If You Had A Cold

[LDinCT]

If I have a cold or one of the members in my traveling party have a cold are you saying they won't let us on board? If they won't let you on do they refund your money? I checked the legalize on the site and they say they can deny boarding to anyone deemed "unsafe", but do they give you refund, it doesn't say. Also, do they really eject you at the next port if you get the Norwalk? It doesn't seem like this is your fault. My husband got it several years ago, it would have been a bummer if they put our whole family off on day 3. I've checked their site thouroughly and don't really see these issues clarified. These posts are making me a little nervous. The chances in the winter of any one of the 7 of us having a cold at any one time are fairly high.

[sail7seas]

This whole business about a cold is the first I have heard of it. In all our HAL cruises, we, so far, have not been asked if we had a cold. We've been asked about stomach upset. How could they tell a cold from allergies? We are coming into allergy season and loads of people will have red, runny noses and watery eyes....from hayfever or grass or tree or sap or whatever allergies.

 

If the terminal building is dusty, the dust on the floor could be giving someone the sneezes. Or if the person asking the question has drowned themselves in cologne, loads of people will show symptoms.

 

 

[sail7seas]

I had a conversation with a senior officer about putting people off the ships who have contracted Noro like virus while aboard the ship.

 

We had to agree to disagree in the end.

 

My position is that if the guest cooperates and agrees to remain quarantined for the designated length of time, they should be permitted to remain aboard.

The Officer said they cannot possibly post a 'sentry' so it is hard to know for sure if the person remained in their cabin. He felt it safest for the guest to be removed from the ship.

 

I felt it might be safest for the cleaning crew on the ship and but where did safest for the guests come into the equation?

 

I spoke specifically about a person who contracted Noro (for example), six days into the cruise. If that guest had not left the ship in any port, there was no question where they were exposed to it. They boarded healthy but became ill on the ship. I think the ship had some responsibility to work with this person to consider the great inconvenience/discomfort they would be subjecting this guest to by forcing them to leave.

 

And.....how about considering they were putting this highly contagious person into a taxi, into a hotel, into a hotel restaurant and ultimately onto an airplane. They were passing on the problem they wanted to get rid of to many more people with no consideration for anyone but what was easiest/best for the ship.

 

Sorry for anyone who objects to my thinking on the subject....but, that is how I feel.

 

If a guest is cooperative, they should be allowed to remain aboard. If they require someone watch the door, then put a camera on it and whoever is watching all the other security camera images can watch that one as well.

 

 

 

 

 

[ekerr19]

I'd just like to add this from our recent trip on the Noordam -

 

DH & I always used the hand sanitizers when the were present especially in the Lido. One day there were a few people standing in front of one of them, while waiting our turn one of the men in front of us turned to my husband and asked, "Do you know why this is here?" and my husband replied, "Yes, you put your hand under it and rub it on your hands to help sanitize them before touching things in the buffet line" (my DH was demonstrating as he spoke) and the woman turns to her husband and says, "What a waste of time - I'm Mrs. Clean - I'm not doing this", her husband rolled his eyes as he sanitized his hands and told my DH thanks. I tried to explain to the woman about the spread of germs, but she was not to be persuaded. :) We also overheard another comment from a woman about how it dries her skin so she won't use it anymore... We come from a pretty dry climate, so I guess it doesn't bother as much as it does other folks.

 

I think it helps, it's just my opinion mind you - but even when you have a cold, it certainly can't hurt. I am almost inclined to avoid the Lido areas (salad bar) where self service is still available. I love my salads, but when I see people using their hands to touch the food, I want to scream - and they all think they're "Mrs. Clean"!

[HeatherInFlorida]

I have terribly dry skin having suffered with terrible eczema as a child. I am neither allergic to the hand sanitizer nor do I find it drying at all. As a matter of fact, I find it quite pleasant.

 

Jules is right that Airbourne has been found to be useless in preventing or shortening the duration of a cold and the manufacturer has been required to take such labelling off their package. It is a vitamin supplement which may or may not build up the immune system (over time) to prevent colds.

 

I'm pretty sure (now that I think about it) that on my last cruise I was asked if I had been "ill" in the past 2 weeks, not whether I had had a "cold".

 

Lastly, I want to welcome another "Heather" (mhrutherford) to the HAL board and just let everyone know I'm not posting under 2 different names:) .

[babytraveler]

If you are so sick with a stomach virus that it is noticeable to the crew, then how are you going to ride in a taxi and check into a hotel? You'd be throwing up, or maybe affected at both ends as you travel. When I've been sick enough for anyone to notice, I've been unable to leave the bathroom.

 

If you are well enough to leave the bathroom, then you are probably on the mend and only contagious enough with super direct contact.

 

At my daughter's preschool, the rule is return to school 24 hours after symptoms subside. It sounds as if HAL would still be putting you off at that point.

 

What really worries me is smokers. I have bad lungs, and easily go into asthma. Asthma turns into loss of voice or hoarseness and cough (hope I'm not put ashore for this--not contagious). And then bronchitis or pneumonia. I'm far more afraid of smokers than contagious germs. One can get lucky and dodge the germs. The smoke could do me in if it is somewhere I can't avoid (such as in a nearby cabin, wafting).

[ekerr19]

The smoke could do me in if it is somewhere I can't avoid (such as in a nearby cabin, wafting).

 

Then you may not want to book a verandah cabin - many people smoke on their verandahs... you won't notice the smell in the room though - at least I never have.

 

The only noticible place for me seems to be the casino - it can get pretty bad in there.

[Juanita462]

On one cruise I lost 4 days due a woman who came onboard ill with the flu and didn't have the sense to stay in her room until she was better. She sat beside me at dinner the first night and passed the virus on to me. What a miserable time I had - 4 days in bed and another week of not feeling that great. Our doctor told us that you are not contagious if you wait until 24 hours after the fever goes down so we have always followed that advice. This was the year that they had the SARS problem in the area where she came from.

 

I am not so sure that the norovirus is brought on board by passengers - on one cruise we had been at sea for 3 days before it showed up. My BIL was a captain for many years and he is convinced that the problem is in the air conditioning system - he says that it is very expensive to thoroughly clean the system and it often isn't done. I believe that Legionaires disease was caused by something distributed by the air conditoning.

 

Thanks for the tip about the menus - I will be carrying my purell in to the dining room with me. My husband and I saw many food handlers use the washroom, touch the door handle on leaving and not use the hand sanitizer before going back to work. We reported this to HAL and they actually phoned us about it. On the last cruise a man at our table was charged $275 when the doctor listened to his chest and gave him a scrip for antibiotics. Also at four of our ports the gangplanks were very dangerous and he slipped on one and twisted his knee - they charged him $450 to rent a wheelchair for one week. Now he will likely need surgery on his knee. Seems to me that HAL should be responsible for his expenses.

 

Be sure to include gastrolytes in your kit for illness - with norovirus you deplete your electrolytes and need to replace them.

[babytraveler]

Never mind cold germs: I read somewhere about legionnaires disease through ventilation system and whirlpools/hot tubs on cruise ships. Is just an urban legend, or a genuine concern?

[sail7seas]

Years ago, Legionnaires Disease was spread in a hot tub on Celebrity's Zenith or Horizon. (They're sister ships and I don't recall which it was.)

 

I NEVER get in a cruiseship hot tub. I try hard to not sit near one for very long. I would never use a chaise which was located near the tub.