Dawn repo & Noro virus...

We returned this week from the November 1st repo on the Dawn. We spent 14 days on board and have a story to tell:

On the Dawn sailing in 2006, I caught the Noro virus on a 10 day cruise of the Western Carribean and because we were in a AB penthouse, thought I would be able to tough it out in the large bedroom without subjecting the family to quarantine. It was really "toughing" it out in a big way. I was sick to my stomach with fever and chills and shook for the first day and bedridden or bath ridden for 3 more. Not very nice.

This last sailing we, all three of us got the Noro, called medical and found how WRONG I was about "toughing" it out. The nurse came to our room at 1 AM and administered shots to us that stopped the vomitting, cramping and chills. She brought bottled water, ginger ale and gadorade for all of us. She also brought imodium, tylenol and anti cramping meds that made it much more comfortable as well as shortened the duration of the sickness. We were all three quarantined until 24 hours after the symptom disappeared, but we were made comfortable, visited by the nurse daily and were able to order anything we wanted from room service. The care was awesome and we were thankful for the balcony when we started to feel better. I would never again try to do it myself not just for our comfort but I realized how much this needs to be confined to prevent spreading. We greatly appreciate the care and attention we got on board. Total quarantine time: 2 1/2 days.

We returned this week from the November 1st repo on the Dawn. We spent 14 days on board and have a story to tell:

On the Dawn sailing in 2006, I caught the Noro virus on a 10 day cruise of the Western Carribean and because we were in a AB penthouse, thought I would be able to tough it out in the large bedroom without subjecting the family to quarantine. It was really "toughing" it out in a big way. I was sick to my stomach with fever and chills and shook for the first day and bedridden or bath ridden for 3 more. Not very nice.

This last sailing we, all three of us got the Noro, called medical and found how WRONG I was about "toughing" it out. The nurse came to our room at 1 AM and administered shots to us that stopped the vomitting, cramping and chills. She brought bottled water, ginger ale and gadorade for all of us. She also brought imodium, tylenol and anti cramping meds that made it much more comfortable as well as shortened the duration of the sickness. We were all three quarantined until 24 hours after the symptom disappeared, but we were made comfortable, visited by the nurse daily and were able to order anything we wanted from room service. The care was awesome and we were thankful for the balcony when we started to feel better. I would never again try to do it myself not just for our comfort but I realized how much this needs to be confined to prevent spreading. We greatly appreciate the care and attention we got on board. Total quarantine time: 2 1/2 days.

Wow, sorry to hear you were ill. It sounds like they really took care of you! I guess for your own compfort plus the fact that they don't want you out and about to spread it. May I ask if they charged you for the medical attention? Glad you are better.:)

There was no charge on our bill for medical. If there was, it would have been covered by our insurance package, that we took when we booked. Also it would have been worth it for the amount of comfort it brought. That shot knocked us out for hours of comfortable sleep which I believe helped us heal faster.

Eileen, were others sick on board? I believe this is the first report of illness here on CC, although I could have missed something. Glad you were so well taken care of.

Al

Al, We were told that they had a few cases on the Dawn but that the Spirit was hit by the Noro a lot more during the same time. I saw several postings from the spirit that mentioned it. I can't say enough about how much help the medical staff were. When people talk about the Dawn and her crew being a great team, that includes the medical people too.'

Just a note, when we entered the cabin, I sprayed Lysol all over the bath and handles and we used the alcohol wipes frequently. The virus hit before we had gone on shore so it was brought on board when we embarked. Our first symptoms hit my husband Tuesday morning.

We returned this week from the November 1st repo on the Dawn. We spent 14 days on board and have a story to tell:

On the Dawn sailing in 2006, I caught the Noro virus on a 10 day cruise of the Western Carribean and because we were in a AB penthouse, thought I would be able to tough it out in the large bedroom without subjecting the family to quarantine. It was really "toughing" it out in a big way. I was sick to my stomach with fever and chills and shook for the first day and bedridden or bath ridden for 3 more. Not very nice.

This last sailing we, all three of us got the Noro, called medical and found how WRONG I was about "toughing" it out. The nurse came to our room at 1 AM and administered shots to us that stopped the vomitting, cramping and chills. She brought bottled water, ginger ale and gadorade for all of us. She also brought imodium, tylenol and anti cramping meds that made it much more comfortable as well as shortened the duration of the sickness. We were all three quarantined until 24 hours after the symptom disappeared, but we were made comfortable, visited by the nurse daily and were able to order anything we wanted from room service. The care was awesome and we were thankful for the balcony when we started to feel better. I would never again try to do it myself not just for our comfort but I realized how much this needs to be confined to prevent spreading. We greatly appreciate the care and attention we got on board. Total quarantine time: 2 1/2 days.

I'm so sorry you were sick, but how awesome that the nurse was able to help you!!!! There are few things less pleasant than noro. I am so happy that you got some relief!!

Some of us got sick on that cruise too, but thank God, it was upper respiratory stuff and not Noro.

I hope you enjoyed the rest of that cruise. We had an awesome time :) Yes, the crew was just amazing...from the Captain all the way down, that ship is just filled with the best of the best (IMO). I think Hugo is just phenomenal.

The nurse came to our room at 1 AM and administered shots to us that stopped the vomitting, cramping and chills. She brought bottled water, ginger ale and gadorade for all of us. She also brought imodium, tylenol and anti cramping meds that made it much more comfortable as well as shortened the duration of the sickness. We were all three quarantined until 24 hours after the symptom disappeared, but we were made comfortable, visited by the nurse daily and were able to order anything we wanted from room service. The care was awesome and we were thankful for the balcony when we started to feel better. I would never again try to do it myself not just for our comfort but I realized how much this needs to be confined to prevent spreading. We greatly appreciate the care and attention we got on board. Total quarantine time: 2 1/2 days.

Wow, sorry to hear you were ill. It sounds like they really took care of you! I guess for your own compfort plus the fact that they don't want you out and about to spread it. May I ask if they charged you for the medical attention? Glad you are better.:)

EileenN, sorry to hear of sickness impacting your cruise. But glad that with attentive care it was brief and you were made comfortable.

The CNBC special on the Pearl mentioned that the Noro virus was taken seriously and that they sent medical personnel to the quarantined cabin at no charge to the passenger. They did not mention the quality of care that they delivered, so I am impressed and happy to hear that it was top notch.

My first reaction was why quarantine the whole cabin, but after last week, I can see there is no better way to contain the illness which is so easily spread. The sooner the medical center is notified, the faster the relief came. I have a heart condition and diabetic and our DD is asthmatic...being able to digest our meds is important and we were able to get them on time.

I never realized what great care they would give you, maybe it'll encourage others to seek help rather than just deal with it.

So many that are afflicted with Noro during a cruise choose not to report it to the medical office and continue on thier merry way, infecting many more while they refuse to be isolated in thier cabin. I could never understand the selfishness or lack of consideration to the fellow passengers and crew. I was on a sailing that got hit hard with noro and people were complaining about having to be quarantined and "miss out" on thier vacation, instead of seeing the benefits to others as well as themselves.

Thank you for doing the right thing. I'm glad that NCL took good care of you and that you were happy with how your illness was handled.

I was on the Spirit repo.

Unfortunately, some passengers lied on the preboarding questionnaire about the vomiting and diarrhea, boarded and headed straight for the buffet. This information was given to me by a Spirit employee as the lying passengers were identified as patient zero (s) by the medical staff when their attempts to hide their conditions were caught by the cabin steward on the first night of the cruise.

Noro has an incubation period of 18 - 48 hours, so by Sunday (about 48 hours into the cruise), a number of cases were showing up. There was a total of 268 cases on board a little over halfway through the cruise. Most of the problem stemmed from the flagrant disregard of the quarantine and leaving the cabins by the ill.

Patient zeros were especially defiant, and not only roamed the ship, but also somehow managed to get ashore until a ship's officer actually came after them. (Unfortunately, these folks were in the cabin next to me).

What surprised me was that when my husband started vomiting and immediately reported to the medical office, I was not also quarantined. As I was with him at the medical center,I questioned the fact that I was not quarantined. I was told that in their experience, quarantining the cabinmates didn't make a difference in whether the cabin mates became ill.

I never became sick.

I should add that my husband was also given a shot to control the nausea. Whatever the drug was, it stopped his vomiting, he developed no other symptoms, and he was let out of quarantine 24 hours after his visit to the medical center.

So many that are afflicted with Noro during a cruise choose not to report it to the medical office and continue on thier merry way, infecting many more while they refuse to be isolated in thier cabin. .

I don't know if you know of anyone personally who has 'gone about their merry way', but if you have noro, there is I can't IMAGINE you can go about your way at all, let alone merrily!!!! :eek:

I was on the Spirit repo.

 

Unfortunately, some passengers lied on the preboarding questionnaire about the vomiting and diarrhea, boarded and headed straight for the buffet. This information was given to me by a Spirit employee as the lying passengers were identified as patient zero (s) by the medical staff when their attempts to hide their conditions were caught by the cabin steward on the first night of the cruise.

 

Noro has an incubation period of 18 - 48 hours, so by Sunday (about 48 hours into the cruise), a number of cases were showing up. There was a total of 268 cases on board a little over halfway through the cruise. Most of the problem stemmed from the flagrant disregard of the quarantine and leaving the cabins by the ill.

 

Patient zeros were especially defiant, and not only roamed the ship, but also somehow managed to get ashore until a ship's officer actually came after them. (Unfortunately, these folks were in the cabin next to me).

 

What surprised me was that when my husband started vomiting and immediately reported to the medical office, I was not also quarantined. As I was with him at the medical center,I questioned the fact that I was not quarantined. I was told that in their experience, quarantining the cabinmates didn't make a difference in whether the cabin mates became ill.

 

I never became sick.

hey MJ!! :)

I'm sorry that DH was struck with that!! Since he did have it and you speak of patient zero headeing to the buffet...since you saw Bob with it...is there any way he would have been able to look at food let alone graze a buffet????

I've had noro more times than I'd like to count and it's difficult enough having the strength to get from my bed to the bathroom let alone wander a ship and eat something....normally (at home if I have it) I curl up on the bathroom floor and just pray to die.

I don't know if you know of anyone personally who has 'gone about their merry way', but if you have noro, there is I can't IMAGINE you can go about your way at all, let alone merrily!!!! :eek:

 

Come on Angel. You CAN go merrily along the way as long as you are 3 feet from a toilet.:eek:

PE

At the point that my husband developed the vomiting and nausea, he was still hungry in spite of the nausea.

First thing he did when went back to the cabin was order room service off the special menu available to quarantined folks (rice, chicken breast, water with gaterade). The kitchen also sent jello and crackers.

He ate it all and had a similar meal for dinner that night and breakfast the next day. He headed straight for the buffet when he was released the next day.

So, yes, if it was early stage, passenger zeros might have headed straight for the buffet.

Our cabin steward told me that of the 8 cabins he had under quarantine at the time my husband was ill, only my husband stayed in the cabin. The others were be out and about.

At the point that my husband developed the vomiting and nausea, he was still hungry in spite of the nausea.

 

First thing he did when went back to the cabin was order room service off the special menu available to quarantined folks (rice, chicken breast, water with gaterade). The kitchen also sent jello and crackers.

 

He ate it all and had a similar meal for dinner that night and breakfast the next day. .

and he kept it down? :confused:

Come on Angel. You CAN go merrily along the way as long as you are 3 feet from a toilet.:eek:

 

PE

ya got me there!! :D

Seriously, if I ever get Noro again, I want the version of it that the people on the Spirit had ;)

Noro to me, means vomiting every 15 to 30 minutes, around the clock for 24 hours straight. I can't imagine (unless bulemia were involved) eating. It's tough enough drinking water in between to keep hydrated.

I've had noro once that I can recall, caught it at a Golden Corral restaurant! I suspect I've had it other times, but a dr confirmed it that one time. Thank goodness I have never had it on a cruiseship, but family members we were traveling with did.

And yes, you are right about not going "merrily about", I felt like dying and could not be very far from the commode...but some do...how they do it, I cannot imagine...

Patient Zero on the sailing I mentioned was a casino rat, he hung out at the poker table for a long time before noro won out and sent him to his cabin. You could very obviously see he was sick and we spoke to his table mates that confirmed that he was Zero.

I wash my hands like crazy while on board, make sure to use a paper towel to open the bathroom door and touch the faucet and use the hand sanitizers frequently. I also bring lysol and spray down the remote control, all door handles, faucet handles, etc. in our cabin as soon as we arrive.

 

Seriously, if I ever get Noro again, I want the version of it that the people on the Spirit had ;)

It sounds more like they have come up with a better treatment for Noro Virus. We had a couple on the Dawn's 2007 repo that were quarantined for 6 or 7 days. This guy was a slot junkie and the slot machines were still using coins and he did not was his hands very frequently because he was not going to give up his machine. Of course that ship had an outbreak just before we got on board and it continued through at least the first half of the cruise.

PE

Whatever was in that shot, it was the best high I have had in a long time. I slept for about 16 hours except for a few interruptions and woke up hungry. That is why it is stupid not to report it to Medical. Help is available and at no cost.

PE can verify that I was fine and up at the casino after that.

I don't know if you know of anyone personally who has 'gone about their merry way', but if you have noro, there is I can't IMAGINE you can go about your way at all, let alone merrily!!!! :eek:

I think the shot makes this much more possible.

Carmen, With the shot, you sleep like the dead. I doubt anyone could go "on their merry way" right after the shot. The next phase is the bathroom and sleep. We missed three ports and didn't give a damn. Thank God it was a 14 day cruise. I had planned doing a big time shopping trip in St. Thomas.

I've had noro once that I can recall, caught it at a Golden Corral restaurant! I suspect I've had it other times, but a dr confirmed it that one time. Thank goodness I have never had it on a cruiseship, but family members we were traveling with did.

 

And yes, you are right about not going "merrily about", I felt like dying and could not be very far from the commode...but some do...how they do it, I cannot imagine...

 

Patient Zero on the sailing I mentioned was a casino rat, he hung out at the poker table for a long time before noro won out and sent him to his cabin. You could very obviously see he was sick and we spoke to his table mates that confirmed that he was Zero.

 

I wash my hands like crazy while on board, make sure to use a paper towel to open the bathroom door and touch the faucet and use the hand sanitizers frequently. I also bring lysol and spray down the remote control, all door handles, faucet handles, etc. in our cabin as soon as we arrive.

I'm so glad you didn't get sick. I wouldn't wish that on anyone!!!!!!!

I think the shot makes this much more possible.

very true....I guess that it works against the cruise line to give it then, unfortunately.

As prone as I am to getting stomach-things, I wish they'd get this into an OTC form.

Could it possibly be Compazine they are giving?

It sounds more like they have come up with a better treatment for Noro Virus. We had a couple on the Dawn's 2007 repo that were quarantined for 6 or 7 days. This guy was a slot junkie and the slot machines were still using coins and he did not was his hands very frequently because he was not going to give up his machine. Of course that ship had an outbreak just before we got on board and it continued through at least the first half of the cruise.

 

PE

Holy crap!!!

It sounds more like they have come up with a better treatment for Noro Virus. We had a couple on the Dawn's 2007 repo that were quarantined for 6 or 7 days. This guy was a slot junkie and the slot machines were still using coins and he did not was his hands very frequently because he was not going to give up his machine. Of course that ship had an outbreak just before we got on board and it continued through at least the first half of the cruise.

 

PE

I remember that cruise. If some of the folks who got sick knew who he was I'm sure that "patient zero" would have found himself to be very lucky to make it more than half way between the ship and the port. ;)

I remember that cruise. If some of the folks who got sick knew who he was I'm sure that "patient zero" would have found himself to be very lucky to make it more than half way between the ship and the port. ;)

I'm sure Vinnie would have single handedly taken out "patient zero"if there was one. I think Vinnie got nailed by dirty coins from the slot machines as he practically lived there the first two days of the cruise.

PE

May be the dosage of the shot is titrated to the severity of the symptoms. I know my husband was not knocked out by his shot.

If it was compazine, I know from personal experience that it is possible to have that drug to control vomiting, still be nauseated, be hungry, eat and keep the food down. Of course my experience was with chemotherapy and not noro.

Yes, Angel (Halos), he kept the food down.