Noro Outbreak on Constellation - Current Cruise 1/3-12/12/2024

[phoenix_dream]

1 hour ago, megfla said:

It boggles my mind...how many men I see walking out of the restroom without washing their hands!!  Or the people bypassing wash stations and hand sanitizer upon entering OV!!

I often visit the ladies room immediately before entering the buffet or dining room. Don't use my hands to open the door.  My hands are clean so no need to wash again or use hand sanitizer.  Just saying know the facts before judging. 

[phoenix_dream]

17 hours ago, Lastdance said:

We would eat as soon as it opened, using hand sanitizer immediately before using our utensils.  Actually, we just do this normally now whenever we eat.  People always refuse to wash their hands at the station before entering no matter what is happening.  I actually heard a lady saying that she just washed her hands in her cabin, so no need to do it again before eating...yep, that’s the mentality!

So if she just washed her hands in the cabin and literally did not touch anything before entering the buffet or dining room, exactly why does she need to re-wash her hands?  Geez. I am very careful about cleanliness for the record,  I wash hands, carry and use hand sanitizer, etc., but this judgment is a bit much.

[Adowsett]

18 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

CDC has reported and Outbreak on Celebrity Constellation

 

 

I have heard from some friends on the ship that are on a B2B that they have to pack-up so their CS can be fumigated during B2B.   All B2B must disembark and will be bussed to a Local Mall and not expect to return to the ship until well after noon.    A cc member joining the ship have indicated they received a text saying not to show up at the terminal until after 12:30

 

CDC will be coming aboard and will have to clear ship prior to boarding.  

 

CDC reports outbreaks when 3% or more of passengers or crew report symptoms to the Ship's Medical Staff so would not include those that don't self report. 

 

 

 

Sorry for my being a newbie, what does B2B (Back to Back?), CS and CDC mean? 🙂 

[Northern Aurora]

8 minutes ago, Adowsett said:

Sorry for my being a newbie, what does B2B (Back to Back?), CS and CDC mean? 🙂 

 B2B = back to back

 

CS = Celebrity Suite

 

CDC = Centers for Disease Control

[megfla]

1 hour ago, phoenix_dream said:

I often visit the ladies room immediately before entering the buffet or dining room. Don't use my hands to open the door.  My hands are clean so no need to wash again or use hand sanitizer.  Just saying know the facts before judging. 

No judging needed when one exits a standard stall or walks away from a urinal.....

[Harborgirl246]

19 hours ago, cbfb said:

Right?!!! That and covering their mouths when they cough. Saw so much of that on the Beyond last week. People standing over food and coughing. Not a thought to cover their mouths. Disgusting! 

 

[Mrs_Tiki]

17 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I came done with Noro 20 years ago.   It was the second day (for some reason we had Safety drill Second Morning)  back when you had to put on life jackets.    In the middle of the drill I could tell I was going to be sick and went running.    One agent said you can't leave and I yelled I'm going to be sick.... He said RUN

Oh my gosh, same with our young daughter on a Norwegian cruise in 2002! The crew member assigned to our muster station was one of the dancers, and I so appreciated that he helped her make her way to the nearest restroom, but it was ugly!

 

We did our best to isolate, but still passed the bug around our 6-person traveling party.

Edited January 12 by Mrs_Tiki

[Lastdance]

2 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

So if she just washed her hands in the cabin and literally did not touch anything before entering the buffet or dining room, exactly why does she need to re-wash her hands?  Geez. I am very careful about cleanliness for the record,  I wash hands, carry and use hand sanitizer, etc., but this judgment is a bit much.

I don’t think it is a bit much at all, not to mention that this was not directed at you, but of course for some reason you needed to share your feelings about it…The door to the cabin/suite needs to be open; what about the elevator buttons?  So, if she did not touch anything, as you so proudly point out because of course no one ever touches anything after they wash their hands in their cabins/suites.  Her husband was the one reminding her to wash her hands, so I guess he thought it was important!!!  

Have a nice day!  Just scroll on and don’t take things so personal, especially when it is not directed at you…however, that must be difficult for you, so I do understand your need to criticize!  This isn’t your first time with my comments and I am sure it won’t be the last🤪

Edited January 12 by Lastdance

[hcat]

is there any update about the Noro ?

when is the sailaway?

 we've heard all  the req precautions, but am now interested in the  people on the ship..how many will go home sick?

Edited January 12 by hcat

[miched]

22 hours ago, ScottC4746 said:

 

 

I've seen other sites say to avoid the buffet and after ordering in a restaurant, wash your hands.  I never thought about the last item.  The menu cover may look clean, but as a former waiter, I know they are not sanitized between diners, they only wipe them clean.

 
The other items that get overlooked are the chair rails and salt, and pepper shakers.   People will put their hands under the seat of  chair to move it closer to the table and when leaving.  I doubt they ever get wiped off.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, Adowsett said:

Sorry for my being a newbie, what does B2B (Back to Back?), CS and CDC mean? 🙂 

B2B Back to Back -- two consecutive cruies    ---  CS is a Celebrity Suite  SS Sky Suite RS Royal Suite etc.

[Jim_Iain]

30 minutes ago, hcat said:

is there any update about the Noro ?

when is the sailaway?

 we've heard all  the req precautions, but am now interested in the  people on the ship..how many will go home sick?

 I heard from a couple people on board.   B2B's were back on the ship by 1:30 -  Luminae was extended to 2:30 for lunch.    General boarding also began around 1:30 -  of course starting with Suites then I'm not sure the priority system used.     I was once on a delayed boarding and they handed out numbered stickers like excursions and then called by groups.   Sure someone will let know.    

Constellation was scheduled for a 4PM departure and is 5:30 now and she is still in Tampa.

[Jim_Iain]

Just looked on the Tampa Port live traffic and Constellation is underway and coming out of harbor at around 5:30 Eastern.

[Jim_Iain]

Per USA Today -   The last paragraph puts cruise ship Noro in perspective - It is much more prevalent in nursing homes than cruise ships.

 

Nearly 100 Celebrity Cruises passengers got sick in a norovirus outbreak during a sailing that ended Friday.

Among 2,056 guests on board, 92 reported being ill on the line’s Celebrity Constellation ship, along with eight crew members, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their main symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.

Celebrity increased cleaning and disinfection and isolated those who were sick, among other measures, the CDC said. The cruise line did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.

The ship was on a cruise to New Orleans, Louisiana, Belize and Mexico that departed from Tampa, Florida on Jan. 3, according to CruiseMapper.

The news marks the first outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on cruises that has met the CDC’s threshold for public notification this year. The health agency logged 14 in 2023 – three of which occurred on Celebrity ships – higher than any year between 2017 and 2019. Norovirus was listed as the causative agent in all outbreaks but one last year.

Norovirus is often associated with cruises, but Ben Lopman, a professor of epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, told USA TODAY last year that cruises constitute a "tiny minority of norovirus outbreaks.” Most of them take place in health care settings like nursing homes.

[hcat]

Jim

thanks for the update.. hopefully the Noro can be contained...Wishing All on Board a happy and healthy cruise!

[rerepunim]

Hello-Reading report on Cruise Hive today, it stated no cases of COVID or RSV reported. Well…I was confirmed COVID on Tuesday and know for a fact that at least 8 other people were escorted separately off the ship who had COVID on Friday with me. 

 

[hcat]

Wow.  tis the season.

Even if we are extra vigilant there is always a chance of getting something.

 

Will travel with test kits, sanitizers,  meds etc!

[Pushka]

On 1/12/2024 at 1:50 PM, MJSailors said:

So,let me understand this.

b2b passengers who

have been on a Noro infested ship are going to be bused to a local Mall to return to the ship after noon. I understand that the ship needs to have a deep cleaning/sanitation and passengers must leave the ship,but doesn’t that put those passengers into a general population that could be infected by those who have been exposed to Noro on the ship?
This is how viruses get out of hand.

I would think that there would be a better plan to accommodate the returning passengers while the ship is being cleaned. Perhaps put them in part of the terminal or a lounge on the ship that could be cleaned once passengers were allowed to return to their cabins.

Another thought-

I became ill on a Summit cruise this past June. I thought it was either food poisoning or Noro virus.

After we returned home, I still did not feel well and took a Covid test. It was positive.

Our family Doctor told me that intestinal upset is a symptom of Covid.

Perhaps this doesn’t matter really,because both Noro and Covid are nasty viruses.

MJ

 

It is also why cruises get a rotten reputation amongst the local population. Similar experience just before Christmas in Australia where a ship known to have both a Covid and Noro outbreak - they got all passengers off the ship and into the next port so they could clean the ship. No consideration whatsoever for the locals. 

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, Pushka said:

It is also why cruises get a rotten reputation amongst the local population. Similar experience just before Christmas in Australia where a ship known to have both a Covid and Noro outbreak - they got all passengers off the ship and into the next port so they could clean the ship. No consideration whatsoever for the locals. 

 

Curious as to the reputation of local nursing homes that daily have friends and family leaving nursing homes, hospitals, restaurantsaand schools with Noro and never even notify the local newspapers or health authorities.

I'm not attacking but simply always amazed when people on CC go nuts when there is an outbreak on a ship but ignore that 99% of infections are taking place around us daily.

 

“The CDC estimates only about 1% of annual U.S. norovirus cases happen on cruise ships. Rates are much higher in schools, nursing homes, hospitals, and restaurants, which collectively account for about 91% of cases.”

[Pushka]

20 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Curious as to the reputation of local nursing homes that daily have friends and family leaving nursing homes, hospitals, restaurantsaand schools with Noro and never even notify the local newspapers or health authorities.

I'm not attacking but simply always amazed when people on CC go nuts when there is an outbreak on a ship but ignore that 99% of infections are taking place around us daily.

 

“The CDC estimates only about 1% of annual U.S. norovirus cases happen on cruise ships. Rates are much higher in schools, nursing homes, hospitals, and restaurants, which collectively account for about 91% of cases.”

Not sure about experiences in the USA but if there's a Noro outbreak or Covid or 'flu' in any of our aged care homes, child care centres hospitals etc then they must notify health authorities and likely visitors are either refused entry or are masked and sometimes tested and the facility (child care) might close down for a couple of days. 

My grandson was due to have surgery in December last year. On the day of his arrival he was refused the surgery because they considered he may be infectious from whatever bug was going around at the time. 

 

The issue with cruises is that it involves a mass of people. Nursing homes are a controlled space. Australia was introduced to covid en masse by a cruise ship, (not Celebrity) where 900 cases occurred and 22 deaths, just in Australia alone from this one cruise. We'd had very few cases prior but this changed everything. So cruise ships aren't seen amongst the general population as being a wonderful thing and the authorities screen them. We only stopped testing passengers for Covid a few months ago. 
 

We've been on two cruises post covid. We are fine but we completely understand why in Australia anyway, authorities act as they do. And cruise ships aren't the only ones impacted if there's an outbreak here. We just don't hear about aged care homes etc unless we are personally impacted.

 

So Australia goes nuts in general, for any outbreak and not just to cruise ships.   We have intense biosecurity arrangements at all airports and ports and sniffer dogs meet pretty much every plane and ship. 

Edited January 14 by Pushka

[cbfb]

16 minutes ago, Pushka said:

Not sure about experiences in the USA but if there's a Noro outbreak or Covid or 'flu' in any of our aged care homes, child care centres hospitals etc then they must notify health authorities and likely visitors are either refused entry or are masked and sometimes tested and the facility (child care) might close down for a couple of days. 

My grandson was due to have surgery in December last year. On the day of his arrival he was refused the surgery because they considered he may be infectious from whatever bug was going around at the time. 

 

The issue with cruises is that it involves a mass of people. Nursing homes are a controlled space. Australia was introduced to covid en masse by a cruise ship, (not Celebrity) where 900 cases occurred and 22 deaths, just in Australia alone from this one cruise. We'd had very few cases prior but this changed everything. So cruise ships aren't seen amongst the general population as being a wonderful thing and the authorities screen them. We only stopped testing passengers for Covid a few months ago. 
 

We've been on two cruises post covid. We are fine but we completely understand why in Australia anyway, authorities act as they do. And cruise ships aren't the only ones impacted if there's an outbreak here. We just don't hear about aged care homes etc unless we are personally impacted.

 

So Australia goes nuts in general, for any outbreak and not just to cruise ships.   We have intense biosecurity arrangements at all airports and ports and sniffer dogs meet pretty much every plane and ship. 

It’s the same in the US. I worked for many LTC facilities with many reports to the CDC. 

[Dancing Shoes]

I heard someone say, I would never cruise.  It is a floating Petrie dish.  Last cruise on HAL Rotterdam in Amsterdam we had to wait to embark. They needed to deep clean the ship due to some virus.

[Pushka]

1 hour ago, cbfb said:

It’s the same in the US. I worked for many LTC facilities with many reports to the CDC. 

Thanks for confirming. So it isn't just cruise ships that get attention then. As it should be. 

[the penguins]

3 hours ago, Pushka said:

Thanks for confirming. So it isn't just cruise ships that get attention then. As it should be. 

Let's keep a sense of perspective. Norovirus has to be reported over a set %. Taking into account the total number of cruises there are very few reports hence the attention when there is. Ships crew live in much more cramped conditions than passengers and their meals are self serve buffet meals. The crew has very few cases of Norvo because they follow the health protocols - wash hands often and always before eating, after using toilets and numerous times in between. Crew who ignore these protocols do not have their contracts renewed.

 

[hcat]

All great points,  but for those  about to board for long awaited cruises,  info about shipboard conditions including illness, creaky cabins, food quality, etc is  of great interest. Being forewarned helps one prepare to take extra precautions.

 

  For us,  this type of  info is much more important than what brand of alcohol is in short supply!

 

 

Edited January 14 by hcat