On Marina now...

[RJB]

On Marina now and things appear to have settled a bit. Menu covers and salt and pepper shakers have even returned to tables. Precautions seem adequate and service has been fine. No worries at the moment. Just use common sense.

Good news. Have wonderful cruise. :):):)

[BillPizzaiolo]

We were on this 1 November cruise on Marina. I believe on the second day out when about 18 or 20 bus loads of tours all ate lunch at a questionable restaurant as part of the tour the problem began. Does anyone think that was the beginning?

[Cruiser Jane]

We were on this 1 November cruise on Marina. I believe on the second day out when about 18 or 20 bus loads of tours all ate lunch at a questionable restaurant as part of the tour the problem began. Does anyone think that was the beginning?

 

Interesting! But, I don't think it started there. I didn't go on that tour. I got sick 8pm on Nov. 3rd, but was quarantined on the 5th and 6th. Besides, I had learned that the virus was prevalent on the cruise before ours. Bill, did you get sick?

[BillPizzaiolo]

Interesting! But, I don't think it started there. I didn't go on that tour. I got sick 8pm on Nov. 3rd, but was quarantined on the 5th and 6th. Besides, I had learned that the virus was prevalent on the cruise before ours. Bill, did you get sick?

 

No we didn't get sick. I attribute that to taking a daily Probiotic to help boost our immune system. As well as OCD hand washing and use of hand sanitizer. DW did get a cold after landing in the USA. I guess she is allergic to airplanes.

[ORV]

We were on this 1 November cruise on Marina. I believe on the second day out when about 18 or 20 bus loads of tours all ate lunch at a questionable restaurant as part of the tour the problem began. Does anyone think that was the beginning?

 

That's a lot of buses stopping at the same place for lunch. Let's be conservative and say there were only 30 people on each bus, that's 600 people, about 1/2 the ship. I guarantee you half the ship is not on ship's tours, unless the Olife included tours have taken off like wildfire.

 

There must be some error here, maybe 18 or 20 people? Ship scuttlebutt which is never reliable? Perhaps I misunderstood what you posted.

[Sharkerella]

That's a lot of buses stopping at the same place for lunch. Let's be conservative and say there were only 30 people on each bus, that's 600 people, about 1/2 the ship. I guarantee you half the ship is not on ship's tours, unless the Olife included tours have taken off like wildfire.

 

There must be some error here, maybe 18 or 20 people? Ship scuttlebutt which is never reliable? Perhaps I misunderstood what you posted.

 

Perhaps these were busses from other cruise lines. It is interesting that Holland America Oosterdam started Nov 3 in Rome and is already reporting possible Norovirus even though they haven't docked in Tampa yet. They only need to report when they dock in a US port. That may be why Oceania is not reporting any of the possible incidents of Norovirus on Marina. Someone else previously said they suspected that Marina had other outbreaks that were not reported. Seems like if a ship is US based, they should report all outbreaks where ever they took place. How else do we know before we get on board the ship? You sure can't get this information from Oceania. Ask them!

[rallydave]

Perhaps these were busses from other cruise lines. It is interesting that Holland America Oosterdam started Nov 3 in Rome and is already reporting possible Norovirus even though they haven't docked in Tampa yet. They only need to report when they dock in a US port. That may be why Oceania is not reporting any of the possible incidents of Norovirus on Marina. Someone else previously said they suspected that Marina had other outbreaks that were not reported. Seems like if a ship is US based, they should report all outbreaks where ever they took place. How else do we know before we get on board the ship? You sure can't get this information from Oceania. Ask them!

 

To avoid confusion, the only ocean cruise ship that is "US based is the Pride of Hawaii. All other ocean going cruise ships are based (flagged) outside the US; Bahamas, Malta, Marshall Islands, etc. locations that allow the cruise lines to avoid certain US laws and other issues.

[perlgirlnj]

I just asked this of a couple we are friends with who are still on board. I'll let you know.

 

 

 

Janelle

 

 

 

Any news on this? We have a final payment deadline very soon and are still undecided about what we want to do. Thanks.

[RJB]

That's a lot of buses stopping at the same place for lunch. Let's be conservative and say there were only 30 people on each bus, that's 600 people, about 1/2 the ship. I guarantee you half the ship is not on ship's tours, unless the Olife included tours have taken off like wildfire.

 

There must be some error here, maybe 18 or 20 people? Ship scuttlebutt which is never reliable? Perhaps I misunderstood what you posted.

Yup, you seem totally right. There is no place I know of that can serve 600 lunches at about the same time. Must be a mistake.

[LHT28]

Any news on this? We have a final payment deadline very soon and are still undecided about what we want to do. Thanks.

What are you asking??

 

If the ship has Noro now will it have noro when you board in 3-6 mths from now :confused:

[Sharkerella]

To avoid confusion, the only ocean cruise ship that is "US based is the Pride of Hawaii. All other ocean going cruise ships are based (flagged) outside the US; Bahamas, Malta, Marshall Islands, etc. locations that allow the cruise lines to avoid certain US laws and other issues.

 

They have a Miami address so they are based in the US but they are registered in the Marshall Islands.

[perlgirlnj]

What are you asking??

 

If the ship has Noro now will it have noro when you board in 3-6 mths from now :confused:

 

 

 

I've followed this closely for a sense of how O has handled this situation. Only DH and I can decide whether we want to go--or what's relevant to us as we make this decision. But information is useful, certainly better than the absence of information.

 

That's why I'd like to know about the current on-board situation and how it's being handled.

[Cruiser Jane]

I have not heard back from our friends who are on the cruise right now, but someone else posted who is on now. That post is on p. 9. The Norovirus appears to be cleared up - no known cases. The salt and pepper shakers have returned as well as placemats. I don't know if the library is open again.

 

Also I want to point out that YES, Oceania is obligated to report Norovirus cases to the CDC and they did do this. But not until the cruise was half over and many people had become ill. Quarantining just a few couples doesn't really do much good. I think the ship's doctor was hesitant to declare Norovirus because of the stink it causes.

 

Finally, ANY SHIP can get a Norovirus. I wouldn't cancel a cruise that's going to go in the next few months just because of one outbreak. In fact we're booked on another cruise in 1 1/2 months on the Nautica. I'm just going to be even more careful about hygiene. Don't put fingers in mouth unless you've washed hands AND NAILS very carefully. Don't touch anything after washing hands if you are eating bread or any other finger food. These are things we never think about, but I do now. And don't shake hands or hug others.

 

Cheers,

Janelle

[BillPizzaiolo]

That's a lot of buses stopping at the same place for lunch. Let's be conservative and say there were only 30 people on each bus, that's 600 people, about 1/2 the ship. I guarantee you half the ship is not on ship's tours, unless the Olife included tours have taken off like wildfire.

 

There must be some error here, maybe 18 or 20 people? Ship scuttlebutt which is never reliable? Perhaps I misunderstood what you posted.

 

I dunno the exact amount of buses I just took a wild guess. It seemed like half the ship was in Split for lunch at the same place and we ended up being late getting back that day as I remember. We ended up being so late getting back we ended up missing our cooking class that day. BTW Oceania did give us a cash credit due to the lateness of the tour. The food on that tour was just ok nothing to really write home about. Sorry if it looked like I exaggerated the amount of buses. We were on bus number 14.

[RJB]

What are you asking??

 

If the ship has Noro now will it have noro when you board in 3-6 mths from now :confused:

3 to 6 months from now there will be no noro. For sure. We were on the 2/12 noro cruise on Riviera and went back on Riviera in July. Did not give it a second thought and the ship was totally clean. This stuff does not last forever and Oceania works hard to resolve these problems.

[sammiedawg]

I think some are of us are greatly overthinking the topic of noro virus on a cruise ship.

[njhorseman]

To avoid confusion, the only ocean cruise ship that is "US based is the Pride of Hawaii. All other ocean going cruise ships are based (flagged) outside the US; Bahamas, Malta, Marshall Islands, etc. locations that allow the cruise lines to avoid certain US laws and other issues.

 

They have a Miami address so they are based in the US but they are registered in the Marshall Islands.

 

The requirement to report gastrointestinal cases to the CDC has nothing to do with the ship's country of registry (flag) or the physical location of the cruise line's corporate headquarters. The CDC reporting requirement is triggered if the ship will be calling on a US port during its itinerary. Here's the explanation from the CDC:

 

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/desc/aboutvsp.htm

 

Which Cruise Ships Are in Our Jurisdiction?

Cruise ships under our jurisdiction:

 

carry 13 or more passengers, and

have a foreign itinerary with U.S. ports.

 

Further explanation of reporting requirements and under what conditions outbreaks are posted on CDC's website can be found here:

 

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/gilist.htm

 

Outbreak Updates for International Cruise Ships

 

Cruise ships participating in the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) are required to report the total number of gastrointestinal (GI) illness cases–including zero–evaluated by the medical staff at least 24 hours before the ship arrives at a U.S. port, when sailing from a foreign port.

 

A separate notification is required when the GI illness count exceeds 2% of the total number of passengers or crew onboard.

 

Data on this page were obtained from these surveillance reports and from CDC-led investigations. The GI illness cases reported are totals for the entire voyage and do not represent the number of active (symptomatic) GI cases at any given port of call or at disembarkation.

 

Cruise ship outbreak updates are posted when they meet the following criteria:

 

Fall within the purview of VSP (see about VSP),

Are sailing on voyages from 3-21 days,

Are carrying 100 or more passengers,

Are cruise ships in which 3% or more of passengers or crew reported symptoms of diarrheal disease to the ships medical staff during the voyage, and

Are gastrointestinal illness outbreaks of public health significance.

[buggins0402]

I dunno the exact amount of buses I just took a wild guess. It seemed like half the ship was in Split for lunch at the same place and we ended up being late getting back that day as I remember. We ended up being so late getting back we ended up missing our cooking class that day. BTW Oceania did give us a cash credit due to the lateness of the tour. The food on that tour was just ok nothing to really write home about. Sorry if it looked like I exaggerated the amount of buses. We were on bus number 14.

 

I think the bus numbers mean nothing, as some numbers go to alternative destinations?:confused:

[tiptwo2]

Who is the CD on Marina now?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Mura]

I think some are of us are greatly overthinking the topic of noro virus on a cruise ship.

 

As someone who encountered Noro on Marina in May 2015, I think those of us who have been there would disagree.

 

Now, I wasn't one who thought that it was the worst trip ever but it DID impact our enjoyment. We ourselves weren't sick, but having to dine on overcooked meat was not appreciated! (I'm sure people who really were ill would express more extreme comments!)

 

But I understand the concern that has been expressed by others.

 

I just hope our future cruises are free of the problem. And I'm not totally confident that they will be. Oceania's early years never had this problem, but in the past year or two several ships have been afflicted.

 

Who do we blame?

 

Mura

[RJB]

As someone who encountered Noro on Marina in May 2015, I think those of us who have been there would disagree.

 

Now, I wasn't one who thought that it was the worst trip ever but it DID impact our enjoyment. We ourselves weren't sick, but having to dine on overcooked meat was not appreciated! (I'm sure people who really were ill would express more extreme comments!)

 

But I understand the concern that has been expressed by others.

 

I just hope our future cruises are free of the problem. And I'm not totally confident that they will be. Oceania's early years never had this problem, but in the past year or two several ships have been afflicted.

 

Who do we blame?

 

Mura

Good question. Wish someone would know the answer..

[Mura]

I do too, but I don't think anyone has!

[RJB]

I do too, but I don't think anyone has!

Including the CDC. They seem to be to be clueless. Just another government agency that knows nothing except how to cash their paycheck each week. Poor us. :(:(:(

[LHT28]

We currently have in our town several schools with noro

several hundreds kids sick

what scares me is no one knows how many parents are out & about spreading the joy around town after looking after sick kids :eek:

 

At least on the ship they lock people in their cabins & are cleaning all surfaces

 

I am not going out of the house until it is under control

 

I had it last May & do not want to go through that ordeal again

Edited November 26, 2016 by LHT28

[YoHoHo]

We currently have in our town several schools with noro

several hundreds kids sick

what scares me is no one knows how many parents are out & about spreading the joy around town after looking after sick kids :eek:

 

At least on the ship they lock people in their cabins & are cleaning all surfaces

 

I am not going out of the house until it is under control

 

I had it last May & do not want to go through that ordeal again

 

This is a good reminder that Noro is not due to a 'sick ship' and does happen on land. We read in the news about Noro outbreaks on ships as it makes good copy.

 

Sorry to hear of this LHT28. You make s good point about the 'uninitiated' spreading it further.

Keep well!