Code Red on Statendam

[SuwaneeCard]

Currently on the S'dam 14 day FLL-SanDiego Panama Canal and have been in code red for 6 days. We have never been through one of these, but in all honesty, it seems like complete overkill. The staff, everyone from the Controller to the Lighting Tech is doing shifts in the Lido. Anyone wearing a staff uniform is cleaning, re-cleaning, and re-re-cleaning the same hard surfaces and yet, AMAZINGLY, the casino is open! You can touch all the nobs, buttons and cards there that you would like, but can you get a milk pitcher for your coffee on your breakfast table for 2? NO! Yes there are probably people on board with compromised immune systems, but really!? It's more than a little hard for the majority of folks, like me, to enjoy the cruise when you can't find a brochure, pick up a recipe card, or check a book out from the library. We've gotten the same speech twice while enduring this, and last night in our cabin, received a bottle of hand sanitizer along with a letter warning us not to eat or drink anything on shore that might be questionable. Now I'm thinking that if someone has an upset tummy that they're being lumped into the Typhoid Mary category of "Noro". Enough! It won't kill you, el capitan has said that at least twice. If the precautions for the last 6 days haven't worked then it's time to try something else or stop trying and let it run its course.

OK, sling away and tell me that I'm being insensitive to those who are ill. If they came on board with it, they're healthy by now. If they gave it to someone else, before the code red, they would be healthy by now. Who are these mysterious sick passengers and crew and what is the the threshold level used to measure when a population as a whole is contaminated and suffers in spite of or because of the precautions?

Moving along in the Pacific and having a great time with passengers and crew anyway, but just wanted to vent (in case anyone from HAL is listening)!

[Rinderoo]

Its ridiculous that everything is sanitized except the things in the casino.

[erewhon]

Sorry to hear about the Code Red.

Strange that everything can be used in the casino.

What was your last port of call?

[Mjjpower]

I heard a doctor on one of the daily news shows say that the hand sanitizer does NOT kill norovirus:eek:...he said the best defense is actual soap and water. I'm not claiming that he is correct but his theory was that the norovirus germs were encapsulated and were not killed by the gel sanitizer. Just food for thought...as I always tell my kids "wash your hands before you eat!".

Mary Jane

[YubaSutter]

The only code red I like is the delicious soft drink from the makers of Mountain Dew.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry to hear that the Statendam is in Code Red -- still.

When we got off the Maasdam in Florida on March 2 we heard about it. There is a couple on your ship who were on our cruise with us for 25 days.

NOW

We have been on quite a few ships with the Noro virus since 2002. And sometimes we have been in Code Red for 15 days. We have learned to deal with it. You are in close quarters and it can spread very easily -- thus all the cleaning and precautions. Right before we left for Ft Lauderdale the first part of Feb one of our schools in the Pittsburgh area closed down for a couple of days as well as nursing home -- this stuff spreads easily.

On a couple of our cruises the Casino was closed a couple of days while everything was cleaned down. There were boxes of gloves for people to wear. Some thing for the shops -- you had to wear gloves. Everything else was shut down -- pools, activities and even the beauty salon was closed for a few days.

[JudeeJim]

On our cruise through the Panama Canal we made a number of stops in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Mexico. No code red until after our last Mexico stop in Acapulco. That night we were in code red. Hmmm was it Noro or perhaps Monteczuma's Revenge aka Tourist Trots. I discussed this with our cruise director and he felt the same me. We think it wasn't Noro but bad water or food.

 

Judee

[Amuse Bouche]

I heard a doctor on one of the daily news shows say that the hand sanitizer does NOT kill norovirus:eek:...he said the best defense is actual soap and water. I'm not claiming that he is correct but his theory was that the norovirus germs were encapsulated and were not killed by the gel sanitizer. Just food for thought...as I always tell my kids "wash your hands before you eat!".

Mary Jane

 

Currently, it's believed that the only sanitizers that will act against the norovirus contain benzethonium chloride. Supposedly, (not my assumption, someone elses this time) Norovirus has a "skin" that is very difficult to penetrate, and the alcohol in hand sanitizer doesn't kill it, and the emolients used in hand sanitizer actually help it "glue" to your skin, whereas benzethonium chloride makes it release.

Apparantly, bleach kills it. Not good for washing skin tho!

Some cruise lines use Germstar hand sanitizer. It has the benzethonium chloride. They have the blue plastic ball style dispensers.

Wet Ones brand hand wipes also have it. I love their 15 wipe travel package!!

[sail7seas]

Code Red does impact enjoyment on a cruise IMO.

I understand the need blah blah blah but there is no denying there are many things denied us during a Code Red that take from our full cruise experience.

 

I don't like when I can't make my own salad at lunch. A salad bar is so people can make it their way and it makes me uncomfortable when I have to say to the girl from entertainment department who hates putting fresh sliced mushrooms on my salad that I want more. She puts on one more and I ask for more. Then her tiny little size two waist makes me feel like a hog for wanting more fresh veggies on my salad. :o :p:

 

I am always sorry to hear any ships/guests/crews are sailing with a Code Red and I hope the ship gets to and stays at few to no cases of Noro.

 

[mamaofami]

Code Red does impact enjoyment on a cruise IMO.

I understand the need blah blah blah but there is no denying there are many things denied us during a Code Red that take from our full cruise experience.

 

I don't like when I can't make my own salad at lunch. A salad bar is so people can make it their way and it makes me uncomfortable when I have to say to the girl from entertainment department who hates putting fresh sliced mushrooms on my salad that I want more. She puts on one more and I ask for more. Then her tiny little size two waist makes me feel like a hog for wanting more fresh veggies on my salad. :o :p:

 

 

 

I had to giggle at your description of the service at the salad bar. I too like lots of those non caloric and healthy veggies and like to serve myself.

 

The one thing I can't understand is why it's OK to use the casino. Is it so they can make money? And, when we were in code red on the Noordam, they allowed us to use the computers in the library(another money maker for the ship) and they provided wipes.

 

 

The possibility of code red is a good incentive to bring a loaded kindle and laptop computer.

[Lady Chew]

When we were in Code Red on the Prinsendam last fall, they sanitized all of the chips & dice in the casino every night, and there was a poor crew member who just went round & round & round & round in a continual circle wiping down the slot machines and the stools.

Even so, it doesn't make any sense that the casino can stay open but so many other things close.

As someone mentioned in an earlier comment, you do have to wonder how much is actually the noro, and how much is "bad" food ...

[pms4104]

We have been fortunate never to sail under Code Red.

 

From comments on this thread and on others dealing with Noro, I get the impression that the facilities shut down are those that don't generate revenue, such as the library ... while the casino and internet cafe, both of which generate revenue, remain open.

 

So, if library materials were rented rather than borrowed, would the library remain open? If internet were free to all onboard, would the internet cafe be closed? If casino gamblers played with Monopoly/pretend money rather than the real thing, would the casino be closed? KK's comment about the beauty salon closing under Code Red makes we wonder if it generates much money onboard.

 

Just some food for thought ... along with Sail's extra salad goodies.

[pam vessels]

We just got off the Rotterdam on Sunday and were on code red much of our 30 day cruise. Yes, it is a pain. I will probably get flamed for this but older folks (like me) generally have some sort of immune disorder and as long as Holland's average age is something like 72 (on our trip this was the average) with many being much older one is just going to have to deal with the noro. It is rampant in nursing homes and assisted living places and hospitals where folks live in close quarters so what can one expect. You just hope that you do not get it. On our trip another issue was that many were having allergic reactions to all of the cleaning solutions being used.

[baggal]

It might have to do with CDC compliance.

['The Bear']

'Sail' -------- Great salad bar post! (I almost choked on my coffee!) This was a great start for my Saturday morning.

[sail7seas]

'Sail' -------- Great salad bar post! (I almost choked on my coffee!) This was a great start for my Saturday morning.

 

 

HAPPY to give you amusement. :D It's true though !!

 

Darn when those little petite ladies put three spinach leaves' date=' two pieces chopped celery and a half a tomato on a plate and call it a salad. :o For me, that's not even a good start.

 

[/b']

 

 

(Great to see you post, Bear. Haven't seen you lately. :))

[catl331]

SuwaneeCard: let us know how you feel after you have had N:(rovirus, please!

[Himself]

Perhaps the virus is coming from the unsanitized casino.

[sail7seas]

The virus is spreading from unwashed human hands.

 

[Winters in NZ]

I'm surprised that the casino isn't scrubbed down...but that's the gamble they are willing to take.

[MR NW GUY]

I be thinkin... da' SMOKE kills the virus :rolleyes: :cool:

[Love Cruises]

We disembarked the msRotterdam last Sunday after a 30 day cruise and we went through Code Red three times during our journey. in fact, the ship was in Code Red the week before we got on. Thankfully, we did not experience the gastric problems but did develop the cold that was going around.

[NoobCruise]

We have been fortunate never to sail under Code Red.

 

From comments on this thread and on others dealing with Noro, I get the impression that the facilities shut down are those that don't generate revenue, such as the library ... while the casino and internet cafe, both of which generate revenue, remain open.

 

So, if library materials were rented rather than borrowed, would the library remain open? If internet were free to all onboard, would the internet cafe be closed? If casino gamblers played with Monopoly/pretend money rather than the real thing, would the casino be closed? KK's comment about the beauty salon closing under Code Red makes we wonder if it generates much money onboard.

 

Just some food for thought ... along with Sail's extra salad goodies.

 

I think it has more to do with how easy is it to sanitize it then revenue. It's a lot easier to wipe the slot machines and casino chips down with bleach, or the computer mouse and keyboard then it is to try to sanitize paper books. You just can't sanitize the paper in books without ruining them. And how many people have the habit of licking their fingers to turn pages? LIf it stays open during an outbreak, it's a likely place for contamination and difficult to sanitize. For this very reason, many drs office have stopped keeping magazines in their waiting rooms. They're a horrible source of spreading viruses.

[uppitycats]

Norovirus can be much more than mere inconvenience! I contracted it on our last cruise, and spent 3 days confined to my cabin and had to receive intravenous fluids and medication! :eek: Noro is easily transmitted. One person getting it can easily pass it on to another...a few days pass, that person gets sick, passes it on to someone else, etc. And despite all the cleaning, it has a way of lurking in someone ready to spring again. I'd much rather put up with "code red" than the virus, again!

[jakkojakko]

Sorry to hear that the Statendam is in Code Red -- still.

 

When we got off the Maasdam in Florida on March 2 we heard about it. .

 

We disembarked the Statendam on the 2nd of march after the Panama Canal cruise. On this cruise we never had code red.

A passenger who boarded on the 2nd has a blog and he reports that the code red started on the 2nd day of the cruise.

 

http://bcdenterprises.net/PCcruise/

 

I hope that they can crush this outbreak soon.