Are The Counselors Vigilent About Keeping Toys Clean

[kitty9]

I'm asking this for a friend who's taking her 43 year old son, who has a weak immune system, on a cruise on RCI.

 

Do you think they do a good job in keeping the club area clean and disinfected? Do you believe they wipe down tables and chairs in order to keep viruses at bay? Is there any regulations regarding keeping kids who the counselors believe are sick, out of the kid's club?

[cb at sea]

If the child (43???) is immune deficient, he probably shouldn't be on a cruise...lots and lots of folks (and their germs) in a tight, confined space.

They do what is required, per law, but there's no guarantee that it will be a germ-free space....

If this is NOT a mis-type, then a 43 year old won't be allowed in the kid's club!

 

A ship is NOT a "germ-free" enviroment, for anyone!

[kitty9]

Sorry, mistype, the child is 4 years old. His weak immunity is due to recent (a year ago) leukemia chemo. He's OK now and in remission, but the parents are still a bit concerned. We all know that young kids can be little germ bunnies. He's done OK in his 4 year old kindergarten, but his parents are understandably concerned.

[iamaqt2]

If he has a weakened immune system, they might want to rethink taking a cruise right now. Cruise ships are one of the leading breeding grounds for norovirus. You don't hear about it too often, as the cruise lines do a fairly good job in containing major outbreaks.

 

However, please ask them to do a little research on norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships before bringing their little one on board.

[beachchick]

If he has a weakened immune system, they might want to rethink taking a cruise right now. Cruise ships are one of the leading breeding grounds for norovirus. You don't hear about it too often, as the cruise lines do a fairly good job in containing major outbreaks.

 

However, please ask them to do a little research on norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships before bringing their little one on board.

 

While true, cruise ships are only one of the many places that are breeding grounds for noro and noro-like viruses. Schools and churches are two other primary places. Restaurants, parks/playgrounds, malls, and theme parks also rank right up there. Any place where people congregate and where they can be in contact is a likely place to find an outbreak. The only reason we hear so much about it on cruise ships is because they are required by the CDC to report any outbreak (and suspected outbreak?) that affects (I believe) 3% or more of those onboard. If there are 2,000 passengers and 750 crew members, the cruise line would have to report it at only about 80 people affected. If he's doing okay in school and in general, then he would probably do okay on a cruise.

 

Those of us with compromised immune systems (auto-immune conditions for me) have to carefully consider every place we visit and weigh the benefit-risk possibilities, as well as the "price" we might need to pay in terms of overall health. It's more important to think about timing, IMO. For example, we do not generally vacation, including cruises, during the peak of cold and flu season (mid-December through March). We are vigilant about personal hygiene and go through lots of hand lotion because we wash our hands often.

 

In any case, the issue here is the kids clubs. I can't speak for all ships, so this is just general observation. I'd say that there is no way for the counselors to constantly disinfect everything, but they do not want children to become ill and they do care about their well being. Overall, the ships are usually kept quite clean with attention to preventing the spread of illnesses such as noro. The children's areas that we've seen (and granted, not that much) have always seem as clean as the rest of the ship. Of course, that doesn't mean there are no germs or that it's sterile. However, we have seen them specifically disinfect toys between uses.

 

Although the counselors do keep an eye out for children who appear ill and although parents are instructed not to bring their child to the program if he or she is or seems ill, there will always be those who selfishly push or try to break those rules. As well, it's common for someone to be contagious even before showing symptoms of some illnesses.

 

One possibility would be to talk to the counselors the first day. That way, they could keep an eye out for possible risks and they could help guide him to activities that would be best suited for his needs.

 

The bottom line is that there will be risks just like there are in any public venue and at any school. The risks will be throughout the ship, not just in the children's facilities. The parents will have to decide if the risk is too great at this point. They should also keep in mind that there is no pediatric medical facility onboard. The medical department is not intended to treat those who have complex medical issues. Sadly, children can quickly become very ill and need more care than the ship's doctors could provide. The parents absolutely must make sure they have travel insurance and evacuation insurance, just in case (God forbid) their son does require emergency care.

 

I hope their son continues to improve and remains in remission forever. I'm sure it has been an extraordinarily difficult time for them; they all deserve to have a wonderful time...Well, I suppose we all deserve that, so let's just say they deserve it even more right now.:)

 

beachchick

[kitty9]

If he has a weakened immune system, they might want to rethink taking a cruise right now. Cruise ships are one of the leading breeding grounds for norovirus. You don't hear about it too often, as the cruise lines do a fairly good job in containing major outbreaks.

 

However, please ask them to do a little research on norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships before bringing their little one on board.

 

Noro is everywhere, not just on cruise ships. We've had a number of child care centers closed because of noro, and we've had some schools who had huge problems with Noro. So, it's not just the cruise ships with the problem. Even our church's child care center had to close because of Noro this winter.