Anyone on Zaandam Who Can Report How It's Going?

We're getting on Zaandam next Monday and just wondering how the GI illness/Noro is doing? Not too worried, but would like to hear from someone actually on the ship.

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WASH your hands wash your hands and keee p hands away from mouth, eys, nosee and you shoul be fine. Noro is a uiisance virus, VERY common b ut hardly a serious illness.

FLU is far more dangerous and even can be deadly.Not Noro Only folks who have serious undelying oher illness need 'worry' is the advice a number of docs have told me.

Definitely. I've always been healthy so that's why I'm not as worried. And I'm excellent at keeping my hands washed at all times and away from my face. I learned that years ago. [emoji4]

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Cruise ship industry is the only industry required to report outbreaks.

No similar required reporting for day care centers, elderly care facilities, hospitals, college campuses or any other part of the tourism/hospitality industry. Gives lurid and unfair negative image to the cruise industry which accounts for only 1% of all other voluntary reported incidents of noro (aka tourista).

Not fun to have and being quarantined to your cabin when you paid upfront to visit ports is really awful, but then who in the early days of foreign travel outside the US did not also have a few days of "travellers distress" as part of their early travel memories - I can still remember each of mine, all too vividly. It just was not called noro at that time.

Just got off June 18th. I saw no issues on our sailing and service was excellent. However, the ice and water machines in the Lido were frequently being worked on. If I were going onboard on Monday I would not use them.

You will have ice in your stateroom and bottled water. You can pick up more bottled water in Ketchikan if you want. I would eat most meals in the dining room or have something from the servers in the Lido. Don’t grab dishes sitting out on display. Wash your hands in your room or at the hand washing station and use the gel provided at the entry to the dining venues. Do not use the public restrooms. This ship is small enough that you are able to return to your stateroom easily. Use the back of your fingers to touch elevator buttons and don’t touch the stairway handrails directly with your hand. DO NOT SHAKE HANDS....just tell “whoever” that the captain has requested that we do not shake hands.

We had a great time. I know HAL works very hard to have a safe ship. Our Captain Smit left the ship in Seattle and I know the current captain is working with his staff to correct this unfortunate situation.

Our Captain Smit left the ship in Seattle and I know the current captain is working with his staff to correct this unfortunate situation.

Is there more than one Capt. Smit? We had a Capt. Smit the Westerdam that departed Vancouver on 6/10, arriving in Seward on 6/17.

Captain Ane Jan Smit

Cannot say enough wonderful things about this very fine Master/ gentleman

. :)

Is there more than one Capt. Smit? We had a Capt. Smit the Westerdam that departed Vancouver on 6/10' date=' arriving in Seward on 6/17.[/quote']

 

Vincent Smit is on the Westerdam currently per Captain Albert’s blog.

Thank you all for your replies. I'm still hoping to hear from someone currently on Zaandam.

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I'm here now. The announcement today was that they feel their procedures are working and that the virus is winding down. One crew member and 3 passengers currently in quarantine which is down from previous numbers. I am not seeing as many crew members in the halls with face masks on so I do think it is better.

Just be vigilant about your hand washing and try to avoid touching the railings and your face.

Perhaps it was not norovirus. CDC says it is "unknown". Maybe food poisoning or the aforementioned ice machine? Humm?:confused:

I'm here now. The announcement today was that they feel their procedures are working and that the virus is winding down. One crew member and 3 passengers currently in quarantine which is down from previous numbers. I am not seeing as many crew members in the halls with face masks on so I do think it is better.

 

Just be vigilant about your hand washing and try to avoid touching the railings and your face.

I've always been extremely careful with washing hands and not touching things, etc, so it's become habit. That'll make it easier.

Enjoy the remainder of your cruise!

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I'm here now. The announcement today was that they feel their procedures are working and that the virus is winding down. One crew member and 3 passengers currently in quarantine which is down from previous numbers. I am not seeing as many crew members in the halls with face masks on so I do think it is better.

 

Just be vigilant about your hand washing and try to avoid touching the railings and your face.

Appreciate your taking time from your cruise to make this report and keep people updated on the situation.

Just got off June 18th. I saw no issues on our sailing and service was excellent. However, the ice and water machines in the Lido were frequently being worked on. If I were going onboard on Monday I would not use them.

As someone who is a> also boarding Monday and b> drinks a lot of water, I'm just curious: why is it constantly being worked on a bad thing? I assume (maybe unfairly so) that they would be using gloves when working on it, so is it something besides that?

Thanks!

Thank you so much for your reply. I hope it didn't ruin too much of your cruise.

 

I've always been extremely careful with washing hands and not touching things, etc, so it's become habit. That'll make it easier.

 

Enjoy the remainder of your cruise!

 

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I was never sick (knock on wood) so it didn't really impact my cruise. In the dinign room tonight the bread basket, creamer and sugar packets were placed on the table instead of being handed to us as they have since about Day 3 so I think they feel they've got it under control.

My mom (I'm traveling with my parents in a different stateroom) did come down with a bad cold today. She relies on holding the railings and such when using the stairs and she had another "kind" passenger sneeze heavily on her without covering her mouth while standing in the Bingo line a few days ago!:rolleyes: :rolleyes:I'm really working hard not to catch it from her now!

I do notice with the older demographic on the ship that fewer people cough/sneeze into their elbows as they should and instead into their hands which of course spreads far more germs when they go and use the railings and everything. In some ways, I think I'd feel safer with a boatload of elementary school kids who all know to cough into their elbow! ;)

ETA: ice and water machines have been out of commission off and on all during the cruise they were out again all day today on one side. Very annoying!

Good to hear you didn't have problems. I hope your mom gets better soon, and you don't catch it from her. Thank you very much for the update.

Enjoy Hubbard today!! ☺

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As someone who is a> also boarding Monday and b> drinks a lot of water, I'm just curious: why is it constantly being worked on a bad thing? I assume (maybe unfairly so) that they would be using gloves when working on it, so is it something besides that?

 

Thanks!

They didn’t produce water or ice easily. They should have been triggered by just placing a glass under the output source but output was inconsistent and the crew would actually press the wall of the machine behind the glass to get it to work, so that’s what the rest of us learned to do. Also, there are signs not to fill water bottles from these units but there are always people who disregard the rules.

My last cruise(on Carnival) was in Feb at height of flu season. And I always get sick on Carnival, either stomach or cold. Never HAL. They now make Big Wet Ones in packs of 20 or so. Carried pack with me at all times and used them constantly. Even to clean table tops prior to sitting. Cleaned hands constantly of course and always after using elevator, railing, etc. Never got sick so was happy camper. I will always carry these with on cruises from now on. I even cleaned handles and surfaces in stateroom on arrival. Sorry to hear HAL had this outbreak. Usually Princess it seems lately. I do love that HAL serves in buffet. Gave me creeps on Carnival thinking of the hundreds of hands that had touched serving utensils. Ick.

Jane

Encouraging the indiscriminate and often inappropriate use of "wet wipes" is bad for the environment, as well as the ship's plumbing.

From the Daily Mail:

Years into the future, if historians look back at our convenience-obsessed era and pick one single product to sum up all of its follies, they will surely choose the disposable wet wipe.

These moistened towelettes promise so much. They save us the apparent drudgery of having to dampen traditional cloths (that need washing when we’ve finished with them) or having to remove make-up with face wash and a flannel. For parents, they also offer an easy solution to the mess babies make of themselves. But it now seems that our lazy ways have come at great environmental cost. Yesterday, a report by the Marine Conservation Society revealed that wet wipes have become the fastest growing cause of pollution on our beaches. Its volunteers are picking them up from our coastline at a rate of 35 filthy wipes per kilometre.

Meanwhile they are clogging up our sewers, creating floods of noxious waste, and also triggering outbreaks of serious allergies.

Over the past few years, our love affair with wet wipes has grown. If there’s a part of our body or house that might harbour dirt, we’ll happily buy a wipe marketed specifically to sweep it away at the flick of a wrist. Kitchen wipes, toilet wipes, face wipes, hand wipes, keyboard wipes, antibacterial wipes, baby wipes . . .

Different thread, same spiel.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: We get it.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

I'm here now. The announcement today was that they feel their procedures are working and that the virus is winding down. One crew member and 3 passengers currently in quarantine which is down from previous numbers. I am not seeing as many crew members in the halls with face masks on so I do think it is better.

 

Just be vigilant about your hand washing and try to avoid touching the railings and your face.

Good news :)

Thanks

We're getting on Zaandam next Monday and just wondering how the GI illness/Noro is doing? Not too worried, but would like to hear from someone actually on the ship.

 

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I've only sailed on one ship during a noro outbreak. Luckily I did not get it. TIP: Bring lots of Purell and a package of eg. Clorox Wipes. When you get to your cabin wipe down the phone, tv wand, small table, night tables, bathroom fixtures. Better safe than sorry.

I do that every time I sail! [emoji4]

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If you insist on doing your own cabin wipe down, do it responsibly and use a self-made 1:10 clorox solution on a wash cloth and NOT use disposable one-use wipes. Never flush those one-use wipes down the toilet and if you really think you have actually treated contaminated surfaces be sure to identify them as toxic wastes to your cabin steward.

Be sure the wet "sanitation" solution is in contact on the hard surface at least 3 full minutes if you are even remotely thinking you are doing something valuable to "sanitize" your cabin. Do not mess with the electronic controls or bleach any non-hard surfaces with your extra "precaution" swab downs.

An even after you have done all that, be sure to wash your hands for 20 seconds and keep your fingertips our of your nose, eyes and mouth, after touching anything else.

It's like deja vu.:D

I really appreciated hearing from those. Thank you very much, we're looking forward to our cruise ☺

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