Code Red on the Royal

On Royal Princess July 20 British Isles--just left Edinburgh.

The captain made an announcement that we are "implementing enhanced prevention procedures" for Norovirus, due to an increased level of illness on board. Notices also delivered to staterooms.

No silverware on tables in the buffet--they will hand you the roll of napkin and utensils as well as your plate (can't just take a plate yourself anymore). They will serve the food. You can't even take your own sweetner for tea! Bread rolls won't be on the table in MDR--they will be passed by the server.

I'm not sure what the threshold is for implementation of Code Red. Someone said 2%? So with 3600 passengers, that would be 72 people. Wow. That's really gotta be a lousy way to end a great vacation.

I have just wiped down my cabin again with the high powered anti-Noro wipes I brought along. I've already been using my extra strength super duper hand sanitizer, pushing buttons with elbow or knuckle, washing hands constantly, and all the other good preventive measures. Hoping that's enough!

Where do you find anti-Noro wipes?

Thanks!

Where do you find anti-Noro wipes?

Thanks!

I forget--I just Googled it.

This may be the first code red for the Royal!

We were on Royal in March. First week of a 10 day cruise we had precautions.

Cruise line insists you use hand wash in Horizon first, so we did.

Its everywhere. Have a great rest of your cruise. :)

Error

Where do you find anti-Noro wipes?

Thanks!

These are what I used on my June cruise. We did not get sick. Then again, I never wiped down my cabin on prior cruises and didn't get sick either. Reading cc made me a little more paranoid. The hand washing was always part of our hygiene repertoire.

http://www.amazon.com/Clorox-Healthcare-Hydrogen-Peroxide-Disinfectant/dp/B00F45J8TK

Whether this is effective or not, it made me feel better (I am sure some one will be along shortly to tell me the stuff is useless ).

Whether this is effective or not, it made me feel better (I am sure some one will be along shortly to tell me the stuff is useless ��).

Yeah, there is always someone who feels the need to rain on your parade:rolleyes:

Error

 

These are what I used on my June cruise. We did not get sick. Then again, I never wiped down my cabin on prior cruises and didn't get sick either. Reading cc made me a little more paranoid. The hand washing was always part of our hygiene repertoire.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Clorox-Healthcare-Hydrogen-Peroxide-Disinfectant/dp/B00F45J8TK

 

Whether this is effective or not, it made me feel better (I am sure some one will be along shortly to tell me the stuff is useless ��).

Actually these are probably a good idea. Hydrogen peroxide, like chlorine, is a pretty powerful oxidizer. Thanks for the link to the product. :cool:

There is always those slobs that cause all this noro on the ships.

On Royal Princess July 20 British Isles--just left Edinburgh.

 

The captain made an announcement that we are "implementing enhanced prevention procedures" for Norovirus, due to an increased level of illness on board. Notices also delivered to staterooms.

 

No silverware on tables in the buffet--they will hand you the roll of napkin and utensils as well as your plate (can't just take a plate yourself anymore). They will serve the food. You can't even take your own sweetner for tea! Bread rolls won't be on the table in MDR--they will be passed by the server.

 

I'm not sure what the threshold is for implementation of Code Red. Someone said 2%? So with 3600 passengers, that would be 72 people. Wow. That's really gotta be a lousy way to end a great vacation.

 

I have just wiped down my cabin again with the high powered anti-Noro wipes I brought along. I've already been using my extra strength super duper hand sanitizer, pushing buttons with elbow or knuckle, washing hands constantly, and all the other good preventive measures. Hoping that's enough!

Last year on a Princess ship I was talking with the medical officer, he indicated that they went code red any time they had over 10 active cases. A ship might also be code red to start a cruise if the previous cruise had a problem, or if there was some other reason for unusual concern.

Error

 

These are what I used on my June cruise. We did not get sick. Then again, I never wiped down my cabin on prior cruises and didn't get sick either. Reading cc made me a little more paranoid. The hand washing was always part of our hygiene repertoire.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Clorox-Healthcare-Hydrogen-Peroxide-Disinfectant/dp/B00F45J8TK

 

Whether this is effective or not, it made me feel better (I am sure some one will be along shortly to tell me the stuff is useless ��).

We also bought this product last year from Amazon. It works and doesn't have an odor, a biggie for me. It's a large container so I fold 8 per 3 double snack ziplock bags. They keep moist for at least 3 weeks. We also use the Clorox bleach free Hand Sanitizer 2 oz. spray bottles... I bought a set of 3 at Amazon. It's a great size, I always have a bottle in my purse whether I'm traveling or not.

Hope you can avoid getting it, my advice is to wash your hands at every opportunity (passing a powder room, stop and wash hands) and avoid touching things like hand rails, elevators, etc. Also avoid the crowds if possible.:D

Hope you can avoid getting it, my advice is to wash your hands at every opportunity (passing a powder room, stop and wash hands) and avoid touching things like hand rails, elevators, etc. Also avoid the crowds if possible.:D

Actually, using a public restroom is one of the highest points of contact for any disease, but especially noro. Keep you hands off any ship's surfaces (handrails, chairs, elevator buttons) and try to use your own cabin instead of the public restroom.

The virus is highly contagious. Do your part for your own sake and the other passengers by constantly washing your hands.

My sister who is at the moment on the Royal texted me saying that the captain had made an announcement at 7:30 PM...half an hour after departure from Edinburgh...that there was a norovirus outbreak on board and guess who had got it...she has. She was confined to cabin and awaiting medical staff.

On her last cruise...on the Emerald...she had the norovirus then. There was a party of them of well over 20 and the majority of them all came down with it but there was no announcement then from the captain so that leads me to believe that this outbreak must be quite a serious one.

Last time when she had it it took her months to recover from it but as we all tend to think "lightening doesn't strike twice" but unfortunately it does.

Needless to say after two consecutive cruises where she has had norovirus...both on Princess...her cruising days are over with any cruise line.

Just a couple of points I would like to make:

The captain must have been aware of the situation before he set sail from Edinburgh..why didn't he make an earlier announcement so that people had the opportunity of disembarking...especially people from the UK...I know that my sister would have done that and also my brother who is on the same cruise who has a serious illness that has lowered his immune system would also have disembarked to try to avoid it.

Also you can take all sorts of precautions..washing hands...gel etc but it can be on any conceivable surface so what we do is take a pack of fine surgical gloves and if there was to be an outbreak then you have a protective barrier on all occasions..restaurants/theatre/lifts etc. may look a bit silly but I would rather be safe than sorry.

Norovirus is everywhere. According to the CDC there are 20 million cases of norovirus in the United States every year. Noro is the most common cause of the stomach flu. It is common in situations where people live or work in close contact such as nursing homes, schools, college dorms, and such. It can be contacted in hotels, airplanes, restaurants or any other place that an infected person has been. Best preventative is to wash hands with soap and water often, avoid touching your face with your hands when in public places, avoid public restrooms when you can. Cruise ship outbreaks occur because an infected person brings the virus onboard. They may not be aware they are a carrier if they have just come into contact with the virus on the way to the ship; incubation is up to 72 hours. If a person gets the virus at the restroom at the airport, for example, on the day prior to boarding the ship, they may show no symptoms until day two on board.

Also you can take all sorts of precautions..washing hands...gel etc but it can be on any conceivable surface so what we do is take a pack of fine surgical gloves and if there was to be an outbreak then you have a protective barrier on all occasions..restaurants/theatre/lifts etc. may look a bit silly but I would rather be safe than sorry.

You hear about it on ships only because they are required to report it and because you are living in a 'bubble' on the cruise so the cruise lines want to limit any outbreak. When you get norovirus on land you have no idea where the outbreak originated. Would you take the same precautions (a "protective barrier on all occasions") on a plane, going to the mall, staying at a hotel, eating in a restaurant, working in an office, taking public transportation? The only alternative is to go no where, interact with no one. I would rather take my chances.

Only about 1% of the cases of Noro occur on cruise ships. They just get more publicity, and they are a perfect environment for Noro to spread due to the large amount of people sharing the same space. Noro aerosolizes when a person vomits, and those teeny tiny droplets can land on surfaces. It can easily get on someones hands and be spread. This is why you will see crew members constantly cleaning hand rails and bannisters.

During Code Red I use only my stateroom bathroom if I can. Use a kleenex to open doors or on bannister, and toss it promptly. I also will only eat boxed cereal and omelets that I have watched being prepared in the Horizon Court. I prefer to eat in the MDR. When my DH contracted food poisoning that was not Noro per the ships Dr, we were told he was only allowed to eat in the MDR to protect HIM from the germs of other passengers (after he was released from quarantine of course). Dh's was caused by some funky tasting mango juice in Riatea we thing, contracted on shore.

Looking into those Clorox wipes and hand spray listed in posts above. Don't want to waste a day stuck in my cabin.

There are definitely a LOT more than 10 cases onboard. One of our friends heard 150-200, but I can't confirm that number. Washing hands like crazy!

You hear about it on ships only because they are required to report it and because you are living in a 'bubble' on the cruise so the cruise lines want to limit any outbreak. When you get norovirus on land you have no idea where the outbreak originated. Would you take the same precautions (a "protective barrier on all occasions") on a plane, going to the mall, staying at a hotel, eating in a restaurant, working in an office, taking public transportation? The only alternative is to go no where, interact with no one. I would rather take my chances.

In most of the cases that you mention you are at least going to be going home so that if you do contract "a nasty bug" you are in the comfort of your own environment at home. On a cruise ship you are with a lot of people in a relatively confined space for maybe quite a number of days so your chances of becoming ill greatly increase. I know that last time my sister was ill she only wanted to get home and had to come home by private taxi from Southampton up north...about 260 miles It is a very unpleasant experience...in more ways than one... to be so ill on a cruise ship. So for us we would rather take every precaution rather than "take our chances".

Just wonder what the odds are for anyone catching norovirus on two consecutive cruises.

We do not EVER eat in the buffet. We use the bathroom in our cabin. Careful not to touch handrails. In over 30+ cruises norovirus has not attacked. Frequent hand washing of course. What else can you do?

Hi All

Have cruised quite a few times with noro, and so far avoided catching it, have caught other things but they were airborne bugs,

Feel sorry for folks that have taken only a few cruises and catch it more than once,

But chat to crew members with 30 years or 40 years at sea and never got it,

Just because a ship has noro does not mean you will catch it,

Apart from the hand washing, just as important is to avoid putting fingers near mouths, nose etc.

yours Shogun

 

These are what I used on my June cruise. We did not get sick. Then again, I never wiped down my cabin on prior cruises and didn't get sick either. Reading cc made me a little more paranoid. The hand washing was always part of our hygiene repertoire.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Clorox-Healthcare-Hydrogen-Peroxide-Disinfectant/dp/B00F45J8TK

 

Whether this is effective or not, it made me feel better (I am sure some one will be along shortly to tell me the stuff is useless ��).

They should sell this stuff on the ship!

They should sell this stuff on the ship!

I actually asked the Crown's Internet Cafe to get them. Got back a blank stare. If they were offered on ships it just might cut the number of bacterial and viral illnesses onboard.

On the Corox website it says: "Fast kill times on more than 40 microorganisms.

30 seconds to 1 minute contact times on most bacteria and viruses".

I use them religiously when I travel. Of course I also go into "maximum" hygiene mode, doing everything posted on this thread!