Outbreak Of Norovirus On Connie!

[kyrisong1]

I know no one wants to get sick while on vacation, but how come no one gets into a tizzy when there's a norovirus outbreak at the office or at school (where, by the way, no one bothers to bleach or sanitize, or get the CDC involved)?

I am a nurse in a hospital and I actually am recovering from the Norovirus, a HUGE outbreak in our hospital and the CDC as well as our best infectious disease doctor IS involved. The Norovirus lasts 24 to 48 hours and it IS miserable but I would still sail when there is an outbreak on a ship, handwashing, sanitizer wipes, ect will keep you from getting it IF you are aware it's there. Thank the cruiselines for giving people the heads up and trying to control it the best they can!!!

[LX 470]

They were not helped by passengers who did not report sick and refused to be quarantined. Some people have absolutely no consideration for their fellow passengers and the crew.

 

Just out of curiosity what sort of compensation is Celebrity offering if you accept being locked in your cabin for 48 hours or more? And what if it was just a simple case of the runs - why admit to that and then be confined to your cubicle. Outlaw the cloth hankerchiefs that some people carry around in their purses and pockets if you want to talk about consideration. That has got to be about the most disgusting practice I have ever seen.

 

I have heard on these boards that Celebrity is not willing to provide any sort of compensation for interment and as such I see no reason why I should be missing ports even if I have to look for a johnny every 10 minutes.

 

On a personal note I hear about the noro virus a heck of alot more these days on Celebrity than any other cruise line which leads me to believe that Celebrity is at least somewhat responsible for the un-sanitary conditions in the first place.

[Tinwoman]

Just out of curiosity what sort of compensation is Celebrity offering if you accept being locked in your cabin for 48 hours or more? And what if it was just a simple case of the runs - why admit to that and then be confined to your cubicle. Outlaw the cloth hankerchiefs that some people carry around in their purses and pockets if you want to talk about consideration. That has got to be about the most disgusting practice I have ever seen.

 

I have heard on these boards that Celebrity is not willing to provide any sort of compensation for interment and as such I see no reason why I should be missing ports even if I have to look for a johnny every 10 minutes.

 

On a personal note I hear about the noro virus a heck of alot more these days on Celebrity than any other cruise line which leads me to believe that Celebrity is at least somewhat responsible for the un-sanitary conditions in the first place.

 

Your post about the Noro virus being more common on the Celebrity lines made me curious and I decided to run a search on this board that included all cruise lines. I found that the virus is extremely common on ALL cruise lines and could not find were any cruise line compensated the passangers.

I wish they would compensate the passangers too.

[Wineguys]

I am a nurse in a hospital and I actually am recovering from the Norovirus, a HUGE outbreak in our hospital and the CDC as well as our best infectious disease doctor IS involved. The Norovirus lasts 24 to 48 hours and it IS miserable but I would still sail when there is an outbreak on a ship, handwashing, sanitizer wipes, ect will keep you from getting it IF you are aware it's there. Thank the cruiselines for giving people the heads up and trying to control it the best they can!!!

 

Once you get the Noro, are you then immune? If so, for how long? What I'm saying is, let's say I get it and am confined for 48 hours...and happily so I guess....after that, I know I would be a carrier, but am I "symptom free" and immune to recatching it the rest of my cruise?

[LX 470]

I found that the virus is extremely common on ALL cruise lines

 

Check this out:

 

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/outbreaks2006.html

 

It is not all cruise lines. Celebrity, Princess and Hal seem to have their names mentioned more than most while others don't appear at all.

[Tinwoman]

Check this out:

 

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/outbreaks2006.html

 

It is not all cruise lines. Celebrity, Princess and Hal seem to have their names mentioned more than most while others don't appear at all.

 

Facts point to all lines across the board having the same problem. Not all are honest about reporting it. :(

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=4030333

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=4030336

[deniseI]

Just back from the Connie cruise out of NJ and was one of those that came down sick. And I will say...it just happens. It happens on cruise ships, in schools, in towns....it's not a huge cruise ship industry conspiracy!

 

The staff on the ship were great! From the medical staff to the room stewards and dining room attendants. They all did everything they could to make those sick comfortable and tried to do everything they could to prevent more from being sick.

 

If you go to the CDC's home page you can find a list of all cruise ship outbreaks and the numbers of passenger's sick and crew sick and whether the norovirus was the confirmed culprit.

 

They don't yet have our cruise listed but they do have the previous cruise to Canada listed with 65 passengers and 1 crew member ill. I'm sure our statistics will show up soon.

 

At any rate....the few days ill and confined did not ruin the entire cruise experience for me. Being sick with room service and someone to give you fresh linens every day beats the heck out of being sick at home and having to do it youself!

 

Happy sailing!

 

Denise

[celly]

Check the Carnival Board.

At this moment there seems to be a major outbreak on the Liberty transatlantic crossing! I have some friends on board, hope they do not get the virus.

In april we were on the HAL Rotterdam from Rio to Lisbon. Upon check-in we were given a statement that there had been an outbreak of GIS on the former sailing and they were taken all measures to sanitize the ship. If you choose to cancel they would give their co-operation. Of course we did not cancel having travelled all the way to Rio de Janeiro! We did not get sick but the cruise was not as enjoyable as our cruise on this same ship a few months earlier when there was no outbreak.

There were hand sanitizers all over the ship, no self serve at the buffet, not even for beverages at the station etc, jacuzzi's closed, library etc. and no hand shaking. Once I woke up in the middle of the night because of the noice, on opening the door I saw a man with a gas mask spraying the corridors. They repeated this all through the cruise and at the end they could reopen all that had been closed down. They did a good job.

Just wash your hands with enough warm or hot water and soap as often as possible, use all handsanitizers, do not touch door handles etc and do not bring your hand to your mouth. There are enough precautions to be taken to reduce the risk.

[mmp13]

I agree about the reporting. Not everyone does, so statistics are definitly skewed. It's interesting to me, to note, that 30 years ago I cruised quite frequently and every cruise I was on, without exception, there was an Outbreak of what was referred to then as "Montezuma's revenge" (at that time very few cruises stopped in mexico:) . The comedians almost always did a bit about it and people grumbled. today science has become more advanced and we are now able to identify specific viruses and institute measures to control them. I honestly doubt, that any cruise ship could possibly be virus free. Vacation lifestyle often leaves us more susceptible to illness( staying up late, changing enviorments, changing dietary habits etc all contribute to weakening our immune systems) On the Connie last week I really felt they did everything in there power to control the outbreak.

 

A complicating factor with cruise ships is that if it is a particularly rough sailing ( the Oct 27th constellations trip was)many people may have mistaken the virus for seasickness at first and vice versa. Nausea can be an initial symptom of both. We have had several outbreaks in our facility over the years and I can tell you it is very difficult to break the cycle. I suppose short of isolating ourselves in our homes we will become sick once in a while. it just seems sooo much worse when one is on vacation.

[Tinwoman]

I agree about the reporting. Not everyone does, so statistics are definitly skewed. It's interesting to me, to note, that 30 years ago I cruised quite frequently and every cruise I was on, without exception, there was an Outbreak of what was referred to then as "Montezuma's revenge" (at that time very few cruises stopped in mexico:) . The comedians almost always did a bit about it and people grumbled. today science has become more advanced and we are now able to identify specific viruses and institute measures to control them. I honestly doubt, that any cruise ship could possibly be virus free. Vacation lifestyle often leaves us more susceptible to illness( staying up late, changing enviorments, changing dietary habits etc all contribute to weakening our immune systems) On the Connie last week I really felt they did everything in there power to control the outbreak.

 

A complicating factor with cruise ships is that if it is a particularly rough sailing ( the Oct 27th constellations trip was)many people may have mistaken the virus for seasickness at first and vice versa. Nausea can be an initial symptom of both. We have had several outbreaks in our facility over the years and I can tell you it is very difficult to break the cycle. I suppose short of isolating ourselves in our homes we will become sick once in a while. it just seems sooo much worse when one is on vacation.

 

Totally agree with you on this. Also I am sure people become exposed while in various ports and carry virus' back to the ship. I look at it as building my immune system.:p

[kyrisong1]

I am not allowed back at work till I'm symptom free for 48 hours. I don't see why a cruiselines would have to compensate people for getting Norovirus, they didn't cause it. One of your fellow passengers more than likely brought it on, there are people that can carry that can be symptom free or have very mild symptoms.

[TWOFERTWO]

Error! Lol

[TWOFERTWO]

I had it the last three days on the Summit, in April, coming back from Hawaii.

 

I would not wish it on anyone! It can be mild or it can be VERY BAD!

 

It is more than just finding a "john".:mad:

 

You can get it from contaminated food, too.:mad:

 

Read the CDC web site.......this stuff IS NOT GOING AWAY!

 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/norovirus-qa.htm

[EGG]

I was also on the Oct. 16th sailing of the Connie. Our waiter informed us of the virus late in the cruise. He told us there would be no self service at the buffet.

 

We did not catch the virus, but like Seabiscuit I caught an upper respiratory infection (we call it a not so fancy cold here in NJ).

 

The sneezing and coughing seemed very prevelant on the ship, especially in the cinema. (So I paid for those 3 movies I watched). We've been home for 12 days now and my husband never caught the cold.

 

Fortunately, if I had to get a cold, it was convenient that it started my last night on the ship. Unfortunately, I sneezed and threw my back out. So I spent a miserable 4 days not being able to move or breathe. I guess I should ask Celebrity to reimburse me for pain and suffering. JUST KIDDING.

 

Thinking back, 2 years ago I got off a cruise ship and the cold started on the plane on the way home. And it was the Constellation to the Baltic. I guess I'm allergic to that ship.

 

It was a great cruise and I would recommend it to anyone.

[gracecarmo]

I was on the Connie Transatlantic, right before your cruises...I must say that a few from our CC roll call did have a bout with respritory ailments. I did not notice any of the norwalk virus being evident. However, there were many stations of the liquid hand sanitizer around, which we used frequently.

Some also came down with a cold/cough after the cruise.

This is the first cruise I have been on that I did not get any type of cough/cold ailment. One thing that we did was to take "airborne" daily, and we did not go to the theatre.(have seen all the ahows, etc.).

You may call me a "cleaning nut", but the first day we did wipe all surfaces in our cabin with a spray disinfectant.

[m steve]

Since you are stopped for booze checks, photos, passports and docs before you board the ship why not have a Doc there to exam passengers and quarantine any that show signs of the virus. Think of all the money the line could save by not having to put sanitisers around the ship. And if you have to go to the ships' hospital they can charge you for the doctor visits, etc.:)

[osiebosie]

I don't think any cruise line will reimburse those who get sick. That's asking alot, although it would be nice.

 

I am wondering, still, if the cruises that are more senior oriented are the ones that are getting the norovirus most. In an earlier post, the cruise lines listed as having the most sicknesses were HAL, X, and I can't remember the other one, but it was not Carnival. (Even though Carnival, during the spring and fall, turns into mostly seniors on their cruise ships, as I was on one during the fall to Hawaii.)

 

I keep going this direction, I suppose, because I work so much with seniors, and my parents are in their 70's and are so concerned with the flu and bugs. It would seem to me that seniors and babies would be more susceptible to this norovirus. I am glad my daughter, who is pregnant, didn't catch it while on the Connie.

 

Shay

[misterbuds]

We also just got off the Connie on Tuesday too. Fortunately we didn't get sick. We had heard rumors that anywhere between 30-200, but then again, you know how rumors can run. It was about 3-4 days into the cruise, when they really started to remove things from the table like no bread baskets, no salt and pepper shakers, no creamer. Everything was served to you. No raw sushi (disappointing for us since we love it). Forget about getting your own drink at the buffet, and then the bleach came out. I think at the end of the cruise, I was more afraid of the bleach than actually getting sick. The bleach film was everywhere and I have to say the ship looked gross because of it. You had to watch where you put your hands or if your clothes bumped into it, you risked ruining them. I heard one gentleman said he ruined two suits. However, I do understand that they had to do it, but I kind of wished they would have at least tried to make her sparkle.

 

I did go to the spa one day and asked my therapist about it. She told me that it was on the last cruise and they were code yellow. She said we were code red. Did anyone else hear about this from any of the other crew? The crew was also told not to shake hands with any of the guests.

 

I have to say, no one at our table got sick and I actually did not meet anyone that was sick. We took our precautions, washing our hands, using the sanitizer, using our cards to push the elevator buttons. In Jamaica, CDC came on board and they send questionaires to everyone to fill out basically trying to pin point what caused it. They questionaire stated they would post a report on the cdc web site. I wrote the link down but I packed it somewhere and haven't found it yet. I'm not sure if this is the same link, but this link below takes you to the CDC web site where they post all the reported diseases on ships. The last sailing of the connie is already on there. Our sailing hasn't been posted yet.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/GIlist.htm

 

I have to say, this was our first sailing on the Constellation and despite the problem with the virus and the bleaching, we thouroughly enjoyed our cruise and she is a great ship. I would definitely sail on her again. We had a great time, loved our table mates, dining room staff and room attendants. We wouldn't let this stop us from taking another cruise by no means. I know some people felt the service was lacking from the normal celebrity service, but I do know the crew was working very very hard around the clock trying to clean and disinfect the ship. Everyone was cleaning the ship. I can only imagine how tired they must have been, but still kept going with smiles. We just hope people didn't penalize the staff who took care of them during the cruise because of this outbreak. I know we took care of the people who served us, because they truely deserved it for a job well done.

[Bisous3]

I would bet that the people at check in are on the look out for ill looking passengers. (pale, sweaty,out-of-it)

[misterbuds]

I would bet that the people at check in are on the look out for ill looking passengers. (pale, sweaty,out-of-it)

 

Actually, when we checked in there was a big sign at the check in counter asking if you had any symptons of gastrointestinal illness and then they asked you personally if you were feeling well or sick. At the time, I thought it was odd since I've never seen that done before. I just thought they were taking precautions since it is the start of flu season. After the cruise, I now know the reason, since the last cruise was sick too.

[m steve]

when I was entering Hong Kong a few years ago we had to pass thru a fever detector to check if anyone was contagious. I don't know how it worked but perhaps they can use something like this at the ports.

[Janiefrmde]

Here is the report from the CDC

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2006/nov7constellation.htm

[Psoque]

I see that people are very concerned about getting sick during their vacations. Personally, I also worry about it. Actually, I'm more concerned about respiratory illnesses, such as influenza. I often get sick after taking a long flight. I get the flu shot every year, since it is one of the few vaccines that are available for commonly found, highly contagious virus.

 

I know some of you are highly suspicious of the efficacy and side effects of the vaccine. It's up to you to decide what you want to believe. However, I personally recommend people to get a flu shot, early in the season (ideally before Oct. 1), and practice good hand washing.

 

And if you are wondering...yes, I am a physician.

[Bisous3]

I was hoping for an update of this weeks status of the norovirus. I wonder if anyone has any news?

[wa.mama]

Hi Bisous,

 

No new news?

As we were checking into our cruise in Alaska, I overheard the concierge having a heated conversation with one of the cruisetour bus drivers. It seemed that a few of their passengers had been recently ill. The concierge refused to let the passengers off the bus until they could be examined by the ship's physician. She was adamant about it, and apparently the staff at embarkation are quite alert when it comes to spotting people with symptoms. I worry more about the eradication of the existing virus on the ship, as the carriers are obviously the staff since the illness has continued on from cruise to cruise.