Novo outbreak on the Jewel?

[Slyfox16]

Does anyone know anything about recent outbreaks of the Novo virus on the Jewel?

[derf5585]

For the second cruise in a row the ship reported an outbreak of gatsrointestinal illness. Today the ship reported 11 of 1084 (1.0%) crew and 86 of 2132 (4.1%) passengers had reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on a 10 day cruise ending tomorrow.

FROM

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html

[newmexicoNita]

For the second cruise in a row the ship reported an outbreak of gatsrointestinal illness. Today the ship reported 11 of 1084 (1.0%) crew and 86 of 2132 (4.1%) passengers had reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on a 10 day cruise ending tomorrow.

FROM

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html

I am glad they are reporting this, 4.1% doesn't qualify as a true breakout I don't think. I thought it was 6% but either way, I hope the next sailing is better for all.

 

Nita

[iceburg1]

For the second cruise in a row the ship reported an outbreak of gatsrointestinal illness. Today the ship reported 11 of 1084 (1.0%) crew and 86 of 2132 (4.1%) passengers had reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on a 10 day cruise ending tomorrow.

FROM

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html

This quote is regarding the previous Jewel sailing from 10/8 to 10/18. Anyone know whether the current Jewel sailing from 10/18 to 10/28 has the same problem?

[retiredonthesea]

I am glad they are reporting this, 4.1% doesn't qualify as a true breakout I don't think. I thought it was 6% but either way, I hope the next sailing is better for all.

 

Nita

 

I do too as I will be on it!! Was told today by email that the Jewel will undergo a complete sanitation on Tuesday before she takes off for the Repo cruise at 4:00PM. GERM free:confused: We can only hope, when you get over 3000 people someones bound to bring a little bug with them without even knowing it.

[smeyer418]

here is the CDC report

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2008/oct16njewel.htm

[CC Help Michell]

This quote is regarding the previous Jewel sailing from 10/8 to 10/18. Anyone know whether the current Jewel sailing from 10/18 to 10/28 has the same problem?

 

Well, I don't know, but perhaps someone in the middle of their 9 day cruise will a) be a CC member, b) happen to log in, c) see your post, and d) reply to it. The internet is a wonderful thing, but it's not an omniscient miracle worker. I hope the ship is able to contain this past outbreak so nobody else's cruise is affected by noRovirus or norolike symptoms. From an above post, it seems like at least the 10/28 cruise will receive the benefit of a deep sanitization prior to sailing. Wash your hands, sanitize when possible, and keep your hands away from your nose and mouth. I'm an elementary school teacher -- I live by this motto (wonder why c...r...e...d...o was asterisked by the CC software? :D). :)

[crew mom]

Haven't heard any numbers about this particular cruise from DS but they, the crew, are doing all that they possibly can to control the virus from serving all foods to the passengers to cleaning everything. There is only so much they can do daily and in the short amount of time between disembarking and embarking passengers but I know they are trying their best. Hopefully the passengers are also!

 

DS is coming home on Tues. I hope he doesn't bring it home!

[Greymeowsr]

Anytime large number of folks are in a small area these things happen. Bring your purell towelettes, wash hands frequently, take advantage of the stations on the ship to sanitize hands and odds are you will never have a problem.

[uppitycats]

I was on the 10/8 -10/18 cruise on the Jewel. The cruise before us had an outbreak of norovirus -- which delayed our getting on the ship by a couple of hours, as they sanitized everything. Once aboard, the hand sanitizers were everywhere, and we were encouraged to use them regularly...and employees carried bottles of hand sanitizers with them and used them on themselves, each other, and on customers. The buffet wasn't "self-serve" but staffed, and we'd have to indicate how much we wanted. We were encouraged to NOT shake hands with anyone, either on the ship or on shore, and I saw the crew constantly wiping down hand rails, elevator touch pads, clean and airing bathrooms, and anything else they could do to keep it at bay.

 

But do the math: There are approximately 3,000 people on a cruise ship (1,000 crew, 2,000 guests)..maybe more. So 6% is a VERY small number -- around 200 at max ..that were sick. So it's not like the whole ship is a "hospital" or "clinic". We saw a couple of people wearing surgical masks -- I don't know if that was their choice or if it was some requirement..

 

and heard anecdotally about people being ill..

 

but we weren't, no one in my group was (I was in a group of about 50 people doing miniature things), and we're not sick now.

[newmexicoNita]

I do too as I will be on it!! Was told today by email that the Jewel will undergo a complete sanitation on Tuesday before she takes off for the Repo cruise at 4:00PM. GERM free:confused: We can only hope, when you get over 3000 people someones bound to bring a little bug with them without even knowing it.

my problem is with those who know it plus those who have a breakout on ship and choose to continue to wander around instead of staying in their cabin. You are right, with that many people anyone can bring a bug on without knowing it.

 

Good luck and happy cruising.

 

Nita

[smeyer418]

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/GIlist.htm

 

here is the CDC out break page. they report all outbreaks reported to them above the reportable level.

 

From my experience, a large number of passengers who become ill don't report to the cruise line(they don't want to be locked in their cabins. Whether this is 10%, 50% or 100% more I can't tell you.

[derf5585]

From my experience, a large number of passengers who become ill don't report to the cruise line(they don't want to be locked in their cabins. Whether this is 10%, 50% or 100% more I can't tell you.

 

Here is a new poll to start

 

If YOU get the virus would you report it and be stuck in your cabin or not report it?

[newmexicoNita]

Here is a new poll to start

 

If YOU get the virus would you report it and be stuck in your cabin or not report it?

I certainly would, I wouldn't be very happy (in more ways than one) but yes, I owe it to the other passengers and the crew..

 

Nita

[coffeebean]

This quote is regarding the previous Jewel sailing from 10/8 to 10/18. Anyone know whether the current Jewel sailing from 10/18 to 10/28 has the same problem?

 

I was on the 10/8 to 10/18 sailing. As far as I know, the virus was "smoldering" and there were very few folks sick with gastrointestinal symptoms of Noro. The passengers that disembarked the day we embarked had the true outbreak. I was told by a very good source that 6% of passengers and crew became ill with the gastrointestinal virus.

 

The day we embarked on 10/8, everyone was given a warning letter that there had been a Noro outbreak on the previous cruise and the crew was doing everything in their power to eradicate the virus. We were asked to wash our hands thoroughly very frequently and to use the hand sanitizer before and after every meal. There was a crew member standing outside of every dining venue spritzing hands with the sanitizer for the entire ten days we were on board.

 

There were heightened precautions in effect the entire ten days of our cruise (10/8 to 10/18). I have never seen a crew work so hard and for very long hours keeping up with sanitation of the ship.

 

I've been curious to know if the heightened sanitation efforts have been kept up for the next cruise which embarked on 10/18. Hope everyone is feeling fine on that cruise.

[CruiserFromWV]

Thank you posters that provided the links to the offical reports on the norovirus on the Jewel. We sailed on the 9/28 to 10/8 cruise and no crew member on board ever let us know that the numbers were the 8 crew (0.75%) and 127 passengers (5.96%) on the offical report. We were told "about 13 total".

[coffeebean]

deleted post

[crew mom]

I was on the 10/8 to 10/18 sailing. As far as I know, the virus was "smoldering" and there were very few folks sick with gastrointestinal symptoms of Noro. The passengers that disembarked the day we embarked had the true outbreak. I was told by a very good source that 6% of passengers and crew became ill with the gastrointestinal virus.

 

The day we embarked on 10/8, everyone was given a warning letter that there had been a Noro outbreak on the previous cruise and the crew was doing everything in their power to eradicate the virus. We were asked to wash our hands thoroughly very frequently and to use the hand sanitizer before and after every meal. There was a crew member standing outside of every dining venue spritzing hands with the sanitizer for the entire ten days we were on board.

 

There were heightened precautions in effect the entire ten days of our cruise (10/8 to 10/18). I have never seen a crew work so hard and for very long hours keeping up with sanitation of the ship.

 

I've been curious to know if the heightened sanitation efforts have been kept up for the next cruise which embarked on 10/18. Hope everyone is feeling fine on that cruise.

 

I do know that on your cruise 10/8 they refused passage to 2 people because they showed up at the pier already sick.

 

The additional sanitation efforts are kept in effect until after the virus cycle is broken. Even then the sanitizers are always at the doorways, public areas cleaned daily etc.

[coffeebean]

I just read the CDC report from the Jewel sailing DH and I were on (10/8 to 10/18). I didn't realize just over 5% of crew and passengers had symptoms of Noro virus. DH and I remained healthy but we wash our hands frequently and always used the sanitizers before meals.

 

If everyone would wash their hands PROPERLY which is at least a 20 second hand wash and use the sanitizer solution, there probably would be less folks effected.

 

One thing I noticed on the 10/8 to the 10/18 cruise was that the public restroom doors were left open. I appreciated this because I didn't have to touch the door knob when exiting the restroom. I did however, see a woman kick away the door stop which held the restroom main door open, as she entered. That is just one instance when someone undermined the heightened sanitation efforts. I didn't appreciate that she did that. I felt is necessary to use a paper towel to open the door handle. I'm not a germaphobe by any means but I do everything possible to protect myself on a "sick" ship.

[coffeebean]

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/GIlist.htm

 

here is the CDC out break page. they report all outbreaks reported to them above the reportable level.

 

From my experience, a large number of passengers who become ill don't report to the cruise line(they don't want to be locked in their cabins. Whether this is 10%, 50% or 100% more I can't tell you.

 

It makes sense to report that you are ill because the medical center will give you treatment for the illness and not charge you. I wouldn't have a good time anyway, with vomiting and diarrhea so why not get the treatment and feel better???

[orangeh3]

I have stayed quiet until today. I was also on the 10/8 cruise. We boarded with the info of the virus and saw the crew working so hard to clean and sanitize the ship. Talking to Julian the Hotel Director on Friday, he said they were 24 hours clear of any new virus cases and had another 24 hours to go before the virus would be gone. Guess what? Only 36 hours occured before a new case, a passenger, came down with the virus. Again the crew went into overtime to clean, disinfect and cleaned until their hands were red from the bleach solution.

On Tuesday, 10/14, I came down with the virus. We called medical and they came, gave me a shot for the nausea and pills plus some gatorade stuff to help keep me hydrated. Medical also asked for a stool sample and received to to send to CDC for analysis. Medical told me I was to stay in the cabin and call housekeeping to come and sanitize a couple of times a day. My husband who was not told he had to stay in the cabin, but choose to stay with me. On Thur I was released from our cabin and actually felt pretty good. Talking to the crew, Medical had the crew raise the precentage of bleach they were using and were constantly wiping, rinsing and wiping railing, buttons, etc.

My husband never came down with the virus but did have an upset stomach which again Medical was called and they asked him to stay in the cabin on Friday. He did not have the virus. He had eaten something he shouldn't have. (he is known to do that combined with some beers he is not use to)

On Sat, waiting to disembark, we were in Cagney's eating some breakfast and talking to some guests. They ask if we had heard the virus was onboard. We told them what we knew. It happens to come out, the husband has the virus and didn't stay in his cabin. He said, "I paid to be on this cruise and I will not spend it in my cabin!"

I heard from Julian yesterday and they are hoping that by next Tuesday, the virus will be long gone.

Hope all enjoy the Halloween cruise. The crew does have some things planned for that cruise. :eek:

[coffeebean]

Another thing I would like to say on behalf of NCL. The day we embarked on the Jewel, 10/8, we were notified in writing of the Noro outbreak on the previous cruise and were offered a full refund of our cruise if we did not want to sail on the ship with a Noro outbreak and still in the process of heightened sanitation.

 

Kudos to NCL for the offer.

[orangeh3]

I just read the CDC report from the Jewel sailing DH and I were on (10/8 to 10/18). I didn't realize just over 5% of crew and passengers had symptoms of Noro virus. DH and I remained healthy but we wash our hands frequently and always used the sanitizers before meals.

 

If everyone would wash their hands PROPERLY which is at least a 20 second hand wash and use the sanitizer solution, there probably would be less folks effected.

 

One thing I noticed on the 10/8 to the 10/18 cruise was that the public restroom doors were left open. I appreciated this because I didn't have to touch the door knob when exiting the restroom. I did however, see a woman kick away the door stop which held the restroom main door open, as she entered. That is just one instance when someone undermined the heightened sanitation efforts. I didn't appreciate that she did that. I felt is necessary to use a paper towel to open the door handle. I'm not a germaphobe by any means but I do everything possible to protect myself on a "sick" ship.

 

You know, we did all that plus more. :confused: I think my resistance was down from some antibiotics I was taking for a bacterial infection.

[coffeebean]

You know, we did all that plus more. :confused: I think my resistance was down from some antibiotics I was taking for a bacterial infection.

 

Did you get ill? Sorry if you did. You are correct, however. You have a better chance of fighting off the virus if you have a good immune system.

[orangeh3]

Did you get ill? Sorry if you did. You are correct, however. You have a better chance of fighting off the virus if you have a good immune system.

 

Yep, but I was happy it wasn't an inside cabin. NCL was wonderful the whole cruise. They did everything they could to rid the shp of the virus. The Jewel did receive an 99 from the health department after the TA and the first cruise to NE/Canada. :)