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Noro Virus on Sun Princess??

anjo

By anjo,
in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers

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anjo

anjo

Posted
Posted

Just had an email from a friend on the World Cruise on Sun Princess. She said they are being served by the Stewards in Horizon Court and they are flying a Yellow Flag. Does this mean they have Noro Virus onboard??:eek:

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Sandielle

Sandielle

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Posted (edited)

When a ship is flying a yellow flag it usually means "do not board". The Pacific Dawn flew one on the notorious swine flu cruise. I'd say, that as the stewards are serving food in the buffet, that it sounds very much as though they have a norovirus outbreak.

Edited by Sandielle
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anjo

anjo

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Hi There, I did a search on the Yellow flags and it came up with conflicting answers. Some say it is the Quarantine flag flown in Port saying they meet Health requirements and requesting Customs and Health Clearance.Others said Sickness on Board. I suppose we will have to wait for more info from those on Board. I always find it strange that they only Quarantine the passenger who is sick and not other occupants of the same cabin??!!

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rkmw

rkmw

Posted
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we have had the noro virus on a couple of princess cruises and its not very nice, the staff have to do overtime and the passengers cannot make a cup of tea, coffee or get a drink from the buffett

 

we have cruised a lot on p&o australia and never had it once because they make everyone use the gel

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Sandielle

Sandielle

Posted
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Not quite correct I believe, Sandielle. See below

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_maritime_signal_flags

 

Q (Quebec)

"My vessel is 'healthy' and I request free pratique."

 

Being served by the stewards in the buffet area could be an indication though.

 

I, too, found conflicting results - that's why I mentioned the article I read about the Pacific Dawn. :)

 

(There are also conflicting results when doing a search for the meanings of "Code Alpha" etc. etc.)

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bazzaw

bazzaw

Posted
Posted (edited)

I wish we had somebody with medical knowledge here to give us good advice. . My understanding is that the "gels" on the ships are only of use to eliminate bacteria on our hands. All well and good because bacteria can make us sick -- BUT the Norovirus is a VIRUS and can be transmitted by a number of ways. (only one of which is through faeces). Norovirus (as I understand it) exists in our stomachs and is transmitted by ejection of bodily fluids. Hence vomiting when seasick (by a person with the virus) is a major cause of spread.

 

My personal remedy is to wash my hands as often as I can ( any and every time I return to the cabin) - and always before I eat or drink ANYTHING. The virus is picked up on our hands and we need to wash them before we eat.

 

On our Oriana cruise, I got a severe case of diarrhoea which lasted for 5 days - but no sickness and no vomiting. In fact I had a great appetite during the whole episode. They quarantined me for 24 hours - but it was not Norovirus

 

Barry

Edited by bazzaw
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ceejay3377

ceejay3377

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You are correct, Barry. The sanitisers only clean your hands of bacteria. Any viruses that may be present on your hands before using the gel, will still be there after. It is one of my biggest annoyances, as I believe it makes some people complacent and may be used in place of regular hand washing and other good hygenic practices. Viruses can only be removed by extensive handwashing with soap.

 

The norovirus itself is incredibly tiny (one of the smallest), and is found in all bodily fluids of the infected person. This means that if an infected person coughs or sneezes the virus can become airborn (albeit temporarily) and can be transmitted this way too. This is part of the reason that it can spread so easily.

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Gaznjo

Gaznjo

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Well I just heard they are on code red now... crossing their fingers that halifax will let them stop !!

 

On princess they tell you when you wash hands for as long as it takes to sing happy birthday twice!!

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Kiwi Kruzer

Kiwi Kruzer

Posted
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On our Oriana cruise, I got a severe case of diarrhoea which lasted for 5 days - but no sickness and no vomiting. In fact I had a great appetite during the whole episode. They quarantined me for 24 hours - but it was not Norovirus Barry

 

That was probably "Delhi Belly " Barry :D:D

 

We did a WC segment once where some folk had done an overland in India, and once back on board , were credited with passing a tummy bug around the ship.That lasted a few days and went. We were advised to sip thin soups, eat lots of well cooked rice and and eat fresh...ie peel a banana.:)

 

 

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Gold Coast Cruisers

Gold Coast Cruisers

Posted
Posted (edited)
That was probably "Delhi Belly " Barry :D:D

 

We did a WC segment once where some folk had done an overland in India, and once back on board , were credited with passing a tummy bug around the ship.That lasted a few days and went. We were advised to sip thin soups, eat lots of well cooked rice and and eat fresh...ie peel a banana.:)

 

 

 

 

Funny you should mention rice. My Doctor was telling me that rice is one of the most 'dodgy' things you can eat. I found that quite strange as I thought it was safe as houses, as they say. She was saying that once rice is cooked you can store it in the refrigerator for no more than 48 hours and even within that time bacteria will begin to grow. She went to Hong Kong on her honeymoon. They went for dinner the first evening and she had only rice as she was tired. Within a couple of hours she was extremely ill and it lasted for 6 days and on the 7th day it was time to go home.... so that was her honeymoon...she didn't get to see a thing of Hong Kong except the bathroom of the hotel.

 

Jilly

Edited by Gold Coast Cruisers
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  • 1 year later...
Barbara_White

Barbara_White

Posted
Posted

Boarding delayed next Monday because need to disinfect because of outbreak of Norovirus onboard.

 

Getting nervous that despite best efforts, that we could be headed for rough health weather.

 

Any comments. Particularly likelihood it could affect us? Gee Whiz - after reading this, this is hardly the first time on Sun Princess.

 

Any comments appreciated.:confused:

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Sandielle

Sandielle

Posted
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This is an old thread. Having been on board the Sun Princess when there was an outbreak (albeit not that many affected), I can assure you they are very quick to take steps to minimise inconvenience to other passengers while doing everything possible to contain the outbreak. Unfortunately it happens on all ships even the Cunard ships, and is usually the fault of passengers who are not practising good hygiene measures - something we notice frequently.

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Aus Traveller

Aus Traveller

Posted
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I agree with Mic and Sandy. Wash your hands and if you have to touch handrails or lift buttons, wash your hands before touching food or before touching your face (particularly mouth or nose).

 

Generally I agree with Barry's comment, but I don't think Norovirus is something we all carry. It is a virus that passes very easily from one person to another. A seasick person would only pass Noro on if they also had that virus.

 

When the number of infections on a cruiseship reaches a particular level (percentage of passengers) they go to 'Code Red'. All drinks menus, salt/pepper shakers and sugar packets are removed from tables. Staff will bring your cutlery to you after you are seated at tables in the buffet. At the extreme level, staff will serve passengers in the buffet to keep people further away from the food and not in contact with serving utensils.

 

We have cruised a lot (around 50 cruises) and haven't ever had Noro on a cruiseship :) although we did have it on two other occasions. :(

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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I agree with Mic and Sandy. Wash your hands and if you have to touch handrails or lift buttons, wash your hands before touching food or before touching your face (particularly mouth or nose).

 

Generally I agree with Barry's comment, but I don't think Norovirus is something we all carry. It is a virus that passes very easily from one person to another. A seasick person would only pass Noro on if they also had that virus.

 

When the number of infections on a cruiseship reaches a particular level (percentage of passengers) they go to 'Code Red'. All drinks menus, salt/pepper shakers and sugar packets are removed from tables. Staff will bring your cutlery to you after you are seated at tables in the buffet. At the extreme level, staff will serve passengers in the buffet to keep people further away from the food and not in contact with serving utensils.

 

We have cruised a lot (around 50 cruises) and haven't ever had Noro on a cruiseship :) although we did have it on two other occasions. :(

 

I have been on ships where they have taken some precautions such as you mentioned. Even though there was no sickness that I had heard of from any of the passengers I knew which can grow significantly through friends of friends when on board. However, the staff must have been monitoring reported cases and then take the precautions.:D

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Cruise_me_Crazy

Cruise_me_Crazy

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Sea Princess had it on the 26.12.13. We were on board. Captn made announcements and we had paperwork in our cabin giving advice on what to expect, symptoms and behaviour to safe guard yourself that same day.

 

It stated washing hands well for minimum 20 seconds using soap was the best precaution.

 

Surprised & disgusted by the amount of people coming out of toilet cubicles and straight out the door without washing hands :eek:. I think in a crowded public space like a ship your personal hygiene should take into consideration others' safety before your convenience.

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Pushka

Pushka

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...disgusted by the amount of people coming out of toilet cubicles and straight out the door without washing hands :eek:. I think in a crowded public space like a ship your personal hygiene should take into consideration others' safety before your convenience.

 

 

It's why I really dislike toilets that require you to open the doors to exit.

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