Regal receives failing grade on inspection

[bookmama22]

I was on the 2/2 sailing of the Regal. Didn't read this CDC report but I did find it odd that when I used public restrooms whIch I did try to avoid whenever possible, there did not seem to feature hot water in the sinks. Also although I only used buffet for a salad at lunch, sometimes the greeters at the door insisted on watching you wash your hands and more frequently they did not. 

We only ate dinner at MDR and no one ever asked us to use the hand sanitizers. 

[Hlitner]

18 minutes ago, bookmama22 said:

I was on the 2/2 sailing of the Regal. Didn't read this CDC report but I did find it odd that when I used public restrooms whIch I did try to avoid whenever possible, there did not seem to feature hot water inr the sinks. Also although I only used buffet for a salad at lunch, sometimes the greeters at the door insisted on watching you wash your hands and more frequently they did not. 

We only ate dinner at MDR and no one ever asked us to use the hand sanitizers. 

Just to clarify that the health inspections do not generally include items such as staff telling passengers to wash hands.  The type of inconsistencies you spotted is typical of what we have seen on nearly every cruise over the past forty + years.  As to hand sanitizers, they have become somewhat controversial since they are of limited use against Norovirus and may contribute to fewer folks washing their hands (which is effective against Noro).  On some cruise lines the sanitizers have all but disappeared.

 

Hank

[TNTLAMB]

39 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

As to hand sanitizers, they have become somewhat controversial since they are of limited use against Norovirus and may contribute to fewer folks washing their hands (which is effective against Noro).  On some cruise lines the sanitizers have all but disappeared.

 

Hank

 

Exactly true. In fact most recent studies indicate hand sanitizers INCREASE exposure. You are starting to see more handwashing stations. Most of the royal class now have them. Next is to have PAX actually use them.

 

[eroller]

Really there isn't any excuse for a very new ship (built entirely to code) to fail a health inspection so poorly .  It can only come down to negligence whether it be from poor crew training or failing equipment.  Either way it shouldn't happen, and it's quite rare for a ship to fail an inspection these days.  

 

This is just the type of publicity Princess doesn't need, after DIAMOND PRINCESS, the noro-virus on  CARIBBEAN PRINCESS, and lots of previous environmental violations that they are still under scrutiny for.  

 

Personally I think they are handling the DIAMOND PRINCESS situation quite well, but the headlines that the average person will read paint a different picture and perceptions are a strong thing.  I'm very curious what will happen with DIAMOND PRINCESS when this is all over?  Perhaps a name change?  I think something drastic will have to be done to erase perceptions.  Thankfully most of the public have very short memories.  

Edited February 22, 2020 by eroller
dq4ig

[Storm Monkey]

18 hours ago, Coral said:

I actually do check the local restaurants I eat at.

 

18 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

I don't

where I live the restaurants have the health inspection notice sign posted on the door/window and indicates the date of last inspection. Green means they passed. I think yellow means they had some issues to work on? But I’m not sure because I rarely see anything other than green signs

Edited February 22, 2020 by Storm Monkey

[frugaltravel]

On 2/21/2020 at 6:38 AM, snoozecrooze said:

Wow, that's a far cry from the 100 it received two years ago 😥😥 when will Princess catch a break 

 

 

Princess will "catch a break" when they get their act together and pass inspection.

 

[snoozecrooze]

1 minute ago, frugaltravel said:

Princess will "catch a break" when they get their act together and pass inspection.

 

Yes, I agree, though nothing's likely to change if heads in executive and managerial positions don't start rolling, but I definitely don't see any of that happening any time soon. I feel most sorry for the crew involved in the crossfire. Hopefully something sooner or later can light a fire under the corporation's [bottom].

[Gracie115]

On 2/21/2020 at 12:05 PM, mrmarklin said:

 

Not too terrible, really.  It's a working ship and people get busy.  More training and supervision seems indicated.

 

Wrong, it's a terrible score.

[Gracie115]

It's VERY concerning to me.  I was on Regal a couple of months and became very ill.  NOT noro virus but some kind of food poisoning....it was very telling when the first thing asked when we called sick bay for help was "What dining room did you eat in last night."  We've been fairly convinced that the Sea Bass cooked by the Maitre'D that night was the culprit as I was the only one who ate it and the only one who got sick......

 

PLEASE don't get me wrong we enjoyed our cruise but this inspection just makes me believe we were right....

[Colo Cruiser]

5 hours ago, Storm Monkey said:

 

where I live the restaurants have the health inspection notice sign posted on the door/window and indicates the date of last inspection. Green means they passed. I think yellow means they had some issues to work on? But I’m not sure because I rarely see anything other than green signs

Good idea. That way people wouldn't have to surf.

[AlyssaJames]

I was on NCL’s Breakaway about a month after they failed inspection. I assumed that meant it would be pretty spotless by the time we boarded. It was not. It was apparent that cleaning staff was under filled and overworked. I know they are very different lines, but it was the first time I’d been on an NCL megaship and seen tables in the buffet not even getting bussed. I guess it’s the kind of staffing and systemic breakdown that takes time to fix.

[chengkp75]

13 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

It's VERY concerning to me.  I was on Regal a couple of months and became very ill.  NOT noro virus but some kind of food poisoning....it was very telling when the first thing asked when we called sick bay for help was "What dining room did you eat in last night."  We've been fairly convinced that the Sea Bass cooked by the Maitre'D that night was the culprit as I was the only one who ate it and the only one who got sick......

 

PLEASE don't get me wrong we enjoyed our cruise but this inspection just makes me believe we were right....

That question is a standard question asked of all passengers reporting GI illness, and required for the CDC report form.

[Steelers36]

 

13 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

It's VERY concerning to me.  I was on Regal a couple of months and became very ill.  NOT noro virus but some kind of food poisoning....it was very telling when the first thing asked when we called sick bay for help was "What dining room did you eat in last night."  We've been fairly convinced that the Sea Bass cooked by the Maitre'D that night was the culprit as I was the only one who ate it and the only one who got sick......

 

PLEASE don't get me wrong we enjoyed our cruise but this inspection just makes me believe we were right....

 

Now that I think about it, something I ate didn't sit right with me last November.  Nothing terrible happened, but I did have some bowel discomfort.  I suppose that could happen anytime/anywhere, but it did happen on the Regal.

[Gracie115]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

That question is a standard question asked of all passengers reporting GI illness, and required for the CDC report form.

 

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

 

 

Now that I think about it, something I ate didn't sit right with me last November.  Nothing terrible happened, but I did have some bowel discomfort.  I suppose that could happen anytime/anywhere, but it did happen on the Regal.

 

 

All I know is I had a pretty nasty bout of food poisoning.  Spent an entire night throwing up about every 10 minutes.....not a good way to spend a day on a ship.  

 

Hopefully Regal has cleaned up it's act at this point because 77 is a really lousy score for one of these inspections.

[arabrab]

22 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Some of these 'hits' really don't affect the PAX.  A number of repetitive hits are for minor discrepancies in report logs that the CDC wants to get.  I'd like to see what the 'true' score would be if one were to remove the points for purely administrative reports violations.

The many pool related deficiencies are a real issue that could have very negative health consequences for users. Whoever was in charge of managing pool sanitation seems to have been doing a very poor job.

[chengkp75]

22 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Some of these 'hits' really don't affect the PAX.  A number of repetitive hits are for minor discrepancies in report logs that the CDC wants to get.  I'd like to see what the 'true' score would be if one were to remove the points for purely administrative reports violations.

Very few of the deductions on any USPH inspection "affect" the passengers directly, and none of them present an imminent threat to public health (or the ship can be shut down).  Until the corrective action report is issued by Princess, you won't see how each of these deficiencies were "graded" (more egregious deficiencies can rate a full 5 points, while some minor ones will actually be zero points deducted, just mentioned as deficiencies for correction).  Pools (both actual chemistry tests, and record keeping) will only total 5 points, regardless of how many deficiencies.  Food safety can range from improper storage, to improper temperatures, to incorrect blast chiller records and incorrect disposal dates on foods, but will still be at most 10 points (I remember there being two categories of food safety), so a lot of minor record keeping deficiencies will get lumped with other deficiencies, and then graded as to severity within the category.

13 minutes ago, arabrab said:

The many pool related deficiencies are a real issue that could have very negative health consequences for users. Whoever was in charge of managing pool sanitation seems to have been doing a very poor job.

Yes, pool maintenance and warewashing maintenance were particularly hard hit.  Deck (pools), Sanitation (warewashing operation), and Engineering (pools and warewashing maintenance) all need corrective training.

[Colo Cruiser]

17 hours ago, eroller said:

Really there isn't any excuse for a very new ship (built entirely to code) to fail a health inspection so poorly .

What?     Very new?   Not............and also irrelevant.

 

What code?

[eroller]

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

What?     Very new?   Not............and also irrelevant.

 

What code?

 

 

Built in the last 10 years is new to me.  Perhaps not "very" new but certainly new enough, and yes relevant.  She will certainly be more up to date compared to a ship built 20-30 years ago.  Equipment can always be updated, but having an optimum design that the USPHS/CDC essentially signed off on is something newer ships can take advantage of.  

 

What code?  USPHS/CDC.  Their regulations are constantly evolving, and they collaborate with ship owners on designing galleys/storage areas, sanitizing systems, and procuring equipment for that ship that meets or exceeds their regulations.  This certainly assists the ship in passing inspections, but of course training, upkeep, proper usage of equipment, and knowledge of all the latest USPHS/CDC requirements are also needed.   

Edited February 23, 2020 by eroller

[PRINCESS Sweet Pea]

Hello,  When I was on the Regal, I was impressed with the tons of free flowing hot water and plenty of soap and towels!  Both in the restrooms, the hand washing station at the buffet.  We had absolutely no questions or issues about the food and dining.  All seemed okay.

 

Now, the pools, not as sure about that one.

[Colo Cruiser]

1 hour ago, eroller said:

 

 

Built in the last 10 years is new to me.  Perhaps not "very" new but certainly new enough, and yes relevant.  She will certainly be more up to date compared to a ship built 20-30 years ago.  Equipment can always be updated, but having an optimum design that the USPHS/CDC essentially signed off on is something newer ships can take advantage of.  

 

What code?  USPHS/CDC.  Their regulations are constantly evolving, and they collaborate with ship owners on designing galleys/storage areas, sanitizing systems, and procuring equipment for that ship that meets or exceeds their regulations.  This certainly assists the ship in passing inspections, but of course training, upkeep, proper usage of equipment, and knowledge of all the latest USPHS/CDC requirements are also needed.   

Well the good thing is cruise lines don't have a choice whether their ships are built to USPH requirements or not.

Crew are human and these stringent checks and balances are in place to catch the failures/shortcomings.

So it is what it is.

I agree a failure at several levels. 

It will be corrected and it too shall pass.

Seems that I remember this coming up with a Princess ship or two many years ago with some pretty bad scores.

Princess ships old or new meet the same standards.

[bookmama22]

I am certainly aware of the news about hand sanitizers. I am just pointing out that there were definite inconsistencies between those stationed at certain doors of the buffet who insisted you wash your hands in the sinks there or others who did not. The MDR were having enough of a time trying to accomodate people lined up to be seated  for dinner than to ask about hand washing. 

 

In terms of checking restaurants, in NY all restaurants receive letter grads that are prominently posted and if you like you can check the most recent reports on their website. I am having dinner tonight with friends at local restaurant recently celebrating their 25th anniversary of being in business and one that we have been to many times. I still read the health inspection report when I went to their website and called for a reservation.

[arabrab]

I rather liked DD's preschool - when the kids lined up for lunch, a staff member went down the line squirting a bit of hand soap onto each kid's hand, and then routed them into the wash-up area.

[cruisequeen4ever]

I was shocked by this news as the lovely Regal has been spotless on all of our cruises aboard her, including as recently as last summer. I’m confident Princess will make the corrections, and I hope all Princess ships learn from this failure, so it doesn’t happen again.

[eroller]

4 hours ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

I was shocked by this news as the lovely Regal has been spotless on all of our cruises aboard her, including as recently as last summer. 

 

 

I doubt the average cruiser would be able to tell any physical difference between a ship that passes with 100% and one that fails.  Most of the infractions are technical things behind the scenes that a passenger would never see.  In the galleys, storage rooms, and equipments rooms.  Things like the temperatures of refrigerators/freezers, food storage to close to the floor, pH levels of the swimming pool, water temperatures of dishwashing equipment, and observations of crew handling food and equipment.  Just a few examples, and things that generally a passenger would have no clue about ... but it might impact them in other ways like getting sick.      

[jbplussix]

Knowing that we will be on the ship in April, it causes me to shake my head. I know how picky these inspectors can be but it still makes you hesitate.  Just hoping for the best. Not much else I can do.