More Cruise Lines with Virus Problems

[Andym]

This on the BBC

 

Two hundred passengers aboard a luxury cruise ship have been struck down with a vomiting virus, forcing their £1,000 seven-day cruise to end a day early.

The Sea Princess will return to Southampton on Friday and miss out the intended destination of Lisbon, to allow extra time to disinfect the ship.

A 30% refund has been offered to the 2,258 passengers and Princess Cruises says only 15 people are still sick.

One passenger aboard told the BBC News website it had ruined her holiday.

Wendy, 58, from the Midlands, said she had spent five years trying to convince her mother to come on a cruise and now her two parents in their 80s had been very sick for two days.

"Most people on board are fed up and it's put an end to the holiday, although things are carrying on," she said.

The boat departed from Southampton for a seven-night cruise to Guernsey, France, Portugal and Spain.

The virus is suspected to be the Norovirus, which is a common cause of stomach bugs and lasts 48 hours.

Princess Cruises said there had been a smaller outbreak on the last two days of the boat's previous cruise but it does not believe the two outbreaks are linked.

Passengers were informed of the first outbreak when they got to their cabins on Saturday, when a precautionary health notice through their door advised of widespread "Norovirus activity".

But Wendy is outraged passengers were not told before boarding, and given the chance to change plans

"We just don't think Princess Cruises dealt us a fair hand.

"They are decontaminating cabins now but they should have done this before we got on when the ship was empty."

Sick passengers must stay in their rooms for the two-day period of illness, and extra medical staff were joining the ship on Wednesday.

As well as the 30% refund, passengers have been offered a £150 discount on future voyages.

Another passenger, Mr P Wilson, told the BBC News website: "The reaction is that passengers are up in arms at the offer and that Princess are totally responsible for the sanitation of the ship."

At the weekend, 500 passengers had their cruise on board the Van Gogh liner cancelled after more than 100 on a previous cruise fell ill with a stomach virus.

[98Charlie]

IMHO it does seem that Norvo-type viruses are affecting cruise pax longer into the late spring this year than in previous years. However, I'm seeing the same trend in schools and nursing homes here in the states this year as well as inside my own circle of friends who do not travel cruise lines, don't fly, hve not contact with kids in schools and aren't confined to nursing homes.

 

Don't really understand why anyone could blame a cruiseline for this style of virus, even if the virus had affected pax on a previous cruise. People traveling to the ship fly on airplanes where the seats, hand rails and flip-down desks have not been sanitized between each flight.

 

A good portion of pax arriving at cruise ships have stayed at least one night in a hotel or motel where Noro sanitization isn't as much a precautionary area as today's cruise lines.

 

Yet an outbreak occurs on a cruise line where mutliple pax have flown in on multiple airline carriers and have stayed at multiple hotels -- and all of a sudden it's the cruise line's fault that people get sick, no mention is ever made of sanitation on airplanes or hand rails on subways, buses, public trains or the restaurants located in airports or the restrooms located in those areas.

 

Next time you take a shopping trip in your own hometown, think about the times you touch a handrail on a bus or tram or a flusher on a public toilet. Next time you fly to a cruise, think about that seat rail you're touching or that pull down tray you handle to enjoy your all-too small beverage or bag of peanuts or pretzels.

 

I do.

 

Dianne

[Desertbelle]

I read that the dirtiest thing in a public restroom is the door knob or push plate on the door leaving. So even if you wash your hands, as you should, if you then use the door knob or push the door open with you hand, you have just contaminated yourself.

 

What I do is wash my hands, then only touch the doorknob with the paper towel I used to dry my hands or push open the door with my shoulder, back or arm. Some people would say, what do you do with the paper towel once you have used it to open the door? I open the door, then hold the door open with my foot and throw the towel away. Works perfect.

[cookie1961]

Desertbelle,

 

I do the same thing as you but sometimes it looks like I am an acrobat LOL

[Desertbelle]

Desertbelle,

 

I do the same thing as you but sometimes it looks like I am an acrobat LOL

 

:D :D

[mechcc]

What I do is wash my hands, then only touch the doorknob with the paper towel I used to dry my hands or push open the door with my shoulder, back or arm. Some people would say, what do you do with the paper towel once you have used it to open the door? I open the door, then hold the door open with my foot and throw the towel away. Works perfect.

 

I try to do the samething and really hate it when there is no trash can convientent to toss the paper towel into or even worse - those public restrooms that don't have towels but only those useless blowers and then you pull the door open to leave! UCK! Get out that gel disenfectant fast!