Radiance of Seas Norovirus

[Hockey Nut Steve]

Just received the following from Royal Caribbean

 

"Hello, this is Royal Caribbean International. We would like to provide you with important information regarding your June 14, 2013, sailing onboard Radiance of the Seas. During the last sailing, a number of guests onboard experienced some gastrointestinal illness. In an abundance of caution, we will conduct some enhanced sanitizing onboard the ship and within the cruise terminal to help prevent any illness from affecting your cruise. Because of this extra cleaning and sanitizing, boarding is now anticipated to begin at approximately 1:00 p.m. Check in will take place between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation and we look forward to welcoming you onboard."

 

Glad they are taking precautions. I don't mind a late embarkation knowing ship has been cleaned.

[jellybabe2]

this happened to us in nov IOS southampton TA NORO only we were not forewarned it was our first cruise we arrived at the port 1100 & queued for hours no explanation was given the queue snaked & snaked my husband struggled carrying his suits & hand luggage we eventually got on at 1530 went to the windjammer but told it was closing ready for muster drill

we were starving we had skipped breakfast found a snack bar open ended up with a steak pie not what we had dreamed of eating on our cruise

unfortunately people continued to be ill not helped by rough crossing

extra cleaning measures continued throughout 1st wk & start of 2nd we couldn't even serve ourselves in windjammer

we were lucky we didnt get ill & despite bumpy start had a great cruise

we are on radiance in sept

[Ashland]

Yikes...We got off her (ROS northbound) on May 24th...glad we missed this outbreak. ;)

[ace1zoe2]

I am currently on Radiance:

 

The captain is speaking now... there are 22 confirmed cases onboard as of today. Again, he is asking everyone to wash their hands. The crew is doing deep cleaning and they have asked the crew, staff & officers to discontinue hand shaking. Self serve is discontinued in the WJ and staff & officers are going outside their normal duties to serve cruisers. Again wash your hands frequently & thoroughly.

 

That's the latest as we are pulling out of port in Ketchikan right now.

[uksimonusa]

This "abundance of caution" phrase seems to be used a lot by RCI at the moment.

[spintowin]

We were on the May 24 southbound. On the last day, Friday morning, I woke up sick. I managed to get off the ship and into a car rental, which my husband drove to Seattle. We didn't fly out till the next day and by then I did feel better. Just couldn't eat. Glad it was the last morning, cuz I felt terrible!

[Langley Cruisers]

OP Steve, this happened to us with Explorer; boarding was delayed due to deep cleaning due to Noro. Although it is a bit inconvenient, the best time to be on a ship is right after this is done! I'm sure you'll have a great time.

 

ace1zoe2, sorry to hear this, thanks for the update, and I hope you don't get sick. Enjoy the rest of your cruise. :)

 

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[ZOO]

Anyone read this post is on the Radiance now? How is the situation with June14th sailing? I booked July 12 northbound and a bit worry about noro now.

[brillohead]

The ship is not the problem with noro -- people not washing hands effectively and often is the problem. They can deep-clean until the cows come home, but all it takes is one nasty non-washer to leave a trail of germs EVERYwhere.

 

Wash. Your. Hands.

 

Use. The. Sanitizer.

 

Wash. Your. Hands.

 

Use. The. Sanitizer.

[mjldvlks]

The ship is not the problem with noro -- people not washing hands effectively and often is the problem. They can deep-clean until the cows come home, but all it takes is one nasty non-washer to leave a trail of germs EVERYwhere.

 

Wash. Your. Hands.

 

Use. The. Sanitizer.

 

Wash. Your. Hands.

 

Use. The. Sanitizer.

 

Sure being limited to a relatively small space may make it easier to spread, but has anyone read the article today that there is a noro' out break in . . wait for it . . . Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks?

[Langley Cruisers]

Anyone read this post is on the Radiance now? How is the situation with June14th sailing? I booked July 12 northbound and a bit worry about noro now.

 

Why are you concerned so far out? There is nothing you can do so my advice is to relax, don't stress about this, and enjoy this time leading up to your cruise and all the excitement that goes with it. Every single cruise has the potential to have a Noro outbreak, it just does. You can get Noro in the shopping mall before your cruise where you picked up last minute items, at church on the Sunday before you left on your cruise, on the plane flying to your port... see what I'm saying? It is not specific to cruise ships.

 

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[ryano]

It is not specific to cruise ships.

 

.

 

Exactly. I had a confirmed case of Noro a few months ago and havent been on a cruise in over a year. I believe its the sickest I have ever been in my life!

 

No use worrying about it.

[chengkp75]

Exactly. I had a confirmed case of Noro a few months ago and havent been on a cruise in over a year. I believe its the sickest I have ever been in my life!

 

No use worrying about it.

 

Sorry to be crude, but noro virus is an anal to oral transmission. So, anyone who does not wash hands after using the bathroom can transmit noro, even in your own home. The closed environment of cruise ships, hospitals, and nursing homes just exaggerates the ability to spread.

[jules815]

I had noro on our cruise last October. We boarded the ship on Saturday morning for a 7-day cruise, and I fell ill on Sunday evening and didn't start feeling better until Thursday morning. Sickest I've ever been. And I'm a "wash your hands while singing "Happy Birthday", wipe everything down with Clorox wipes, push the elevator button with your knuckle" kind of gal! They never announced it. though, so maybe they have to have X number of people become ill before they do a deep clean?

 

I think I know how I got it, too. I did a load of laundry on board the morning of our second day. (My husband had spilled on his favorite shorts at the restaurant pre-cruise in Cocoa Beach.) I helped a woman in the laundry room with the device that scans your sea pass card to activate the washers and dryers. I touched her sea pass card, then while we were standing there, she told me how ill she had been the night before! I remember thinking, "I hope this woman doesn't make me sick!" Small laundry room with the door closed, and she was probably still very contagious.

 

I seriously considered never cruising again. It was the worst.

[Keith1010]

Sorry to hear this but it seems like this virus is striking many ships right now.

 

Keith

[chengkp75]

I had noro on our cruise last October. We boarded the ship on Saturday morning for a 7-day cruise, and I fell ill on Sunday evening and didn't start feeling better until Thursday morning. Sickest I've ever been. And I'm a "wash your hands while singing "Happy Birthday", wipe everything down with Clorox wipes, push the elevator button with your knuckle" kind of gal! They never announced it. though, so maybe they have to have X number of people become ill before they do a deep clean?

 

I think I know how I got it, too. I did a load of laundry on board the morning of our second day. (My husband had spilled on his favorite shorts at the restaurant pre-cruise in Cocoa Beach.) I helped a woman in the laundry room with the device that scans your sea pass card to activate the washers and dryers. I touched her sea pass card, then while we were standing there, she told me how ill she had been the night before! I remember thinking, "I hope this woman doesn't make me sick!" Small laundry room with the door closed, and she was probably still very contagious.

 

I seriously considered never cruising again. It was the worst.

 

Best description of noro that I've heard: it won't kill you, but for 3 days, you'll wish it had.

 

Noro can be transmitted on any hard surface. It can also be transmitted at the buffet line, where an infected person uses tongs to pick up a burger bun. You then touch the tongs, so your hands are infected. You pick up your bun with the tongs, and then touch the bun with your hands while eating, and voila, you have ingested noro.

 

You're right, up until 1% of passengers and crew show symptoms, the ship does not have to report it to CDC. Up until that point, it is up to the ship's management to decide whether to initiate a "sanitizer police" campaign, or whether to initiate disinfection. Sometimes is goes unnoticed by the passengers, as fogging of passageways, public spaces, and elevators will be done very late at night. Once an outbreak is reported to CDC, there are strict protocols to follow, and it may take several voyages to clear it up, if an infected but non-symptomatic person touches a hard surface after the last cleaning on turn around day, and a new person comes aboard and touches that surface. If after about 3 weeks, if the number of cases has not subsided, the CDC will generally send a USPH inspection team to verify that all protocols are being followed.

[jules815]

Best description of noro that I've heard: it won't kill you, but for 3 days, you'll wish it had.

 

Noro can be transmitted on any hard surface. It can also be transmitted at the buffet line, where an infected person uses tongs to pick up a burger bun. You then touch the tongs, so your hands are infected. You pick up your bun with the tongs, and then touch the bun with your hands while eating, and voila, you have ingested noro.

 

You're right, up until 1% of passengers and crew show symptoms, the ship does not have to report it to CDC. Up until that point, it is up to the ship's management to decide whether to initiate a "sanitizer police" campaign, or whether to initiate disinfection. Sometimes is goes unnoticed by the passengers, as fogging of passageways, public spaces, and elevators will be done very late at night. Once an outbreak is reported to CDC, there are strict protocols to follow, and it may take several voyages to clear it up, if an infected but non-symptomatic person touches a hard surface after the last cleaning on turn around day, and a new person comes aboard and touches that surface. If after about 3 weeks, if the number of cases has not subsided, the CDC will generally send a USPH inspection team to verify that all protocols are being followed.

 

Strange thing though, my husband never got it, and he was sleeping in the bed with me every night, bringing me water and ginger ale, etc.

[Mark_K]

I had noro on our cruise last October. We boarded the ship on Saturday morning for a 7-day cruise, and I fell ill on Sunday evening and didn't start feeling better until Thursday morning. Sickest I've ever been. And I'm a "wash your hands while singing "Happy Birthday", wipe everything down with Clorox wipes, push the elevator button with your knuckle" kind of gal! They never announced it. though, so maybe they have to have X number of people become ill before they do a deep clean?

 

I think I know how I got it, too. I did a load of laundry on board the morning of our second day. (My husband had spilled on his favorite shorts at the restaurant pre-cruise in Cocoa Beach.) I helped a woman in the laundry room with the device that scans your sea pass card to activate the washers and dryers. I touched her sea pass card, then while we were standing there, she told me how ill she had been the night before! I remember thinking, "I hope this woman doesn't make me sick!" Small laundry room with the door closed, and she was probably still very contagious.

 

I seriously considered never cruising again. It was the worst.

Maybe that's why Royal Caribbean won't let you do your own laundry. :)

 

Also, typically, symptoms don't start until 24-48 hours after exposure. It's as likely you got it in Cocoa Beach as on the ship.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[ZOO]

I am getting more worried after reading all those post. My family experienced a worst instance in the cruise ship. While my father was on NCL jade in Europe , he got stomach bleeding , and sent to local hospital ICU. He almost gone.

 

Cruise trip is supposed to be a relaxing holiday . But with worrying getting sick, it definitely wasting of money. I even think to cancel the trip even if that means lost 50% of my cruise fare paid.

[luvscruising2007]

We have been on many cruises and have never had noro or had the ship had an announced outbreak.

Instead of worrying about getting sick, think about all of the good times and memories you will have on your cruise. Be positive!

[abridalmaven]

The ship is not the problem with noro -- people not washing hands effectively and often is the problem. They can deep-clean until the cows come home, but all it takes is one nasty non-washer to leave a trail of germs EVERYwhere.

 

Wash. Your. Hands.

 

Use. The. Sanitizer.

 

Wash. Your. Hands.

 

Use. The. Sanitizer.

Amen. And shame on those who board knowing they are ill, and you know there are those who do.:mad:

[abridalmaven]

I had noro on our cruise last October. We boarded the ship on Saturday morning for a 7-day cruise, and I fell ill on Sunday evening and didn't start feeling better until Thursday morning. Sickest I've ever been. And I'm a "wash your hands while singing "Happy Birthday", wipe everything down with Clorox wipes, push the elevator button with your knuckle" kind of gal! They never announced it. though, so maybe they have to have X number of people become ill before they do a deep clean?

 

I think I know how I got it, too. I did a load of laundry on board the morning of our second day. (My husband had spilled on his favorite shorts at the restaurant pre-cruise in Cocoa Beach.) I helped a woman in the laundry room with the device that scans your sea pass card to activate the washers and dryers. I touched her sea pass card, then while we were standing there, she told me how ill she had been the night before! I remember thinking, "I hope this woman doesn't make me sick!" Small laundry room with the door closed, and she was probably still very contagious.

 

I seriously considered never cruising again. It was the worst.

Then don't go to public places either. Do you know how germy the handrails in the malls are or in movie theatres? And the list goes on.

[Tweedy]

I am getting more worried after reading all those post. My family experienced a worst instance in the cruise ship. While my father was on NCL jade in Europe , he got stomach bleeding , and sent to local hospital ICU. He almost gone.

 

Cruise trip is supposed to be a relaxing holiday . But with worrying getting sick, it definitely wasting of money. I even think to cancel the trip even if that means lost 50% of my cruise fare paid.

 

 

It truly is a shame that you are actually thinking of cancelling the trip for fear of getting sick. If you have a fear of getting sick, do you leave your home? Just wondering because there are lots of bugs floating around everyday that can make you sick.

 

We leave on June 28th on the Radiance for 14-days and plan to enjoy ourselves whether the ship is sailing with added precautions or not. We were on the Zuiderdam a few years ago and the sailing before us had an outbreak. For our entire trip the crew had to serve all the food in the buffet among other precautions. It didn't deter from our trip one bit.

 

Go and enjoy yourself. Mind over matter and you'll have a fab time.

[ticktoneer]

Then don't go to public places either. Do you know how germy the handrails in the malls are or in movie theatres? And the list goes on.

A bit harsh Barbara IMO

 

Happy Cruising :-)

[jules815]

We have been on many cruises and have never had noro or had the ship had an announced outbreak.

Instead of worrying about getting sick, think about all of the good times and memories you will have on your cruise. Be positive!

 

I agree. Even though I got sick, it was the first time since I've been cruising that something like this happened, and we have another cruise booked for next May. Noro outbreaks can happen anywhere, not just on a cruise ship. You'll have a great time!