Treatment of the sick on Explorer of the Seas

[tbill]

I'm interested in knowing how the almost 600 passengers are being treated on the Explorer of the Seas. It is concerning that it seems that when this outbreak happens the cruise staff is mostly interested in locking the passengers up in their cabins... I totally understand the concern of getting those that are still healthy infected but what about the ones that are already sick... take their keys and lock them in the cabin?? Crazy! They are not prisoners, they are on VACATION and became ill.

 

This really concerns me because we are booked on the Oasis in November. I am extremely claustrophobic and would not take kindly to having my sail and sign card removed from my possession and locked in my cabin because I am not feeling well. I'm really starting to rethink cruising at all. Between the nickel and diming and the treatment of passengers in emergency and/or infectious outbreaks it really seems that it is more of a hassle to cruise.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

I heard this morning on the news it was 300 sick and where did you see they were taking sail cards away and locking the passengers in there cabins.

When we have been on a ship with noro they have requested people affected stay in there cabin but only the affected party and never taken there cards away:confused:

[LMaxwell]

They won't take your sail and sign card nor do they lock you in. If you are infected and contagious you are quarantined; it's not prison. Why you would want to be out and about and pretend otherwise is beyond me; you likely wouldn't WANT to be out of the room, and if you somehow wanted to "get the most" from your vacation despite being very, very ill that is just selfish.

 

If you don't think cruising is for you, by all means cancel while you can get 100% of your money refunded. Not saying don't cruise or go away, but if the risk of getting ill and being quarantined doesn't suit you, eliminate the risk.

Edited January 27, 2014 by LMaxwell

[crazy4themouse]

OP.. Rather than quarantine the ill passengers to contain the bugs as much as possible, what would you have the cruise line do differently?

[Badlands99]

1. People with Noro, from what I've read, would rather be in bed, close to a private bathroom. They're not eager to get on the FlowRider or whatever.

 

2. If people have noro, would you want them to be walking ahead of you? Holding the handrail and pushing elevator buttons just before you do?

 

3. RCCL cannot win in these situations. There will always be something to complain about no matter how they respond.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Badlands99
I accidentally a word

[reallyitsmema]

I'm interested in knowing how the almost 600 passengers are being treated on the Explorer of the Seas. It is concerning that it seems that when this outbreak happens the cruise staff is mostly interested in locking the passengers up in their cabins... I totally understand the concern of getting those that are still healthy infected but what about the ones that are already sick... take their keys and lock them in the cabin?? Crazy! They are not prisoners, they are on VACATION and became ill.

 

This really concerns me because we are booked on the Oasis in November. I am extremely claustrophobic and would not take kindly to having my sail and sign card removed from my possession and locked in my cabin because I am not feeling well. I'm really starting to rethink cruising at all. Between the nickel and diming and the treatment of passengers in emergency and/or infectious outbreaks it really seems that it is more of a hassle to cruise.

Lets stay with the facts. People are sick, no one is locked in their cabins, they are quarantined to protect themselves and everyone else on board. No one is giving up their sea pass.

 

Where are you getting this information?

[OnTheJourney]

I wouldn't think a cruise line would be able to confine passengers to cabins. I would think they can request it, but not much beyond that. (?) If they would do it, they'd have to in some way supply those people with room service meals. I agree completely that anyone who is ill should not be out and around the ship anyway. Getting sick and losing part of one's vacation can happen in any form of travel. I think the big problem is that people do not take every precaution with using hand sanitizers. I've heard of situations where people are seen sneezing, coughing, blowing nose, etc. and then without cleaning their hands go right up to the buffet lines. So the spread of germs exponentiates pretty rapidly. I will never forget being in glacier bay when the captain came on the loudspeaker and made a ship-wide announcement that everyone should "wash their hands every time before eating - 20 seconds - with soap!" With his Dutch accent, it was actually pretty funny, but excellent advice!

Edited January 27, 2014 by three4rd

[pcur]

A person with noro WANTS to stay in their cabin near the bathroom. RCCL checks on you frequently, brings you extra fluids and clear soups, and generally treats you pretty well.

 

Nobody locks anybody up. The only time I've actually seen this is with a fellow passenger on our cruise last year who was drinking (maybe taking other substances, too), and was REALLY abusive to his family. I witnessed this twice, and the next day there was a guard sitting outside his cabin door to make sure he didn't leave until the next port where he was put off.

[mbjboyle]

I'm not sure if the OP is trolling, but in any case....

Sick passengers with Noro are quarentined due to the symptoms of vomitting, diarrhea, fever, and high risk of infection. This poses a risk not only for other passengers but for the host as well. The symptoms can result in dizzyness, disorientation, and dehydration. Typically a cruise in hot, humid, and salty-air conditions are not conducive to recovery and/or comfortable to those infected. Quarentine in an air-conditioned cabin (although not the most posh accomidtations for some) is the best option for all.....

[Retiringworkingstiff]

I'm interested in knowing how the almost 600 passengers are being treated on the Explorer of the Seas. It is concerning that it seems that when this outbreak happens the cruise staff is mostly interested in locking the passengers up in their cabins... I totally understand the concern of getting those that are still healthy infected but what about the ones that are already sick... take their keys and lock them in the cabin?? Crazy! They are not prisoners, they are on VACATION and became ill.

 

This really concerns me because we are booked on the Oasis in November. I am extremely claustrophobic and would not take kindly to having my sail and sign card removed from my possession and locked in my cabin because I am not feeling well. I'm really starting to rethink cruising at all. Between the nickel and diming and the treatment of passengers in emergency and/or infectious outbreaks it really seems that it is more of a hassle to cruise.

If you feel the cruise lines are "nickel and diming", why still book one??

[funNJfamily]

We booked another cruise while on board Grandeur in december. We're booked on Explorer, now my wife is nervous. I don't think we really need to be concerned. Has anyone been on a cruise where noro broke out?

[PuterMonkey]

I'm going to assume you've never had noro. I have (not on a cruise ship). It is the pits. Trust me, getting out and wandering the ship is the last thing you'll want to do. Sleeping because every time you stand up you have to fight the urge to hurl is about it.

 

And honestly, what would you prefer they do? Say you were the healthy person on a sick cruise ship. Do you really want the sickies wandering around?

[negc]

I'm interested in knowing how the almost 600 passengers are being treated on the Explorer of the Seas. It is concerning that it seems that when this outbreak happens the cruise staff is mostly interested in locking the passengers up in their cabins... I totally understand the concern of getting those that are still healthy infected but what about the ones that are already sick... take their keys and lock them in the cabin?? Crazy! They are not prisoners, they are on VACATION and became ill.

 

This really concerns me because we are booked on the Oasis in November. I am extremely claustrophobic and would not take kindly to having my sail and sign card removed from my possession and locked in my cabin because I am not feeling well. I'm really starting to rethink cruising at all. Between the nickel and diming and the treatment of passengers in emergency and/or infectious outbreaks it really seems that it is more of a hassle to cruise.

 

How would you suggest that they be treated? Should they have unrestricted movement to infect more of their fellow passengers? As others have mentioned, some from personal experience, the thing most ill passengers want is to remain in their cabin and close to the bathroom, where they can rest and recover. Cruise lines handle these situations as best they can and the least they should expect of the guests is that they observe recommended sanitization policies including frequent hand-washing with soap and water, and avoiding contact with others while they are contagious. With your "it's all about what I want" attitude perhaps we would all be better if you avoided the "hassle" completely and reduce the threat of illness to other guests because of your situation.

[tbill]

1. I am not trolling.

2. I have been on 32 cruises in the past, not a 1st time cruiser.

3. I read right on these boards that a family traveling on the Oasis a couple of weeks ago had a son who was only sick from eating too much pizza and junk. The went to medical and were told he was confined to the cabin... and they took his SAIL & SIGN CARD! I didn't make that up.

4. The CDC report for the Explorer that is now being returned home states 577 passengers and 49 crew are sick... That is over 600... NOT 300!! That is the fact, so you my friend should get it right.. I already did!

5. The people responding to my post are down right mean. That is really uncalled for.

6. What should the cruise line do??? Not lock up paying passengers on vacation. How about being clean and not have these things break out every other cruise?? That would be nice.

7. My husband had noro-virus on a cruise we were on 5 years ago. We handled it ourselves because those on our cruise that reported it to medical were telling everyone not to report it because of how terribly they were treated.

[tbill]

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2014/january21_explorer_seas.htm

 

 

 

Investigation Update on the Explorer of the Seas

 

 

 

Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

 

Cruise Ship: Explorer of the Seas

 

Voyage Dates: January 21-31, 2014

 

Number of passengers who have reported being ill during the voyage out of total number of passengers onboard: 577 of 3050 (18.9%)

 

Number of crew who have reported being ill during the voyage out of total number of crew onboard: 49 of 1165 (4.2%)

 

Predominant symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea

 

Causative agent: Unknown

 

Actions: In response to the outbreak, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and the crew aboard the ship took the following actions:

•Increasing cleaning and disinfection procedures according to their outbreak prevention and response plan,

•Making announcements to both notify onboard passengers of the outbreak and encourage case reporting,

•Collecting stool specimens from ill passengers and crew for submission to the CDC lab,

•Making multiple daily reports of gastrointestinal illness cases to the VSP,

•Preparing additional crew members to join the ship mid-voyage to assist with case management and intensified sanitation procedures,

•Consulting with CDC on plans for: ◦Passenger notification procedures and the planned delayed embarkation schedule in Bayonne, NJ on January 31, 2014,

◦Disembarkation plans for active cases, terminal and transport infection control procedures.

 

 

A CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officer and an epidemiologist will board the ship in St. Thomas, USVI on January 26, 2014 to conduct an epidemiologic investigation, environmental health assessment, and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. Specimens are being collected and will be sent to the CDC lab for testing.

[allentownahoy]

I am on the ship, I had Noro and it was the pits and room service provided food. I would cruise again, and have cruised before.. The crew has been wonderful and compensation is still being reassessed. The captain has been very visible and responsive to concerns. They are doing the best they can in an unusual situation. This hit so many people so fast that they have never seen anything like this. We are all filling out lengthy questionnaires re where and what we ate,etc. yes, there have been some glitches here and there and I experienced some of them. I am not a Royal cheer leader but this was a unique presentation and in general was handled very well.

 

There are many false rumors being spread including that Noro was on the last sailing. I was also on that sailing and people were not sick. As the Captain said on any cruise there are always a few with GI issues but that does not mean there was Noro.

[reallyitsmema]

The CDC report was updated today with new figures. The original report was around 300 people, the new report has increased the numbers considerably. Note the dates on the website.

 

No one on board the Explorer has reported their sea pass cards being confiscated.

[time4u2go]

1. I am not trolling.

2. I have been on 32 cruises in the past, not a 1st time cruiser.

3. I read right on these boards that a family traveling on the Oasis a couple of weeks ago had a son who was only sick from eating too much pizza and junk. The went to medical and were told he was confined to the cabin... and they took his SAIL & SIGN CARD! I didn't make that up.

4. The CDC report for the Explorer that is now being returned home states 577 passengers and 49 crew are sick... That is over 600... NOT 300!! That is the fact, so you my friend should get it right.. I already did!

5. The people responding to my post are down right mean. That is really uncalled for.

6. What should the cruise line do??? Not lock up paying passengers on vacation. How about being clean and not have these things break out every other cruise?? That would be nice.

7. My husband had noro-virus on a cruise we were on 5 years ago. We handled it ourselves because those on our cruise that reported it to medical were telling everyone not to report it because of how terribly they were treated.

Can you provide a link to where you read this (#3)? I think most people on here don't believe this statement (myself included).

[bouhunter]

How about being clean and not have these things break out every other cruise?? .

.

 

You just chewed someone out for having the number of sick incorrect? Then make a ridiculous statement like this? :rolleyes:

[cruisenfever]

3. I read right on these boards that a family traveling on the Oasis a couple of weeks ago had a son who was only sick from eating too much pizza and junk. The went to medical and were told he was confined to the cabin... and they took his SAIL & SIGN CARD! I didn't make that up.

Yes, a "child" will have their SeaPass Card taken away from them. As a precautionary measure also known as CYA, he was confined to their cabin until he was better. Only he was confined, not the entire family.

[dz9yvr]

1. I am not trolling.

2. I have been on 32 cruises in the past, not a 1st time cruiser.

3. I read right on these boards that a family traveling on the Oasis a couple of weeks ago had a son who was only sick from eating too much pizza and junk. The went to medical and were told he was confined to the cabin... and they took his SAIL & SIGN CARD! I didn't make that up.

4. The CDC report for the Explorer that is now being returned home states 577 passengers and 49 crew are sick... That is over 600... NOT 300!! That is the fact, so you my friend should get it right.. I already did!

5. The people responding to my post are down right mean. That is really uncalled for.

6. What should the cruise line do??? Not lock up paying passengers on vacation. How about being clean and not have these things break out every other cruise?? That would be nice.

7. My husband had noro-virus on a cruise we were on 5 years ago. We handled it ourselves because those on our cruise that reported it to medical were telling everyone not to report it because of how terribly they were treated.

 

 

It's simple. If you do happen to get sick, treat it yourself. The fact of the matter is that there is nothing medical can do for the standard case of noro. It takes time for the illness to run it's course. Bring your own medications and be prepared. Don't do anything stupid to iffect others. There are plenty of cases when only one person in cabin gets sick so you won't infect other passengers if you leave your cabin for a while.

 

Perhaps Holland America has the best approach. They treat every cruise like there is an outbreak. For the first couple of days the staff serves at all of the buffets and they use plenty of disposable items. They continue this approach for a few days until the incubation period passes. This makes it a lot more difficult for the diesease to get started.

 

I'll suggest other cruise lines should adopt tis policy.

[mbjboyle]

Please forgive my insinuation of trolling, it was merely due to this;

 

I'm really starting to rethink cruising at all. Between the nickel and diming and the treatment of passengers in emergency and/or infectious outbreaks it really seems that it is more of a hassle to cruise.

[negc]

1. I am not trolling.

2. I have been on 32 cruises in the past, not a 1st time cruiser.

3. I read right on these boards that a family traveling on the Oasis a couple of weeks ago had a son who was only sick from eating too much pizza and junk. The went to medical and were told he was confined to the cabin... and they took his SAIL & SIGN CARD! I didn't make that up.

4. The CDC report for the Explorer that is now being returned home states 577 passengers and 49 crew are sick... That is over 600... NOT 300!! That is the fact, so you my friend should get it right.. I already did!

5. The people responding to my post are down right mean. That is really uncalled for.

6. What should the cruise line do??? Not lock up paying passengers on vacation. How about being clean and not have these things break out every other cruise?? That would be nice.

7. My husband had noro-virus on a cruise we were on 5 years ago. We handled it ourselves because those on our cruise that reported it to medical were telling everyone not to report it because of how terribly they were treated.

 

No matter how clean the cruise line makes its ships, noro can and will be reintroduced the next time an infected passenger boards the ship and spreads his or her germs to fellow travelers. Blame those who introduce these bugs, not the cruiseline which is as much a victim as the individuals who have been infected by such thoughtless individuals.

If there were 600 affected persons on Explorer do you think that turning them loose to infect the other 2000 persons onboard is the right thing to do? What was the medical staff doing that was considered so "terrible"? Trying to contain the infection? And just how did you handle itself to avoid sharing your noro-virus with everyone else onboard? Maintaining silence about any symptoms only guarantees that others will share your illness.

[tbill]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=247793

 

All went well until...

 

 

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale the day before our departure. I received a phone call from RCCL with a voice message stating not to arrive to the ship before 1:30 PM because they were sanitizing the boat due to an outbreak of the Norovirus. I was glad they were taking pre-cautions. However, I learned on this trip that they seem to be overly cautious.

 

 

On the 4th day of our trip, my 7 year old son was running around, eating greasy food every night (pizza, French fries, chicken fingers) and had his third dessert for the night.

 

 

He vomited. We called housekeeping and was told by the staff that we should have our son checked out by the medical staff. My husband and I were fine with that but we knew our son just vomited because he ate too much and was running around. He had no fever or diarrhea.

 

 

I went to the nurse, she checked my son's temperature which was normal and then took his seapass card.

 

She came back and said that my son had to be quarantined for 24 hours to his room.

 

 

I was in disbelief. I said he had an upset tummy and no other symptoms to say he had the norovirus. He vomited once and was himself.

 

 

The nurse said the CDC and the captain of the ship take this very seriously.

 

 

My husband went down the next morning to try to talk to the staff to let my son out. The person at guest services said my son could be rechecked after 12 hours. Great!

 

 

My husband took my son back down to the doctor. The manager was already dealing with a woman who had a person in their party vomit from an allergic reaction to chlorine. The person in their party was also put on 24 hour quarantine. My husband knew we did not have a chance.

 

 

He basically told the manager that you are going to cause people to not be upfront with their illness in fear that they will be quarantined.

 

 

I even tried calling customer service for RCL and asking how they distinguish between people vomittng from the norovirus, motion sickness or upset stomach. The person could not answer that question. All I was told that this was for the safety of the ship.

 

 

Needless to say, they ruined a day that I wanted to spend with my family and get some nice pictures of us at the beach in St. Thomas. For the rest of the trip, I had to watch our three kids to make sure they did not overeat because I was worried that one of them would vomit from an upset stomach which was not uncommon with my kids. The staff even does "courtesy checks" to make sure that you stay put in your room. My son could not leave his room until 11:30 PM New Year's Eve. At least we got to ring in the new year.

 

 

All in all, our server and room attendant were great.

 

 

The shows were great. We did pre-book the show.

 

 

Another tip is when you are leaving the ship, allow yourself enough time for customs and the security line at the airport. We gave ourselves 3 hours and walked off the ship at 7:30 AM. Customs took awhile.

 

 

Then, we got to the airport and the line was very long for security. We had to be pulled out of line to make our 10:45 AM flight.

 

 

I am not happy with the overreaction caused by my son having an upset stomach with NO other symptoms and I think they handled it poorly.

[Dave85]

I am on the ship, I had Noro and it was the pits and room service provided food. I would cruise again, and have cruised before.. The crew has been wonderful and compensation is still being reassessed. The captain has been very visible and responsive to concerns. They are doing the best they can in an unusual situation. This hit so many people so fast that they have never seen anything like this. We are all filling out lengthy questionnaires re where and what we ate,etc. yes, there have been some glitches here and there and I experienced some of them. I am not a Royal cheer leader but this was a unique presentation and in general was handled very well.

 

There are many false rumors being spread including that Noro was on the last sailing. I was also on that sailing and people were not sick. As the Captain said on any cruise there are always a few with GI issues but that does not mean there was Noro.

 

Thanks for your report, glad to hear you're feeling better.