Crown Jan 22 3-day Delayed Boarding due to Noro

[CanadianBurger]

Just got this from Princess:

 

CROWN PRINCESS PRE-BOARDING HEALTH ADVISORY

Please be advised that during the current cruise there was a slightly higher-than-expected number of cases of gastrointestinal illness among guests suspected to have been caused by norovirus. In an abundance of caution, the Crown Princess will undergo a prolonged and additional disinfection in Los Angeles on Friday, January 22, 2016. Check-in for your cruise will be delayed until 2:30 PM and your stateroom will be available after 4:00 PM. Please do not arrive earlier than 2:30 PM as the terminal will be closed for sanitation. All guests must be aboard by 5:00 PM, and Crown Princess is expected to depart Los Angeles at 6:00 PM.

[Colo Cruiser]

Its everywhere. :(

[Nan_Sea]

Noro seems to be a constant problem on the Crown. Which makes me wonder if the problem originates with crew and not passengers?

[ksmizzle]

I just received that darling little e-mail as well. So nasty...I wonder how many people got it this time?? I also said the same thing--I wonder if the crew is passing it to each other? I just read some info about preventing Noro, and besides the obvious (handwashing, isolation after exposure, etc) there were a few sites that spoke a lot about the laundry. I wonder if the virus is within the pillows? Eww. I went on to find an article that talked about one of HAL's boats being taken out of commission for a super deep clean after it had 4 cruises w/back to back Noro.....They did some crazy cleaning--for example--they cleaned each of the poker chips in the casino, and threw away every single pillow onboard and had them replaced! Anyway, i'm still going, hope to not catch it, but it will def be on my mind--maybe that's not a bad thing either....might be good to be aware and extra vigilant about our hygiene. It is flu season after all, and being in a crowd is already high risk. Cheers to smooth sailing! Maybe alcohol kills Noro? I'll have to sign up for the top notch beverage package just to be sure:D

[mrswallace2012]

icky icky icky icky

Edited January 21, 2016 by mrswallace2012

[Dreamer333]

The only time my cruise was ever delayed due to the virus was also on the Crown.

The Curse of the Crown.

[funcky]

Will be there tomorrow. Wonder how it likes to board at 2:30 and leave at 6:00. 3 1/2 hour for these tasks?

Edited January 21, 2016 by funcky

[Mythros]

This is twice in a row for the Crown now ... will keep my eye on this as I'm scheduled to board on Feb 20th.

[jshyshka]

We leave on Feb. 13th - hope all is well by then ...

[cr8tiv1]

Noro seems to be a constant problem on the Crown. Which makes me wonder if the problem originates with crew and not passengers?

 

I was on the Crown Princess in October and again in January. Both voyages were Noro free.

 

It's just that time of the year.

[jennybenny]

Going on the Crown in April which is far enough away that I think we will be OK, but it does bring to mind things like brining a hypoallergenic pillow cover. Wonder if that will keep the cooties in!

 

I know right now everyone has a cough or the flu given the season, but I would be so disappointed if I got sick on a cruise, and I always make the best of every situation!

 

Hoping this next cleaning keeps the next cruise safe!

[wernew2cruising]

This is twice in a row for the Crown now ... will keep my eye on this as I'm scheduled to board on Feb 20th.

 

Keep it noro free please. I am on the Feb 27 sailing. LOL

[Shasta8]

I'm on the Crown on Feb. 5th.

 

I really don't want to spend a vacation sick and was thinking of wiping down the cabin. Are there any wipes that work on norovirus? I read in another thread that the antibacterial wipes supposedly don't help. What about the ones with bleach?

 

Really, I'm not paranoid, just don't want to get sick!

[CanadianBurger]

Are there any wipes that work on norovirus? I read in another thread that the antibacterial wipes supposedly don't help. What about the ones with bleach?

 

Hi Shasta.

 

We usually wipe down the cabin with these wipes that we ordered on Amazon. They supposedly work on noro:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Healthcare-Hydrogen-Disinfectant-Norovirus-Rotavirus/dp/B00BFFGJ6S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453431260&sr=8-1&keywords=antiviral+wipes

 

Steve.

[marykhal]

I have an Autoimmune disorder and did a little research. The following 4 sprays were rated the highest in surrogate noro testing:

 

Clorox Hand Sanitizing Spray, Zylast, GFS BioProtect, and GermStar Noro).

 

Apparently the first 3 have high levels of alcohol/bleach and will sting your hands if any cuts/chapped, etc, however the 4th one is not supposed to sting. It is rated at 99% effective in killing noro.

 

I just ordered some GermStar Noro online and plan to spray down my room starting with the door handle upon entry. I've had noro 3 times in my lifetime and each time I was so miserable I was begging for mercy. But, of course, I LIVED and it was only 2-3 days long....thank goodness.

 

I do not think it is paranoid to take extra precautions when you are going on a ship with a known recent history of noro. It's just preventative. There is no sure thing, but just like in the casino, you want the best odds, right?

 

In health,

Mary K. :o

Edited January 22, 2016 by marykhal

[wen_c82]

Hi Shasta.

 

We usually wipe down the cabin with these wipes that we ordered on Amazon. They supposedly work on noro:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Healthcare-Hydrogen-Disinfectant-Norovirus-Rotavirus/dp/B00BFFGJ6S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453431260&sr=8-1&keywords=antiviral+wipes

 

Steve.

I use the same ones! But I'm a bit ocd about hygiene to begin with! There are many things I do to stay healthy on a cruise ship but just to name a few:

- use plastic glove when serving myself at buffet

- either wash my hands again or use hand sanitizer AFTER ordering meal at MDR (after touch the chairs, menu...etc).

so far so good

[pattimelt]

I have an Autoimmune disorder and did a little research. The following 4 sprays were rated the highest in surrogate noro testing:

 

Clorox Hand Sanitizing Spray, Zylast, GFS BioProtect, and GermStar Noro.

 

In health,

Mary K. :o

 

I never actually looked up noro, but I heard about it hitting the Crown last year before I sailed on her. So I called my doc's office. Explained that I was going on a cruise and that the ship had noro, and asked what I should use. She told me to come in and see her, and she gave me a bottle of the the Zylast XP LOTION. This is awesome stuff!!! Not only does it work for 8 hours, but it's LOTION, and it makes my hands feel fantastic!!! Yes, I still wash my hands with soap and water often, but I also put this stuff on, and I haven't had a problem yet!!!

[marykhal]

thanks for the tip on Zylast being a lotion! That does sound like the best option. All the washing and sprays make your hands so dried out and chafed....I'm going on the Crown Feb 1, so hopefully I'll have enough time to track some of it down for me too! :-) :o Mary

[cvpends]

I never actually looked up noro, but I heard about it hitting the Crown last year before I sailed on her. So I called my doc's office. Explained that I was going on a cruise and that the ship had noro, and asked what I should use. She told me to come in and see her, and she gave me a bottle of the the Zylast XP LOTION. This is awesome stuff!!! Not only does it work for 8 hours, but it's LOTION, and it makes my hands feel fantastic!!! Yes, I still wash my hands with soap and water often, but I also put this stuff on, and I haven't had a problem yet!!!

 

 

This is good info! Thanks!

[TriumphGuy]

Thank you all for this information. We are about to leave for our first cruise on Coral in a couple weeks. I've had Noro before, don't want to go through that again!

[kalyn]

I am hoping for a clean ship on February 27th also.

[victory2020]

I am convinced it is the crew spreading the disease. We just got off the Crown today. Despite being extremely careful, ie not using elevators, hot tubs, buffet, etc, we both don't feel good.]this morning. It appeared that someone 2 cabins down may have been sick (carpet cleaning being done) so common denomonater (sp)could be steward, person who folds towels, sheets, etc. We did ask for different pillow - who knows, maybe they didn't sanitize the ones that weren't on the beds. I did a search of noro & it seems that you can be contagious for up to 2 weeks after symptoms are gone. I know they don't keep crew in isolation for 2 weeks after being sick.

[TracieABD]

I have never had noro on a cruise (currently knocking wood), however I did get a flu/ man cold last winter on the Royal. I have some basic rules when cruising... when possible, avoid crowds and/ or confined places (e.g. elevators); only use the bathroom in my stateroom; wash hands and face frequently; don't touch face/ hair; touch nothing in public areas...

 

In spite of that, I did get pretty sick--though it may have been spread on the airplane. AND I did not help the situation by scuba diving and driving that mess up into my sinuses. (I just did not realize that I was sick at that point).

 

Good luck to those boarding today. I hope the deep cleaning does the trick!

[victory2020]

I am convinced it is the crew spreading the disease. We just got off the Crown today. Despite being extremely careful, ie not using elevators, hot tubs, buffet, etc, we both don't feel good.]this morning. It appeared that someone 2 cabins down may have been sick (carpet cleaning being done) so common denomonater (sp)could be steward, person who folds towels, sheets, etc. We did ask for different pillow - who knows, maybe they didn't sanitize the ones that weren't on the beds. I did a search of noro & it seems that you can be contagious for up to 2 weeks after symptoms are gone. I know they don't keep crew in isolation for 2 weeks after being sick.

 

I'm going to edit this post - virus can live in feces for up to 2 weeks, therefore the person can spread it for that long if they have poor sanitation practices.

[ChrisRobinson]

Take Pepto Bismal or it equivalent each day like its a vitamin. I start 2 days before cruise. It turns your GI tract into an inhospitable host for bugs like norovirus. This summary below is a technical study proving this method works:

 

Article

Bismuth subalicylate therapy of viral gastroenteritis

 

Mark Steinhoff

Mark Steinhoff

R G Douglas

R G Douglas

Harry B Greenberg

Harry B Greenberg

D R Callahan

D R Callahan

Gastroenterology (Impact Factor: 16.72). 07/1980; 78(6):1495-9.

Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT

 

The therapeutic efficacy of bismuth subsalicylate was examined in a randomized double-blind fashion in 59 volunteers who were inoculated with Norwalk agent. Sixty-eight percent of the volunteers demonstrated seroconversion; 57% became ill. The severity and duration of the illness in 32 volunteers in the treatment and placebo groups were compared. Significant reduction in the severity and duration of abdominal cramps (P less than 0.01) and in the median duration of GI symptoms (P less than 0.05) was noted in the treatment group. There was no difference in the number, weight, or water content of stools, or in the rate of viral excretion between the two groups. The median duration of illness was 20 hr in the treatment group and 27 hr in the placebo group (0.1 greater than P greater than 0.05).