Norovirus outbreak on the Crown

[voljeep]

Hate to even post this, but after this current outbreak, Princess better have their collective #@%& together and not a single outbreak on the 11/13 sailing. and we already have extra Lysol and Clorox wipes for use when we first get on and go to our cabin

[suzyed]

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

 

Not sure if this link will work, but it shows that since the two outbreaks in 2012, the norovirus has hit the Crown twice in 2014, once in 2016 and then, of course, the current outbreak.

I am set to sail on the Crown with my family in 2018 and have no plans to change our trip. Just going to follow the same "rules" about cleanliness that I follow on all cruise lines.

We were on one of those sailings and the number of sick people was WAY higher than what is being reported here....the Capt. even told us much higher numbers! Also, they did not collect stool samples from all of those who were sick. And one more thing....there were MANY sick people who did not even report that they were sick and were walking around the ship, presumably spreading the virus!

[USCcruisecrazy]

There have been 10 Princess ships since 2011 that have been reported by the CDC for Norovirus. Yes, the Crown has had the most incidents with 6 (that included the current one). Five of those have been on cruises of 10 days or more. Coral is not far behind with 4 occurrences and Ruby with three. Those also seemed to be cruises of more than 7 days. All cruise lines seemed to be culprits with Holland America perhaps leading the way. Bottom line: I would say your odds are not any greater on one ship than another when looking at itinerary of the ships. Simple solution: wipe your cabin down the first day, wash your hands often, don't put your fingers in your mouth, and try not to ingest any feces or vomit, since those are the 2 main ways noro is passed.

[Loonbeam]

And actually, they don't not significantly- if you go by the VSP reports of outbreaks.

 

2017, Crown 1 Coral 1

2016 - Crown Princess 1 outbreak, Ocean Princess 1 outbreak

2015 - Caribbean 1, Coral 1, Crown 0

2014 - Crown and Caribbean (Crown's was bad that year to be fair)

2013 - Ruby Only

 

So in 5 years the Crown did have 3 outbreaks out of 260 weeks of cruising, but the Coral had 2 and so did the Caribbean. In that time 3 other ships had 1 outbreak. That's not statistically significant because as noted certain ports can increase the odds of infection alone (worth noting the Coral does regular longer PC runs and I think the Crown did a bunch of central and south america in that time frame), as can longer itineraries (and confusingly enough shorter ones as there is more turnover and people become symptomatic after they leave). Even the average age of pax aboard can be a factor.

 

I guess its fair to say based on past performance your odds on the Crown of getting Noro would be slightly higher, using some back of the envelope math you would be looking overall at a .0038 percent increased chance over a ship with no reports of outbreaks (using average passenger count and a 7 day cruise period)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Norovirus is often brought onboard by passengers and crew who unknowingly catch it on shore. Some ports tend to provide more Noro than others. It may be the Crown's itineraries are the culprit rather than the ship or crew.

[Loonbeam]

Bluntly, Princess skews older than carnival. This means weaker immune systems, etc. I was actually suprised Holland America wasn't the highest but speaking with medical staff, because of the prevalence of traditional dining on HA and less use of buffet type environs, plus a general attention to personal sanitation due to other health concerns, the vectors are far less than on Princess.

 

I just read through all the years on the CDC website that have reports for gastro type things. They have been reporting since 1994. At first there weren't very many cases in a year but gradually that changed. I did notice that the old Royal Princess had quite a few cases. Also noted that Princess has had a LOT more cases than Carnival. Wonder why? Crown is not the only Princess ship in the past few years to get noro or other grastro problems. Noticed Holland America a lot too although not familiar with their ships to see if any one has had more than others.

 

Princess... start regularly sanitizing things so if there is one case of gastro illness it does not spread!

[Loonbeam]

Avoid public restrooms whenever possible. If someone pukes in one and doesn't tell anyone the virus can aerosolize and remain on other surfaces until the next cleaning.

 

There have been 10 Princess ships since 2011 that have been reported by the CDC for Norovirus. Yes, the Crown has had the most incidents with 6 (that included the current one). Five of those have been on cruises of 10 days or more. Coral is not far behind with 4 occurrences and Ruby with three. Those also seemed to be cruises of more than 7 days. All cruise lines seemed to be culprits with Holland America perhaps leading the way. Bottom line: I would say your odds are not any greater on one ship than another when looking at itinerary of the ships. Simple solution: wipe your cabin down the first day, wash your hands often, don't put your fingers in your mouth, and try not to ingest any feces or vomit, since those are the 2 main ways noro is passed.

[Momo6000]

We were on one of those sailings and the number of sick people was WAY higher than what is being reported here....the Capt. even told us much higher numbers! Also, they did not collect stool samples from all of those who were sick. And one more thing....there were MANY sick people who did not even report that they were sick and were walking around the ship, presumably spreading the virus!

 

So would you still feel comfortable traveling on the Crown? Booked our first trip on it for Spring 2018. I am able to cancel without losing any money. A little doubt about this trip is creeping into my thoughts.....:confused:

[USCcruisecrazy]

So would you still feel comfortable traveling on the Crown? Booked our first trip on it for Spring 2018. I am able to cancel without losing any money. A little doubt about this trip is creeping into my thoughts.....:confused:

 

We have an 8 day trip on the Crown in December...no way I would change plans. First of all, noro can occur (and does occur) at some point in time on every ship. Second, I would recommend you go with whatever ship provides the itinerary you want. If it's the Crown in the Spring of 2018, I wouldn't change. Third, you should always take the right precautions...wipe your room down as soon as you arrive, wash your hands frequently, try not to lick your fingers...bottom line: be smart, but enjoy your cruise. Worrying about something like noro does you no good and since it's not a ship specific virus, changing ships doesn't change your statistical probability of getting it.

[CineGraphic]

So would you still feel comfortable traveling on the Crown? Booked our first trip on it for Spring 2018. I am able to cancel without losing any money. A little doubt about this trip is creeping into my thoughts.....:confused:

 

I too have no hesitations about our upcoming cruise on the Crown.

[StrawberryTx]

We are boarding the Crown on the 13th, for 5 days. Hopefully all will be squeaky clean by then....I always wipe down and spray my cabin several times during cruises AND WASH MY HANDS ALL THE TIME, not just using sanitizer, plus I carry sanitizer hand wipes with me. Don't like the gels.

[pathi]

So would you still feel comfortable traveling on the Crown? Booked our first trip on it for Spring 2018. I am able to cancel without losing any money. A little doubt about this trip is creeping into my thoughts.....:confused:

 

I have 2 upcoming on the crown. I plan on enjoying both. We always avoid public restrooms, wash our hands etc. If it looks like there is still an elevated threat next week we will probably avoid the buffet as well.

[RDC1]

You have about 6 months of immunity once you get it.

So those crew members who were ill can now service those on subsequent cruises without getting reinfected.

 

Dr. Bumsted

 

Except there are different strains of Noro just aa their are different strains of the flu. Catching one strain does not necessarily provide immunity from other strains.

[RDC1]

I just read through all the years on the CDC website that have reports for gastro type things. They have been reporting since 1994. At first there weren't very many cases in a year but gradually that changed. I did notice that the old Royal Princess had quite a few cases. Also noted that Princess has had a LOT more cases than Carnival. Wonder why? Crown is not the only Princess ship in the past few years to get noro or other grastro problems. Noticed Holland America a lot too although not familiar with their ships to see if any one has had more than others.

 

Princess... start regularly sanitizing things so if there is one case of gastro illness it does not spread!

 

Length of cruise certainly is an impact. Very short cruises have less time to spread, go through incubation period and manifest in a sufficient number of patients to trigger the 3% threshold for a listed outbreak. Carnival average cruise length is considerably shorter than Princess.

[newport dave]

So would you still feel comfortable traveling on the Crown? Booked our first trip on it for Spring 2018. I am able to cancel without losing any money. A little doubt about this trip is creeping into my thoughts.....:confused:

 

Sailed on her twice this year for a total of 25 days and didn't have a single problem. Sailed on her for 14 nights in 2013 I think and didn't have a problem then either.

 

Only time we've been on a cruise and had an outbreak of Noro on board was on the Celebrity Solstice in 2011. Luckily we weren't infected.

[Momo6000]

We have an 8 day trip on the Crown in December...no way I would change plans. First of all, noro can occur (and does occur) at some point in time on every ship. Second, I would recommend you go with whatever ship provides the itinerary you want. If it's the Crown in the Spring of 2018, I wouldn't change. Third, you should always take the right precautions...wipe your room down as soon as you arrive, wash your hands frequently, try not to lick your fingers...bottom line: be smart, but enjoy your cruise. Worrying about something like noro does you no good and since it's not a ship specific virus, changing ships doesn't change your statistical probability of getting it.

 

 

I am not a seasoned cruiser like many of you are (5 cruises for us so far). And you are correct on everything you wrote. Yes, we could experience noro on any ship and we really like the itinerary booked on the Crown. I just purchased disinfectant wipes recommended by another fellow cruiser.

I will be reminding the kids to wash, wash and wash their hands.

Thanks for alleviating my worries :D

[Momo6000]

Sailed on her twice this year for a total of 25 days and didn't have a single problem. Sailed on her for 14 nights in 2013 I think and didn't have a problem then either.

 

Only time we've been on a cruise and had an outbreak of Noro on board was on the Celebrity Solstice in 2011. Luckily we weren't infected.

 

Thank you so much for answering this. All of you have assured me that all will be well on the cruise and I am excited :D

[Momo6000]

I have 2 upcoming on the crown. I plan on enjoying both. We always avoid public restrooms, wash our hands etc. If it looks like there is still an elevated threat next week we will probably avoid the buffet as well.

 

 

Yes. From the advice I have received from all of you, I believe the buffet is a hotbed of germs. Think we will be visiting it infrequently! And I plan to stay with our plans for Spring 2018.

[Momo6000]

I too have no hesitations about our upcoming cruise on the Crown.

 

 

All the posts have convinced me to stay on the Crown for Spring 2018. :)I will take everyones advice on "washy washy," limiting buffet runs and cleaning the cabin.

[BobCat22]

We are currently on the Crown & needed to visit the medical facility this morning. I was told that they had tested but this gastro bug was not noro. So probably a good thing!

[copdoc]

Simple solution: wipe your cabin down the first day, wash your hands often, don't put your fingers in your mouth, and try not to ingest any feces or vomit, since those are the 2 main ways noro is passed.

 

Good advice. But also remember that your cabin will be serviced by your steward twice per day. That's two times that someone is coming into your cabin and touching surfaces, after being in other cabins. (Cabin stewards do not, generally, wash hands between cabins.) And for a really nice thought, on some cruises, the same steward that cleans your toilet and cleans your trash (and most cruise lines don't use trash liners) makes your bed...

[suzyed]

So would you still feel comfortable traveling on the Crown? Booked our first trip on it for Spring 2018. I am able to cancel without losing any money. A little doubt about this trip is creeping into my thoughts.....:confused:

In a word....Yes! Actually we are sailing on the Crown next week and have a 25 day sailing booked for next year at this time!

Perhaps it's not the ships fault but the people who refuse to report their sicknesses and continue to spread their germs all around. To be fair, I think many of the case of Noro on the Crown in 2014 were contracted in Tahiti. Many of us ate and shopped in the Market and a bunch of people ate at the food trucks on the dock.

After our stop in Tahiti is when it started getting really bad and I don't recall anyone saying they felt sick before that port athough it's possible there were.

[suzyed]

We have an 8 day trip on the Crown in December...no way I would change plans. First of all, noro can occur (and does occur) at some point in time on every ship. Second, I would recommend you go with whatever ship provides the itinerary you want. If it's the Crown in the Spring of 2018, I wouldn't change. Third, you should always take the right precautions...wipe your room down as soon as you arrive, wash your hands frequently, try not to lick your fingers...bottom line: be smart, but enjoy your cruise. Worrying about something like noro does you no good and since it's not a ship specific virus, changing ships doesn't change your statistical probability of getting it.

I agree!

[whatcruiseisnext]

We are boarding the Crown on Nov 8 and just received notice that boarding is delayed due to additional sanitation precautions once ship arrives in Fort Lauderdale. Boarding will not even begin until 230pm and the notice states that they may notify us if additional delays happen

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Momo6000]

In a word....Yes! Actually we are sailing on the Crown next week and have a 25 day sailing booked for next year at this time!

Perhaps it's not the ships fault but the people who refuse to report their sicknesses and continue to spread their germs all around. To be fair, I think many of the case of Noro on the Crown in 2014 were contracted in Tahiti. Many of us ate and shopped in the Market and a bunch of people ate at the food trucks on the dock.

After our stop in Tahiti is when it started getting really bad and I don't recall anyone saying they felt sick before that port athough it's possible there were.

 

Based on what you and everyone has written today, we are a go for the Spring cruise. Just going to be vigilant with our hygiene and I will be watching the kids closely!

Enjoy your cruise next week! And the 25 day sail! WOW:) Maybe one day when the kids are grown up....

[Steelers36]

Yup, delayed departure due to a deep clean. Anyone had one of these at Port Everglades. Hopefully, they can beat the 2:30pm start. I imagine check-in will begin sooner, however. It's going to be crowded over there as folks will be out of hotels with nowhere to go.