Code Red on Noordam -

At our first formal dinner last night we wondered why they served us our bread and butter (no bread baskets and no butter dishes) and there were no salt and pepper shakers (they gave us paper packets). This morning at breakfast at the Lido, no touching of anything. We are being served everything including coffee.

We are told that about 2% are ill by the line servers but nothing official from the ship...

More later.

I hope they get that under control very quickly.

Ditto to what Carol has said. Keep us posted, and try to stay well.

:eek: :( :eek:

This problem could be solved forever.......simply buy thicker toilet paper.....need I say more ????

This problem could be solved forever.......simply buy thicker toilet paper.....need I say more ????

But that would set Cheryl Crow right over the edge.

This problem could be solved forever.......simply buy thicker toilet paper.....need I say more ????

As I posted in another thread to this same comment, the ships cannot use thick, plush toilet paper in their maritime pipes. It will clog the lines and we'll be without toilets.

Doesn't matter how think or thin the paper is on our delicate rear ends.......what does matter is how well, how long and how often we wash our hands. Thicker paper is no protection. WASHING HANDS IN THE ANSWER.

At our first formal dinner last night we wondered why they served us our bread and butter (no bread baskets and no butter dishes) and there were no salt and pepper shakers (they gave us paper packets). This morning at breakfast at the Lido, no touching of anything. We are being served everything including coffee.

 

We are told that about 2% are ill by the line servers but nothing official from the ship...

 

More later.

I had also heard the 2% figure, but when the Captain finally announced it, at 10:30 this morning, he said it was under 1%, which equates to somewhere around 19 people. However, it is a small price to pay for checking this before it becomes epidemic. I had heard about this last night at dinner and wish they had announced it sooner. I saw one passenger actually throw a plate at the server in the Lido line today, when he asked him not to take his own plate and food. A lot of people were confused by the changes because they hadn't heard what was going on.

There have been other reports that the current captain of the Noordam is not into passenger communication as much as the former, Captain John Scott had been. Not being there, I do not know.

In absence of facts, passengers resort to rumors, that spread like wildfire.

One would think, given the prevalence of the virus onboard most ships, that there would be a well thought out protocol for communication instead of leaving it up to the Captain and his personal style.

This problem could be solved forever.......simply buy thicker toilet paper.....need I say more ????

I read a notice posted in the doctor's bathroom the other day. It was for health care workers and explained the steps for proper hand washing. It ended by saying that one should use a tissue to turn off the water faucet. I laughed to myself because it neglected to add that one should use a tissue to open the door which is filled with germs too.

But, then if you want to carry it even further onboard a ship, use your knuckles to operate the elevator buttons and don't hold on to the stair railings. But there is really a limit since the menu, the chairs in the dining room, vista lounge, etc. all have germs too. So, common sense dictates that you wash your hands well and often and do what you can to protect yourselves, use purell, and hope for the best.

There have been other reports that the current captain of the Noordam is not into passenger communication as much as the former, Captain John Scott had been. Not being there, I do not know.

 

In absence of facts, passengers resort to rumors, that spread like wildfire.

 

One would think, given the prevalence of the virus onboard most ships, that there would be a well thought out protocol for communication instead of leaving it up to the Captain and his personal style.

This being my 5th cruise onboard the Noordam, I think it may be more of a "perception" rather than lack of communication. It may well be that everyone was trying to get a solid estimate of the spread of the illness before they gave specifics to the passengers. At this point, I am extremely pleased with the way in which Capt. Mateboer is handling the situation in a proactive manner! If I remember correctly, "code red" is not required by the CDC until quite a bit larger percentage of the ship becomes ill. Bravo for Capt. and crew for all of the extra work this takes to keep the ship well.

I spoke with a fellow passenger in the Neptune Lounge this AM and she said that she fell ill after embarkation on Saturday. This means that she would have probably already had the virus when she boarded in NYC (given the 24 to 48 hour incubation period).

More later should the situation require.

But there is really a limit since the menu, the chairs in the dining room, vista lounge, etc. all have germs too. So, common sense dictates that you wash your hands well and often and do what you can to protect yourselves, use purell, and hope for the best.

Sorry to hear that the Noordam seems to be having the Norvo Problem.

Hopefully it will be controlled very quickly.

We have been fortunate that we were always notified by captains of ships that we have been on when the virus hit. We have always gotten the letters explaining exactly what was happening and what all would be closed until future notice.

But, then if you want to carry it even further onboard a ship, use your knuckles to operate the elevator buttons and don't hold on to the stair railings.

I had also heard the 2% figure, but when the Captain finally announced it, at 10:30 this morning, he said it was under 1%, which equates to somewhere around 19 people. However, it is a small price to pay for checking this before it becomes epidemic. I had heard about this last night at dinner and wish they had announced it sooner. I saw one passenger actually throw a plate at the server in the Lido line today, when he asked him not to take his own plate and food. A lot of people were confused by the changes because they hadn't heard what was going on.

That is very rude for a person to throw a plate at a server no matter what the conditions are. I hope there was a supervisor around.

On our Nov 20th Ryndam cruise -- there was no hand shaking as well by either the captain and other officers.

This problem could be solved forever.......simply buy thicker toilet paper.....need I say more ????

Do you own a TP company or something?!?

Not every question can be answered/solved with thicker toilet paper...

That is very rude for a person to throw a plate at a server no matter what the conditions are. I hope there was a supervisor around.

Why would someone try to potentially hurt someone who is trying to help them? It's more than rude it's assault if you ask me and the staff shouldn't have to be subjected to that type of behavior!!

......I spoke with a fellow passenger in the Neptune Lounge this AM and she said that she fell ill after embarkation on Saturday. This means that she would have probably already had the virus when she boarded in NYC (given the 24 to 48 hour incubation period)......

Sooooooo, you spoke with patient zero....très intéressant! I heard from someone else in a DVS on your deck who is down with the NV but didn't get it until yesterday. She spent a lot of time Saturday and Sunday in the Neptune Lounge. Well, I guess that is one of the risks of going to sea.

I may have contracted it once on the Constellation, but it was probably just food poisoning. It only lasted 18 hours and I was fine by morning. Nobody else around me got it and I should have never eaten anything called "seafood surprise" on the Lido Buffet. :p

Patrick

...........I saw one passenger actually throw a plate at the server in the Lido line today, when he asked him not to take his own plate and food.........

Not good thoughts, I know and I am sorry beforehand, but sometimes I wish people like that would get a chance to experience the symptoms of Noro personally and soon after ugly displays like that! There's nothing like laying on the floor of your stateroom's bathroom for 24 hours, praying and making involuntary contributions to the porcelain throne, in order to find out why those precautions are taken

This being my 5th cruise onboard the Noordam, I think it may be more of a "perception" rather than lack of communication.

 

I spoke with a fellow passenger in the Neptune Lounge this AM and she said that she fell ill after embarkation on Saturday. This means that she would have probably already had the virus when she boarded in NYC (given the 24 to 48 hour incubation period).

 

More later should the situation require.

Thank you for taking the time to advise us. As a veteran of more than 50 cruises I do not get overly concerned about the norovirus. It is, as I am sure you are aware, far more prevalent on land than on ships. The media just enjoys over playing it when ever it occurs shipboard and ships reporting requirements makes an outbreak much easier for them to be alerted too. Still it is normal caution to just be aware of such things. We are on the 1-16 sailing after yours.

I envy you the Neptune Lounge if it is as good as the conceirge lounge on RCL ships. Although we do sail often this will be our first HAL cruise and booked an SY Suite therefore do not have access.

I hope to hear more of the situation in a future update from you. In the meantime I hope you have a great cruise despite this hopefully small ripple.

George in NY

Thank you for taking the time to advise us. As a veteran of more than 50 cruises I do not get overly concerned about the norovirus. It is, as I am sure you are aware, far more prevalent on land than on ships. The media just enjoys over playing it when ever it occurs shipboard and ships reporting requirements makes an outbreak much easier for them to be alerted too. Still it is normal caution to just be aware of such things. We are on the 1-16 sailing after yours.

The media doesn't overplay it -- but passengers make sure that it gets plenty of notice on Internet message boards! :D

I read a report the other day that the virus can live for several DAYS on a surface.

I believe the information was in an article about an outbreak at a school.

There are many, many surfaces that you touch on a ship. I was on one cruise under Code Red and was among the fortunate who did not catch it. But I became acutely aware of how many surfaces I touched -- including slot machines!

You couldn't help not touching the hand railings on the Holidays Noordam cruise because the seas were so rough. You had to touch most surfaces just to stand upright sometimes. Who'd have thought the sea could be so bad in the Bermuda Triangle??

It made me more aware of washing my hands thoroughly at every opportunity.

On a Purell note....has anyone else noticed a difference between the purell on board the Noordam and the Purell you buy in smaller bottles?

I saw one passenger actually throw a plate at the server in the Lido line today, when he asked him not to take his own plate and food. A lot of people were confused by the changes because they hadn't heard what was going on.

When we were under code red in 2005, an elderly woman going into the gift shop was asked by the employee at the entrance to please use the Purell before entering (EVERYONE was required to do so). She started arguing that she'd washed her hands recently and the employee pointed out that she could have touched other surfaces since then--the woman told her what to do with the bottle of Purell, which I can't repeat here--her husband appeared to be mortified.....so much fuss when they're just trying to keep us all well....

Not good thoughts, I know and I am sorry beforehand, but sometimes I wish people like that would get a chance to experience the symptoms of Noro personally and soon after ugly displays like that! There's nothing like laying on the floor of your stateroom's bathroom for 24 hours, praying and making involuntary contributions to the porcelain throne, in order to find out why those precautions are taken

How romantic.