Mercury Sailing Delayed 1 Day due to Norovirus

[Lmack]

they were clearly overwhelmed by the scope.

 

My guess is that CDC made the decision to delay Mercury for 24 hours. This was a very significant outbreak of norovirus - and the ship needs to be thoroughly cleaned.

 

I hope this is accomplished today, and everyone has a pleasant voyage.

 

I agree - they were overwhelmed! DH & I got sick and it was almost 48hrs from the time I got sick (DH got sick 6hrs later) before Medical Services responded to our phone calls and we were able to see Medical Personnel. Guest Relations would say one thing and it never happened. We had an outstanding Cabin Steward who was checking up on us and he even got his supervisor to see why we weren't receiving medical attention.

 

I'm happy to hear about the compensation for those on this Feb 26th sailing are receiving. Even though we received compensation for 2 days of isolation (Our isolation was actually longer) the amount wasn't even the cost per day (base price divided by 11 day sailing) and we didn't receive or was offered a discount for a future Celebrity sailing which would have been nice.

 

There definitely was a lack of communication from the staff. One person said one thing and someone said something else. No follow-through. At the first sign of a possible problem, sanitation measures should have been implemented and Guests informed to nip it in the bud before it got out of hand. Many yrs ago on the 3rd night of a cruise, at the evening show the CD informed the Guests that there were 4 gastrointestinal cases onboard and as a precaution, we would see measures implemented immediately as he spoke - elevators, handrails, buffet areas, etc. to prevent any outbreak. There was no outbreak and we all had a wonderful rest of our 12-day cruise. The key on that sailing was - COMMUNICATION! Everyone was in the "know" and informed.

[scchasgal]

As of 15 minutes ago the ship still has not been released by the CDC. I know folks were told they would start the embarkation at 2 pm and I am hoping for you all that this does happen.

 

There are good and bad stories about those wait to get on her. I know it was such a mess to deal with for Celebrity and for the passengers.

[myrtlebeach1]

We were on the Mercury and got sick on the 22nd through the 26th. We went to the medical facility and a note was on the door that said to call 7300. We did and it was busy. We got the room attendant and the hotel director and he said he put us on the list to see the nurse. 4 days later, we never saw the nurse. No contact, no information, except to wash your hands. On the first day of the cruise, a man on deck 4 was sick and it continued from there. We are elite members of Celebrity and expected better communication.

[Islandhappy]

Don't know why we were treated differently . WHO KNOWS. I guess we wern't pushy enough . We weren't the only ones treated that way. There were many unhappy passengers treated like us. Maybe they will tell you later .

I am just looking forward to going on board and having a good time and maybe putting some of this behind me . Looking for a good vacation

 

 

Diane cruiseclues

[WeBeGone]

I'm a TA and got this email from a client:

 

We arrived a little before 2pm and were herded with no explaination into a 3 hour, no escape, car line. We were told nothing the entire time we were forced to crawl along in the line. We were offered no beverage and only an outdoor potty was available. Finally a woman approached our car and told us to read the offer from Celebrity. I asked when I could speak with someone from Celebrity and was told that would happen further down the line. At the end of the line a man said all he could do was arrange a room for us for the night. I wanted questions about our choices answered but the man said to go home and call the cruise line since he wasn't with Celebrity. My husband is 70 and I am 64. By the time we returned home, we had been in our car for over 9 hours which included a meal we had and paid for ourselves at 6pm. My husband and I were extremely agitated and had to take medicine when we got home to try to relax. My husband went to bed at 11:30 feeling sick. I am still too upset to sleep at 2am and will have to face all the unpacking and putting things away later.

This trip was planned and paid for months ago. We were excited to go especially because we would be going to Key West, Florida which was to be dropped from the new ports or call. We understand that the ship needed to leave a day late - that was out of the control of the cruise line. What we are so very, very, very, upset about was the way that Celebrity treated us as described above. All in all I would rate our experience below awful, bordering on inexcusable. For all our trouble, all we got was the horrible day, the expense of gas and wear and tear on our car, and the cost of feeding ourselves, and 15% off a future cruise with them which is a cruel joke in my mind. Again let me say I don't hold anyone responsible for the delay of departure, but I certainly know we were horribly treated for hours and then offered an insulting no-win choice. Really I can't begin to say how ungraciously we were treated and what a terrible injustice their offer was. Even getting a refund, I will never book with Celebrity again.

[Smartcookie]

I'm not an executive at Celebrity, but I think they should open the bar for this cruise.

 

That would make a lot of people forget the huge hassle of this. ;)

[Solstice23]

I'm a TA and got this email from a client:

 

We arrived a little before 2pm and were herded with no explaination into a 3 hour, no escape, car line. We were told nothing the entire time we were forced to crawl along in the line. We were offered no beverage and only an outdoor potty was available. Finally a woman approached our car and told us to read the offer from Celebrity. I asked when I could speak with someone from Celebrity and was told that would happen further down the line. At the end of the line a man said all he could do was arrange a room for us for the night. I wanted questions about our choices answered but the man said to go home and call the cruise line since he wasn't with Celebrity. My husband is 70 and I am 64. By the time we returned home, we had been in our car for over 9 hours which included a meal we had and paid for ourselves at 6pm. My husband and I were extremely agitated and had to take medicine when we got home to try to relax. My husband went to bed at 11:30 feeling sick. I am still too upset to sleep at 2am and will have to face all the unpacking and putting things away later.

 

This trip was planned and paid for months ago. We were excited to go especially because we would be going to Key West, Florida which was to be dropped from the new ports or call. We understand that the ship needed to leave a day late - that was out of the control of the cruise line. What we are so very, very, very, upset about was the way that Celebrity treated us as described above. All in all I would rate our experience below awful, bordering on inexcusable. For all our trouble, all we got was the horrible day, the expense of gas and wear and tear on our car, and the cost of feeding ourselves, and 15% off a future cruise with them which is a cruel joke in my mind. Again let me say I don't hold anyone responsible for the delay of departure, but I certainly know we were horribly treated for hours and then offered an insulting no-win choice. Really I can't begin to say how ungraciously we were treated and what a terrible injustice their offer was. Even getting a refund, I will never book with Celebrity again.

 

 

 

sorry to hear that.

[bambam2972]

I'm not an executive at Celebrity, but I think they should open the bar for this cruise.

 

That would make a lot of people forget the huge hassle of this. ;)

 

haha, WIN!! :D

[bobsfamily]

The ship still has not left... just saw it on the TV. Have friends that just got off and some getting on... the ones getting on (hopefully ON) were offered some onboard credit... were going to use it for bev. package. Hope everyone has a GOOD time and no more shall we say "full time bathroom breaks" :D

[ChucktownSteve]

The ship still has not left... just saw it on the TV. Have friends that just got off and some getting on... the ones getting on (hopefully ON) were offered some onboard credit... were going to use it for bev. package. Hope everyone has a GOOD time and no more shall we say "full time bathroom breaks" :D

 

I got to Fleet Landing about 3:30 and watched the parade of buses and vans to the terminal. The last in line unloaded at 4:50pm. Then later, about three different vans, possibly with stragglers, drove up and dropped off remaining passengers.

 

The ship was all lit up because it became dark. At exactly 7pm, the Mercury started backing up from the dock. so bobsfamily, you should have seen her about 7:30.

 

I watched from the restaurant's back deck, lifted my shirt but cookie never threw me any Mardi Gras beads. :( Anyway I kept toasting Mercury until she was out of sight.

 

Hope she has an uneventful sailing.

[GXmanDC]

I'm not an executive at Celebrity, but I think they should open the bar for this cruise.

 

That would make a lot of people forget the huge hassle of this. ;)

 

Then the smugglers would complain :)

[tuggers]

I posted most of my thoughts on this on the 'What a Mess' thread but I would like to add that this is also where a good travel agent is worth their weight. If I called my agent and said I was standing in line for 3 hours with no info (you that know me, know that's not going to happen:D) she would have been on the phone to her contacts at X and gotten right back to me. Probably with hotel reservations and transport to hotel already taken care of.

Just like she did for me (and my friends, some of whom were not even her clients) when we were on Grandeur and were 12 hours late returning to Baltimore. Others were wringing their hands and trying to make arragements. We made one phone call and everything was set in a matter of minutes.

Again I say, in travel, hope for the best but always be ready to take control of your own situation so you will be comfortable and happy! It's a vacation!

[Wasasalad]

We are cruising to Bermuda! Had to choose between [2]NCL, HAL, and Celebrity from New England area!

After reading this letter I have decided on Celebrity! I have always felt that Celebrity did that little [more than little] extra.

We were on the Summit Panama Canal trip a while ago. It was a dialysis cruise. I knew at that point that Celebrity was a very clean line.

People get sick, that is the way it is! No mater what one does if it is your turn you will get sick! You may just be the one in a thousand or many may be sick, that is life!

 

 

 

Celebrity has delayed the scheduled departure of the Mercury out of Charleston today until tomorrow. It appears that they have dropped Key West on the Itinerary and made it a 9 night Cruise. It also appears that they are doing a lot to accommodate the passengers. Here is a copy of the letter that one of the guests posted in the Roll Call Thread for this cruise:

 

 

Dear Celebrity Mercury Guest,

 

I am writing to inform you of a delay in the departure of your cruise today.

 

Before I explain the reasons for our decision to delay departure, I would like to apologize for the inconvenience this will cause you. I have made this decision to delay your sailing because we want to maintain our high health standards onboard our ships, while providing you with the best cruise experience possible. The extra time we are taking to sanitize the ship will help prevent any illness from affecting your cruise.

 

As you are aware, during Celebrity Mercury’s last sailing, a number of guests onboard experienced a gastrointestinal illness, thought to be a norovirus. Over the course of the sailing, we conducted enhanced cleaning, to help prevent the spread of the illness. Throughout the day today, crews have continued the enhanced sanitizing onboard the ship and within the cruise terminal.

 

While we saw a large decline in the spread of the illness on the previous sailing, in an abundance of caution, and in order to perform additional sanitizing of the entire ship, we have decided to delay the departure of Celebrity Mercury until 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. This extra time will allow us to continue the enhanced cleaning of the ship, all of which is being done in close coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You also will see heightened cleaning procedures being carried out throughout the ship during the entire sailing.

 

We sincerely apologize for the disruption these events will cause you. Our staff in Charleston will make every effort to assist you, and we thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Celebrity Mercury will begin boarding at approximately 2:00 p.m. tomorrow, and will depart Charleston at approximately 5:00 p.m. Due to the delayed departure, it was necessary to make a slight adjustment to your planned itinerary. The ship’s revised itinerary will be:

 

DAY PORT ARRIVAL DEPARTURE

Saturday Charleston, S.C. 5:00 p.m.

Sunday At sea

Monday At sea

Tuesday Costa Maya, Mexico 9:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Belize City, Belize 7:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.

Thursday Cozumel, Mexico 9:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m.

Friday At sea

Saturday Nassau, Bahamas 11:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m.

Sunday At sea

Monday Charleston, S.C. 7:00 a.m.

 

 

The following arrangements are being made to assist you:

 

• Guests who live over a two-hour drive from Charleston, and need accommodations for tonight, will have those provided by Celebrity Cruises.

 

• Celebrity Cruises will provide every guest with $50 for any incidental expenses, such as meals, you may incur until tomorrow’s boarding. Those funds are additional to the $20 credit you have already received today. Both credits will be provided to your onboard account during your sailing.

 

• Guests who sail with the ship on its modified itinerary will receive an onboard credit in the amount of two days of their cruise fare paid and a 25 percent discount on a future Celebrity Cruises sailing. The credit will be applied directly to your onboard account and may be used for any onboard purchase or service. Any unused portion will be refunded to you at the end of your cruise. Your discount will be calculated based on the cruise fare paid for your February 26 sailing. Your discount will be valid for 12 months from the date of issue and will be issued in the next four to six weeks.

 

• Guests who choose to cancel their cruise will receive a full refund of the cruise fare paid to Celebrity Cruises and a 15 percent discount on a future Celebrity Cruises sailing. Your discount will be calculated based on the cruise fare paid for your February 26 sailing. Your discount will be valid for 12 months from the date of issue and will be issued in the next four to six weeks.

 

I hope all the information in this letter helps you understand the importance we at Celebrity Cruises place on the health and safety of every one of our guests and crew members. Like you, we want to ensure that your cruise is a fun, relaxing and healthy experience. This is why we are taking these additional measures.

 

Again, I apologize about these unexpected events and the modifications to your scheduled itinerary. Our staff in Charleston and onboard Celebrity Mercury will do our best to minimize any further inconvenience to you.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Daniel Hanrahan

President and CEO

Celebrity Cruises

[tuggers]

SusieQue, love your thinking! Positive attitude is the key! Have a great cruise!:D

[CruisenGoddess]

We were in Charleston for the weekend and this was news on the TV - 400 people got ill on the previous cruise. It seemed it was a hit and miss on how Celebrity got the word out to the passengers.

 

No one seemed to know what was going on, they showed pictures of people standing in long lines outside in the cold standing on dirt with their luggage. We thought what horrible embarkation process this was - is there not an inside area for processing? The ship was suppose to have left at 5 pm on Saturday and it finally left a little after 7 pm. We were just talking how it would be nice to go out of Charleston because it's only a three hour drive for us, but now we're not so sure we'd like an embarkation that seemed a bit 'prehistoric'.

[ChucktownSteve]

We thought what horrible embarkation process this was - is there not an inside area for processing? The ship was suppose to have left at 5 pm on Saturday and it finally left a little after 7 pm. We were just talking how it would be nice to go out of Charleston because it's only a three hour drive for us, but now we're not so sure we'd like an embarkation that seemed a bit 'prehistoric'.

 

You're correct about the "prehistoric" Cruise Terminal. It was built in 1971 when they didn't envision the current cruise traffic and larger ships than they had back then.

 

The good news is The Ports Authority have developed plans for a new, larger cruise terminal further up on Union Pier. But it will be a few years before it's completed.

 

For the Feb 15th embarkation, they had changed the traffic pattern and parking entry due to excessive traffic tie ups on the last cruise in November 2009.

 

What you saw were pictures of the people at the luggage unloading/parking area. That is operated by the Ports Authority. The process is you enter the gate, drop off your luggage and confirm your ticket. You park your vehicle. You then board a shuttle for transportation to the Cruise Terminal. Inside the Cruise Terminal is where you are processed to board.

 

The reason you saw those people standing in the fenced port area was because the terminal was closed for noro cleaning after the debarkation which had been delayed. I suspect the CDC, which came to Charleston as a result of the virus, was responsible for that. So as people began arriving at the normal time for the next cruise, there was no place for them to go. They couldn't get on the shuttles to go the the terminal. Thus they waited where you saw them in the video.

 

This was the exception not the rule due to an unforeseen norovirus incident.

 

If you read the Feb 15 Roll Call, you'll see that someone who arrived at the parking area early was dropped off, shuttled, processed, boarded and eating the buffet within 1/2 an hour after dropping their carry-on at their cabin. It took 1 1/2 hours for those who came later in the afternoon to accomplish the same thing.

 

Of course the alternative is you can always select other ports in Baltimore, Bayonne NJ, New York, Ft. Lauderdale or Miami and add the additional driving time or flight time. The ability to have a choice is wonderful. ;)

[Wasasalad]

A word

At least only one ship boarding! One cruise we boarded on the west coast [LA]. There were four ships boarding! This was about 6,000 people in several lines! Two were Celebrity and they almost put us on the wrong ship! No one spoke English and finally the person who finalized our boarding spoke English. We were about to board the wrong ship!

 

We were in Charleston for the weekend and this was news on the TV - 400 people got ill on the previous cruise. It seemed it was a hit and miss on how Celebrity got the word out to the passengers.

 

No one seemed to know what was going on, they showed pictures of people standing in long lines outside in the cold standing on dirt with their luggage. We thought what horrible embarkation process this was - is there not an inside area for processing? The ship was suppose to have left at 5 pm on Saturday and it finally left a little after 7 pm. We were just talking how it would be nice to go out of Charleston because it's only a three hour drive for us, but now we're not so sure we'd like an embarkation that seemed a bit 'prehistoric'.

[Dive Master]

You're correct about the "prehistoric" Cruise Terminal. It was built in 1971 when they didn't envision the current cruise traffic and larger ships than they had back then.

 

The good news is The Ports Authority have developed plans for a new, larger cruise terminal further up on Union Pier. But it will be a few years before it's completed.

 

For the Feb 15th embarkation, they had changed the traffic pattern and parking entry due to excessive traffic tie ups on the last cruise in November 2009.

 

What you saw were pictures of the people at the luggage unloading/parking area. That is operated by the Ports Authority. The process is you enter the gate, drop off your luggage and confirm your ticket. You park your vehicle. You then board a shuttle for transportation to the Cruise Terminal. Inside the Cruise Terminal is where you are processed to board.

 

The reason you saw those people standing in the fenced port area was because the terminal was closed for noro cleaning after the debarkation which had been delayed. I suspect the CDC, which came to Charleston as a result of the virus, was responsible for that. So as people began arriving at the normal time for the next cruise, there was no place for them to go. They couldn't get on the shuttles to go the the terminal. Thus they waited where you saw them in the video.

 

This was the exception not the rule due to an unforeseen norovirus incident.

 

If you read the Feb 15 Roll Call, you'll see that someone who arrived at the parking area early was dropped off, shuttled, processed, boarded and eating the buffet within 1/2 an hour after dropping their carry-on at their cabin. It took 1 1/2 hours for those who came later in the afternoon to accomplish the same thing.

 

Of course the alternative is you can always select other ports in Baltimore, Bayonne NJ, New York, Ft. Lauderdale or Miami and add the additional driving time or flight time. The ability to have a choice is wonderful. ;)

 

 

We have cruised out of Charleston three times. I used to think the Charleston port was a little difficult but I understand the issues with the old terminal.Anyone who believes the Charleston port has issues, should cruise out of Mobile,AL.Mobile is completely FUBAR and it is a new terminal.I have cruised out of 8 different ports and Mobile wins the prize--the port must have been designed by recovering crackheads or maybe they just run it.We literally stood in line for 3 hours and fifteen minutes to get through customs when we debarked the ship!!!!