Mercury passengers ill

[joeyanddavid]

did you sleep at the San Diego Sheraton.

Marcy

 

 

WOW sounds like they are about ready to name the sheraton as the breeder... I bet the folks at that hotel are jumping for joy at this news.....WOW

 

That is huge information thanks

[cruznduo]

C 2 C...I would also like your information! Thanks, Linda

[Salty Dawg]

... the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program people seem to be doing great. I am impressed with their openness about this on the phone. I am really impressed that they are sending staff to board the ship in Puerto Vallarta.

 

I am in total agreement with you about this... we really do not appreciate & give enough credit to the dedicated employees from the

CDC Vessel Sanitation Program for all their hard work. Let's extend a big 'THANK YOU' for their efforts in keeping cruising safe for all of us!

[Fblack]

Too bad the Grand Buffet was cancelled. I saw it on the Mercury two years ago. It's something to see.

[JuneauWhatIMean]

Just an aside: I don't have an allergy to bleach but the fumes make me really ill. I get a really bad headache and feel queasy. This lasts for a couple of hours. May have to carry a surgical mask if this is going on in September.

 

I'm sorry for all the trouble you recent cruisers have had and I'm really glad you're home safe and sound.

[Rumbear]

the Old Spaghetti Factory closed:(

 

 

 

 

hello,

 

I received an e-mail from my TA who sent a me an e-mail of a fax that he received this morning from Celebrity (Pacific Standard Time).Celebrity is taking every precaution as well as proactive steps to make sure that the norovirus is contained.The Celebrity fax notice from Celebrity says that there MAY be a delay in sailing but the the notice does not give any more information.

 

Please note that for those of you who are not familiar with the cruise terminal area, in San Diego, there is a ton of things to do if we can't get on the ship at the usual times. Within a very short walk of the terminal there are restaurants, the USS Midway (this is in the DO NOT MISS category because of the historical interest and because it is really interesting) and a little farther away is the Horton Plaza which is downtown San Diego's main shopping mall and complex. I believe that there is inexpensive public transportation from near the cruise terminal to the Horton Plaza. The San Diego Zoo, Little Italy, Old Town and the Gaslamp area of downtown San Diego are other possibilities. Let's make the best of it and we'll all have a great time. For those of you with children there is an Old Spaghetti Factory in the Gas Lamp area.

 

Fred

[C 2 C]

Holland America Health Notice

Veendam January 15, 2005

 

"The folllowing efforts are made in order to promote the reduction of reported cases...

• Hand Sanitizers... please use...whenever you have the opportunity.
  
• JACUZZIS.. will be closed
  
• DRY SNACKS in bars... will not be available for general consumption
  
• MAGAZINES & Paperbacks will be out of circulation
  
• HAND TOWELS will be replaced by paper towels.
  
• BAR LISTS-for now will be kept off the tables.
  
• Restroom Signage have been posted to remind you to wash your hands
  
• CONDIMENTS-salt & peppershakers, milk & sugar, bread & butter will be offered by dining room stewards as individual servings on request
  
• PLASTIC GLOVES will be found available for use in the casino
  
• HANDSHAKING will be suspended at each HAL hosted party and we urge all guests to follow this sanitary practice as well.
  
• LIDO food lines will be non-self-service in order to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
  
• SUPER SANITIZE we are continuing the rigorous cleaning regimen.
  
• FRUIT in your stateroom will not be available until further notice.
  
• BRIDGE Tournaments will be cancelled until further notice.
  
• DANCE HOSTS will not be availalble until further notice.

We at Holland America Line apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding of our efforts.

 

Sincere regards

Captain Albert Jan Schoonderbeek

 

Some of the above have been condensed for clarity. On a couple of occasions we were offered a free drink and a glass of wine at dinner for the inconvenience. But above all the captain talked to us every day to explain the progress of (or lack of it) the situation. The CDC also came on board and gave us an ooportunity to meet and ask questions.

[cruznduo]

C 2 C ~ Thanks for sharing your information. It sounds like they were very "up front" about what was going on. Hopefully, this will start happening on the Mercury as well! I appreciate reading all that everyone has been willing to post. Linda

[cgdev1]

ABC7 in losangeles reports the illness outbreaks still exsisits .. the had a report this morning that Numerous passengers report getting sick. Maybe they need to "tent " the ship or what ever they do to disinfect an entire ship.....this doesnt sound like they have got a handle on it

 

Hi Joey,

 

Was Channel 7's report regarding the Mercury, specifically? If so, was it for the passengers that just disembarked yesterday, or for the ones who just started their tour yesterday? I hope the new passengers are not getting sick already...

 

We are scheduled to go on the Mercury on April 7th... I am so disappointed that this had to happen... and obviously a little nervous.

 

Thanks,

Carol

[bububr]

If the passengers were getting sick already on the new sailing, it is not from the ship. There is a 2 - 4 day incubation period for this illness to take effect, and once ill, the symptoms last from 24 to 48 hours. It is not deadly unless you do not drink lots of fluids, you could dehydrate. This is rare.

 

Dave:eek:

[tangerinebunny]

According to the CDC: Symptoms of norovirus illness usually begin about 24 to 48 hours after ingestion of the virus, but they can appear as early as 12 hours after exposure.

 

We're all going to be such experts before this is all over!

[Joe Beach]

bububr/Dave

in an earlier post you said

THe best line of defense is to wash your hands and not touch your eyes or nose. It is NOT highly contagious by ingestion as the saliva and stomach acids kill the virus.

 

 

My understanding is that this virus can most definitely be passed through the mouth, and is not killed by saliva and stomach acid. CDC seems to substantiate this with the below quote from their website.

 

Can you give us the source to your statement so we can straighten this out?

 

From CDC:

How noroviruses are spread

 

People can become infected with the virus by:

* Eating food or drinking liquids infected with noroviruses

* Touching surfaces or objects infected with noroviruses and then touching own mouth, nose, or eyes

* Having person-to-person contact (with a norovirus-infected person) by

o being present while someone is vomiting

o sharing food or eating from the same utensils

o caring for a sick person

o shaking hands

*Not washing hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers and before eating or preparing food.

[bububr]

Your right, I guess we all will:)

 

Depends on which site you go to for info.

 

Heres a good link for some more common questions and info

 

http://www.iccl.org/policies/norovirus.cfm

 

Dave:eek:

 

BTW Norovirus is nothing more than what we used to call the "Stomach flu" the nor or Norwalk make it seem more exotic and scary:confused:

 

Dave:eek:

[joeyanddavid]

Hi Joey,

 

Was Channel 7's report regarding the Mercury, specifically?

 

Thanks,

Carol

David actually saw the report and told me about it .. he said that according to the report there were about 60 or so pax and crew that had some sort of virus. They were returning.

[Salty Dawg]

We're all going to be such experts before this is all over!

Remember the motto... it is better to be prepared!

[tangerinebunny]

Your right, I guess we all will:)

 

Depends on which site you go to for info.

 

Heres a good link for some more common questions and info

 

http://www.iccl.org/policies/norovirus.cfm

 

Dave:eek:

 

BTW Norovirus is nothing more than what we used to call the "Stomach flu" the nor or Norwalk make it seem more exotic and scary:confused:

 

Dave:eek:

 

If it's okay, I'll go on getting my medical information from the Center for Disease Control instead of the cruise industry site. A strange bias on my part, I know, but understandable. Afterall, I paid the tax money, might as well get my money's worth.

 

I've had the norovirus; it ain't the flu.

[Salty Dawg]

I've had the norovirus; it ain't the flu.

Oh so true!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bububr]

you have every right to choose what to believe. especially the CDC.

 

Of course there were WMD and abstinence is the only way to prevent disease and pregnancy. birth control only promotes problems.

 

I was on this cruise with a pediatric nurse. My cousin is a medical biologist at NYU. and my aunt is a phlebotomist. I will take their real life advice over paper statistics any day.

 

I'm not flaming you, only adressing the idea of true vs what we are told.

 

Dave:eek:

[moondoggie]

Re your question regarding being treated in the ship's dispensary or in my cabin, my DH half-carried me to the 'hospital' the morning after my initial night of ah...symptoms. We went nowhere and touched nothing in between--stayed locked in our cabin by our own choice.

 

The doc immediately put in an IV line, took a brief medical history, and waited for the IV to empty. Then he gave me the shot, handed over the pills, and we went back to our cabin. They were extremely professional and cool, but not overly apologetic, which is EXACTLY as they should have been.

 

I went back once or twice a day for the next few days, and was surprised that I did not receive a bill for services rendered.

 

I had no appetite (duh) for most of that time, so we ordered ginger ale and a plain potato from room service. After 24 hours of quarantine my DH returned to meals/cruise life while I continued with uh...symptoms. We did not hear of anyone else having major problems like I did, but maybe that's because I sure wasn't paying any attention!

 

All in all it was still a good cruise--any vacation with my DH is a good one when he isn't allowed to bring along his laptop or cell phone!!! And of course we immediately booked our Jan 2006 on Infinity, and have booked Zenith for Jan 2007.

[grayzur]

I thought the people on the ship did a good job in trying to keep passengers safe from the virus, but they began measures way too late. I think they started late because the virus was already on the ship and they did not want the trip cancelled or put off by a few days.

 

There were four hour waits in the medical facility, but the real problem was not those who went to the facility, but those who did not. They continued the cycle. I think that this could have been addressed had the ship honestly addressed the problem by telling everyone what was going on.....

 

My wife was fine on the ship but got sick the day we got home. She was down 3 days. Most people had this for 3 days.........

[Fblack]

Here is a new story in our local paper. To encourage ill passengers to stay in their cabin, the cruise line is considering offering a cruise credit on a future cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060329-9999-1m29cruise.html

[hardingk]

Interesting news. Hopefully this will lower the occurances and my cruise will be in good shape!

[moondoggie]

Yes, three days of heavy symptoms seems about what I had, then a few days to recover and get my strength back.

 

And trust me, this wasn't just a 'stomach flu'. Babe, you KNOW this is something different, far more intense than that...

 

I do agree that the ship should have taken the initiative to inform pax of the potential for easy transmittal and the need for increased precautions, and require people to stay quarantined in their cabins.

 

And this was 14 months ago!

[vince4]

I know our cruise will be great on April 17, but I wanted this thread to stay visible for a few days more.

Mercruiser's thread is looking like the ship is rebounding nicely.

[RockyTopMom]

We were on the 3/17 sailing, on deck 10 also. The first we learned about the problem was a rumor from the staff was it was the Norvirus on the previous cruise. Many people on our curise were also sick within the first two days. Many of the staff was confined to their cabins. Lines in the buffet were around the ship and back, service in the dining room was terrible as the serving staff had to cover twice as many tables!

 

The Manhattan Dining Room was closed for Breakfast and Lunch one entire day so that it could be cleaned top to bottom. We didn't get sick, but spent very little time in most of the public areas, as we had my 5 month old grandson onboard and were afraid he might get it.

 

We picked up 3 officials from the Center For Disease Control and a crew of at least 15 cleaning people with the CDC's, at PV. Prior to that port, the staff, including officers, entertainment crew, etc., were spraying bleach over walls, elevators, carpeting...everywhere they could reach, EVERY HALF HOUR. We received repeated notices not to lean against walls as we would ruin clothing, etc. The grand buffet was canceled and we were informed that we would dock back in San Diego at 0300 instead of 0700, to enable them to get all passengers off the ship prior to 0900. They were going to close the ship down for 4 hours and clean it to pto bottom.

 

I cruise Celebrity exclusively, and I have to say, this was the worst trip I have ever taken. The crew worked very hard, but we should have been told prior to boarding about the outbreak on the earlier cruise and given an option of boarding or not. The staff was overtired at that point and as a result the service we expect from Celebrity was somewhat lacking.