Norovirus outbreak on the Crown

Passengers onboard the cruise ship Crown Princess which left Quebec City, on October 25, have been hit with an aggressive outbreak of gastro virus. Ship authorities have reported to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 97 people being ill on the current voyage (94 passengers and 3 crew members), with predominant symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.

In response to the outbreak, Princess Cruises and the crew onboard Crown Princess reported the following actions:

• Increasing cleaning and disinfection procedures according to their outbreak prevention and response plan,
  
• Collecting stool specimens from passenger and crew gastrointestinal illness cases for testing, and
  
• Making twice daily reports of gastrointestinal illness cases to VSP.
  

The crew is doing their best to try to contain the spread of the virus following the Vessel Sanitation Program. Affected passengers are being treated on board by the ship’s doctors and with over-the-counter medication. Health experts recommend simple hand hygiene is the best defense against Norovirus, avoid handshakes, and touching railings in the public areas.

Crown Princess departed Quebec on October 25, for a 14 Nights Canada and US voyage. The vessel is expected to arrive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on November 8, starting its Caribbean season.

Sorry to hear this but it happens.

Also sorry to hear about this but unfortunately it happens from time to time.

Keith

All of us that have been on many voyages have seen outbreaks of this virus and it is usually caused by not only bad hygiene but no hygiene. For those not affected, their cruise experience does get compromised with less freedom in the dining areas and a higher level of attention to where hands are placed as well.

I'm sure there will be a further delay in embarkation with the next voyage if it does occur in Port Everglades. You'll have the customs, Coast Guard issues along with a scrub down of the ship before passengers come aboard.

We feel sorry for those that caught the virus and hope they recover soon and that those not affected stay that way.

should be nice and clean/sanitized for our 11/13 cruise

Hope the number of affected does not increase any further.

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Hope the number of affected does not increase any further.

 

 

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It has increased. Check the link. It looks like the same cruise.

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2017/Crown_Princess_10-25.html

Ohhh NO!!!

I hate to hear this. It must be just awful for anyone affected.

We hate to travel this time of year because of the possible illnesses. But, we are planning a December cruise... : o

On another note... Might have something to with the current 'butter' thread.

(which, by the way, has really gone WAY overboard!)

It has increased. Check the link. It looks like the same cruise.

 

 

 

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2017/Crown_Princess_10-25.html

Oh, I feel sorry for them.

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A CDC VSP epidemiologist and environmental health officer will board the ship in Norfolk, Virginia, on November 5 to conduct an epidemiological and environmental health investigation.

If I'm not mistaken , the Crown experiences more Noro reports here on CC than any other cruise ship , any cruise line .

We experienced our 1 and only Noro on the Crown a few years ago and are booked on her for Feb 2018 [emoji45].

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Anyone know where to buy sanitizer that kills norovirus that is in a store and not the web?

When DH got it on the Diamond several years ago there were so many people that were ill that they had special buses for them and their families to take them to the airport.

Everyone that was or had gotten sick said they had eaten in the Horizon Court. Even with staff stationed at the entrance telling people to use the hand sanitize many people refused.

Not fun to be confined to your room on a diet of boiled potatoes for 75% of your cruise.:(

Anyone know where to buy sanitizer that kills norovirus that is in a store and not the web?

Go to Amazon and buy Germstar Noro or the Clorox Noro and get next day shipping if you want it quick. They come in little 3 oz sprays and will last quite awhile. I personally buy the Germstar but they both claim to be effective and get good reviews on here and elsewhere.

Anyone know where to buy sanitizer that kills norovirus that is in a store and not the web?

https://www.amazon.com/Saalfeld-30825-Disinfectant-Norovirus-Rotavirus/dp/B01M24FNAI/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1509756831&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=noro+virus+wipes

This is what I buy. I use these on planes too. For cruises, I put a bunch of them in Ziploc baggies and start cleaning at the door handle and all the way through the cabin. Then I do it all again half-way through the cruise just in case we have dragged something back to the cabin or our cabin steward has spread something from another cabin. (They put their hands on door handles and the interior of your cabin twice a day - it's a good way to spread *stuff*.)

https://www.amazon.com/Saalfeld-30825-Disinfectant-Norovirus-Rotavirus/dp/B01M24FNAI/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1509756831&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=noro+virus+wipes

 

This is what I buy. I use these on planes too. For cruises, I put a bunch of them in Ziploc baggies and start cleaning at the door handle and all the way through the cabin. Then I do it all again half-way through the cruise just in case we have dragged something back to the cabin or our cabin steward has spread something from another cabin. (They put their hands on door handles and the interior of your cabin twice a day - it's a good way to spread *stuff*.)

Don't forget the tv remote. Out of everything in a room it is the most infectious. Studies have shown even the toilet is cleaner.

On our few HAL cruises we noticed that they do not allow anyone to serve themselves the first few days. After we got over being annoyed the first day we thought it was a fabulous idea. If someone had brought it on with them they weren't spreading it by touching all the serving utensils. I for one wish Princess would adopt this custom.

should be nice and clean/sanitized for our 11/13 cruise

(y)(y) LIKE (y)(y)

When we were on Crown earlier this year we reported here on CC various problems with hygiene and that the crew didn't seem to care - and most people on here pooh-poohed it, but again the Crown has proved its the Noro Princess.

A ship best avoided IMHO. We will certainly never sail on her again. We cruised on Celebrity Summit this fall to Quebec, and are so glad we did not book Crown on the similar itinerary, even though Celebrity cost us way more.

When DH got it on the Diamond several years ago there were so many people that were ill that they had special buses for them and their families to take them to the airport.

 

Everyone that was or had gotten sick said they had eaten in the Horizon Court. Even with staff stationed at the entrance telling people to use the hand sanitize many people refused.

 

Not fun to be confined to your room on a diet of boiled potatoes for 75% of your cruise.:(

if you get one crew member in the galley making salads or similar - and he/she contracts GI - then its going to spread amongst passengers no mater how much they use Clorox.

But I use Clorox wipes all the time on a ship amongst other precautions and have been lucky not to get GI trouble. Maybe the fact I don't eat salads helps as well?

It has increased. Check the link. It looks like the same cruise.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2017/Crown_Princess_10-25.html

That’s to bad!! I feel bad for all the people that got sick.

Tony

We use Zylast. https://www.zylast.com/

"Zylast was shown to kill more than 99.99% of 25 different, FDA-specified germs within 15 seconds. This testing was the first time a non-alcohol product, the Zylast Antiseptic Lotion, was demonstrated to kill germs faster than many alcohol sanitizers on the market today.

Alcohol sanitizers are useless as soon as they evaporate, after about 15 seconds. All Zylast products are persistent.

The FDA says: "Persistence, defined as prolonged activity, is a valuable attribute that assures antimicrobial activity during the interval between washings, and is important to a safe and effective healthcare personnel handwash." However, standard alcohol sanitizers have no persistence. Zylast has been tested for persistent effect, demonstrating more than a 99.9% kill level 6 hours after application in independent testing."

We have been on the Ruby and Caribbean during a Noro outbreak. Noro happens when a large number of people are confined to a small space. Several years ago we had a Noro outbreak in a college dorm in our city. In short it happens so always be on the outlook for it. After going through the food lines in the HC, do not put your fingers in your mouth or eat with your fingers until you have sanitized them.

We have been on the Ruby and Caribbean during a Noro outbreak. Noro happens when a large number of people are confined to a small space. Several years ago we had a Noro outbreak in a college dorm in our city. In short it happens so always be on the outlook for it. After going through the food lines in the HC, do not put your fingers in your mouth or eat with your fingers until you have sanitized them.

There is so much more to it than that, but the subject has been beaten to death previously on CC multiple times so I won't repeat it all.

All I will say is that Crown Princess has the worst record of any cruise ship. Look on CDC - but remember these are only the reported incidents which fall within their jurisdiction, there must have been many more.

I would say 4.3% infected is a sign that they can identify and control outbreaks pretty well. Bottom line is that you need to take precautions on any ship during any cruise to limit your risk. Whenever you put thousands of people in a confined space for multiple days, you risk such issues. Just be smart!!