Norovirus outbreak on the Crown

[Mittens101]

We are on the crown in December. I guess it’s one way not to gain weight on a cruise. Ugh

[tailspintom]

When we were on Crown earlier this year we reported here on CC various problems with hygiene and that the crew didn't seem to care - and most people on here pooh-poohed it, but again the Crown has proved its the Noro Princess.

 

A ship best avoided IMHO. We will certainly never sail on her again. We cruised on Celebrity Summit this fall to Quebec, and are so glad we did not book Crown on the similar itinerary, even though Celebrity cost us way more.

Interesting. Crown had one instance that required reporting in 2017.

 

A few years back, we traveled on the Summit when two of our party and many others were affected by Norovirus. Enough to go into the Noro protocol. Luck of the draw, I would suppose.

 

At any rate, since the reporting criteria is a 3% or greater infection criteria, one can be affected without a report. When you are one of a hundred that gets the problem, the problem is 100% of the issue.

[rolloman]

Interesting. Crown had one instance that required reporting in 2017.

 

A few years back, we traveled on the Summit when two of our party and many others were affected by Norovirus. Enough to go into the Noro protocol. Luck of the draw, I would suppose.

 

At any rate, since the reporting criteria is a 3% or greater infection criteria, one can be affected without a report. When you are one of a hundred that gets the problem, the problem is 100% of the issue.

 

I would almost bet for every 1 who does report, 3 do not.

[srpilo]

When we were on Crown earlier this year we reported here on CC various problems with hygiene and that the crew didn't seem to care - and most people on here pooh-poohed it, but again the Crown has proved its the Noro Princess.

 

A ship best avoided IMHO. We will certainly never sail on her again. We cruised on Celebrity Summit this fall to Quebec, and are so glad we did not book Crown on the similar itinerary, even though Celebrity cost us way more.

I wondering if we'd get through a single Crown Princess thread without one of your constant anti-Crown rants... Guess not

 

We all get it, you don't like the Crown

Srpilo

[sunsetme]

I was on Crown Oct 15-25, not aware of any problems.

[Notonboard]

should be nice and clean/sanitized for our 11/13 cruise

 

And we are back...washy washy!

[Griller]

Interesting. Crown had one instance that required reporting in 2017.

 

A few years back, we traveled on the Summit when two of our party and many others were affected by Norovirus. Enough to go into the Noro protocol. Luck of the draw, I would suppose.

 

At any rate, since the reporting criteria is a 3% or greater infection criteria, one can be affected without a report. When you are one of a hundred that gets the problem, the problem is 100% of the issue.

 

As you say Crown already had one instance which required reporting this year, we aren't through the year yet and now there is another so it makes 2, and Crown has been in Europe for half of this year where they wouldn't have to report health problems to CDC.............................

 

I hoped they were over the perennial GI trouble on that ship , but it seems not.

[ExploringTheGlobe]

I'm on the Crown's next sailing on the 8th. My thought is she will be extra clean for us. I'm not worried one bit. Besides, I'm sure all the booze I drink will cleanse my system 🤣🥂🍸

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Forums mobile app

[Griller]

I'm on the Crown's next sailing on the 8th. My thought is she will be extra clean for us. I'm not worried one bit. Besides, I'm sure all the booze I drink will cleanse my system 🤣🥂🍸

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Forums mobile app

 

I am sure they will deep clean the ship but the virus is very persistent on hard surfaces. In the past it has been suggested that the cruise after cruise ongoing Crown problem they had could be due to the HVAC, or the water supply, or back to back passengers, or crew who don't report a health problem or who carry it without symptoms......... so many possibilities.

 

, but unfortunately I don't think alcohol taken internally will really help prevent it.

 

Anyway good luck and be careful.

[roamerfromtexas]

On Crown For more than 2months this summer. Unaware of any problems with norovirus.

[Griller]

On Crown For more than 2months this summer. Unaware of any problems with norovirus.

 

They are pretty good at hushing it up until the day it gets really bad and the Captain makes an announcement asking everyone to wash their hands more and you see changes in the HC and no salt and pepper shakers on the main dining room tables.

[rolloman]

Regardless of what anyone experienced on previous voyages, the fact of the matter is, they currently are experiencing an issue. I caught this on one of my cruises a couple years ago and I am in no mood to ever experience it again.

[metairiegal]

Oh great. We'll be sailing on her 11/18.

[TravelSteveR]

There are these types of outbreaks in all manner of places--schools and daycare centers are especially susceptible. With all the issues that we now have to endure when travelling, I find the gloom and doom negative posts really off-putting. After going through a hurricane this year and sustaining damage to the house, and having our Labor Day trip cancelled, due to the same storm, I am really looking forward to our cruise. We take as many precautions as we can--Airborne, flu shots, hand sanitizer. . . unfortunately, not every passenger who signs that health questionnaire before boarding is honest about his or her health state, and not every crew member who is sick will stay in his or her quarters until well. The same is true in my and everyone else's workplace. I suffer from two auto-immune disorders, and due to their treatment, I am particularly susceptible; however, I don't hide in my home, and I don't pull a Debbie Downer. If I read and believed every negative comment I have read about cruising in general, Princess,and the Crown Princess, I would never get on a boat; instead, I approach everything with an open mind. Here's to a fun cruise on the Crown Princess and a much better 2018.

 

Steve

TravelSteveR

[RDC1]

They are pretty good at hushing it up until the day it gets really bad and the Captain makes an announcement asking everyone to wash their hands more and you see changes in the HC and no salt and pepper shakers on the main dining room tables.

 

Actually not, the practice at Princess is to implement enhanced procedures, including public announces with a pretty low number of passengers. One Chief medical officer told me that it is in the 7-10 passenger range (around 2/10's of one percent of the passengers).

 

A little information about Noro on cruise ships:

 

From 2008 to 2014, 74 million passengers sailed on cruise ships in the Vessel Sanitation Program’s jurisdiction. Only 129,678 passengers met the program’s case definition for acute gastrointestinal illness and only a small proportion of those cases (1 in 10) were part of a norovirus outbreak.

 

In a 6 year period you had about 13,000 Noro cases on cruise ships. Or with 74 million passengers about .01% (1/100th of a percent).

 

If you compare this with normal annual incidence in the US where you get between 19 to 21 million cases per year. Which out of a population of 325 million comes to about 6.1% of the population. (Breakdown is 62% tied to health care facilities, 22% restuarant or banquet, 6% school or daycare, 2% private residence, etc.)

 

The peak period Noro in North America occurs From October to May.

 

You are much more likely to get Noro eating at a restaurant at home than on a cruise ship. Of course cases on a cruise ship are tracked very closely, while those on land, at home are not.

[Griller]

Actually not, the practice at Princess is to implement enhanced procedures, including public announces with a pretty low number of passengers. One Chief medical officer told me that it is in the 7-10 passenger range (around 2/10's of one percent of the passengers).

 

A little information about Noro on cruise ships:

 

From 2008 to 2014, 74 million passengers sailed on cruise ships in the Vessel Sanitation Program’s jurisdiction. Only 129,678 passengers met the program’s case definition for acute gastrointestinal illness and only a small proportion of those cases (1 in 10) were part of a norovirus outbreak.

 

In a 6 year period you had about 13,000 Noro cases on cruise ships. Or with 74 million passengers about .01% (1/100th of a percent).

 

If you compare this with normal annual incidence in the US where you get between 19 to 21 million cases per year. Which out of a population of 325 million comes to about 6.1% of the population. (Breakdown is 62% tied to health care facilities, 22% restuarant or banquet, 6% school or daycare, 2% private residence, etc.)

 

The peak period Noro in North America occurs From October to May.

 

You are much more likely to get Noro eating at a restaurant at home than on a cruise ship. Of course cases on a cruise ship are tracked very closely, while those on land, at home are not.

 

Didn't know Princess had a chief medical officer. Where is he/she based? Santa Clarita? You must be a very important person to know such a high up at Princess. I have only ever got as far as talking to the Senior Doctor on a ship.

 

And thanks for the statistics, we all know how much we can trust statistics.

 

You still won't get me on Crown Princess again no matter how much you cheer. So many safer alternatives.

[geocruiser]

You still won't get me on Crown Princess again no matter how much you cheer. So many safer alternatives.

 

I also try not to sail on Crown. We were on her in 2012 when there was a major noro outbreak. An I do mean MAJOR out break. The Captain was on the PA several times a day. He said that the medical staff had not slept in 36 hours. The crew was sick. The head chef at the buffet was out sick with it. One of our waiters had it and the assistant waiter ) who shared a cabin with the sick waiter was serving us. After our cruise two of out table mates got it on the way home. We were lucky, did not get it. They gave the Crown a good cleaning for the next cruise. Well, the next cruise NEVER made a port of call. They had to turn the Crown around and come back home. too many sick on board. The cruise ended early.

Now, I know this can happen on any ship but it left a bad memory for me. So, I also try not to sail the Crown.

I have been on many ship that had the virus, but that Crown cruise took the cake!

I washed my hands often, never use public rest rooms, washed my hands as soon as I got back into the cabin. Only ate hot food. I did stay healthy.

[c-boy]

I also try not to sail on Crown. We were on her in 2012 when there was a major noro outbreak. An I do mean MAJOR out break. The Captain was on the PA several times a day. He said that the medical staff had not slept in 36 hours. The crew was sick. The head chef at the buffet was out sick with it. One of our waiters had it and the assistant waiter ) who shared a cabin with the sick waiter was serving us. After our cruise two of out table mates got it on the way home. We were lucky, did not get it. They gave the Crown a good cleaning for the next cruise. Well, the next cruise NEVER made a port of call. They had to turn the Crown around and come back home. too many sick on board. The cruise ended early.

Now, I know this can happen on any ship but it left a bad memory for me. So, I also try not to sail the Crown.

I have been on many ship that had the virus, but that Crown cruise took the cake!

I washed my hands often, never use public rest rooms, washed my hands as soon as I got back into the cabin. Only ate hot food. I did stay healthy.

geo were vaccinated prior to your cruise ?

[beg3yrs]

geo were vaccinated prior to your cruise ?

 

Vaccinated for what? No vaccines are available for norovirus although they are under development.

[Griller]

Vaccinated for what? No vaccines are available for norovirus although they are under development.

I read that anyone who has had Noro will probably have some immunity to getting the same bug again for a short time. But as with flu there are no doubt different strains.I never heard of a vaccine for it, be good though if there were.

 

And I believe most tummy bugs on cruise ships are e-coli related not actually Noro, bacterial not viral. Easier to sanitize E Coli and prevent yourself from getting it.

[c-boy]

Vaccinated for what? No vaccines are available for norovirus although they are under development.

well thats not good to hear/read. I guess it's a role of the dice with all the needle jabbing done at my work place

[dickinson]

Anyone know how they "sanitize" the ship? How do they clean the menus or the pencils that are used for trivia for instance?

[Wanderfully]

That's why Cruise Critic is so much fun to read. It just illuminates how different people react to situations. geocruiser, We were on the Crown on that cruise after you in February 2012 to Aruba! One of the best we ever took! Two days at sea and were supposed to dock in Aruba and at 8 0'clock that morning, the Captain says we are returning to Fort Lauderdale. 5 days at sea, free, no one in our party sick ( but we wash our hands alot, don't overeat at the Horizon court, have fixed dinner in MDR ) and only thing we noticed different was no self service in dining room

We were reimbursed fully for the cruise ( not FCC) ALL our $$$ received back, 25% future cruise credit AND Princess called for everyone and made all our return flight reservations for us and delivered them to our cabins the day before

Guess where we are booked February 2018? Crown to Aruba !! But I suppose we can't be lucky enough to have it happen twice!!

[dickinson]

Even though a noro outbreak happens.. the fact remains that most people don't get it. For the people who do...:mad:. I looked up on the CDC website for 2012 and saw the two reports. A higher incidence of people affected than currently reported (now 4. something but 2012 11. something). It is a lot of people but still most did not get it.

 

I'm on the Crown on Nov 8 and the 13th. Kinda bursts the bubble of excitement about cruising but I expect to come home with dry hands from washing a lot. Also told dh I won't eat in Horizon court.

[geocruiser]

geo were vaccinated prior to your cruise ?

 

 

I was just careful. Wash hands, keep finger out of mouth.