Norovirus on ncl escape

[grovesteve]

Funny, I too am aboard...barf bags ONLY showed up Thursday for high seas....have not heard any cancelled shows...and if 20% of guests were REALLY sick the lines would be shorter and decks would not be packed. While I too got a call last week to arrive at 1 on sat, 10/22 I arrived earlier and was aboard just after 1

 

 

Pier staff suggested embarkation started before noon. CD Scott also announced that a medical consult would be FREE for any guest feeling ill.

 

Hand washing in sinks.at buffet entrance is insisted upon and there has been NO self serving at all. Heck even menus are photocopied and are thrown away afer each use...AND key cards are.sanitized when checking in for dinner...

 

Yes there may well be many people ill....but 20%?? No way. Too many people around for there to be so.many who are.allegedly sick.

 

 

 

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If there was 20 0/0 ill the cruise line would have taken us right back to Miami for everyones safety. It actually was one of the best of my 31 cruises my wife and I have ever been on.

[AdoraBelle]

As one of the very earliest cases on the 10/15 sailing, I can say that I received no charge for medical services--and I spent several hours in the actual infirmary because I was so sick and not responding to the first round of anti-emetics. I saw both the duty nurse and the actual ship's doctor, and got three different shots all told, as well as some oral meds and electrolytes. Zero charges.

 

Now I did have some other concerning problems (they closed my onboard account ... thus preventing me from getting room service ... while I was too sick to walk anywhere (such as guest services, to re-open my account) and yet out of the isolation window ... so no free room service ... while traveling solo ... do you see the problem yet?).

 

But charged for medical care? Nope.

[KurtMo]

Funny, I too am aboard...barf bags ONLY showed up Thursday for high seas....have not heard any cancelled shows...and if 20% of guests were REALLY sick the lines would be shorter and decks would not be packed. While I too got a call last week to arrive at 1 on sat, 10/22 I arrived earlier and was aboard just after 1

 

 

Pier staff suggested embarkation started before noon. CD Scott also announced that a medical consult would be FREE for any guest feeling ill.

 

Hand washing in sinks.at buffet entrance is insisted upon and there has been NO self serving at all. Heck even menus are photocopied and are thrown away afer each use...AND key cards are.sanitized when checking in for dinner...

 

Yes there may well be many people ill....but 20%?? No way. Too many people around for there to be so.many who are.allegedly sick.

 

 

 

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I agree with the above post (was also on 10/22 sailing of Escape). Barf bags were NOT out until roughs seas and high winds (12 ft. seas, 53 mph winds) which started early morning Thursday and lasted all day. We spoke to many folks who felt motion sickness that day, NOT gastrointestinal virus.

 

I can also confirm they were not using laminated or sleeved menus, but copies which could be thrown away once a guest used them. This did make it hard to find a bar menu, but I'll take that trade-off to stay well!

 

Lastly, as another poster mentioned, they did announce Thursday 10pm "Brat Pack" was canceled due to a cast injury -- disappointing but believable as boat was rocking! I did see a couple of folks slip on wet deck that day (take your time when decks and stairs are wet!).

[waycool1]

Passengers were given letter about the cruise just before ours that 2% of staff and passengers had taken ill from norovirus which means about 250-300 people.

 

Other postings are correct controlled buffet, hand washing and sanitizer before entering food buffet and sanitizer before other restaurants (but the sanitizer was also used when my sister and I cruised on Escape last month).

In some ways having staff control serving passengers also conserves some of the melee we observed from our September cruise on this ship. Last month passengers seem to be "undercutting" each other to access food items. Also many people lick their fingers while in line then handle the serving utensils which spreads contamination.

 

Neither of us got sick. Other than me having mild nausea due to moderately rough seas on one day and some of that had to do with an underlying head injury which controls my balance, we did fine.

 

PS The only downfall to staff controlling food service is QUANTITY. Part of the cruise ship experience is "all you can eat" but the staff seemed to be doling out toddler-size portions. It's not how much is on your plate that controls the virus, the quality and cleanliness of the food being served.

[TrueNorth1974]

Hi Folks,

 

Interesting read in this thread. Just disembarked from the NCL Escape yesterday and I'll give, as best I can, an unbiased account.

 

While I can't speak for other passengers, I can speak for my family. We were a group of 7 of whom 5 came down with strong symptoms consistent with Norovirus (vomiting, aches, watery stool). My daughter became ill on the second night at sea and I followed a couple days later. My brother's entire family was ill starting on the 3rd day.

 

The first we were made aware of the illness on the previous week's sailing was from a note on the registration counter as we were embarking the ship (no verbal notification was given, no advance notice was given and no options for alternatives were given). Strangely, the cab driver on the way to the cruise terminal was aware of the illness and let us know the rumours he had heard so I knew to look for something when we boarded, otherwise, I might not have seen the note on the counter.

 

For the most part, the staff on board were very vigilant about infectious disease precautions. Staff were on hand ensuring hand sanitizer use at every food premise, buffet lines had staff to ensure no passengers could handle any tongs, packaging, dispensers or anything of the sort, restricting many of the opportunities for passenger-to-passenger transmission. Over the course of the sailing, sanitizing efforts were visibly ramped up on the ship. Sanitizer sprays were used to wipe down the interior of the elevators (instead of glass cleaners), passengers were often asked to wash hands with soap and water and then use hand sanitizers before being permitted to enter the buffet, key cards were occasionally wiped on a sanitizer cloth before being handed back to passengers, pools were drained and refilled repeatedly and overhead announcements were made later in the week asking people to report symptoms to medical and would receive free consultations.

 

That all said, while they were making all the right motions, they didn't seem to want to know about illness. When my daughter vomited in our cabin, we called guest services immediately. A clean up crew arrived but there was no medical followup. We were not advised to self-isolate by anyone (we did so anyway because I work in healthcare and didn't want to ruin anyone else's cruise). When I called to report my symptoms, the nurse was not interested and did not take any of my information. Again, I self-isolated but received no advice in any manner from medical. When my niece vomited in the main dining room, the dining staff asked for her room number and the nurse called their room but attributed it to motion sickness (we were tied up alongside the pier in Nassau at the time - no motion at all).

 

I had a lengthy talk with guest services about the seeming lack of wanting to officially account for the illness on the boat and I'm concerned that the cases on this sailing were dramatically under reported in an effort to avoid having the subsequent sailing cancelled by CDC or another agency. He was sympathetic but had no information he could share. I was advised that I'd need to contact client relations after I disembarked.

 

I saw evidence of illness amongst a number of other passengers (and others who were actively sick in public areas) but I can't quantify what that would represent ship wide.

 

The experience was pretty disappointing from my perspective. I was a fan of NCL before this sailing but this cruise has turned my family off of any future sailings. Hopefully I can get a bit of information when I call client relations tomorrow (and hopefully the passengers that left port yesterday stay healthier than we did!).

[rojoand8]

My husband and I also just got home from the Oct 22nd sailing. We didn't see anyone that was sick to the the point of vomiting. We even remarked jokingly that you can tell people were feeling OK because the lines at the buffet and O'Sheehans were so long. We did notice that on Thursday after the high waves and rocking of the ship all day and night, some people were feeling a little queasy. I don't discount any ones illnesses, but I have worked in the microbiology field and thought it took more than 2 days to manifest Noro. Hope all are feeing better.

 

 

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[ABC Cruisers]

My husband and I also just got home from the Oct 22nd sailing. We didn't see anyone that was sick to the the point of vomiting. We even remarked jokingly that you can tell people were feeling OK because the lines at the buffet and O'Sheehans were so long. We did notice that on Thursday after the high waves and rocking of the ship all day and night, some people were feeling a little queasy. I don't discount any ones illnesses, but I have worked in the microbiology field and thought it took more than 2 days to manifest Noro. Hope all are feeing better.

 

 

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This is from the CDC website:

 

Norovirus causes inflammation of the stomach or intestines or both. This is called acute gastroenteritis.

 

The most common symptoms—

 

diarrhea

throwing up

nausea

stomach pain

Other symptoms—

 

fever

headache

body aches

A person usually develops symptoms 12 to 48 hours after being exposed to norovirus. Most people with norovirus illness get better within 1 to 3 days.

[chengkp75]

Hi Folks,

 

 

I had a lengthy talk with guest services about the seeming lack of wanting to officially account for the illness on the boat and I'm concerned that the cases on this sailing were dramatically under reported in an effort to avoid having the subsequent sailing cancelled by CDC or another agency. He was sympathetic but had no information he could share. I was advised that I'd need to contact client relations after I disembarked.

 

 

Cruises are almost never cancelled, unless there has been a massive outbreak (that would hit social media like wildfire) or if significant cases have been reported for at least two past cruises, and many times not even then. CDC is far more interested in the trend of reportable cases than the total number, as this gives indication as to any possible transmission vector between two cruises. Typically, even after two cruises above the 2% reportable threshold, USPH will only attend the vessel to determine if remediation techniques are being properly executed, they will not cancel a cruise.

[MGH girl]

Just off the Escape this morning. When we boarded there were flyers handed out telling us that the previous sailing had over 2% of the passengers sickened by the Norovirus. There was an evident enhanced sanitation effort which I was told they were going to continue on this weeks cruise up until St Thomas.

Some of the odd but applaudable efforts along this vein were:

1)Paper copies of all menus including high end restaurants onboard, which they would promptly take after your order and throw away.

2)No salt or other condiments on the table...if you required same you had to ask your server and they will bring little packets or individual servings in little plastic taster cups.

3)smeary streaky elevator walls from being sprayed down with dissenfectant which I guess had to be left on there to sanitize.

4) The buffet was the most evident changes as guests are not allowed to take anything for yourself, they even had staff hand YOU plates and silverware one at a time and also filling your coffee and iced tea. Also all handles of serving utensils are pointed inward and you must point to what you want and the staff has to serve you.

 

I was greatful for their efforts and rumors of another outbreak such as the previous week are exaggerated!! I asked several crew members if anyone on our voyage had come down with the Noro and the answere was zero until the last evening a staff member told me there had been 13 ill which on a ship holding 6000 crew and guests is a far cry from 20% reported herein. WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS WORKING, BE PATIENT WITH THE LITTLE INCONVEINENCES AND BE ENCOURAGED. A staff member told me they were going to continue the above measures a couple of more days into this weeks cruise to be on the safe side.

Have a great cruise and be careful but don't be frieghtened.

 

They certainly tried to keep everyone healthy but unfortunately both my mom and I got violently ill also on the 10/22 sailing. Quarantened for 56 hour In our cabin! because we got ill at different times. I was first and she got sick 8 hours later. Still felling pretty crappy now. Had several issues with room not being clean from the get go! I did complain and they just gave us lip service. They did listen to our complaints but they really could have cared less! We did not have to pay for any medical treatment which is a plus.

[MGH girl]

I'm on the Norwegian Escape currently docked in Nassau. The ship is sick with hundreds of people with the Norwalk Virus. Shows have been cancelled (sick performers) and there are barf bags everywhere. Before we left port last Saturday, I saw on Facebook a friend of mine had just debarked. I called him and both he and his friend got sick (projectile vomiting and intestinal explosions). Our embarkation was delayed and the ship left late as workers in hazmat suits tried to sanitize the ship. It didn't work. Despite washing my hands constantly and trying not to touch things, Wednesday night I got violently ill. My brother called the medical center to report it and was told if I wanted to see the doctor it would cost $885. By the next day cases had progressed so much that they finally offered a "free consultation" with the doctor over the PA system. I can't believe they would initially use the outbreak as a revenue opportunity. We were told about 20% of people on board were affected. That would work out to 840 passengers, not counting crew. If NCL lets this ship depart Miami tomorrow, that would be completely irresponsible of them. I didn't really want to spend my vacation with chills and barfing. Also, I'm sure NCL is under-reporting the numbers of sick people since when they were told I was sick, all they told us was the cost to see the doctor. They didn't ask who we were or ask any other information. The CDC should be aware of this. If I had known this was a "sick ship" (as described by one crew member) I would have gotten off and enjoyed my vacation on land. On a bright note, my abs are really tight from all the heaving and diarrhea.

 

 

 

I too was ill as was my mother. We did fill out the CDC paperwork on the ship. I even cleaned the cabin first thing when we got into it. My ribs hurt from being sick! The barf bags came out when the seas got rough but I did not see them before that. I am not a happy cruiser having being quarenteened for 56 hours in our cabin! We were told by the Dr that there were others that were also Ill, but they did not say how many. Its in the CDC's hands now!

Edited October 30, 2016 by MGH girl
typo

[purpletequila]

To anyone who was sick on their recent cruise, can you tell us which room you were in?

[breezy270]

Seems there is some confusion here: OP is telling us how sick everyone is and the doctor wants 800.00 to see a sick passenger, but I have read 3 posts, including one from a gentleman that is on the ship or just debarking now, that say there is no noro visus outbreak or certainly not like OP reported. I wonder what is the true situation?

 

 

I was on this sailing from the 22nd to 29th. I can say there was certainly not 20% of people sick. I heard only 10 people sick. From the start of the cruise the seas were choppy. The seas were very rough starting early Thursday morning and I talked to many passengers that were sea sick on Thursday but not from noro just the rough seas. They had barf bags out around the ship.

 

We did get the call to come at 1pm for embarkation. I was told by crew for extra sanitizing of the ship. They were sanitizing tables, key cards, and wiping everything down. It was very noticeable that the crew were working over time to keep everything clean. The officers said the precautions for no condiments on tables, ice in the staterooms, and all the extra service at the buffet was due to the regulations they must adhere to before they can get clearance that the ship is safe to go back to normal standards. They said probably after our cruise this would happen. I saw no hazmat suits being used. I saw lots of crew cleaning and they even said they were working long shifts to keep up with all the cleaning they were doing. Now...I did see many passengers trying to slip through the buffet area and dining rooms without sanitizing their hands. The crew was fabulous in reminding us to washy washy!!!

Anyone going on the escape has nothing to worry about. Ncl has done everything it can to keep passengers from getting sick. The problem is that people are not being truthful and coming on board sick.

[breezy270]

Passengers were given letter about the cruise just before ours that 2% of staff and passengers had taken ill from norovirus which means about 250-300 people.

 

Other postings are correct controlled buffet, hand washing and sanitizer before entering food buffet and sanitizer before other restaurants (but the sanitizer was also used when my sister and I cruised on Escape last month).

In some ways having staff control serving passengers also conserves some of the melee we observed from our September cruise on this ship. Last month passengers seem to be "undercutting" each other to access food items. Also many people lick their fingers while in line then handle the serving utensils which spreads contamination.

 

Neither of us got sick. Other than me having mild nausea due to moderately rough seas on one day and some of that had to do with an underlying head injury which controls my balance, we did fine.

 

PS The only downfall to staff controlling food service is QUANTITY. Part of the cruise ship experience is "all you can eat" but the staff seemed to be doling out toddler-size portions. It's not how much is on your plate that controls the virus, the quality and cleanliness of the food being served.

 

I have to say in my experience at the buffet they were giving out the right amount of portions. I had no problem with how much food they were serving. Sometimes it seemed too much and that had I been able to serve myself I would have taken less then the crew was giving.

I also found that I could go get another plate to get seconds or if they did now give me enough food just asking for more was fine to.

[breezy270]

I just got off this cruise this morning. The barf bags were only out when we hit 15 foot seas. That will cause many people to get sea sick. The only show that was cancelled was not because a performer was sick but because one of the stars of the Brat Pack show was working out in the gym before Thursday night performance when we hit the 15 foot waves and he went one way when the ship went the other and he fell and hurt his shoulder.

 

The crew work extra hard to keep us healthy. All I saw and heard was many fellow passengers complaining of the many mussures the crew took to keep us healthy. I also saw many passengers trying to circumvent the health procedures and grab sandwiches with their bear hands or try to grab other food when they were supposed to be served.

 

 

I agree I saw many people trying to slip by without washing their hands and sanitizing them. I saw people trying to get food also. I heard many passengers complaining about the extra measures being taken. Some were upset because the crew were serving us in the buffet. I saw it as that we were being waited on even more than normal. I did not even have to serve myself in the buffet.

It was a great cruise for us

[luvbnmomto2]

My Mom and I just returned from the Oct. 22 sailing. I think Norwegian was outstanding! Yes, the elevators were streaky with cleaner. Yes, we were not permitted to serve ourselves at the buffet. Yes, the salt, pepper and condiments were in little packets and cups. Yes, we had to wash and sanitize more than normal. (washy, washy) Sometimes it was a little inconvenient, but the trip was fantastic, the food was excellent and the staff was amazing. One of the best cruises I have been on. I actually felt very confident in the way they handled everything. Bravo Norwegian! I'll be back!

[luv2kroooz]

Hello from the Escape in St Thomas. Just to update anyone concerned about onboard conditions. Things are good. Code red conditions were in effect Sat and Sun. They began to be relaxed yesterday and this AM at the buffet is back to normal....self service, condiments on the table. For anyone sailing on any ship, the best advice I can provide is use good hygeine. Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.

[NLH Arizona]

 

PS The only downfall to staff controlling food service is QUANTITY. Part of the cruise ship experience is "all you can eat" but the staff seemed to be doling out toddler-size portions. It's not how much is on your plate that controls the virus, the quality and cleanliness of the food being served.

Confused, couldn't you just ask for more if you wanted a larger portion or were they saying no if you asked for more?

[disneyg1rl]

...this AM at the buffet is back to normal

 

Thanks for the great news and good advice!:cool:

[luvbnmomto2]

I thought all the servers in the buffet were great, if you wanted more they happily gave you more. In fact most of them asked "more?" when serving.

Edited November 1, 2016 by luvbnmomto2

[fozziscooter]

Hello from the Escape in St Thomas. Just to update anyone concerned about onboard conditions. Things are good. Code red conditions were in effect Sat and Sun. They began to be relaxed yesterday and this AM at the buffet is back to normal....self service, condiments on the table. For anyone sailing on any ship, the best advice I can provide is use good hygeine. Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.

 

 

Thank you for the update! Boarding the Escape on the 19th!!

 

 

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[fozziscooter]

Any new updates on the noro from anyone on board right now?

 

 

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[OldestSurfer]

Any new updates on the noro from anyone on board right now?

 

 

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Not an issue. I'm onboard now.

 

I didn't hear a word about anyone getting sick past 7 days, even from common cold.

 

I saw one guy not finish his steak at Cagneys b/c he wasn't feeling terribly well (which he admitted might be due to previous day alcohol consumption).

 

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[SJKhollywood]

Escape did a great job. No Norovirus even rumored this past week. Just having last breakfast now. Remember be safe and washy ...washy.

 

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[racefan1965]

Just got back today from our 1st Norwegian cruise. First off, I was a little nervous because I had read some negative reviews about the food and staff. Let me tell you, I found the food to be good in the restaurants & the buffet. I carried hand sanitizer and washed my hands a lot and neither me or hubby got sick. I didn't hear of anyone sick on this cruise. As far as the staff, everyone single person greeted you pleasantly. We were fortunate enough to get Vibe passes. Our bartenders Ruby, Robert & Rienzi were awesome! This was the best vacation ever. IMO, I thought it was sooooo much better than Royal..liked it so much, I cancelled my Carnival cruise that i had a deposit on & booked a Nov 2017 cruise on the Escape again!

Edited November 5, 2016 by racefan1965

[karenpstok]

i also sadly just got off the escape today. I had no issues. I think NCL took the necessary precautions. You can get sick from being on an airplane or any other area. I heard of no issues this past week and am very sad to be on land! Wash your hands, try not to touch your mouth and eyes when possible and enjoy your cruise! I would not hesitate to board again and will do just that in 4 weeks and can't wait. I feel bad for those that were sick on previous sailings cause it would not be fun to miss any days of your vacation but it can happen at an all inclusive on land or anywhere so I would not stop sailing cause i got sick once as much as that would be a bad experience. i am sure other lines have had similar experiences at one time or another. The escape is an amazing ship and i would recommend it for sure!!