virus on celebrity equinox

[UniPac]

I was on the 7/25 sailing (the one prior to OP). My parents developed GI symptoms 3 days into the cruise; I developed GI symptoms the in Mallorca. I remember this fondly because the rough seas did not help my condition. In all, 3 of our party had symptoms. My parents had eaten a lot of cherries at lunch that day and they felt they might be the culprit, though of course there was no way to be sure. I hadn't had any cherries.

 

One thing - 2 bathrooms in our party were not flushing consistently on 4 of the 7 days. You can imagine how well GI symptoms go with non flushing toilets. Apparently an entire line was not working, affecting many cabins. Several of us had to use public bathrooms - very sanitary, I know. But I digress.

 

Our headwaiter told us in Ibiza that they were at level 3 which meant that over 2% of passengers and crew had symptoms. No self serve at buffet, and scheduled shore leaves for the crew were cancelled to double up at buffet stations and clean. Our cabin attendants looked exhausted.

 

Upon disembarkation, we were asked to indicate if anyone had been sick in our cabins. I assume this was a way to prioritize which cabins to clean first or most aggressively?

 

Finally - extended disembarkation was cancelled. Guests could pay to use facilities and eat at limited restaurants until afternoon. Unfortunately some guests who had paid for the service didn't find out until the day of disembarkation. Several were scrambling, looking for afternoon activities before their flights.

 

So sorry to hear that. Not being able to use your bathroom would be awful - even without GI symptoms which make it worse!

 

Did you receive a compensation for the non-working toilet flush?

[celebritydave]

A while back someone on this board recommended products that contain

benzalkonium. (sp?) to kill noro? It is different than purell.

I received some from a friend in Canada, as you supposedly could not purchase it in the US.

 

The wet ones antibacterial wipes have benzethonium chloride. This is slightly different than the benzalkonium.Target may have them, we have also ordered them from Amazon.

 

I have done some research and some studies says it does work, others say it doesn't. We use this to wipe down our cabin and the seating area in the plane.

 

I also did some research on the Purell Advanced, and some say it works and others say it doesn't. Go figure.

 

I guess the best thing to do is to wash your hands:).

 

Dave

[Pushka]

4 days and still no self serve.

[villauk]

4 days and still no self serve.

 

Do you think they will continue with this as a precaution, mainly as the next cruise is the charter? It will be interesting to see if this is indeed the case. Has the Captain commented at all on last week's outbreak?

 

I do hope you are still managing to have a good time and thanks for the updates :).

[keesar]

 

I guess the best thing to do is to wash your hands:).

 

Dave

 

I have been to several medical workshops and the constant theme has been hand washing with soap as these germs are reported to be rather resistant to the hand sanitizers. Washing hands and keeping fingers away from eyes, nose, and mouth are keys.

[celebritydave]

I have been to several medical workshops and the constant theme has been hand washing with soap as these germs are reported to be rather resistant to the hand sanitizers. Washing hands and keeping fingers away from eyes, nose, and mouth are keys.

 

I sure wish we could just get a shot and be done with it. We have been lucky to avoid getting sick so far.

[absolutboy20]

I'm curious as to why the next sailing being a charter has anything to do with their cleaning efforts? On my previous cruises on HAL, the ship normally started in code yellow, and self serving was not allowed in the buffet during embarkation. The rules were relaxed as the cruise progressed and no GI reports came in.

 

Per the above poster who was on the previous cruise, the sailing obviously did have a problem with a GI spike which resulted in the current sailing having strict requirements. If it's been four days and buffet is still not self serve and they are continuing to close off and disinfect parts of the ship, it sounds to me that the problem is still persistent on the current sailing.

Edited August 4, 2015 by absolutboy20

[Tiggertastic]

When we did Xmas on ncl one year they had it on code red, the doors to the restrooms were propped open, were were served in the buffet and salt and pepper pots were not on tables. By the last day everything was back. It didn't spoil our trip. Were on Equinox this month and will just go with the flow

[Cforlani]

Hello, I'd posted earlier regarding 3 of our party getting GI symptoms on board and 2 of our bathroom toilets not flushing consistently for 4 of the 7 nights. Our cabins were on deck 12 Aft and another passenger on the Deck 11 with the same issue. I didn't notice any plumbers on our deck. The guest relations folk I talked to numerous times about the issue said that "several" cabins were affected and our cabin attendant said "many."

 

Hope this helps someone!

[villauk]

Hello, I'd posted earlier regarding 3 of our party getting GI symptoms on board and 2 of our bathroom toilets not flushing consistently for 4 of the 7 nights. Our cabins were on deck 12 Aft and another passenger on the Deck 11 with the same issue. I didn't notice any plumbers on our deck. The guest relations folk I talked to numerous times about the issue said that "several" cabins were affected and our cabin attendant said "many."

 

Hope this helps someone!

 

Thank you for replying :).

[Jazzbo]

I had to laugh at myself, because the first thing I thought of when I saw the title of this thread was a computer virus from the wifi on the ship! And I've been on Cruise Critic long enough to know (but thankfully not experience) all about Noro. I am in no way a techie -- I can manage it for what I need at work, and to keep in touch with friends and family on Facebook. But what does that say about us when even a non-techie thinks computer virus instead of human virus? :eek:

[UniPac]

Hello, I'd posted earlier regarding 3 of our party getting GI symptoms on board and 2 of our bathroom toilets not flushing consistently for 4 of the 7 nights. Our cabins were on deck 12 Aft and another passenger on the Deck 11 with the same issue. I didn't notice any plumbers on our deck. The guest relations folk I talked to numerous times about the issue said that "several" cabins were affected and our cabin attendant said "many."

 

Hope this helps someone!

 

As written above you deserve some compensation for having to use public toilets!!

[Pushka]

Still code red. Mainly self service buffet issues. Long queues. But they arent propping open doors to bathrooms etc. so inconsistent. As far as the next cruise being a charter as I suspect they bring in lots of $ upfront then who would want anything to go wrong on that cruise?

[drarill]

I have to add the whole X senior team did an amazing job in Ibiza, given the sea conditions for tendering. A lot of crew got off to the tender station (on land) which was way out of contact signal with the ship and were having to relay messages to and from the ship with updates on numbers, conditions and any safety concerns.

The operation was a success and only a slight delay departing from Ibiza.

I couldn't believe just how much moaning was taking place in the line, yes it was between 1 - 2 hour wait, but you wouldn have certainly been moaning if you were injured during tendering.

I remember getting a helping hand from the Hotel Director with my step from the tender boat to the ship platform. The Head of the Hotel operation for the ship helping people back onto the ship and on the front line, true dedication.

 

Celebrity can't control the sea conditions, nor did they have any control of the storm that hit the town of Civi' on embarkation day and wiped out the electric across the WHOLE TOWN.

To actually hear "can't you take the electric from the ship?" i was just astounded.

 

This cruise was truly amazing, I met so great people, some from previous cruises and some coming with us on a future one (RF TA)

The crew were all outstanding and we were looked after tremendously as per norm.

 

As for the GI bug, it was a very small % of the 3128 passengers on board and in order to quickly contain it the "deep clean" operation was ordered for Barcelona.

Those getting on at BCN really have nothing to worry about.

 

The tender situation in Ibiza was borderline unsafe for the passengers. My tender was a nightmare with a lady throwing up and passengers screaming as water got inside the tender. I had to wait over two hours for the tender in the sun with my teenage daughter. We left the beach in Ibiza earlier than our group because she fainted there. I told one officer and we were not given any priority to board the first available tender. By the time we boarded the tender the rest of my family had joined us. I did see some staff members that were enjoying a day off being ordered to move out of the line and start helping with the distribution of water and chilled towels. Kudos to the staff.

 

About Civittavechia, I know that the whole city didn't have power, but you will expect the port to have a good generator. Some people were more affected than others and the disorganization didn't help. A friend of mine got into the line at least half hour before us and we checked in before her. We also experienced some problems during the cruise related to the embarkation. Our key card kept getting de-magnetized and after a couple of long visits to GR we found out that we needed to validate our credit card. Something we didn't do during embarkation due to the power outage. Some people got a letter telling them that they had to go to GR to update their CC information, but we didn't. We had a good amount of OBC and didn't have any problems with the card the first couple of days. In my case it didn't help that we had the worst room-attendant/butler combo in our cruising history. We didn't get this letter or the one alerting about the noro-virus.

I'm happy to report that at the end of the cruise we didn't get noro or got our luggage thrown out into the Mediterranean :):) Sea...http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2242002

[porthibbie]

Folks, This is the hand cleaner we always use ,not only does it sanatize your hands but protects your for up to 6 hours from contact with a virus

[UniPac]

protects your for up to 6 hours from contact with a virus

 

The image is too small to read the name etc., can you add a bigger one or maybe a website?

 

Can't believe how this should work, sorry. Having worked for rescue service, had to go through a yearly training regarding sanatizing/virus/bacteria/hygenic etc. and never heard of something that can protect you that long.

[Suite Susie]

I've just ordered this one through Amazon UK to take on our Equinox cruise on 24th August:

 

Serenity: Alcohol Free Antibacterial Hand Sanitiser 600ml Hospital Grade Effective against MRSA , C.Diff , Norovirus & Legionella

 

Serenity Foamer solution is a Alcohol Free advanced hand sanitiser that is manufactured to contain one of the fastest acting and most powerful germ killing products available today. Effective within 30 seconds and killing 99.999% of bacteria yet still providing a soft and safe feel to the skin

 

Using the latest Advanced Barrier Technology, Serenity Hand Foamer not only provides rapid kill against Bacteria and Viruses, but provides a residual barrier onto the hands that continue to work for at least 6 hours after the initial application.

 

All our claims are backed up by test reports and case studies by independent microbiologists:

 

- Kills 99.999% of bacteria

∙ Kills MRSA, E.Coli & Salmonella within 30 seconds

- Kills Norovirus

- Effective against Ebola

- Tested BSEN 1500

- Remains effective for at least 6 hours after the initial application

 

Bleach and alcohol based hand sanitisers only give short term protection either on the skin or on hard surfaces, as their effectiveness stop working as soon as they dry. With no long-lasting protection the treated areas are clear for bacteria and other microbes to quickly recolonise.

 

 

- Not Tested on Animals

- Skin Safe

- Halal Approved

- Suitable for children and people with sensitive skin

- Biodegradable

- Manufactured under ISO 9001[/i]

 

Hope it does what it says on the tin!!

[ianmcleod99]

Still no self service but I was up at the burger bar an hour ago and there are cockroach running about which is the first time I have ever seen this in a cruise

[Pushka]

Dont tell them - we will never get rid of this goddam code red - 6 days now.

 

Just had a look at the bug. Think it is just a flying ant. Not a problem.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Pushka

[Abernhar]

I've just ordered this one through Amazon UK to take on our Equinox cruise on 24th August:

 

Serenity: Alcohol Free Antibacterial Hand Sanitiser 600ml Hospital Grade Effective against MRSA , C.Diff , Norovirus & Legionella

 

Serenity Foamer solution is a Alcohol Free advanced hand sanitiser that is manufactured to contain one of the fastest acting and most powerful germ killing products available today. Effective within 30 seconds and killing 99.999% of bacteria yet still providing a soft and safe feel to the skin

 

Using the latest Advanced Barrier Technology, Serenity Hand Foamer not only provides rapid kill against Bacteria and Viruses, but provides a residual barrier onto the hands that continue to work for at least 6 hours after the initial application.

 

 

All our claims are backed up by test reports and case studies by independent microbiologists:

 

- Kills 99.999% of bacteria

∙ Kills MRSA, E.Coli & Salmonella within 30 seconds

- Kills Norovirus

- Effective against Ebola

- Tested BSEN 1500

- Remains effective for at least 6 hours after the initial application

 

Bleach and alcohol based hand sanitisers only give short term protection either on the skin or on hard surfaces, as their effectiveness stop working as soon as they dry. With no long-lasting protection the treated areas are clear for bacteria and other microbes to quickly recolonise.

 

 

- Not Tested on Animals

- Skin Safe

- Halal Approved

- Suitable for children and people with sensitive skin

- Biodegradable

- Manufactured under ISO 9001[/i]

 

Hope it does what it says on the tin!!

 

 

Could you please attach a link to Amazon ??

[villauk]

Still no self service but I was up at the burger bar an hour ago and there are cockroach running about which is the first time I have ever seen this in a cruise[ATTACH]358105[/ATTACH]

 

Dont tell them - we will never get rid of this goddam code red - 6 days now.

 

Just had a look at the bug. Think it is just a flying ant. Not a problem.

 

Ants and cockroaches on a cruise ship :eek:. 'Modern Luxury' going wild :confused:!

 

Have they confirmed if there have been any new cases as you're still on the code red?

[porthibbie]

http://m.boots.com/h5/cat_hub?unCountry=uk&path=/en/Boots-Anti-Viral-Hand-Foam-50ml-_1129538/

Boots are a highly regarded co in the UK and I have no doubts that they will have data to support their 6 hour claim. In reality on our cruise and holidays we will use every time we exit a toilet or are about to enter any eating venue so tend to use every couple of hours or so.

We also use at home to protect against flu and other bugs and highly recommend vs any anti bacterial product.

[Pushka]

I think this code red is superfluous. In Corsica today there was a local market. Freely available samples of meats and cheeses like in this photo.

No tongs. No toothpicks. Just dig in. There are three cruise ships plus locals. Lots of hands. There was no message for people to think about safe foods once onshore.

 

We have not been advised if there have been any new cases. No passenger has said they have heard of any issues since the last cruise. Everyone seems healthy - not even heard of colds amongst the pax. But we are stuck with the large queues even just trying to get a drink in the buffet at breakfast. We never like room service but will do it for breakfast tomorrow because it is awful in the buffet.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Pushka

[jonsmum]

Link to Amazon:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Antibacterial-Sanitiser-Effective-Norovirus-Legionella/dp/B00TZ8KM0Q

[KikisDad]

Link to Amazon:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Antibacterial-Sanitiser-Effective-Norovirus-Legionella/dp/B00TZ8KM0Q

 

not available in the US, darn.