Is the grandeur of the seas cursed?

[velmasue]

A few years ago, my daughter got the Norovirus on a Carnival cruise and was quarantined for 24 hours. She didn't get any compensation. The only thing she did get was a $200 charge from the medical center. We didn't like the extra charge, but never expected compensation.

Edited April 6, 2014 by velmasue

[summersigh]

Some of your replies are rude and sarcastic, and you were just giving your opinion of your experience on the ship. I'm sorry to see that. I'm not saying I agree or disagree with your post

 

You should be able to write about the ship without getting slammed. What say "Host"?

 

Surely you don't believe the OP posted their comments without anticipating and welcoming the controversy? :confused::confused::confused:

[Kroozen]

I'm a 2nd year resident physician, and I can tell you will 100% certainty that norovirus has nothing to do with a cruise ship. Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that is passed from person to person, just like the flu. Norovirus is all around us, but it's more easily passed from person to person when you are in a closed environment for an extended period of time. This is precisely why it is common on cruise ships and on college campuses. Just like the flu, if one person in a house hold gets it, it is likely that it will be spread from person to person. Rather than expecting compensation from RCCL, why not hire a lawyer and sue the sick people that got on the ship?

[tlatrice]

Poof

Edited April 6, 2014 by tlatrice

[leaveitallbehind]

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that is passed from person to person, just like the flu.

 

Rather than expecting compensation from RCCL, why not hire a lawyer and sue the sick people that got on the ship?

 

...and for all anyone would know for sure - including them - the OP could have been the passenger who brought the noro on board! Interesting lawsuit...:D

 

Just saying. ;)

[A2Mich]

I love when people say 'I'm a Gold member' like it's supposed to 'mean something'. It means you've cruised with Royal at least once.:rolleyes:

 

Yeah, well people on these boards use that same lame line with "D or D+"-as if they're better or more important than I am. No, they've simply spent more than I have. It's just like saying "Well, I'm in a SUITE!". Well, good for them - they're still not any more important than I am - they're simply spending more.

[PTAngel]

We were also on the March 18 sailing. It was my very first cruise & we were not unduly concerned about our safety. We heard, felt & later saw the damage after the wave hit us. It was a little inconvenient because they had deck 10 roped off with tape saying "closed due to high winds" (I think). I got into the habit of walking the jogging path & really enjoyed it.

 

We got home on Friday & Saturday I came down sick with diarrhea, nausea & fever which lasted for 48 hours. DH also wasn't feeling very well. By the time I saw my doctor, it was gone. I don't know if it was norovirus but I don't care as long as it's gone. I don't think I can blame the ship since I was fine the day we got off. I would go on this ship again. I do not consider it "cursed".

 

I'm thinking of going with a friend on the Allure or Oasis probably in November. DH was in pain constantly & swears he will not go again even though I booked a trip in May 2015 to Bermuda while onboard. We'll see.

[skiiergirl]

You know, not every little thing that happens is compensable...it's called life. You got sick -- it happens. Either use the credit and be thankful you got anything at all, or move on and don't use it. You chose to use very expensive satellite calls to communicate -- your choice...you shouldn't expect Royal Caribbean to pay for your calls just because you caught a common virus.

 

 

Sorry...I'm just tired of feeling like somebody always has their hand out!

 

Very well said!

[Stephluva2711]

Why do you care if you are not going back anyway?:rolleyes:

 

LOL Paulxyz :D

[Stephluva2711]

300 dollars, wow just how long does it take to say "Sorry I will not be there, I am ill and cannot talk for long, especially as I am away and the phone costs are higher than normal " or better still to send an email with an explanation ?

 

So true Chip. I have used my cell on a cruise once before, made 2 calls. Didn't realize although we were in FL waters that i would be charged roaming because we were still sailing! One call lasted 3 min, the other was much longer, about 15 min. Even then my bill was in the $70 range for those 2 calls... SOOOOO Idk where that extra $230 came from that OP was referring to :confused:

[chengkp75]

Just got off ...sailed the march 28, 2014 trip.... Ship was taken in for renovation, following cruise caught fire... 3 wks ago the seas were so bad that every venue had to be closed (according to crew) and "all you could do was hold on...sailing just before last ship was hit by a rouge wave, and this past week the ship came down with the nori virus! Hundreds were sick..I was personally sick with many stomach issues and high fever. We were quarantined ( which makes sense) and our bland gastro diet was brought to us with red biohazard bag to put out paper plated, trays and plastic forks in! Crazy part is that the virus lasts well over the 24 hrs of the quarrentine and I believe about 200 people "reported" to medical knowing they were going to placed under a am distort lock down...can you imagine how many people didn't report because of that?:eek: crew did an amazing job with the virus...it was much more work for them....sadly corporate isn't so amazing...they compensated me with one day credit to be used on another cruise within a year...really?... Don't think I will ever do another rccl trip. I am a gold member...but corp would not even compensate me for the calls I had to make to cancels work when would be getting back because of being sick. Shame on you rccl corporate! Take a lesson from your amazing crew!

 

So..is it cursed or is it safe now?

 

Another sigh;

 

Having been at sea for 38 years, I can tell you without hesitation that the Grandeur was not hit with a rogue wave. I have been in enough bad weather, and hit enough large waves to literally stop a ship in its tracks, and sustain much more damage than Grandeur sustained, to know that the Grandeur hit a large wave at the exact wrong moment in her motion to cause the hull to flex upward at the ends and buckle the running deck. This, while not "normal", is to be expected in heavy weather. A rogue wave would have taken out every window on the bow, or if it hit the side of the ship, there would have been reports of injuries from the ship rolling over 20-30*. A rogue wave would have towered 30-40 feet ABOVE the Grandeur.

 

There is no guarantee that the ship had noro virus. Until the fecal samples collected can be tested, there is no way of knowing. Generally, quarantine lasts as long as the patient is symptomatic (diarrhea or vomiting), since most were reporting a 24 hour quarantine, and some here were saying that symptoms lasted 24 hours, I doubt it was noro. Look at the USPH/CDC website, for the report of the outbreak, and causative agent is "unknown".

 

So you had to make calls because you were ill. What if you were ill from picking up something while ashore. Would RCI be responsible for your bills then? Get a life, and move on.

[Stephluva2711]

I'm a 2nd year resident physician, and I can tell you will 100% certainty that norovirus has nothing to do with a cruise ship. Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that is passed from person to person, just like the flu. Norovirus is all around us, but it's more easily passed from person to person when you are in a closed environment for an extended period of time. This is precisely why it is common on cruise ships and on college campuses. Just like the flu, if one person in a house hold gets it, it is likely that it will be spread from person to person. Rather than expecting compensation from RCCL, why not hire a lawyer and sue the sick people that got on the ship?

 

Dont' thake this the wrong way, but when i googled norovirus the other day it showed me word for word the paragraph you just 'wrote' :eek:

[poncho1973]

Quite simply... yes. It is cursed. I was hoping you wouldn't find out. We all were. We thought we could keep it from you and you MIGHT get by without noticing.

 

It looks like we were wrong. I'm sorry we hid it from you, but we thought it was for your own protection. Each and every poster here was in on it, but I'll take the blame as the ringleader. It was me.

[evelyn51]

I'm a 2nd year resident physician, and I can tell you will 100% certainty that norovirus has nothing to do with a cruise ship. Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that is passed from person to person, just like the flu. Norovirus is all around us, but it's more easily passed from person to person when you are in a closed environment for an extended period of time. This is precisely why it is common on cruise ships and on college campuses. Just like the flu, if one person in a house hold gets it, it is likely that it will be spread from person to person. Rather than expecting compensation from RCCL, why not hire a lawyer and sue the sick people that got on the ship?

 

 

The list of illness that may be contracted in contaminated water includes Typhoid which is transmitted in the same way as Noro. In investigating I've understood there is an Oral Vaccine. Any information regarding this would be greatly appreciated.

[Kroozen]

Dont' thake this the wrong way, but when i googled norovirus the other day it showed me word for word the paragraph you just 'wrote' :eek:

 

I just goggled it also, and hmmm...I can't find what you're referring to. Could you please provide me with that link. It's not that I don't believe you...I just don't believe you. And also, you're more than welcome to contradict my medical knowledge. You must know more about the epidemiology of diseases than I know. What medical school did you go to? Oh? You didn't? Makes sense...

[Kroozen]

The list of illness that may be contracted in contaminated water includes Typhoid which is transmitted in the same way as Noro. In investigating I've understood there is an Oral Vaccine. Any information regarding this would be greatly appreciated.

 

There are a myriad of illnesses that can be contracted by drinking contaminated water, but, drinking water on a cruise ship generally isn't contaminated due to the filtration process it goes through. You're more at risk of contracting an illness due to person to person contact than you are from drinking water, on a cruise ship at least. There are vaccines that are being tested, but I don't believe they are available yet. If they are, we haven't seen them at my hospital. However, it works like the flu vaccine does...It uses a weak strain of the virus in order to build up immunity, but it will not cause an infection. Your best bet is to wash your hands often, avoid direct contact with a lot of people, use the hand sanitizer stations on the ship, and bring disinfectant wipes to wipe down surfaces in your stateroom. If you are feeling ill, go to the ships' medical center for evaluation and treatment. I understand that you may be 'quarantined' for 24 hours, but you don't want to infect others as well. Also, norovirus hasn't even confirmed in this case...It could be anything really.

[chengkp75]

The list of illness that may be contracted in contaminated water includes Typhoid which is transmitted in the same way as Noro. In investigating I've understood there is an Oral Vaccine. Any information regarding this would be greatly appreciated.

 

Where did contaminated water come into the mix? Typhoid is a bacterial infection, not a virus like noro. No idea whether there is an oral Typhoid vaccine, but there is one that is injected.

 

Not to step on Kroozen, but the safety of ship's water is far more from the chlorination than any filtration. Any water taken from shore must be chlorinated before it is placed in the ship's tanks, and it is also tested for fecal coliform bacteria, which takes 18-24 hours, so any water taken in port is segregated and not used until the medical center has completed the test for coliform. Any water made by the ship, whether by evaporation or reverse osmosis, is also chlorinated before going into the ship's tanks. And no water is allowed to be made within 12 miles of any land. Finally, the water system is constantly recirculating, not like in your home where it sits in the pipes until you open a valve. The USPH/CDC requires that the water have, at all times, a residual chlorine content, at the farthest point from the chlorination point (chlorination in engine room, monitoring usually on bridge) of 0.5%. Water samples are also required to be taken monthly from random sinks, showers, galleys and laundry locations throughout the ship and tested for coliform bacteria. USPH requirements for water quality and sanitation are far stricter than ANY local municipality in the US.

Edited April 7, 2014 by chengkp75

[hansolosmom]

Quite simply... yes. It is cursed. I was hoping you wouldn't find out. We all were. We thought we could keep it from you and you MIGHT get by without noticing.

 

It looks like we were wrong. I'm sorry we hid it from you, but we thought it was for your own protection. Each and every poster here was in on it, but I'll take the blame as the ringleader. It was me.

 

Best answer ever!

[Patty00]

Some of your replies are rude and sarcastic, and you were just giving your opinion of your experience on the ship. I'm sorry to see that. I'm not saying I agree or disagree with your post

 

You should be able to write about the ship without getting slammed. What say "Host"?

 

I so much agree!! I hesitate to comment sometimes with the backlash that can come back to me. I was on the Enchantment and did experience a rouge wave. Now don't tell me it wasn't......fact is it was! My table mate was on a bridge tour and the captain was not present. However, the first officer was in charge and he said "this is a rouge wave and everyone must leave the bridge". So, if you can't believe the first officer in charge of the ship.....who can you believe? People did get hurt! The ship tipped 45 degrees. This happened about two years ago on a ship out of Baltimore. You can have rough waves and wind as you leave the Chesapeake Bay into the Atlantic and folks need to be prepared for cancellation of ports, ship activities, etc.

[janice2348]

Quite simply... yes. It is cursed. I was hoping you wouldn't find out. We all were. We thought we could keep it from you and you MIGHT get by without noticing.

 

It looks like we were wrong. I'm sorry we hid it from you, but we thought it was for your own protection. Each and every poster here was in on it, but I'll take the blame as the ringleader. It was me.

 

 

Uh oh...the cat is out of the bag:D

 

Seriously though, I am glad to see all the posts in Grandeurs defense. We are sailing on 4/26. I figure a cruise is a gamble, just as life is. And life doesn't owe you a thing; neither does RCCL.

 

Get over it!!!!

[BND]

I so much agree!! I hesitate to comment sometimes with the backlash that can come back to me. I was on the Enchantment and did experience a rouge wave. Now don't tell me it wasn't......fact is it was! My table mate was on a bridge tour and the captain was not present. However, the first officer was in charge and he said "this is a rouge wave and everyone must leave the bridge". So, if you can't believe the first officer in charge of the ship.....who can you believe? People did get hurt! The ship tipped 45 degrees. This happened about two years ago on a ship out of Baltimore. You can have rough waves and wind as you leave the Chesapeake Bay into the Atlantic and folks need to be prepared for cancellation of ports, ship activities, etc.

 

45 degrees? Really? Do you know how much 45 degrees is? You were on the bridge when it hit? You don't exactly get warning before any wave. I have never heard of any cruise ship tilting 45 degrees. 45 degrees would put the lower decks under water on the side the ship is tilted to.

Edited April 7, 2014 by BND