Noro on Riviera again

[yarmyob]

We will be boarding Riviera in April. Reading posts about medical center costs and quarantine, I have a few questions:

1. Is visiting the medical center for an illness that really has to run its course really a good suggestion?

2. If I get sick, will my husband be quarantined?

3. How long is the quarantine period?

I am hoping that by mid April Riviera will be healthy once again. I foresee major problems if it isn't, because our cruise is a transatlantic with most days at sea. Some of the excitement and anticipation of sailing on Riviera again has been lessened. Hearing how the Oceania management (not the ship's staff) has handled this crisis is very disappointing to say the least!

 

We did nit get sick or quarantined but were with several who were. If you get the noro you are quarantined to your cabin. Any one in the same cabin is also quarantined whether they are sick or not. Duration seemed to be 2 days when illness symptoms are prevalent plus 2 more days. All Passengers must present their key card before entering any dining venue, casino, etc. if you break quarantine your key card is confiscated and some were taken off the ship. It was widely reported that at least in one case a quarantined passenger had internet access blocked. Not a way to travel whether sick or not!

[yarmyob]

What happened to the sick people onboard were they just let loose to spread the joy in Miami or where ever???

 

Lysol wipes make you feel better but will not kill noro

 

yes I have been struck down with this virus ..it is not fun

 

When the cruise returned early to Miami all passengers were given hotel for 2 nights at various Mia hotels. Not sure how those still sick were treated. So if you went by bus to their hotel, you remained in the spell of the virus

[CruiserPK]

The staff at the Grand Hyatt Coral Gables thought the passengers were there for two nights due to a mechanical issue on the ship. This was my experience at one hotel, and who knows about the others. I know passengers were also at airport hotels, a Marriott someone in the area, the Pullman and the Trump Doral.

[yarmyob]

Interesting "lessons learned", but easier said than done. When you have booked and paid for a cruise and learn 7 or 8 days before embarkation that Noro is onboard, do you cancel? Do you simply toss the thousands of $$$ you have spent? Perhaps some would, but not many.

 

I completely sympathize with anyone who had to deal with what was obviously a miserable cruise for them and it's easy to Monday morning quarterback. I may be doing the same thing in a week or so, but I sure hope not. We board tomorrow (2/22 as far as I know...not 2/23) and will hope that the extra cleaning they are doing since last night will do the trick.

 

Frankly, I think at this point we have a better chance of avoiding Noro on Riviera than most any ship heading out to sea right now.

 

Yes, it is extreme. And I truly hope that your experience is unlike ours. We have sailed many times with O and have been happy. Thus we relied on their representation and got burned. They made the call to go forward after a hastily done cleaning and it failed. We paid a good amount of $$ and needed a relaxing break but came back more stressed than ever and much poorer. It puts both their loyal and prospective customers in a difficult quandary. Makes one think very carefully about who you are willing to place your trust with. Once you get badly burned it is hard to give it a go again.

[Travelcat2]

Lysol wipes make you feel better but will not kill noro

 

 

I thought that Lysol wipes helped but, as posted a few pages back, I learned from the Center for Disease Control literature that Lysol wipes do not work but this wipe http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BFFGJ6S?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00 does work. While I could not find it in a travel size, I just ordered them and will keep some in a baggie on our next plane flight and/cruise.

 

P.S. Bleach also works (Clorox makes bleach wipes) but I prefer the peroxide based product - as long as they work the same.

[pthjudy]

We did nit get sick or quarantined but were with several who were. If you get the noro you are quarantined to your cabin. Any one in the same cabin is also quarantined whether they are sick or not. Duration seemed to be 2 days when illness symptoms are prevalent plus 2 more days. All Passengers must present their key card before entering any dining venue, casino, etc. if you break quarantine your key card is confiscated and some were taken off the ship. It was widely reported that at least in one case a quarantined passenger had internet access blocked. Not a way to travel whether sick or not!

Why would internet access be denied? Bad publicity? And if someone is quarantined due to a cabin mate's illness, how does he eat? Will food be delivered? Will some type of nourishment be delivered for ill person? Will the cabin be cleaned? I understand why the medical center must be notified. But must a visit (and exorbitant charge) be necessary? I've never needed to visit a doctor for a stomach virus. I want to be prepared and follow protocol, but this is a cruise, not a prison, and blocking internet seems way out of order!

[pthjudy]

I thought that Lysol wipes helped but, as posted a few pages back, I learned from the Center for Disease Control literature that Lysol wipes do not work but this wipe http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BFFGJ6S?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00 does work. While I could not find it in a travel size, I just ordered them and will keep some in a baggie on our next plane flight and/cruise.

 

P.S. Bleach also works (Clorox makes bleach wipes) but I prefer the peroxide based product - as long as they work the same.

I ordered those a few days ago. The Baggie idea is great. I doubt if I need 155 of them, at least I hope I don't!

[CruiserPK]

Why would internet access be denied? Bad publicity? And if someone is quarantined due to a cabin mate's illness, how does he eat? Will food be delivered? Will some type of nourishment be delivered for ill person? Will the cabin be cleaned? I understand why the medical center must be notified. But must a visit (and exorbitant charge) be necessary? I've never needed to visit a doctor for a stomach virus. I want to be prepared and follow protocol, but this is a cruise, not a prison, and blocking internet seems way out of order!

 

I heard about the internet denial last night at the bar in our hotel after we got off the ship. While I did not talk to the passenger affected, a friend did. Food was delivered with disposable plate, cups etc. We saw the red hazmat bags in the hall for the laundry of those in quarantine. I have no knowledge as to whether crew members cleaned the cabins.

[HeatherInFlorida]

We are boarding tomorrow as well. There has been some talk on this board of delayed boarding. We have heard nothing from Oceania or our TA. Does anyone have updated information on this?

 

A letter was sent from Oceania to the TA's advising that we will have late boarding tomorrow. I posted the contents of that letter on our roll call so you can read it there if you like. The boarding time for suites is 1:30 PM and general boarding at 2 PM. If that changes, or I hear any additional info, I will post it on our roll call.

[Toranut97]

Why would internet access be denied? Bad publicity? And if someone is quarantined due to a cabin mate's illness, how does he eat? Will food be delivered? Will some type of nourishment be delivered for ill person? Will the cabin be cleaned? I understand why the medical center must be notified. But must a visit (and exorbitant charge) be necessary? I've never needed to visit a doctor for a stomach virus. I want to be prepared and follow protocol, but this is a cruise, not a prison, and blocking internet seems way out of order!

 

 

The sense I got was that this was due to the person breaking quarantine. Perhaps the person in question was sneaking down to use the computer room and denying the access was the only way to force compliance. From what I am reading, there are always some people who think the rules do not apply to them and try to break the quarantine. But I am guessing.

 

Donna

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CruiserPK]

A letter was sent from Oceania to the TA's advising that we will have late boarding tomorrow. I posted the contents of that letter on our roll call so you can read it there if you like. The boarding time for suites is 1:30 PM and general boarding at 2 PM. If that changes, or I hear any additional info, I will post it on our roll call.

 

We got the identical email for our sailing on 2/12 and the ship actually boarded just 30 minutes late. When we arrived at the terminal just before 12:00pm, there were passengers who had already boarded the ship.

[Wren3]

We board Rivierra on March 13th and we are getting very uneasy about the posts we are reading. Trying to be positive but the Noro situation does cause some anxiety.

[CruiserPK]

The sense I got was that this was due to the person breaking quarantine. Perhaps the person in question was sneaking down to use the computer room and denying the access was the only way to force compliance. From what I am reading, there are always some people who think the rules do not apply to them and try to break the quarantine. But I am guessing.

 

Donna

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

The person I heard about was a retired judge and he did not ever consider breaking quarantine. We must be speaking about two different passengers.

However, I was told there was a passenger who kept sneaking down to gamble and actually was caught sick at one of the slot machines. The story is that he was thrown off the ship.

Edited February 21, 2016 by CruiserPK

[LHT28]

Why would internet access be denied? Bad publicity? And if someone is quarantined due to a cabin mate's illness, how does he eat? Will food be delivered? Will some type of nourishment be delivered for ill person? Will the cabin be cleaned?

Is this a serious question or are you being facetious ?? :eek:

[hypercafe]

Really starting to sound like a prison ship. I think no matter how much I liked Oceania if this happened to me I would not sail them again. Bad things happen every second some place on earth, it's how these things are handled that separates the good from the bad. I feel sorry for the people who do not read CC and will show up tomorrow not knowing of the bad vibes on this ship.

[LHT28]

The person I heard about was a retired judge and he did not ever consider breaking quarantine. We must be speaking about two different passengers.

However, I was told there was a passenger who kept sneaking down to gamble and actually was caught sick at one of the slot machines. The story is that he was thrown off the ship.

Overboard while at sea I hope :rolleyes:

People wonder why the virus spreads it is the "entitled " who do not think the rules apply to them

They paid good money for THEIR cruise & no one is going to tell them what to do ...RIGHT

 

These posts make me so annoyed

 

 

[LHT28]

Maybe the cabin they were in had a bad connection some cabins are just not the best location to get a signal for internet

 

I had to go to another area on the ship to get a signal

[luvtravel]

Our upcoming cruise ( first on Oceania) is early June. We are really concerned about what is happening on the Riviera - and just our luck discovering this after our 'cancel without penalty' date passes and insurance purchased! And we were lucky in finding a great business class fare from west coast!(Lol!). Looking at the CDC website the outbreaks have happened in the Caribbean - wonder if the cooler, less moist weather in Europe will help prevent outbreak - wishful thinking I am sure. Feel badly for the affected passengers and all the hardworking crew. Hope this gets straightened out...we appreciate the passengers reporting on what is happening now. Safe journey home!

[bitob]

This thread teaches that maybe it is a good idea to buy insurance that includes "cancel for any reason." If I had such insurance coverage I would not board the ship. I would want to wait for several healthy sailings to take place before taking a chance on riviera. Even if you don't contract the virus the cruise is awful

[CruiserPK]

Maybe the cabin they were in had a bad connection some cabins are just not the best location to get a signal for internet

 

I had to go to another area on the ship to get a signal

 

I wish that had been the case. He called reception and was told his internet had been disconnected.

Edited February 21, 2016 by CruiserPK

[HeatherInFlorida]

...............I feel sorry for the people who do not read CC and will show up tomorrow not knowing of the bad vibes on this ship.

 

I don't. I think they're the lucky ones. I wish I hadn't. At this point there's nothing you can do but cancel. And I'm betting practically no one would do that. Way TMI for me and I'd give good money to drive to the port tomorrow with no info other than what Oceania has told us.

 

It was lousy. No one denies that, but now it's "I heard this" or "I heard that" and I'm sure more horror stories will follow. Other than having been affected on this cruise, it can't get more depressing than reading this thread.

 

Oceania is doing a major cleaning of the ship and it will be thoroughly inspected before we board tomorrow. If it doesn't get a full green light by health officials, I suspect we will not be allowed to board. Otherwise I'm confident that at least for now all will be well.

[LHT28]

Our upcoming cruise ( first on Oceania) is early June. We are really concerned about what is happening on the Riviera - and just our luck discovering this after our 'cancel without penalty' date passes and insurance purchased! And we were lucky in finding a great business class fare from west coast!(Lol!). Looking at the CDC website the outbreaks have happened in the Caribbean - wonder if the cooler, less moist weather in Europe will help prevent outbreak - wishful thinking I am sure. Feel badly for the affected passengers and all the hardworking crew. Hope this gets straightened out...we appreciate the passengers reporting on what is happening now. Safe journey home!

Marina had it in May sailed from Montreal to Southampton ..it was cool to cold in Canadian ports

carried on into the Baltic cruises

 

The CDC rarely reports out breaks outside of the USA

[kazu]

Our upcoming cruise ( first on Oceania) is early June. We are really concerned about what is happening on the Riviera - and just our luck discovering this after our 'cancel without penalty' date passes and insurance purchased! And we were lucky in finding a great business class fare from west coast!(Lol!). Looking at the CDC website the outbreaks have happened in the Caribbean - wonder if the cooler, less moist weather in Europe will help prevent outbreak - wishful thinking I am sure. Feel badly for the affected passengers and all the hardworking crew. Hope this gets straightened out...we appreciate the passengers reporting on what is happening now. Safe journey home!

 

I doubt the weather will make much difference. The Noro started on our transatlantic crossing from Barcelona in November.

[eroller]

Really starting to sound like a prison ship. I think no matter how much I liked Oceania if this happened to me I would not sail them again. Bad things happen every second some place on earth, it's how these things are handled that separates the good from the bad. I feel sorry for the people who do not read CC and will show up tomorrow not knowing of the bad vibes on this ship.

 

 

They may be the lucky ones. None the wiser so no pre-conceived notions about how bad the cruise and Oceania will be. If Oceania's efforts are successful then hopefully there will be no illness and no leftover residue and life goes on.

 

The sad thing is that no matter how good the cleaning efforts are, it only takes one person to bring it onboard and spread it to numerous others. This is not something that goes away permanently after a through cleaning. It can be easily reintroduced which is why people play just as important of a role in outbreak prevention as the cleaning. Get some selfish people and you're screwed.

Edited February 21, 2016 by eroller

[wristband]

Hey Heather, not to be snarky but please do bring lots of Immodium & Pepto Bismal. If you get the virus after Monday, you need these meds to combat prolonged unpleasant symptoms. Stop by a CVS or Walgreens on the way to the port.

 

You cannot buy Immodium on board & the Medical Center will not dispense. My friendly suggestion Heather: hope for the best as you have been posting...BUT be prepared for the worst!

 

I do hope you have a nice cruise and your optimism about Riviera is rewarded.