It's Called Hygiene

[KroozNut]

What really amazes me is that our medical clinic here has gone to those self-check-in kiosks. They do have sanitizing wipes nearby, but how many people are going to use them? I always use my knuckles on any of those kiosks (that and elevators, etc.)

 

Ours has too, and I've taken to using them. Hadn't thought much about it until your reminder. Now I may have to rethink using them. :confused: Ours has a bottle of the liquid gel sanitizer next to it.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

You seem genuinely traumatized by the 'sour cream spoon and pepperoni pilfering' incident descriptions, and I feel for you!. I hope you're able to move past it, as I'm also trying to do. :o

 

Thank you Krooz Nut. Hey, it will be okay. It was just the initial "shock" of thinking..."Gee, someone could actually lick that spoon and put it back in the sour cream when no one is looking" kind of thing. This can happen anywhere, not just a cruise ship. A salad bar, a restaurant, any place actually, when you think about it. It was a horrible thought. However, I am sure the behavior was a remote example of what people do.....or maybe not, we will never know. I know one thing, it is not going to stop me from going to the Lido Buffet, or any other venue. It will not stop me from cruising. It will not spoil what I anticipate to be a wonderful trip and a happy time. I will just protect myself as best I can, and report bad behavior as other posters have said. And another poster said her grocery store is probably worse than the Lido Buffet can ever be........that is true! I have seen bad hygiene behavior in many venues, not just cruise ships! So we all need to take the necessary precautions we choose to do, wash our hands, etc. and just move on with our travel experiences and be happy!

[missyflov]

They don't seem to push the hand sanitizer as much any more.

Allan

 

I was on the NA over the holidays and they pushed the hand sanitizer like it was an accessory. Every time I entered the Lido Marketplace, the reservations person would remind people to use the hand sanitizer. Same for the MD. I'm not sure about other lines because this was my first cruise, but I am on a Carnival cruise in April and I'll see how they do. I wonder if they are as vigilant.

 

I personally do not mind being served at the buffet. I never really waited very long, and I always felt they over served me since I often had to ask them to only put a small size scoop instead of a whole ladle full. And I always got served faster than in the MD. That was routinely a 2 hour meal, while the Lido, even with the waiting was 30 to 45 minutes tops.

[KroozNut]

Thank you Krooz Nut. Hey, it will be okay. It was just the initial "shock" of thinking..."Gee, someone could actually lick that spoon and put it back in the sour cream when no one is looking" kind of thing. This can happen anywhere, not just a cruise ship. A salad bar, a restaurant, any place actually, when you think about it. It was a horrible thought. However, I am sure the behavior was a remote example of what people do.....or maybe not, we will never know. I know one thing, it is not going to stop me from going to the Lido Buffet, or any other venue. It will not stop me from cruising. It will not spoil what I anticipate to be a wonderful trip and a happy time. I will just protect myself as best I can, and report bad behavior as other posters have said. And another poster said her grocery store is probably worse than the Lido Buffet can ever be........that is true! I have seen bad hygiene behavior in many venues, not just cruise ships! So we all need to take the necessary precautions we choose to do, wash our hands, etc. and just move on with our travel experiences and be happy!

Agree 100%

[sammiedawg]

I agree about the wipes. They do remove dirt and germs, not "rearrange" them.

 

I know a doctor whose specialty is infectious diseases. I asked him once, "So ships have these squirt things of Purel--" and he stopped me right there saying "Not good enough! Wash your hands or use a wipe. Don't rely on liquid hand sanitizers." He went on to say that Disney hands out wipes. When we were in St Thomas on our recent cruise, I walked by the Disney ship that was next to us. Sure enough, on tables near the gangway they had large dispensers of wipes.

 

Of course, wipes are more expensive and then there's the burden of disposing of them properly. But they are better than the liquid stuff.

 

Using a wipe creates friction, incorporating a basic science principle on how to clean a surface. Assuming people take time to rub all hand surfaces. Better than a squirt of hand sanitizer which most people dab here and there.

The Disney wipes are in the realm of Babyganics, relatively nontoxic. My daughter buys them in bulk to wipe down kid surfaces.

 

There is no scientific evidence wipes, hand gels kill Noro, regardless of manufacturer claims. But all methods are better than nothing. Vigorous hand washing remains the gold standard.

[Projunior]

I am not completely buying the explanation that HAL does this for hygiene purposes. I was on the Eurodam two weeks ago. I did not mind being served and this probably does prevent dirty hand after dirty hand after dirty hand from touching the tongs.

 

But not all tongs, mind you, as passengers still serve themselves bread and balls of butter in the Lido from common tongs. Further, the dessert case in the Lido is a clear plexiglass case with multiple shelves. To access the desserts, any dessert, you have to lift the handle of the door for each shelf, dirty hand after dirty hand after dirty hand.

 

If sanitation is truly the point, it is certainly not across the board.

[KroozNut]

But not all tongs, mind you, as passengers still serve themselves bread and balls of butter in the Lido from common tongs. Further, the dessert case in the Lido is a clear plexiglass case with multiple shelves. To access the desserts, any dessert, you have to lift the handle of the door for each shelf, dirty hand after dirty hand after dirty hand.

 

If sanitation is truly the point, it is certainly not across the board.

 

Very true. This was the case on our Oosterdam sailing last October.

[*Miss G*]

I am not completely buying the explanation that HAL does this for hygiene purposes. I was on the Eurodam two weeks ago. I did not mind being served and this probably does prevent dirty hand after dirty hand after dirty hand from touching the tongs.

 

But not all tongs, mind you, as passengers still serve themselves bread and balls of butter in the Lido from common tongs. Further, the dessert case in the Lido is a clear plexiglass case with multiple shelves. To access the desserts, any dessert, you have to lift the handle of the door for each shelf, dirty hand after dirty hand after dirty hand.

 

If sanitation is truly the point, it is certainly not across the board.

Depends on the ship. I don't recall having that experience.

[jimbob22]

I am not completely buying the explanation that HAL does this for hygiene purposes.

 

I tend to agree. Based on how the burgers, dogs, pizza are all on a pager system, and the fact that they serve the food in the lido, I think Hal has a LOT less food waste than some other cruise lines. The MDR portions also struck us as pretty small (eg. 3 slices of duck breast as opposed to a full duck breast, add on grilled shrimp in MDR amounted to 2 small shrimp).

 

Mind you, we still ate plenty. It's probably a smart plan on their part.

[Stratheden]

I tend to agree. Based on how the burgers, dogs, pizza are all on a pager system, and the fact that they serve the food in the lido, I think Hal has a LOT less food waste than some other cruise lines. The MDR portions also struck us as pretty small (eg. 3 slices of duck breast as opposed to a full duck breast, add on grilled shrimp in MDR amounted to 2 small shrimp).

 

Mind you, we still ate plenty. It's probably a smart plan on their part.

I think serving the food in the Lido is excellent. Not only for hygene but it definitely saves on food waste. You can always ask for more if you want more but nobody needs the heaping overflowing plates that I have seen some people take back to their tables previously. They only eat a few mouthfuls and then head back and get another plate of something else. Anyone would think they had never seen food before. Disgusting to see so many half eaten plates of food left on the tables.

[TAD2005]

I agree. Sanitation is the prime reason for no self-serve. I have never had a problem getting extra slices of meats, or anything else. Yes, there are areas where self-serve is necessary, such as bread, deserts and the taco bar where you build your own taco. The process does help the massive food waste problem for the folks who load their plates, take a few bites and dump the rest. But I'm sure that this no self-serve process goes a long way to keep HAL's ships in the high ratings for the CDC inspections. Parent company Carnival has not fared so well on the Carnival ships, same for Princess, and surprisingly, Oceana. They all had ships failing the recent CDC sanitation inspections.

[thinfool]

As we sailed from PE on Jan 27 the Captain was proud to announce that the Zuiderdam had just scored 100% on the USPHS survey that had been conducted while the ship was in port.

 

8 days later there were no salt/pepper shakers on tables anywhere, no breadbaskets on dinner tables, serious attention to using Purell as you entered any dining venue, the Chocolate buffet was cancelled and a letter from the Captain announcing a major outbreak of Noro was in all cabins. Cleaning was going on all over the ship...which is largely window dressing, virtually all self serve items in the buffet were removed.

 

Things can change quickly when passengers ignore common health directives.

 

I felt bad for the Captain who was so proud that his ship had a perfect score when we sailed.

[Walfam]

I'm glad to read this, as we are going on a HAL cruise in a few weeks. Given the epidemic of flu and other similar illnesses this winter, I'm more than happy to have HAL serve me on the buffet line.

[TAD2005]

When you board a HAL ship, you get a mandatory questionnaire attesting to your health status. You have to sign that you don;t have any colds, flu, or other communicable diseases. Guess what...... People LIE !!! Does anyone seriously think that a person who spent thousands on a cruise, flown to the port, and caught a bad cold a few days before boarding, will seriously answer honestly on that questionnaire ?? If you do, I have a bridge to sell to you. I'm sure that 90% of the outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease onboard were brought onboard by passengers who either lied on the form or they innocently caught a bug on the plane getting to the port and spread it to the rest of the ship.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

When you board a HAL ship, you get a mandatory questionnaire attesting to your health status. You have to sign that you don;t have any colds, flu, or other communicable diseases. Guess what...... People LIE !!! Does anyone seriously think that a person who spent thousands on a cruise, flown to the port, and caught a bad cold a few days before boarding, will seriously answer honestly on that questionnaire ?? If you do, I have a bridge to sell to you. I'm sure that 90% of the outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease onboard were brought onboard by passengers who either lied on the form or they innocently caught a bug on the plane getting to the port and spread it to the rest of the ship.

 

I have a tendency to think that you may be right on this.

[Cuervosar]

I agree about the wipes. They do remove dirt and germs, not "rearrange" them.

 

I know a doctor whose specialty is infectious diseases. I asked him once, "So ships have these squirt things of Purel--" and he stopped me right there saying "Not good enough! Wash your hands or use a wipe. Don't rely on liquid hand sanitizers." He went on to say that Disney hands out wipes. When we were in St Thomas on our recent cruise, I walked by the Disney ship that was next to us. Sure enough, on tables near the gangway they had large dispensers of wipes.

 

Of course, wipes are more expensive and then there's the burden of disposing of them properly. But they are better than the liquid stuff.

 

My sisters brothers aunt knew a guy who was distantly related to a veterinarian.

 

He said that the alcohol was fine. Something about destroying the cell membrane of bacteria which meant it was now dead and could not spread.

 

Anyway, he also recommended not trusting anything written on Internet forums as they are basically viral distributors of stupidity, but you go with what you believe I guess.

[kazu]

My sisters brothers aunt knew a guy who was distantly related to a veterinarian.

 

He said that the alcohol was fine. Something about destroying the cell membrane of bacteria which meant it was now dead and could not spread.

 

Anyway, he also recommended not trusting anything written on Internet forums as they are basically viral distributors of stupidity, but you go with what you believe I guess.

 

 

Well Bless your heart.

 

Bolding is mine.

 

Taking you at your word, I guess I won't trust this post either since you don't trust internet forums.

 

So, here's my question, why the post? And when was a vet qualfied to speak as a doctor? (No disrespect intended to vets as I value mine).

[KirkNC]

When you board a HAL ship, you get a mandatory questionnaire attesting to your health status. You have to sign that you don;t have any colds, flu, or other communicable diseases. Guess what...... People LIE !!! Does anyone seriously think that a person who spent thousands on a cruise, flown to the port, and caught a bad cold a few days before boarding, will seriously answer honestly on that questionnaire ?? If you do, I have a bridge to sell to you. I'm sure that 90% of the outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease onboard were brought onboard by passengers who either lied on the form or they innocently caught a bug on the plane getting to the port and spread it to the rest of the ship.

 

I don’t think the intent is to identify passengers with colds, flu or noro yes but not the common cold.

[cbr663]

I think serving the food in the Lido is excellent. Not only for hygene but it definitely saves on food waste. You can always ask for more if you want more but nobody needs the heaping overflowing plates that I have seen some people take back to their tables previously. They only eat a few mouthfuls and then head back and get another plate of something else. Anyone would think they had never seen food before. Disgusting to see so many half eaten plates of food left on the tables.

 

Sometimes people decide not to eat food because it is only after trying it that they discover that it is of poor quality (dry, too salty, over cooked or even burnt like a pizza I had once), not the correct temperature, contains a flavour that is not pleasing, or is simply mislabeled and the person doesn't trust to finish eating it.

 

My thought on a cruise is simple - there is no need to eat bad food when there are other choices.

[Sea42]

my sisters brothers aunt knew a guy who was distantly related to a veterinarian.

 

He said that the alcohol was fine. Something about destroying the cell membrane of bacteria which meant it was now dead and could not spread.

 

Anyway, he also recommended not trusting anything written on internet forums as they are basically viral distributors of stupidity, but you go with what you believe i guess.

lol

[Lady Arwen]

Well Bless your heart.

 

Bolding is mine.

 

Taking you at your word, I guess I won't trust this post either since you don't trust internet forums.

 

So, here's my question, why the post? And when was a vet qualfied to speak as a doctor? (No disrespect intended to vets as I value mine).

You made me laugh out loud "Well bless your heart"! You are one of those posters that I can take your advice to the bank! Edited February 18, 2018 by Lady Arwen
spelling

[Elephant999]

Having been on a cruise with a Noro outbreak, I totally understand how quickly things like this spread.

 

Seeing parents allowing their little darlings to get their own buffet when they have never been taught or are too young to understand about not touching food and then putting it back, makes my stomach turn.

 

It’s bread and bread rolls that get me. It’s not a clothes shop you moron, you don’t have to touch every roll to find one you like.

 

Prefer the MDR every time to watching some people act like pigs in the buffet with no understanding of hygiene and thought for others.

[KroozNut]

Sometimes people decide not to eat food because it is only after trying it that they discover that it is of poor quality (dry, too salty, over cooked or even burnt like a pizza I had once), not the correct temperature, contains a flavour that is not pleasing, or is simply mislabeled and the person doesn't trust to finish eating it.

 

My thought on a cruise is simple - there is no need to eat bad food when there are other choices.

 

Yes, but on the other hand, the Lido food stations are certainly not meant to be sampling or tasting stations; which some passengers seem to think they are.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Yes, but on the other hand, the Lido food stations are certainly not meant to be sampling or tasting stations; which some passengers seem to think they are.

I very much agree with you. I have witnessed too much "sampling" myself.

[VennDiagram]

I'm glad to read this, as we are going on a HAL cruise in a few weeks. Given the epidemic of flu and other similar illnesses this winter, I'm more than happy to have HAL serve me on the buffet line.

 

Given the ongoing severity of the flu this year, I am very glad we have no planned travel this winter :(