Noro-Virus on Coral

[newbee58]

Sailing 18 March on the Coral. Just received e-mail about noro-virus on the ship. Delayed boarding for deep clean.

[Colo Cruiser]

Sailing 18 March on the Coral. Just received e-mail about noro-virus on the ship. Delayed boarding for deep clean.

 

 

Hopefully they will get her order for your cruise.

 

Unfortunately NORO is everywhere.

[riclop]

Thanks to the dirty people.

[Thrak]

Thanks to the dirty people.

 

People most commonly get it at a school or a grocery store or some place of that sort.

[michellc]

Hopefully they will get her order for your cruise.

 

Unfortunately NORO is everywhere.

 

Two years ago, we got the same notification for the Princess British Isles cruise on the Royal. We were delayed embarkation until 4:00 in the afternoon while they cleaned the ship AND the terminal. Sadly, we weren't at sea 24 hours when the Captain announced they hadn't gotten rid of it. Our party elected to avoid the buffet (where people were still allowed to handle the ladles), carried handcleaner everywhere and did "washy-washy" wherever we went on the ship. I carry Clorox wipes with me and always do the surfaces of the cabin when we board. Fortunately, we were unaffected by the problem ourselves. Never did hear the extent of the problem but the crew worked hard to stay on top of it.

 

Michelle

[Lucky TGO]

It must be a little scary getting on a ship that you know a lot of people that just got off. Were sick with Noro Virus.

Tony

[easyboy]

Sailing 18 March on the Coral. Just received e-mail about noro-virus on the ship. Delayed boarding for deep clean.

Be glad it's not in your voyage. Would rather be late in boarding due to deep cleaning, than not be safeguarded from the virus.

[Sea and Me]

I'm wondering how they could deep clean a ship in the time period one set of passengers get off and another set gets on. Let's think for a minute! How many passengers when getting on the ship have been or are experiencing virus symptoms? Also how many passengers fail to wash their hands after using the restroom? Everyone should take precautions and hopefully avoid getting sick.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Colo Cruiser]

I'm wondering how they could deep clean a ship in the time period one set of passengers get off and another set gets on. Let's think for a minute! How many passengers when getting on the ship have been or are experiencing virus symptoms? Also how many passengers fail to wash their hands after using the restroom? Everyone should take precautions and hopefully avoid getting sick.

 

 

They do the best they can and what the CDC's policies are.

If it takes longer it takes longer.

It only takes one sick passenger to start the cycle all over again.

 

I agree about each individual passenger being responsible for precautions and common sense cleanliness.

There are still those that use the toilet and walk out the door and head to the buffet to serve themselves. :(

[BarbinMich]

Recently I realized I hadn't heard about Noro in quite awhile and wondered if somehow it had been eradicated--guess not :(. We cruise 3x a year so we've been lucky to run into it only once and that was a cruise on a ship that had just experienced it on the prior cruise. A few years ago I had a GI upset and the medical folks decided to treat me as if I had noro so I now know what the protocol is for the affected pax, including cabin confinement, disinfecting the cabin at least once a day, phone calls from a nurse at least daily, special diet (great chicken/rice soup), etc.

[sunsetbeachgal]

In addition to the buffet where germs can easily be spread, we try to avoid using the elevators when possible. When they are packed full of people who are coughing, sniffling, etc. and everyone touching the buttons all day long, all I can think of is being captive in a petri dish.

 

I also rarely/never see them being cleaned or wiped down, unlike the stair rails which are often being wiped, so assume it is done in the middle of the night.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I love the way they say there's Noro, then hand each passenger the same pen in their line to sign their names with on the back of their cruise cards. YUCK. :p We won't touch those pens.

[Woobstr112G]

They do the best they can and what the CDC's policies are.

If it takes longer it takes longer.

It only takes one sick passenger to start the cycle all over again.

 

I agree about each individual passenger being responsible for precautions and common sense cleanliness.

There are still those that use the toilet and walk out the door and head to the buffet to serve themselves. :(

 

Sad, but unfortunately true.....:(

Bob

[tinybiny]

On the Star recently they did insist that everyone going into the buffet and MDRs use the hand sanitizer. It was also out at the coffee place, the ice cream place, the pizza place - basically anywhere food was. I have a habit of washing with soap and water before I eat, but happily used the hand sanitizer whenever I walked past one. They are right there in your way. How sad that some people don't use them.

[LokiPoki]

On the Star recently they did insist that everyone going into the buffet and MDRs use the hand sanitizer. It was also out at the coffee place, the ice cream place, the pizza place - basically anywhere food was. I have a habit of washing with soap and water before I eat, but happily used the hand sanitizer whenever I walked past one. They are right there in your way. How sad that some people don't use them.

 

We've just come off the Dawn - no Noro, but we got a "health advisory" part way through as they'd had a much greater than normal incidence (though what "greater than normal" means in terms of stats, I don't know) of cold and flu. Hand sanitiser use was enforced everywhere, but there wasn't any supervision of what passengers were up to once they'd entered the buffet ...not for the first time, we watched people handling food with bare hands rather than utensils, even putting back food items they'd touched ...which is why I don't eat in the buffet...

 

Agree with you too sunsetbeachgirl... I've no choice but to use lifts, but always makes me very uncomfortable when people insist on packing themselves in like sardines, then proceed to cough, splutter and sniffle over everything in sight.

[cruisinfever]

People most commonly get it at a school or a grocery store or some place of that sort.

I totally agree. People seem to link Noro Virus with cruise ships. My son and daughter in law had it two weeks ago and they just caught it in the community. Everyone must just wash their hands and keep hands or objects away from mouths and face.

[TriumphGuy]

1. Flying - always a good chance to pick up a dose of Noro on the plane, at the gate, etc.

2. It's Spring Break time - kids are out of school and spreading this stuff too.

3. You can get it anywhere, anytime. I had it once, suspect from a local restaurant.

[Lucky TGO]

They do the best they can and what the CDC's policies are.

If it takes longer it takes longer.

It only takes one sick passenger to start the cycle all over again.

 

I agree about each individual passenger being responsible for precautions and common sense cleanliness.

There are still those that use the toilet and walk out the door and head to the buffet to serve themselves. :(

 

I agree with you about being responsible. But I went to the men's room on the Royal Princess at the adult swimming pool. Time after time the soap dispensers did not work or had No soap in them. I told the man working there and he just said ok. The next day same thing no soap or did not work. It was the same at other men's rooms. The automatic dispenses just didn't work that well throughout the ship.

Tony

[easyboy]

On the Star recently they did insist that everyone going into the buffet and MDRs use the hand sanitizer. It was also out at the coffee place, the ice cream place, the pizza place - basically anywhere food was. I have a habit of washing with soap and water before I eat, but happily used the hand sanitizer whenever I walked past one. They are right there in your way. How sad that some people don't use them.

True. And even if they pass by the hand sanitizer at the buffet area entrance, others simply look and still ignore it unless the crew reminds them.

[Colo Cruiser]

I totally agree. People seem to link Noro Virus with cruise ships. My son and daughter in law had it two weeks ago and they just caught it in the community. Everyone must just wash their hands and keep hands or objects away from mouths and face.

 

 

 

They link it to cruise ships because the CDC requires extensive record keeping on outbreaks.

It's just as bad in aircraft/bus/train/hotels/resorts/schools etc etc.

[sippican]

The elevator buttons are just one place to obsess over. Here's a very partial list: chair sides (from pulling them in), buffet serving tools - condiments, drink dispenser buttons, table tops, menus, salt & pepper shakers, door handles ...

You could go crazy just thinking about it!

 

If you wash your hands (which is more effective than the sanitizers) and keep your hands away from your face, you should be fine. And yes, we frequently decline the sanitizer at the dining entrance because we have just washed, so don't judge those who walk by.

Be considerate and follow directives if you become ill.

If the source of the virus is in food that has been contaminated by a sick crew member, then all of the prevention tactics in the world are not going to help during an outbreak.

 

Stay healthy, relax and enjoy.

[groverrh]

Just got off the Coral Princess. The cases of Noro were declining yesterday. They did a great job handling it and keeping everyone informed, as well as constantly reminding everyone to wash their hands. I didn't know anyone who got sick and there was little disruption of services. The buffet was switched from self service to crew serving and the crew was wiping everything down constantly. The crew members looked worn out by all the extra duties and cleaning, though.

[Momma Mojito]

Just got off the Coral Princess. The cases of Noro were declining yesterday. They did a great job handling it and keeping everyone informed, as well as constantly reminding everyone to wash their hands. I didn't know anyone who got sick and there was little disruption of services. The buffet was switched from self-service to crew serving and the crew was wiping everything down constantly. The crew members looked worn out by all the extra duties and cleaning, though.

As we wlll be sailing on the Coral in April I'm glad to hear your news...We have sailed when the ship has had the Noro and do know the excellent job the crew does to keep it contained. Truthfully I feel it's the inconsiderate passengers who will not use the hand sanitizers or CONTINUE NOT TO WASH THEIR HANDS PROPERLY !! When we were on red alert I was in line at the buffet on day waited to be served by the crew member who had stepped away to take care of another passenger, when a man stepped in front me and served himself. I told him that he was not allowed to serve himself and his reply was I can't wait forever!!

Along with bringing my own hand sanitizer I also bring anti-bacterial liquid hand soap

[Teechur]

Just got off the Coral Princess. The cases of Noro were declining yesterday. They did a great job handling it and keeping everyone informed, as well as constantly reminding everyone to wash their hands. I didn't know anyone who got sick and there was little disruption of services. The buffet was switched from self service to crew serving and the crew was wiping everything down constantly. The crew members looked worn out by all the extra duties and cleaning, though.

They probably have Noro too. Only one person on this thread mentioned the crew possibly having it. When a ship is "deep-cleaned" but the same crew is present for the next cruise, of course it will still be present. They aren't immune.

[sippican]

They probably have Noro too. Only one person on this thread mentioned the crew possibly having it. When a ship is "deep-cleaned" but the same crew is present for the next cruise, of course it will still be present. They aren't immune.

 

Exactly! And you are probably more likely to contract the illness from those preparing your food, then from a button on the elevator.

Imagine how quickly it spreads in the cramped crew quarters. Those not stricken probably are worn out from the extra work and covering for those who are ill.