Hand Sanitizers Gone?

[jaxon41]

You can try e-mailing community@cruisecritic.com and ask about it there. I hope the folks who liked to chime in just to harass you for having an interest in the subject didn't manage to get the thread deleted. It's a legitimate topic that some are interested in.

 

Thanks -- I will. Frankly, if harassers can get a thread pulled with nearly 4000 posts and something like 85,000 views, I am not sure I care to post here, anymore. I know there was harassing going on, today, because before the vbulletin started popping up (orginally when I tried to post, and then when I linked the message alert) I read it. I subscribed to this thread in case you posted, but never got the email.

[Quampapetet]

Off subject -- Making Gold, what has happened to the mega thread?

 

I'm not Making Gold nor do I know what happened to the thread in question, but it could be it was taken off because it was messing up the board. VBulletin doesn't handle mega threads well, causing boards to become very sluggish and have problems. Dismantling mega threads clears up these problems.

[MakinGold]

Maybe . . . But there are bigger threads around, like, "All things Explorer . . . " or "Current Captains."

[kehlx2]

We were on the Legend in December and there were no santizers available around any dining area entrance. It is correct that hand sanitizers are not meant to replace good handwashing but I feel because of the large number of passengers who handle the utensils sanitizers could cut down on passing on infections.

That said I noted a middleaged lady " test" the sauce by tasting twice with a spoon :eek: double dipping so to speak. I did inform the service personel but they did not remove the tub of sauce. We did not eat anything in the Windjammer after that and I did comment on it on the comment card.

 

Oh goodness that is WRONG...why I wonder doesn't she just use a spoon to put a bit on her plate & then taste what is on her plate?. (not from the spoon tho) :eek:

Having not been on RCCL yet--I was hoping they would have them--although I still take a small bottle along with a larger one to "refill". I love the bathrooms (not on ships) where there are no doors--longer walkway to get inside..only door is the stall--you wash your hands & can walk out & not touch anything..

[wahokie]

Having had the Noro once I am well and truly paranoid. I now carry the individually wrapped GermX packets and use one to clean my hands before eating and after touching the menus. Yes I do wash with soap and water before eating and take a few tissues with me so as not to touch doors. Excessive yes--but I have been on 3 cruises since and not had any problems. One note of interest I just returned from a 10 day on the Emerald Princess and they had small metal containers attached to the wall right behind the restroom doors in the public areas so that you could use the towel to open the door and then dispose of it. I enjoyed the Emerald but will return to RCI from now on.

[Cruising89143]

We were on the Legend in December and there were no santizers available around any dining area entrance. It is correct that hand sanitizers are not meant to replace good handwashing but I feel because of the large number of passengers who handle the utensils sanitizers could cut down on passing on infections.

That said I noted a middleaged lady " test" the sauce by tasting twice with a spoon :eek: double dipping so to speak. I did inform the service personel but they did not remove the tub of sauce. We did not eat anything in the Windjammer after that and I did comment on it on the comment card.

 

A good reason for the cruise lines to start serving all passengers in the buffets. It would cut down on the number of guests handling the utensils, cut out the stuff described above and also the amount of waste.:)

[aqhacruiser]

NBC did a report about a year ago on bacteria found in grocery stores. They tested shopping cart handles and surprisingly they were pretty low in bacteria count, then they came to the meat and dairy cases and it was a very high count from spills but then they tested the conveyor belts at the check out counters and it went off the charts. Seems with all the meat and dairy and other foods leaking or spilling onto the conveyor belt causes some of the most dangerous bacteria to be found including e coli as that belt just keeps going around wheels that are rarely cleaned as the entire thing would have to be taken apart to clean it and the stores do not bother doing it. So even though we see them spray the belts once in awhile with cleansers, as soon as the belt goes thru the wheels it is contaminated again and this is where we put our food and our hands everytime we go into a grocery store. So you could pour a bottle of Purell on one of those and it would be useless! There are germs everywhere we go and all we can do is wash our hands and hope for the best as we have no idea what is around us and on the surfaces we touch. Anytime you are with a large group of people in a store, a school, a church, hotels, a ship, etc. you are exposed to viruses and bacteria.

[Coralc]

Thanks -- I will. Frankly, if harassers can get a thread pulled with nearly 4000 posts and something like 85,000 views, I am not sure I care to post here, anymore. I know there was harassing going on, today, because before the vbulletin started popping up (orginally when I tried to post, and then when I linked the message alert) I read it. I subscribed to this thread in case you posted, but never got the email.

 

I did read the mega thread until close to the end, and some posters were antagonising other posters and they were falling for it and responding. I missed the finale, but it was expected if the thread went too far off topic and became argumentative. Of course that is what some were trying to do.

 

I think the post above above about plain water cleaning better than anti-bacterial soap is silly. Did they just rub on anti-bacterial soap? Soap and water cleans better than plain water. :D

[MrPete]

What ever happened to that marvelous invention called the immune system? :eek:

[hoop4321]

I admit, it is nasty when you see people walk out of the restroom w/o washing. I saw a fast food employee once (with gloves on) go into a restroom with a cloth. I assumed she was cleaning. She then came out and wiped off tables. Then, I saw a customer come up she took his order and went to the fry machine and got his fries. He probably thought "how nice, she's wearing gloves."

 

I did tell the manager about it.... not sure if she cared or not.

 

Among the nastiest was when I saw a elderly man in the restroom. He blew his nose on his hanky and then proceeded to use the bathroom. He did wash his hands. However, it had one of those air dryers. He loudly said, "I hate those d*#m things!" He pulled out his hanky and wiped his hands and then used the hanky to open the door so his "clean" hands did not have to touch the door. I chased him down to let him know how gross he was.

 

There needs to be some incentives for people to wash their hands. Something like, No beer until you wash your hands for 30 seconds with hot soapy water.

 

You chased him down?? LOL I bet that went over well!

[Cavatelli430]

I had wondered about the hand sanitizer wipes before we went, if they were still being used on the ship. Liberty used them everywhere, Windjammer, Dining Room, Sorrento's, Cafe Promenade, even when we returned from ship from port destinations. Also in the restrooms there are numerous reminders on the mirrors in front of sinks and on the door reminding people to wash their hands. Funny thing was, I had brought some Purell wipes of my own in case we needed them on or off ship and ended up not using them because RCCL provided them all! ;)

[flyerbrp]

wipes given out and used at ports to get back on ship - adventure Feb 17 sailing

[luvscruising2007]

I know previously on this thread there were questions about the effectiveness of hand sanitizers.

I'm curious about the studies that were quoted concerning this. Did they take in to account that some people use paper towels, some use blow dryers and some use nothing to dry their hands. I wonder if this has an affect on the germs left on your hands. Does anybody know?

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

There were wipes at the doors of the Windjammer on Majesty of the Seas on the 3-night Feb 22 voyage.

[Coralc]

I know previously on this thread there were questions about the effectiveness of hand sanitizers.

I'm curious about the studies that were quoted concerning this. Did they take in to account that some people use paper towels, some use blow dryers and some use nothing to dry their hands. I wonder if this has an affect on the germs left on your hands. Does anybody know?

 

Without going out and looking for studies, from what I have read, a lot of the cleaning has to do with the friction and length of handwashing. And DON'T FORGET YOUR THUMBS. I was surprised when I actually slowed down and examined my own handwashing technique, it is easy to miss your thumbs.:D

 

Soap, cleaning agent, friction, length of time all contribute to clean hands. I don't know that the drying method contributes much more to that. :)

[buckanear]

I don't know about drying, but if you use your hands to turn the water off, you just touched the exact same germs you had on your hands before you washed them.

 

I have a touch of OCD, can you tell? :D

 

The bathrooms at the pier in Galveston are the best. You don't touch anything other than a paper towel once you've washed your hands

[MsRed318]

Just my opinion. I work in a hospital and we have alcohol based hand sanitizer everywhere. I have one with me at all times in the event that I cannot immediately wash my hands with soap and water. Some hand sanitizers are good and some are bad, it all depends on their ingredients. Perhaps the cruise lines are switching to the wipes because this way people will most likely rub the entire surface of their hands in an attempt to get clean, instead of using a minuscule squirt of the gel that most people don't even use properly. Personally, I've become a germaphobe in general, so when I'm on a ship I sanitize or wash my hands prior to going to the buffet/dinner and then wash my hands again before I eat and use a paper napkin to open the door when I leave the bathroom. I also never touch the elevator button (I use my casino lanyard or room key). Unfortunately, many people do not practice proper hand washing and that's why people get sick (one of the reasons anyway).

[Desertbelle]

I think people need to be more concerned about their waiters, chefs, cooks, plate preparers, etc. washing their hands well than the people eating at the next table. :rolleyes:

[WhiteSoxFan]

Maybe someone more knowledgeable than I can answer this question.

 

Is the expanding use of anti-bacterial and similar product going to do more harm than good in the long run? Simple organisms have a much faster rate of evolution than complex ones. Don't the "germs" evolve to become more resistant? Doesn't the lack of contact with the "germs" lower our immunity towards them?

[buckanear]

Maybe someone more knowledgeable than I can answer this question.

 

Is the expanding use of anti-bacterial and similar product going to do more harm than good in the long run? Simple organisms have a much faster rate of evolution than complex ones. Don't the "germs" evolve to become more resistant? Doesn't the lack of contact with the "germs" lower our immunity towards them?

 

Triclosan has been looked at for a while for being a factor in resistance.

 

Here's what the CDC said about hand sanitizers,

"An alternative to detergent-based antiseptic products is the use of alcohol hand rinses, which have recently become widely available over the counter. Their advantages include rapid and broad-spectrum activity, excellent microbicidal characteristics, and lack of potential for emergence of resistance."

 

For resistance to happen, the bacteria have to have a long period of contact with the chemical (which is why triclosan and other microbial agents are dangerous in the ecosystem) and alcohol dissipates very quickly.

 

As someone who touches documents from all over the world both at the pier and my everyday job, I get sick all the time. I either have no immune system whatsoever, or I've just come down with every bug known to man kind (and maybe some unknown ones as well). ;) Maybe one day I'll be the one that doesn't get sick by a superbug because I've been inocculated against all the little ones that led up to it

[jlp20]

I just read a review of a members February cruise on Explorer and they stated that all the hand sanitizers entering the WJ and dining hall were gone.....Does anyone know if they have since placed the hand sanitizer stations back on board?

 

Thanx,

Erika

 

I live over on the Princess boards and was tipped off to this thread. For years I have been posting that the hand sanitizers were just a show from the cruise lines.

 

The goop they forced you to use is at best 70% alcohol in gel form. Alcohol WILL kill the Noro virus, if you let it SOAK FOR OVER 20 SECONDS. When you use this type of product, you kill most of the bacteria, but just move the virus from one place on your hand to the other. If you want be sure to get rid of bacteria, virus and dirt, WASH YOUR HANDS. It does not kill anything; it flushes anything off your hands and down the drain.

[MakinGold]

I think people need to be more concerned about their waiters, chefs, cooks, plate preparers, etc. washing their hands well than the people eating at the next table. :rolleyes:

 

Typically, though, if you look at the cruise ship outbreak reports (available through the CDC website), the rate of illness among crew members is much lower than that of passengers. That suggests to me that the crew members probably have much better hygiene practices on average than the passengers, which is comforting. (I'm sure others could find a different way to interpret that data, though.)