Riviera on Code Red again

[cassandra44]

Here is the report from the CDC:

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2016/march20_oceania_riviera.htm

 

I really hope that Oceania is doing a very thorough cleaning before it leaves on the transatlantic on April 11. This is right before the Med season and surely Oceania would want to be very sure that the ship is thoroughly sanitized. It is worrying that there have been 3 outbreaks on the ship within a 4 month period.

[rallydave]

We were advised on Tuesday that our charter group,embarking Sunday,would be delayed slightly as the vessel will undergo a comprehensive,multi-day sanitation procedure under the close supervision of the CDC prior to our embarkation.

 

Just wondering how a "comprehensive, multi-day sanitation procedure" can only result in a "slight" delay unless Riviera is once again returning early to Miami??

 

So far no reports of an early return have shown up on CC so perhaps that is the plan however the ship is scheduled to return on April 3, two days from now???

 

All very confusing

[warburg]

According to the CDC, on the present cruise, there were 52 cases off norovirus out of 1204 passengers. This constitutes 4.3% and qualifies for a code red. While the number of afflicted passengers is really not great, the real question is how the situation affects to the quality of the cruise. What happens to service and amenities? Does the Riviera become a kind of hospital ship?

[Cruseforme]

According to the CDC, on the present cruise, there were 52 cases off norovirus out of 1204 passengers. This constitutes 4.3% and qualifies for a code red. While the number of afflicted passengers is really not great, the real question is how the situation affects to the quality of the cruise. What happens to service and amenities? Does the Riviera become a kind of hospital ship?

 

In December on our code red, the following services were impacted: 1)no cooking classes, 2) no food items in Concierge or executive lounges. 3) no sugar, or creamers self serve, all brought to the tables by wait staff - which tremendously slowed time, 4) no salt/pepper shakers on tables, need to ask wait staff to bring, 5) wait for tables to be cleaned (5 min between wash time and sit time), 6) Ice to room deliver by kitchen staff, on demand (although we had a standing request,,so ice was brought daily), unknown in spa service, so in answer to your question, yes, things are affected, but would rather be affected than sick. Did it bother us, yes and no...yes, because staff being overworked didn't give us the quality service we have been accustomed to, but no, it's not a hospital ship. Attitudes of people onboard greatly bothered us more than the missing of services,wait times..People were downright rude, belligerent, nasty and bullies...

[warburg]

I Did it bother us, yes and no...yes, because staff being overworked didn't give us the quality service we have been accustomed to, but no, it's not a hospital ship. Attitudes of people onboard greatly bothered us more than the missing of services,wait times..People were downright rude, belligerent, nasty and bullies...

 

I would find both disturbing: the decrease in the quality of service, and the rude belligerent people.

[MVPinBoynton]

MVPINBOYNTON. any news for us from the ship

 

The last announcement was no new cases. The Captain gives info at 5:00 PM. Library and laundries are still closed. Crew is smiling a lot and things are hung smoothly. Think that everyone is getting used to the routine. I have not heard about anyone vomitting in a public area. I do talk to people that are happy to get out of quarantine.

 

The biggest problem I have is that the Internet has been off most of the day.

[mpfund]

"According to the CDC, on the present cruise, there were 52 cases off norovirus out of 1204 passengers."

 

I see 98 passengers and 7 crew per CD site.

[pinotlover]

If the entire water supply is not dumped, then the entire water supply system on the boat chemically treated so to kill all the virus, people will have a long trip on that TA.

 

With contaminated water supplies, as in a third world country, a couple of hints:

 

1. eat no raw vegetables, salads, or fish that have been rinsed with the water;

2. eat no fruit, that may have been rinsed with the ship water supply, that cannot/has not been pealed and the peal disposed.

3. drink only bottled water. Only use bottled water to brush your teeth. Do not allow any of the ships water to enter your mouth, including during showers or if in the pool. Take bottled water with you to the restaurants and drink only that. Do not drink the water being poured by the servers.

 

At this time, all of you should treat the Riveria as a third world country and take the necessary precautions, if you want to reduce the odds of becoming sick. I love the sushi on board and understand the challenges, but If you don't take these simple precautions, blame no one other than yourselves if you become ill on this sick ship.

 

There is no remedy for those that ignore these practices, while on board this ship and create code Red conditions. You have to dance with them that brung you!

[MVPinBoynton]

If the entire water supply is not dumped, then the entire water supply system on the boat chemically treated so to kill all the virus, people will have a long trip on that TA.

 

With contaminated water supplies, as in a third world country, a couple of hints:

 

1. eat no raw vegetables, salads, or fish that have been rinsed with the water;

2. eat no fruit, that may have been rinsed with the ship water supply, that cannot/has not been pealed and the peal disposed.

3. drink only bottled water. Only use bottled water to brush your teeth. Do not allow any of the ships water to enter your mouth, including during showers or if in the pool. Take bottled water with you to the restaurants and drink only that. Do not drink the water being poured by the servers.

 

At this time, all of you should treat the Riveria as a third world country and take the necessary precautions, if you want to reduce the odds of becoming sick. I love the sushi on board and understand the challenges, but If you don't take these simple precautions, blame no one other than yourselves if you become ill on this sick ship.

 

There is no remedy for those that ignore these practices, while on board this ship and create code Red conditions. You have to dance with them that brung you!

 

I think that is a it extreme. We have been eating lots of salads and fruits, brushing our teeth with sink water and very healthy as are ver 1,100 other people on this cruise. I will let the professionals determine what should be done to fix any problem. Since there haven't been any new cases, O is doing something right and they haven't asked us not to drink the water.

[hiccups]

If the entire water supply is not dumped, then the entire water supply system on the boat chemically treated so to kill all the virus, people will have a long trip on that TA.

 

With contaminated water supplies, as in a third world country, a couple of hints:

 

1. eat no raw vegetables, salads, or fish that have been rinsed with the water;

2. eat no fruit, that may have been rinsed with the ship water supply, that cannot/has not been pealed and the peal disposed.

 

A week of no fruits or vegetables? Well, people certainly won't have to worry about getting the runs, will they? Quite the opposite!

[sailfar]

If the entire water supply is not dumped, then the entire water supply system on the boat chemically treated so to kill all the virus, people will have a long trip on that TA.

 

With contaminated water supplies, as in a third world country, a couple of hints:

 

1. eat no raw vegetables, salads, or fish that have been rinsed with the water;

2. eat no fruit, that may have been rinsed with the ship water supply, that cannot/has not been pealed and the peal disposed.

3. drink only bottled water. Only use bottled water to brush your teeth. Do not allow any of the ships water to enter your mouth, including during showers or if in the pool. Take bottled water with you to the restaurants and drink only that. Do not drink the water being poured by the servers.

 

At this time, all of you should treat the Riveria as a third world country and take the necessary precautions, if you want to reduce the odds of becoming sick. I love the sushi on board and understand the challenges, but If you don't take these simple precautions, blame no one other than yourselves if you become ill on this sick ship.

 

There is no remedy for those that ignore these practices, while on board this ship and create code Red conditions. You have to dance with them that brung you!

 

While the above may seem like an extreme statement, after being on the TA in November that missed 2 days in Bermuda that did not allow us to dock, being on the pre- Feb. 12 cruise where it was starting again with things being removed from cabins, tables and venues like laundry rooms or the library being locked down, it is time for me to write again about this issue.

 

I am an avid Oceania cruiser, however this Noro issue has gone on too long. We are booked on several more months of Oceania cruises and one that really concerns me, is the next TA, on Riviera Barcelona to Miami in November.

 

It is no fun to watch an overworked staff, it is not fun to wash our clothes in the bathtub to avoid public laundry contamination whether it is coin or sent out, and it is difficult at our age to stand long times waiting for tables to dry with the disinfecting process.

 

I am not sure whether my ideas should go to the top brass at Oceania, the CDC or Cruise Critic, but it seems that more people will have access to what I suggest right here on this site.

 

1. Menus are one of the most germ laden things in a restaurant. Print menus for each person and dispose of them when used. (saw menus even setting on plates)

 

2. When in Code Red, close down the casino and the boutique where people touch things like candy/ snacks. Don't just close down the library and laundry.

 

3. Until this Noro issue is lessened on this ship, which appears way out of the normal, book at least 10 less cabins at the lowest level and dedicate them to extra staff to aid in the extra service required and stress acquired by the hard working staff. (In the long run it will aid in recruiting new employees!)

 

4. Establish some value to the good people who stay with you and loose some of the value of their cruise. I don't need the money, but for my future value in sailing with Oceania somewhere it is going to devalue the Oceania name. For public relations, you need to consider refunded port fees, future cruise OBC recompense, loss of services prorated for the cruise, i.e. library, laundry, etc.)

 

I wish the best to a wonderful cruise line as they work this out with the staff, CDC and passengers. I hope that fellow passengers will continue to help solve the NORO mystery and be proactive in their suggestions.

[Spotted Drum]

A question for those of you who are still on Riviera - were you denied docking at any ports?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Spotted Drum]

I totally agree that Oceania needs to do something for the passengers who were impacted by code red cruises. I was on a code red cruise and it was not a pleasant experience. I have been on many Oceania cruises but if Oceania does not do something for us I will book my next cruise on Silverseas.

 

 

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[MVPinBoynton]

A question for those of you who are still on Riviera - were you denied docking at any ports?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Aruba was the only missed port. We have had a great cruise despite some minor inconveniences due to the sanitation procedures. This has been much less of an issue than what I thought it would be at first.

[cassandra44]

I cant find any note of where the Riviera is going after the present cruise.

We arent due to leave till April 11...where is it headed before the TA cruise?

[Paulchili]

I cant find any note of where the Riviera is going after the present cruise.

We arent due to leave till April 11...where is it headed before the TA cruise?

 

You'll find the answer here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2334567

[RJB]

I cant find any note of where the Riviera is going after the present cruise.

We arent due to leave till April 11...where is it headed before the TA cruise?

Private charter. Gives the info. on another thread on this board.

[chengkp75]

If the entire water supply is not dumped, then the entire water supply system on the boat chemically treated so to kill all the virus, people will have a long trip on that TA.

 

With contaminated water supplies, as in a third world country, a couple of hints:

 

1. eat no raw vegetables, salads, or fish that have been rinsed with the water;

2. eat no fruit, that may have been rinsed with the ship water supply, that cannot/has not been pealed and the peal disposed.

3. drink only bottled water. Only use bottled water to brush your teeth. Do not allow any of the ships water to enter your mouth, including during showers or if in the pool. Take bottled water with you to the restaurants and drink only that. Do not drink the water being poured by the servers.

 

At this time, all of you should treat the Riveria as a third world country and take the necessary precautions, if you want to reduce the odds of becoming sick. I love the sushi on board and understand the challenges, but If you don't take these simple precautions, blame no one other than yourselves if you become ill on this sick ship.

 

There is no remedy for those that ignore these practices, while on board this ship and create code Red conditions. You have to dance with them that brung you!

 

Just joined this thread, and haven't read much past the last couple of pages, but where did the idea that the water system was contaminated come from? Given the required chlorination of the water system, on a continuous basis, unlike water supplies ashore, I would highly doubt that there would be any viable bacteria or virus in the water, let alone noro.

 

Can someone point me to a post where the contaminated water supply is first mentioned?

[JVNYC]

I still think it's the passengers bringing it on the ship & not Oceania. Let's face it, some people are clueless & have no concept of hygiene & certainly don't want to be told what to do. I live in the city I see it everyday. I'm still very excited to board Riviera in July.

[chengkp75]

The EU has a set of ship sanitation guidelines much similar to the USPH/CDC's VSP. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the EU, it is up to each member nation to enforce these, and to keep the records, so there does not appear to be a central clearing house for this information.

 

On the other hand, lets be frank about the USPH/CDC's role in this. The USPH VSP, and the USPH's mandate in general, is to prevent the introduction of infectious diseases into the US, not to protect the health of cruise passengers on foreign ships. Under their mandate, the USPH can board any ship that arrives in the US from a foreign port, and medically interview all crew and passengers and inspect the ship's sanitation, every time the ship arrives in a US port. Think of the delays in disembarkation if this were followed. The VSP was adopted as a way around this, where the USPH and the cruise lines agree that they will follow the guidelines, and the USPH agrees that if the guidelines are followed, then inspection will only be required on a random basis.

 

The cruise lines are required to report to the USPH every trip, whether any cases of AGI are reported or not, and also when the number of cases reaches 2% of passengers or crew. There is only an "update" posted when the numbers reach 3%, so the public is not seeing all of the data.

 

I know that the last three "update" reports on Riviera were 1 or 2 months apart. I don't know if there was a significant number of cases in between, though if there had, this would have been mentioned in the update reports. The fact that the latest update does not mention an inspection tells me, at least, that the USPH is satisfied with the remediation methods used onboard. One of the major pieces of data that the USPH looks at is the trend of reported cases, as this can give details on possible transmission vectors, the effectiveness of remediation measures, and possible re-contamination sources and timelines.

[RJB]

I still think it's the passengers bringing it on the ship & not Oceania. Let's face it, some people are clueless & have no concept of hygiene & certainly don't want to be told what to do. I live in the city I see it everyday. I'm still very excited to board Riviera in July.

Sorry, do not agree with you. Same people going on different ships and they do not get it. A few weeks ago about 60,000 people left from Ft. Lauderdale in one day and none of those 6 or 7 ships got sick. Do those other cruise lines pre screen their passengers for their hygiene? Think not. There is a problem with the ship or the crew and not the passengers.

[eroller]

Sorry, do not agree with you. Same people going on different ships and they do not get it. A few weeks ago about 60,000 people left from Ft. Lauderdale in one day and none of those 6 or 7 ships got sick. Do those other cruise lines pre screen their passengers for their hygiene? Think not. There is a problem with the ship or the crew and not the passengers.

 

 

Don't agree. If it were some inherent problem with the ship I feel the outbreaks would be much more widespread, and not limited to the relatively small number of people per cruise who have contracted the virus. Speaking personally, I recently sailed on RIVIERA for a week. Had a great cruise, ate and drank everything, and no illness to speak of. The ship was spotless and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

[buggins0402]

Just joined this thread, and haven't read much past the last couple of pages, but where did the idea that the water system was contaminated come from? Given the required chlorination of the water system, on a continuous basis, unlike water supplies ashore, I would highly doubt that there would be any viable bacteria or virus in the water, let alone noro.

 

Can someone point me to a post where the contaminated water supply is first mentioned?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=49528997&postcount=235

[chengkp75]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=49528997&postcount=235

 

Thank you. Not sure of this poster's research, as the CDC's website on Safe Water Systems shows that noro virus is 99.99% inactivated by a concentration of chlorine of 1ppm with a contact time of 0.07 minutes (4.2 seconds). A NIH study from 2008 shows that they believe noro IS NOT highly resistant to chlorination.

 

Per the USPH requirements, when water is loaded from a port, it must be from a source that has met USPH or WHO water standards within the past month, and will be chlorinated to 2ppm before it goes into the tanks, or when produced onboard, to the same level. Since the water onboard is constantly recirculated, and this recirculated water is continually chlorinated, these tanks generally retain some chlorination. The water circulated through the ship is chlorinated continuously so that the residual chlorine is at least 0.5ppm at the farthest point from the injection point (the engine room), so it will always be higher than 0.5ppm, and this would inactivate noro within a few seconds as well (even 10-12 seconds, or three times the contact time would be before any water reached the first cabin).

 

Water from 6 locations around the ship (showers, galleys, laundry, tanks) are tested monthly for contamination, and the records are made available to the USPH when they inspect. If it was suspected by the USPH that the water supply was the source of the virus, they would take their own samples for analysis. There was a ship a couple of months ago that had a legionella outbreak, and this was traced to shower heads, by water samples.

 

Any water taken on in port, in addition to being chlorinated, is kept segregated until the testing is completed, and this takes 18-24 hours.

 

Pools are chlorinated to 2-4ppm chlorine, so this is even less of a possible source.

 

While not a requirement of the USPH VSP, I know that some lines use a chlorine solution to wash "ready to eat" foods like fruits and vegetables. I can't say whether or not Oceania does this.

 

Not sure why a contaminated water supply would produce outbreaks of high noro contagion followed by periods of low contagion. It would be pretty consistent.

[CruiserPK]

Sorry, do not agree with you. Same people going on different ships and they do not get it. A few weeks ago about 60,000 people left from Ft. Lauderdale in one day and none of those 6 or 7 ships got sick. Do those other cruise lines pre screen their passengers for their hygiene? Think not. There is a problem with the ship or the crew and not the passengers.

 

I absolutely agree with you. After our fiasco of a trip on 2/12, I would never wish this on anyone. But, there is something going on that Oceania is not fixing properly. There is no way the Riviera can continually have outbreaks of the Norovirus that are brought on solely by the passengers. As you mentioned, there are too many other cruise lines departing from Miami that should be experiencing the same problems and yet they are not.