Code Red on Noordam -

[Copper10-8]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=navy]Jrzebird; keep enjoying the remainder of your Noordam cruise! All the best to you![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[jrzebird]

[quote name='Copper10-8'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=navy]Jrzebird; keep enjoying the remainder of your Noordam cruise! All the best to you![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]


Thanks, John! I sure will continue to enjoy it. It's fantastic! :D

[mochuck]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000080][QUOTE]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000080]Real towels removed from the public restrooms and replaced with paper towels[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[/QUOTE]

I can't believe they actually use real towels in the public restrooms!! Thats an obvious source of contamination. Especially from those "hand washers" who seem to think that soap is optional.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[waiting2retire]

Mochuck,

It's not as bad as it sounds... There are shelves with stacks of small handtowels beside the sink, and once you dry your hands, you drop it in the hole in the countertop, where they are collected by a crew member and taken to the laundry. So they are "one use only" towels and a wonderful luxury in my opinion.

I guess the reason they are not in use during Code Red is the possibility of touching another towel as you pick up your own, as opposed to paper towels which are dispensed one at a time.

Bonnie

[mochuck]

Thanks for the clarification. Do they normally restock regularly? I've been to restrooms like that and they run out of towels and people pull the used ones out and re-use them.

[Copper10-8]

[quote name='mochuck']Thanks for the clarification. Do they normally restock regularly? I've been to restrooms like that and they run out of towels and people pull the used ones out and re-use them.[/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=navy]Yep, they are regularly restocked. That is frequently the responsibility of HAL's [U]female[/U] Indonesian staff of which there are not too many yet since employing Indonesian ladies on board is still a fairly new thing. Plus in order to get those used towels out, you pretty much have to stick you entire arm up to your shoulder into the hole and go fishing. Not that I've tried that!;) [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[mochuck]

LOL:D :D

The ones I've been to, they were just put into a basket.

[FlorenceItaly]

[quote name='jrzebird']Now that you mention it, I don't recall seeing a salad bar lately. But then again, I wasn't looking. But, if there is one, yes one or 2 servers put what you choose on a plate and hand it to you.

[/QUOTE]


Thanks for posting. If you have the opportunity could you please check out the salad bar situation? I am cruising on the Oosterdam 2/9 and planning on having this most days for lunch. I will be disappointed if we are in Code Red and this is not an option. I will deal with it, of course, but just wondering specifically how the salad bar is handled IF code red should occur. THANK YOU.


Marie

[sail7seas]

[B]When we had a Code Red on Veendam, I was able to have my salad bar daily. I will say it was much less enjoyable for me having to have the steward make it rather than making it myself but you get used to it. For dedicated salad bar people, we know just how we want our salad 'built' and how many/how few things we want on it. I use very little dressing so layer it lightly rather than glob a pile of it on at the end. If I sprinkle a very little dressing halfway through 'building' my salad, I use far less dressing. It's rather awkward to expect a steward to do that for me so I had to compromise. Big deal. It didn't wreck my cruise but my salad was less than how I love it.

I simply told him how much of each thing I wanted. He began by making the salad HE wanted and after I let him go for a short bit, I asked if it were possible I could have the salad I wanted??? :eek: He quickly understood not everyone wanted him to go down the line and put something of everything n the plate. I think it was his first time with this assignment and I was his first 'taker'.

I don't eat iceberg lettuce and directed him to the mixed spring greens. If he put too much, I told him so. I adore fresh sliced mushrooms and when he put too few, I asked for more. And so it went. By day two or three, he knew somewhat I how I wanted my salad. :) (I'm sure he hated doing this MORE than my not liking it and I tried to keep that in mind.)

Sure, it was slower but where was I going? What was the rush?
For anyone to say a Code Red hardly impacts your cruise, I have to disagree. It does impact but for the most part, for most people, it is easy to roll with it.

Big deal, through it all, through all my hand washing, not touching hand rails, no elevator buttons, no hand shaking, purell every five minutes, I got Noro anyway. :( And, you know what??? I survived it just fine and I have other underlying health issues that might have made it somewhat more dangerous for me.
Worry more about getting the flu. People die from that each year. It would be an extremely rare case of Noro that would be so devastating.


[/B]

[FlorenceItaly]

Thanks, Sail. I appreciate you sharing your experience with the salad bar during Code Red. I am thrilled that it will still be available. I am really hoping not to gain weight this cruise and the salad bar will be a big help, in that regard.


Marie

[Oceanwench]

I sailed on the Westerdam under Code Red.
There were some inconveniences -- for those who like shopping, you were not allowed to touch the jewelry. The sales staff would take out items and show them to you, but you could not handle them. It didn't matter to me, but I am not one to buy a lot of jewelry on the ship.

For me, it cast a little bit of a shadow on the cruise in that I and my family felt we might fall victim to the virus, despite our best efforts to wash our hands and limit touching things [hand rails, elevator buttons] as best we could.
Fortunately Code Red was lifted before the week was out, and we were able to worry a lot less!

But I applaud HAL's efforts at containing the outbreak -- they did an excellent job. We may not always understand their methods, why they choose to do certain things under Code Red, but for our sailing, those methods worked.

[mamaofami]

Sail, thanks for your description of how they handled the salad bar. Sounds like they did the best they could. At least they still had it since that is my mainstay for lunch.

[jrzebird]

[quote name='mamaofami']Sail, thanks for your description of how they handled the salad bar. Sounds like they did the best they could. At least they still had it since that is my mainstay for lunch.[/quote]


I checked out the salad bar today, and it is open and fully stocked. One of the entertainers and the Port person, Maureen, were manning it.

Also, as for the bar service, the attendant carries samples like a can of soda and a can of beer, but just takes your order and brings it one at a time. There is no bar cart.

[FlorenceItaly]

[quote name='jrzebird']I checked out the salad bar today, and it is open and fully stocked. One of the entertainers and the Port person, Maureen, were manning it.

Also, as for the bar service, the attendant carries samples like a can of soda and a can of beer, but just takes your order and brings it one at a time. There is no bar cart.[/QUOTE]


THANKS MUCH :).



Marie

[moegab2]

[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Hi [/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS]I just got off the phone with Holland America since I have a small group booked on the Noordam Jan. 16th. The NYC embarkation will now start at 4:00 pm to allow time for a special cleaning and sanitizing. They are giving a shipboard credit of $15 pp to cover lunch expenses and are running complementary shuttles to Mid=town Manhattan. Although I don't know where you can get lunch in NYC for $15, I still think is is a nice gesture of good will.[/FONT][/B]

[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS]This will be my first Holland America Cruise and I am sooooo looking forward to it I don't care if I have to wear a spacesuit to avoid germs:D [/FONT][/B]

[bUU]

$15 should cover lunch at McDonald's.

(Well, it [I]will[/I].) :-|

[Rhea58]

To Bicker & others:

While your comment is generally true, since you will be in the west
50's, there is a plethora of restaurants in the Theatre district.

TO wit: [URL="http://www.robertopasson.com"]www.robertopasson.com[/URL]

Prix Fixed Lunch Menu [B]$13[/B] Monday to Friday from 12:00pm to 3:30pm

that restaurant is part of [URL="http://www.NYCRG.com"]www.NYCRG.com[/URL] . I can reco
Scarlatto, Cara Mia, Maria Pia among them.

Your ONLY problem is that it is matinee day so strongly suggest
you make reservations at [URL="http://www.opentable.com"]www.opentable.com[/URL] where you may also
view menus.

Otherwise stroll on 9th avenue from 42 Street North until something
speaks to you.

[mamaofami]

I agree. It's matinee day, so make a reservation. If you want something a little more elegant, try le Rivage. They have a four course prix fixed lunch for $20. Really good French food. It's at 46th between eigth and ninth ave. Phone number:212-765-7374. ANother old standby is Joe Allen, on the same street.(That street is called restaurant row and you can't get a bad meal there.212-581-6464 for Joe Allen. They have omlettes, hamburgers, salads, etc. Reasonable. $30 towards a great $50 meal isn't bad at all. For anyone interested, you can go on line and get the menus.

[moegab2]

[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Thanks for the suggestions, much appreciated, but since it's a group of 21 with most of them being seniors, and a few with difficulty walking I'd rather keep everyone together. We have chartered a bus to take us to the pier so we can stop along the way. [/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS]I'm guessing that since the embarkation is at 4:00 PM we problably won sail till about 7 or 8pm. Does that sound about right.[/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS]I'm glad I checked this board, that's how I found about the virus because I did not get any e-mail from Holland America.[/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Anyone have any don't miss suggestions since this my first time to these Islands and on Holland America.[/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Thanks[/FONT][/B]

[mamaofami]

That's correct. But they will still have to do the mustar drill, so don't wait till 7:30 to board.

[warren peas]

[B][URL]http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article3176710.ece[/URL]
[/B]



[B]Norovirus reaches epidemic levels[/B]


Brendan Montague, The Sunday Times

The winter vomiting bug norovirus has struck 2.8million people, with health professionals braced for another rise as people return to schools and offices.
The virus - which causes projectile vomiting, diarrhoea, mild fevers and headaches - is striking down more than 200,000 a week, according to official estimates.
Three hospitals have been placed on red alert, while hundreds of wards up and down the country have been closed to new patients as the number of beds being taken up by bug victims reaches critical levels.
Schools have even begun sending warning letters to parents explaining the symptoms while employers are calling on staff to stay away from work 48 hours after they have recovered to stem the spread of the virus.
function pictureGalleryPopup(pubUrl,articleId) { var newWin = window.open(pubUrl+'template/2.0-0/element/pictureGalleryPopup.jsp?id='+articleId+'&&offset=0&§ionName=UKHealth','mywindow','menubar=0,resizable=0,width=615,height=655'); } [B]Related Links[/B]

[LIST]
[*][URL="http://boards.cruisecritic.com/tol/news/uk/health/article3134280.ece"]100 hospital wards close to contain norovirus [/URL][/LIST][LIST]
[*][URL="http://boards.cruisecritic.com/tol/life_and_style/health/article3134286.ece"]Should I be worried about norovirus? [/URL][/LIST]

The rate of new cases being confirmed has reached the levels of reports during the massive outbreak five years ago, when officials announced an epidemic.
Norovirus can prove deadly for vulnerable people, such as children and the elderly. The impact of the bug has been exacerbated by a new outbreak of flu with those most at risk now being given antiviral drugs by their doctors.
NHS Direct, which patients can telephone for health advice, has been inundated with people calling with symptoms of the norovirus.
Helen Young, the clinical director, said: “We are seeing an increasing number of calls about diarrhoea and vomiting. Norovirus is a major issue for the whole NHS right now and we urge anyone who has symptoms to engage in good hygiene to prevent it spreading further and to drink plenty of fluids.”
The number of reports of norovirus is expected to rise over the next six weeks, as children return to school and employees head back to work after the Christmas break.
A spokesman for the Health Protection Agency said it was too early to say if the disease had reached its peak. A statement said: “This season we have seen an increase in reports of norovirus cases, almost double the number reported for the same period last year.
“The self-limiting infection usually only lasts a few days, hence the majority of cases are not reported to the clinician.”
The Health Protection Agency has confirmed that 1,922 laboratory samples tested positive for norovirus.
The agency expects 1,500 cases in the community for every one found in its labs, bringing the total number to 2.8million infected people – or a million new cases each month.
Lincolnshire health officials have placed three hospitals on red alert following a 20 per cent rise in infections over expected levels.
George Briggs, the general manager for emergency care at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We have had a 20 per cent increase in the number of people being referred to us by GPs with illnesses.
“We have had some with cold and flu and we have had some with the norovirus. We expect an increase in the winter, we always do, hence we put some beds to one side. We didn't expect a 20 per cent increase.”
Boots, the High Street chemist, has also reported a 50 per cent rise in the sale of anti-diarrhoea treatments compared to last year.
The Norovirus started to appear a month earlier than expected this year and has already exceeded the levels of the record 2002 to 2003 outbreak, when 935 cases were confirmed by tests.
Over the last four years, Britain has seen the bug arrive and spread quickly in late November to December and then peak in January before falling to insignificant levels by the spring.
However, the number of reports would have to increase dramatically or continue into the summer for an epidemic to be declared.

[RevNeal]

Ugh! Noro is not fun! I feel sorry for everyone who is struggling with it.

[cruz4evr]

I just tried to contact Holland America to find out about the delayed departure on 1/16/08. The agent proceeded to investigate and stated that the site was in the process of giving out the latest information but it wasn't available yet. She suggested I call tomorrow for the latest status of the Noordam's departure. As soon as I find out, I will post it here. In the meantime, if anyone would like to contact them directly, you will need a voyage number in order for the agent to access the information quickly.
The number is N811. If you need Holland America's number it is 1-800-426-0327.

[scottie99]

I just called HAl's UK office about the situation on Noordam and ask about the reported refunds being offered for Wed's sailing I was staggered to hear they knew nothing about norovirus on the Noordam and could give no information.
Is this an typical example of HAL's customer service?

[calm_seas]

[quote name='scottie99']I just called HAl's UK office about the situation on Noordam and ask about the reported refunds being offered for Wed's sailing I was staggered to hear they knew nothing about norovirus on the Noordam and could give no information.
Is this an typical example of HAL's customer service?[/QUOTE]

This may be because the numbers are too low for [U]mandatory[/U] action. It is still the Captain's call, and he is preferring to be [U]pro[/U]active rather than [U]re[/U]active.