, Jean C said:

Good for you 😊 I don't particularly like sanitiser, but like you, each time I re-enter the buffet selections or drinks station I sanitise. I find it sticky and don't like the build up of it, but I do it all the same as that's the right thing to do 😇

I don't like it either, actually I'm allergic to the preservative in sanitiser but it needs to build up in my system before I have a reaction. Because I've eliminated contact with the preservative in my basic day to day activities, I can cope with a week or two of sanitisation. I just avoid drinking the stuff! 🤣🥂!

[Jean C]

2 minutes ago, mum and son said:

I can cope with a week or two of sanitisation. I just avoid drinking the stuff! 🤣🥂!

Hahaha, I was a nail biter in a previous life and although I don't bite them now, my fingers still somehow end up in my mouth or rubbing my eyes!!

[Ondine]

4 hours ago, Normanville said:

We had to fill out Public Health questionnaires but they looked like they were from the USA, but these may have been handed on to Aus Health authorities.  I can tell you there were a LOT with Noro and a Lot of tables down the corridors [Covid] but I believe Princess did everything possible and anyone who needed medication got it. A lot of the staff got Noro and I did ask how long they got off and  I believe it is 3 days. I hope it is all gone before the NZ cruise.

We are back on in December so have confidence in Princess.

Sorry you got the bugs Jules.  I got a mild case of Covid (again) but escaped Noro.  Yes after 2000 or more got off in Melbourne I would imagine the numbers would go down.  With the emphasis being put on Noro, Covid took a back seat.  From the sound of coughing I believe every second person had it before the end of the cruise.  I think that the captain was happy to overlook the covid outbreak so as he would not have to report how many got it for pratique coming into Melbourne.  What he does not know he does not have to report.

I noticed many crew leaving and joining at ports as we went along so maybe they could also be bringing new varieties of covid with them.  They were admitting that crew were sick.  I did hear from several people who ended up in the Medical centre that some were very sick with Norovirus and on drips.  On the other hand I think the average age onboard was around 80 and so many were very feeble and in ill health to start.

Cleaning certainly went into overdrive.  I feel for the cabin stewards and the rest of the crew.

Hopefully we will catch up one day.  I did meet Chris Shepherd and his mum from USA.

[Cargill]

We're on Grand Princess (14 nights, Melbourne > New Zealand > Melbourne, 8 Jan) - I trust they have everything ship-shape by then.

 

This is our first cruise since October 2018 (28 nights, LA to Sydney, Golden Princess) - after a decade of fairly intensive cruise travel pre-Covid - so we're hoping for the best with this one.

 

I feel for all the passengers who have been so badly affected in the last two weeks on the Grand.

[aussielozzie18]

Had to share this quote from a fiction book that I was reading earlier this month on the Majestic Princess

 

”Sweetheart, I like to take holidays on cruise ships.  Wait til you’ve been around four hundred people with gastro who are still trying to get free drinks, then talk to me about ridiculous”

[Ozwoody]

12 hours ago, Hogbay said:

It's anticruiseism 🤣 no one reports on people flying jetstar to Bali and return ."Bali Belly " is the reality and is just accepted . I doubt it would be anywere near as low as 3.4% .

According to Southern Cross Travel Insurance it's 24% of their claims.

[Tranquility Base]

9 hours ago, Normanville said:

Just off the Grand in Adelaide and not well. She has now had 4 Deep cleans and hand. washing plus sanitising was mandatory before you received a plate and utensils.

 

So, just to confirm please.

Re the buffet, are there 2 or 3 sinks each side ?
Was there staff stationed there ensuring people used these ?

[Yaya_in_Oz]

There are 3 sinks each side but they may not all be working and people don't like to queue!

 

When staff are stationed there, I've only ever seen one person and while they are asking someone to come back and wash their hands, others could easily slip through. Everyone knows the rules, they don't need reminders. Its amazing how many irresponsible, selfish people eat in the buffet. 🫢

[MicCanberra]

Some people won't be told.

[JohnGc]

11 hours ago, Yaya_in_Oz said:

There are 3 sinks each side but they may not all be working and people don't like to queue!

 

When staff are stationed there, I've only ever seen one person and while they are asking someone to come back and wash their hands, others could easily slip through. Everyone knows the rules, they don't need reminders. Its amazing how many irresponsible, selfish people eat in the buffet. 🫢

Yes that seems to be the case. Very hard to implicate but for the ships with washing stations there should be barriers to make passengers go through the washing stations. No washing of the hands no food !!   

[Normanville]

14 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

So, just to confirm please.

Re the buffet, are there 2 or 3 sinks each side ?
Was there staff stationed there ensuring people used these ?

There is a sink with two taps either end of the buffet both sides, and these were manned. Some staff were more forceful than others. Half way through the cruise we had to do both, wash and sanitize before you got a plate.

.I think most on this cruise were very aware what was going on and complied. The new cruisers who got on in Melbourne for the 4 day cruise were not interested or aware of what they should be doing.

One lady got right in my face in the lift to tell me very forcefully that there was no Covid on this ship because she could tell. When I got home later I tested and was positive. That is one of those "I told you so" moments I have missed!!!  BUT hope I didn't pass it on to anyone.

[Normanville]

18 hours ago, Ondine said:

Sorry you got the bugs Jules.  I got a mild case of Covid (again) but escaped Noro.  Yes after 2000 or more got off in Melbourne I would imagine the numbers would go down.  With the emphasis being put on Noro, Covid took a back seat.  From the sound of coughing I believe every second person had it before the end of the cruise.  I think that the captain was happy to overlook the covid outbreak so as he would not have to report how many got it for pratique coming into Melbourne.  What he does not know he does not have to report.

I noticed many crew leaving and joining at ports as we went along so maybe they could also be bringing new varieties of covid with them.  They were admitting that crew were sick.  I did hear from several people who ended up in the Medical centre that some were very sick with Norovirus and on drips.  On the other hand I think the average age onboard was around 80 and so many were very feeble and in ill health to start.

Cleaning certainly went into overdrive.  I feel for the cabin stewards and the rest of the crew.

Hopefully we will catch up one day.  I did meet Chris Shepherd and his mum from USA.

Thanks Ondine, My case of Covid is very mild, first time too. I do question if a lot of the Noro cases are not Covid related as some strains do cause gastro symptoms, so we may have had one of those strains instead of two different virus.

I didn't do anything about Mahjong as all the tiles were in Botticelli dining room and I didn't want to be in confined spaces, besides we may have made too much noise for the regular players!

[Ondine]

3 hours ago, Normanville said:

There is a sink with two taps either end of the buffet both sides, and these were manned. Some staff were more forceful than others. Half way through the cruise we had to do both, wash and sanitize before you got a plate.

.I think most on this cruise were very aware what was going on and complied. The new cruisers who got on in Melbourne for the 4 day cruise were not interested or aware of what they should be doing.

Going to the buffet from the aft lifts I would wash my hands then walk 4 steps and sanitise them then walk another 15 steps to the food area and sanitise them again and point at the plate and dish to get these and cutlery.  Then walk around the food pointing at what I wanted and hopefully getting what I wanted.  The only thing I was allowed to pick up was the small glasses of juice at breakfast.  Don't ask me why.  Woe betide you if you made a grab for a banana - no the waiter would hand it to you with tongs.  

Once when they ran out of cutlery we had to wait.  While waiting I went and put my food down on a table.  When I returned I had to go through the whole sanitisation process again in order to be given my cutlery.

If you wanted tea or coffee you had to get in line and ask for water, teabag or whatever.  They constantly ran out of certain brands.  On the last morning there was only Earl Grey available.  There were limited staff walking around with jugs.  Only limited stations were open.  The others were roped off.  The amount of sugar or milk was open to interpretation.  If people wanted flasks filling the staff would fill them by using cups.  I usually forgot to ask for a teaspoon grrr.

All cutlery, salt and pepper and sauces etc were removed from the tables half way through the voyage.

It got rather tiring I must say although I appreciate they were doing all they could to limit the spread of Norovirus.  Unfortunately there are no washing stations outside dining rooms only hand sanitiser which was not being enforced by anyone.

[pkwessel]

We jumped on board the Grand on Monday from Adelaide to Melbourne, and from what I witnessd this was a complete media beat up. Why do the media continue to target cruise industry?

 

We had a great little cruise! I

 

Nothing to see here......

[MMDown Under]

I wonder if the Covid on the ship originally came from Qld.  Doctors here said Qld is in the grip of the 8th Covid wave.  Hospitalisations have tripled in last few weeks (a reliable indication) and the peak is yet to be reached.  

Courier Mail 

[MicCanberra]

• I am not sure if it is true or not but I am quite happy to blame Queenslanders for anything and everything. 

[MMDown Under]

8 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

• I am not sure if it is true or not but I am quite happy to blame Queenslanders for anything and everything. 

Be kind.  Queenslanders are lovely people.  I thought the ship started cruising from Queensland.  

[arxcards]

59 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

I wonder if the Covid on the ship originally came from Qld.  Doctors here said Qld is in the grip of the 8th Covid wave.  Hospitalisations have tripled in last few weeks (a reliable indication) and the peak is yet to be reached.  

Courier Mail 

And covid is rising now all the cruise ships are back ... just sayin'.

In a similar vane, I think this was starting to brew as the ship was crossing the Pacific.

[MicCanberra]

59 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Be kind.  Queenslanders are lovely people.  I thought the ship started cruising from Queensland.  

I have heard that but mainly from Queenslanders. Lol.

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

I have heard that but mainly from Queenslanders. Lol.

In Queensland, we acknowledge people we walk past.  Ron Clarke, the runner and past Mayor of the Gold Coast used to doff his hat, In Sydney, when I walked, the people I passed just ignored me. 

[MicCanberra]

11 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

In Queensland, we acknowledge people we walk past.  Ron Clarke, the runner and past Mayor of the Gold Coast used to doff his hat, In Sydney, when I walked, the people I passed just ignored me. 

Yes, they are too busy to care in Sydney

[MMDown Under]

2 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Yes, they are too busy to care in Sydney

I bet they don't lift their finger off the car wheel when passing someone in the bush either!