Norovirus risk?

[JRos]

Hi everyone,

Several years ago, I nearly died from Norovirus. I'm a type 1 diabetic and when I contracted the illness (not on a cruise or a vacation), it hit me so hard that I blacked out, passed out and wound up in a severe life threatening state.

Ever since, I'm terrified of Norovirus.

A Princess cruise has been stricken with this virus now. I'm leaving on the Getaway in 2 weeks with my husband and 2 small kids. I'm curious about whether the buffet on Getaway is self serve; if proper hygiene and sanitation standards are adhered to (hand sanitizer squirted on passengers as they enter buffets and bathrooms near eating areas?).

I know I sound crazy, but this is something that I am constantly thinking about lately. It takes one passenger who doesn't wash their hands, and touches food, to get thousands ill.

Has anyone become ill from a stomach flu on a cruise?

[Alliezona09]

Getaway has hand washing stations as you enter the buffet along with the washy washy people, squirting sanitizer in your hands. I think you'll be just fine!

[ColinIllinois]

Yes, like most buffets it is self service at most stations. Yes, NCL endeavors to be as strict as possible with sanitary and cleaning conditions. Yes, people have contacted Noro on every cruise line. Noro can be contracted at shore restaurants, gyms, malls, you name it.

 

Not sure what people can say to make you feel better except that if you practice good hygiene the chances of catching anything are pretty darned slim.

[JRos]

Thanks everyone :) I'm happy that precautions are taken. I just needed to know that they aren't lax with hygiene.

 

Case closed :)

[garycarla]

...Not sure what people can say to make you feel better except that if you practice good hygiene the chances of catching anything are pretty darned slim.

 

There are thousands of places onboard where someone with the germs can leave them. You best bet is to make sure you do not TOUCH them and then put your hand somewhere a germ can spread. Mouth, eyes, etc.

 

In reality, a cruise line can put 1000 people to work to prevent it, but it only takes one idiot to leave their germ when somebody will pick it up.

 

If you are in such danger, ASSUME it exists everywhere and take precautions.

[JRos]

There are thousands of places onboard where someone with the germs can leave them. You best bet is to make sure you do not TOUCH them and then put your hand somewhere a germ can spread. Mouth, eyes, etc.

 

In reality, a cruise line can put 1000 people to work to prevent it, but it only takes one idiot to leave their germ when somebody will pick it up.

 

If you are in such danger, ASSUME it exists everywhere and take precautions.

 

You are right. I'm the crazy person who carries Clorox wipes and hydrogen peroxide with me everywhere I go. But my husband thinks I need to cool it down a bit (Lol).

[armwinder]

There are way too many people who do not believe in the hand sanitizers simply brushing past saying "no thank you" The solution used may not kill the virus but at the very least makes us all more aware of personal hygiene.

 

If way eat at a MDR we watch the folks ahead of us, if they choose not to use the sanitizer we make sure we do not sit with those kind of people. We will get some who say they are allergic to the sanitizer and always wash their hands thoroughly before eating and never touch anything. They also will state the product will not protect a person the the Norovirus. They may be right however good hygine starts at home, common sense tills me that some protection is better than none, the good outweighs the bad. Use the sanitizer for the sake of others.

[herdingdogmom]

You are right. I'm the crazy person who carries Clorox wipes and hydrogen peroxide with me everywhere I go. But my husband thinks I need to cool it down a bit (Lol).

 

Definitely take your antibacterial wipes with you. They work! One of us caught the flu on an NCL cruise 3 years ago (not norovirus) and we are pretty sure it was from the cabin nightstands. So now, we always wipe down the cabin door and drawer handles, countertops, tv remote etc. with antibacterial wipes as soon as we get into the cabin and we haven't had an illness since. We also do use the hand sanitizer sprays and gels all over the ship. If there is a norovirus outbreak on your cruise, they will take away the self serve options in the buffet. Have a great cruise.

[luddite]

Wash your hands. Don't touch things you don't need to.

The risk is not particularly worse than a lot of places you deal with daily.

[sfaaa]

Some passengers are just pigs with poor personal hygiene. Nothing much a cruise co can do short of banning them from the ship. On my last Alaska cruise, this one guy used the restaurant cloth napkin to blow his nose and threw it back on the table. Totally grossed me out. Next day, this same guy grabbed 2 pancakes from the buffet tray with his hands (yes there were serving tongs around), changed his mind and put them back even when I told him not to. Needless to say, I avoided him like a plague for the reminder of the cruise.

[LrgPizza]

After handling the serving utensils, set down your tray of food then wash your hands again before eating. That way anything you picked up touching a contaminated serving spoon gets washed away before you feed yourself.

 

Washing prior to serving yourself only works if every single other person did too. I wouldn't trust people if I were in your situation.

[luddite]

Thanks everyone :) I'm happy that precautions are taken. I just needed to know that they aren't lax with hygiene.

 

Case closed :)

 

The crew has less interest in being on a ship with Noro than the passengers do.

[maywell]

Some passengers are just pigs with poor personal hygiene. Nothing much a cruise co can do short of banning them from the ship. On my last Alaska cruise, this one guy used the restaurant cloth napkin to blow his nose and threw it back on the table. Totally grossed me out. Next day, this same guy grabbed 2 pancakes from the buffet tray with his hands (yes there were serving tongs around), changed his mind and put them back even when I told him not to. Needless to say, I avoided him like a plague for the reminder of the cruise.

That's just nasty and gross.[emoji34]

 

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

[nets33]

Hand sanitizers are available throughout the ship. I did have a bout with Noro on one cruise and did some research and found Zylast. It is an anti-microbial that is used extensively in hospitals. DH and I have a bottle of Zylast that we bring with us on cruises. Works for 8 hours to kill germs and feels like a hand lotion.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Zylast-XP-Antiseptic-Lotion/dp/B00B5J59CE/ref=pd_sim_bt_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0D720CF6QDAM8EX9YK72

 

I would recommend this highly in addition to any hand sanitizers.

Edited November 17, 2014 by nets33

[armwinder]

Hand sanitizers are available throughout the ship. I did have a bout with Noro on one cruise and did some research and found Zylast. It is an anti-microbial that is used extensively in hospitals. DH and I have a bottle of Zylast that we bring with us on cruises. Works for 8 hours to kill germs and feels like a hand lotion.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Zylast-XP-Antiseptic-Lotion/dp/B00B5J59CE/ref=pd_sim_bt_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0D720CF6QDAM8EX9YK72

 

I would recommend this highly in addition to any hand sanitizers.

 

Thank you for that, I wonder if it available at the pharmacy?

[nets33]

Thank you for that, I wonder if it available at the pharmacy?

 

I've never found it at the pharmacy. DH and I have always ordered on-line.

[phrogpilot73]

If it makes you feel better, there was 1,238 cases of norovirus (from 7 outbreaks) in 2013 on cruise ships. Based on 10+ million passengers, the risk is less than 1%.

 

According to the CDC - norovirus is the number one cause of gastroenteritis in the US, with 19-21 million cases per year. The CDC also came out with information indicating that your best chance of contracting norovirus is from a shoreside restaurant.

 

As people have said here - there are plenty of opportunities to practice proper hygiene onboard Norwegian ships. I just got off the Regal Princess, and I can say that I was more impressed with how Norwegian stresses proper hygiene than Princess. Hand washing stations are available on the Regal, and there are also purell stations - but no "washy, washy" to remind you. As a culinary school graduate (and ServSafe Certified) - purell doesn't cut it on its own. You should wash your hands with hot (100-110 degrees, aka hot but not scalding) water and soap for a minimum of 20 seconds (sing the ABC song in your head, turns out to be about 20 seconds). Dry them with paper towels or a hot air dryer, THEN apply purell.

 

If you practice your own good hygiene, before and after a meal - your chances of getting it (even if exposed to it) are much, much lower.

[Cruisercl]

Some passengers are just pigs with poor personal hygiene. Nothing much a cruise co can do short of banning them from the ship. On my last Alaska cruise, this one guy used the restaurant cloth napkin to blow his nose and threw it back on the table. Totally grossed me out. Next day, this same guy grabbed 2 pancakes from the buffet tray with his hands (yes there were serving tongs around), changed his mind and put them back even when I told him not to. Needless to say, I avoided him like a plague for the reminder of the cruise.

 

 

I had something similar happen to me on a Celebrity cruise. A man took a cookie and then put it back. I called over a cruise worker and told him what happened. He took the whole tray from the buffet.

 

If you see this happen tell a cruise worker so they can mitigate a possible spread of germs. The cruise lines do not want to have anyone sick either.

 

If I saw the (disgusting) 'napkin nose blower' I would have let the staff know.

Maybe this will help.

[pieshops]

The problem with Purell and other sanitizers is that the more we stay away from germs the easier it is to catch something. we all need a little germ in order to build up immunity. If everything is sanitized all the time it is hard to build that immunity and then it is much easier to catch something. Now I am not saying go out and have people sneeze on you but a little common sense goes a long way, like the previous poster said wash your hands with hot soapy water for 20-30 seconds and remember you have a top of your hand.

[warriorking]

Always make it a priority to use your own stateroom bathroom, never use the ones located around the ship if at all possible, as stated people can basically be pigs at times...And always pay close attention when eating at the Buffet...

Edited November 17, 2014 by warriorking

[Sauer-kraut]

Always make it a priority to use your own stateroom bathroom, never use the ones located around the ship if at all possible, as stated people can basically be pigs at times...And always pay close attention when eating at the Buffet...

 

That is why there is a paper dispenser at the door to exit the public restrooms, use the paper to open the door and toss it in the small receptacle provided. Clean hands that have not touched anything when exiting the restroom. ;)

[Okmyx]

That is why there is a paper dispenser at the door to exit the public restrooms, use the paper to open the door and toss it in the small receptacle provided. Clean hands that have not touched anything when exiting the restroom. ;)

 

 

Absolutely. What really got me pissed was when I saw a NCL casino staff member (not a dealer) not use soap to wash his hands in the restroom by the casino - he did a five second water only clean. When I asked him he said he was going downship and intends to use the spray. Of course, I told him that's not the same, he should know better, etc. He then ignored me and left. I got his name, from his name tag, and told NCL. They told me they'd follow up, took my name with the obvious intention of updating me and I never heard from them.

 

If they can't get the staff to follow procedure, how do we expect other passengers to do so?

 

On a related note, I don't touch other people at all when on a cruise. No shaking hands, etc. I apologize, when they reach out, but they universally understand. There's no reason for any of us to increase the odds of infection by such a simple change, and so far no one has been offended.

 

 

Sent from my iPad

[Cruisercl]

Absolutely. What really got me pissed was when I saw a NCL casino staff member (not a dealer) not use soap to wash his hands in the restroom by the casino - he did a five second water only clean. When I asked him he said he was going downship and intends to use the spray. Of course, I told him that's not the same, he should know better, etc. He then ignored me and left. I got his name, from his name tag, and told NCL. They told me they'd follow up, took my name with the obvious intention of updating me and I never heard from them.

 

If they can't get the staff to follow procedure, how do we expect other passengers to do so?

 

On a related note, I don't touch other people at all when on a cruise. No shaking hands, etc. I apologize, when they reach out, but they universally understand. There's no reason for any of us to increase the odds of infection by such a simple change, and so far no one has been offended.

 

 

Sent from my iPad

 

One caveat to your post; I have a skin allergy to most soaps however I do wash my hands with warm water and for at least 30 sec when I am in a public rest room. This is not an excuse for the casino worker but there is another side to not using the soap offered. :)

[Okmyx]

One caveat to your post; I have a skin allergy to most soaps however I do wash my hands with warm water and for at least 30 sec when I am in a public rest room. This is not an excuse for the casino worker but there is another side to not using the soap offered. :)

 

 

There are always exceptions. Had the staff member simply said that he's allergic to soap and has an alternative solution then I wouldn't have worried about the lack of control NCL has on their staff. However, he said something which makes absolutely no sense at all, and is contrary to NCL's stated policy (and all are reminded by the signs above the sinks). There's really no excuse for the staff not to wash thoroughly, not just for their own health but because it's part of their job.

 

 

Sent from my iPad

Edited November 17, 2014 by Okmyx

[chesapeake2atlantic]

If it makes you feel better, there was 1,238 cases of norovirus (from 7 outbreaks) in 2013 on cruise ships. Based on 10+ million passengers, the risk is less than 1%.

 

According to the CDC - norovirus is the number one cause of gastroenteritis in the US, with 19-21 million cases per year. The CDC also came out with information indicating that your best chance of contracting norovirus is from a shoreside restaurant.

 

As people have said here - there are plenty of opportunities to practice proper hygiene onboard Norwegian ships. I just got off the Regal Princess, and I can say that I was more impressed with how Norwegian stresses proper hygiene than Princess. Hand washing stations are available on the Regal, and there are also purell stations - but no "washy, washy" to remind you. As a culinary school graduate (and ServSafe Certified) - purell doesn't cut it on its own. You should wash your hands with hot (100-110 degrees, aka hot but not scalding) water and soap for a minimum of 20 seconds (sing the ABC song in your head, turns out to be about 20 seconds). Dry them with paper towels or a hot air dryer, THEN apply purell.

 

If you practice your own good hygiene, before and after a meal - your chances of getting it (even if exposed to it) are much, much lower.

 

According to a credible, peer-reviewed medical article I read a few months ago (I will search for the cite), basic Purell will not kill the norovirus, period. It simply isn't strong enough to penetrate the virus shell. Nor will washing your hands in 100-110 F water, although doing so washes away perhaps 70% of the viral load on your hands, which is certainly better than zero. Notably, Purell's Advanced (i.e. stronger) formulation does kill norovirus, but after using it a few times last winter, I doubt I would use it again. I found it exceptionally harsh on my skin, especially on my knuckles--far more than basic Purell. This same article also noted how persistent norovirus is. By sneeze, it is transmitted long distances and remains contagious on surfaces for days, not mere hours. Most experts suggest washing one's hands before touching any serving spoons at a buffet--and then again immediately before one begins eating, as these spoons might be contaminated. Still, your calculations seem sound. The vast majority of people do not get it, but when they do, it can be quite debilitating.

Edited November 17, 2014 by chesapeake2atlantic