Constellation Norovirus Outbreak

[WorldofTnT]

We just got off the Constellation and we had a very nasty outbreak of the Norovirus.

 

As to be expected Celebrity handled it fantastic and immediately swung into action with all the proper precautions.

 

I must admit it did surprise me on the number of people we saw actually arguing with the the servers at the dinning room doors and the gang planks. They we were refusing to use the hand sanitizer!!!! One lady looked at the steward and flat out refused and tried to walk past him. I actually stopped her and let her know politely but firmly that he was doing his job to protect all of us and not just her.

 

We saw people that refused to stay in their cabin even after they were quarantined so they would not miss their shore excursions! They were caught when returning to the ship from onshore by ship security when the sea pass was inserted in the computer. Why it did not grab them before they left the ship I have no idea.

 

Trey

[Tricia28]

A fellow TA got off the Solstice this past week and commented that he was surprised there were no had sanitizers onboard. Can anyone confirm this?

[KevinNYC]

Thanks for the update. Passengers who behave like you just explained should be told in no uncertain terms that the rules will not be debated and if they do not comply, they will be put off the ship, period. No compensation, no refund, no transfers home. That should get their attention quickly enough.

 

Or to use my mother's most-used phrase when we were growing up: "Why? Because I said so, that's why......" ;)

[Karynanne]

'Tis the Season! We all need to take extra care in washing our hands....often.

[CruisingChick]

We just got off the Constellation...

Trey

 

So other than that how was the cruise????

 

Hope you had a good time in spite of the outbreak. Did you visit the martini bar at all?

 

Anne Maria

[Tricia28]

I am sorry to hear about your trip. My husband laughs at me because I am a clean freak. I bring Lysol wipes on our cruises and wipe down cabin door handles, light switches and tv remotes just to be safe. With three kids I have taught them not to eat anything with their hands once they have gone through the buffet line because I have seen people refuse the hand sanitizer as well and then use the same tongs you will use with your clean hands. I was happy when they passed the law for cruise ships that you have to be able to exit the restroom either without touching the door handle (door swings out) or they have to provide paper towels to cover the handle with when exiting. I started noticing this on the ships and it's a great idea. I don't worry about it too much, it's just better to be safe than sorry.

[WorldofTnT]

We Had a WONDERFUL cruise... the Virus out break had no impact on anyone in our group. (we washed our hands and used the sanitizer every time we walked past one!)

 

We will write a full review shortly. I wish I was still on the ship enjoying it! If I did not have to be at work on monday we would have been happy to sail out on B2B.

 

Trey

[lysolqn]

I am sorry to hear about your trip. My husband laughs at me because I am a clean freak. I bring Lysol wipes on our cruises and wipe down cabin door handles, light switches and tv remotes just to be safe. With three kids I have taught them not to eat anything with their hands once they have gone through the buffet line because I have seen people refuse the hand sanitizer as well and then use the same tongs you will use with your clean hands. I was happy when they passed the law for cruise ships that you have to be able to exit the restroom either without touching the door handle (door swings out) or they have to provide paper towels to cover the handle with when exiting. I started noticing this on the ships and it's a great idea. I don't worry about it too much, it's just better to be safe than sorry.

 

I, too, travel with Lysol/Clorox wipes and go through the same routine of wiping down handles, light switches, remotes and telephones. I also carry a pocket-size Purell which DH and I always use AFTER we've been through the buffet line but before we eat. Most people don't even consider that the utentils they handle have been touched by who knows how many people who may or may not have used the hand sanitizer. Some other tips include using knuckles rather than fingertips to push elevator buttons, and leaning your arm on handrails rather than using your hand to hold on when using the stairs. Granted, none of the precautions are foolproof but it makes sense to do whatever you can to at least decrease your chance of picking up a bug.

[gracecarmo]

Also: bring your own pen to sign any charge slips. We never use the pen that the bar server has us sign with.

We are also in the group that wipes everything with Lysol!

[Tricia28]

I have found my people...LOL I use my elbow on the elevator button and so do the kids. They probably think our family is weird! Funny but true story for you all, when I was on the RCCL Mariner the cabin steward apologized because the family before us was so messy that he hadn't had time to finish cleaning our room (he told me he actually had his supervisor come see it to see what was taking him so long to clean it) just before sailing he had not vacuumed the carpet yet and there were pills (yes, pills!) chip crumbs, candy etc. all over the carpet. I went in the hallway and grabbed the cabin stewards vacuum that was sitting there and started to vacuum the room so my kids could settle in. We had the balcony door open and when the curtains billowed open the Disney ship pulled past us to leave port. My husband started cracking up and told me that no one on the Disney ship would ever book RCCL because I had just given them the impression that guests on RCCL had to clean their own cabin before sailing :0

[Napi's Mom]

I'm wondering if you ever heard the new info that you who lysol everything are making SURE your family will be catching everything they come in contact with...and they will..no way to avoid it completely. They have had NO CHANCE to build up a natural immunity to these bugs by small exposure day in & day out, so when exposed they usually get a very bad case of whatever is around! Medically you're not doing your family a favor. Now as to shipboard I'm all for the handwipes before meals...just so you don't touch the trays, plates, silver, counter tops, etc. As they have all been exposed to others the min. they are out of the washer, you should be safe. Railings, door openers etc., are germ paradise, as are the faucets in public bathrooms. You can't avoid the germs (Airplanes are the worst places to pass on Noro etc., probably have it before you board!)

[jasm8449]

There's obviously no 100% solution, but using Lysol on door handles, cupboard handles, light switches, faucets, phones AND TV REMOTE CONTROLS, as well as a hand sanitizer every time you come back from the buffet and before eating anything, will certainly help. It is true that overuse of antibacterial products can make you immune to their effectiveness over time. But I think we're talking on board ship and in hotel rooms here. I don't think most people run this routine at home.

 

Also, I avoid using antibacterial soaps at home. There's no need for it if you are washing your hands for 15 seconds with regular soap and warm water.

[cpj]

I sometimes wonder about this noravirus issue. I guess its good to use the sanitizer as much as possible but I think some of illness is because of food bacteria in the food from not being kept at the proper temp. I heard a lot of complaints about food not being serve hot especially at the buffets. I think this may also be an issue. I dont think the cruise lines will ever admit this and is more acceptable to blame norovirus. Noravirus is a problem but the food not being handled properly could also be a issue.

[Nonna and Papa]

There are as many arguments for using Lysol as there are against, and each person just has to use common sense and do what you feel is best to protect your family. I also bring along a travel sized Lysol. Do I constantly spray every service every day? Of course not. But I do spray the bathroom and the mouthpiece of the telephone when I travel and stay in a public bedroom, at least upon initial arrival.

 

We also use the sanitizer before entering the dining room and wash our hands frequently with soap and water as the need arises. But one important way to keep from cross contamination is to keep your hands away from your face, especially your eyes and mouth. This is important particularily when touring or when away from soap and water, after touching public surfaces.

 

Germs are out there, but I'm happy to be one of those that take a little extra care when away from home.

 

Mary

[jackdiamond]

While it is well to utilize the hand sanitizers, you should remember that they are only effective against bacteria, not a virus.

[Tricia28]

I'm wondering if you ever heard the new info that you who lysol everything are making SURE your family will be catching everything they come in contact with...and they will..no way to avoid it completely. They have had NO CHANCE to build up a natural immunity to these bugs by small exposure day in & day out' date=' so when exposed they usually get a very bad case of whatever is around! Medically you're not doing your family a favor. Now as to shipboard I'm all for the handwipes before meals...just so you don't touch the trays, plates, silver, counter tops, etc. As they have all been exposed to others the min. they are out of the washer, you should be safe. Railings, door openers etc., are germ paradise, as are the faucets in public bathrooms. You can't avoid the germs (Airplanes are the worst places to pass on Noro etc., probably have it before you board!)[/quote']

 

I figure they get their immunity, along with the flu and colds, from each other at school. I would rather not have them sick on my vacation so I am extra cautious when away. I don't mind running to the doctor at home if need be, but I prefer not to visit the ships infirmiry.

[JFontaine]

My personal tip is that I never use a public bathroom on the ship - I don't care how far I have to walk back to my cabin. The tip about the pen is a good one and I will remember it on my cruise next month. Thanks.

[HAM]

.....hopefully you had no serious issues re: fires in Yorba Linda.

[Tricia28]

.....hopefully you had no serious issues re: fires in Yorba Linda.

 

We were evacuated with ten minutes to grab our stuff and the fire burned within 20 feet of our home. It was scary, but we are blessed that we had a home to come back to. One of my good friends was not so lucky and she lost her home with only minutes to grab her pets and run. The community is really pulling together and we are able to donate items to help those who lost their homes at a local drop-off set up for that purpose. Thank you for asking about us Yorba Linda folks!

 

By the way, we are flying into Tampa and driving the 4 hours to Ft. Lauderdale to take the Solstice for our Christmas cruise because the airfare was about $1,500 less for our family than flying into Ft. Lauderdale!

[Tazzycat]

The last cruise we took was December 2005 on NCL, and the last 3 days of a 7-day cruise was almost shut down completely because more than half the people, the entertainment, the restaurant staff and well, everyone, was in the bathroom with some gastrointestinal bug. In the first three days, people were picking up bread and kids were going through the salad bar with bare hands and I sat and watched the staff simply wipe off crumbs off the tables and resetting the tables. I told my husband that we were all going to get sick if NCL dosen't change procedures, and 24 hours later half the ship was in bed sick. I'll never again do a NCL cruise, even if it were free. I wonder why on some cruises where there is a majority of ill cruisers, the story makes CNN, and some sick cruises do not.

[Toothfairy754]

I'm wondering if you ever heard the new info that you who lysol everything are making SURE your family will be catching everything they come in contact with...and they will..no way to avoid it completely. They have had NO CHANCE to build up a natural immunity to these bugs by small exposure day in & day out' date=' so when exposed they usually get a very bad case of whatever is around! Medically you're not doing your family a favor. Now as to shipboard I'm all for the handwipes before meals...just so you don't touch the trays, plates, silver, counter tops, etc. As they have all been exposed to others the min. they are out of the washer, you should be safe. Railings, door openers etc., are germ paradise, as are the faucets in public bathrooms. You can't avoid the germs (Airplanes are the worst places to pass on Noro etc., probably have it before you board!)[/quote']

 

I was on a NCL cruise in Jan that had a horrible outbreak of noro.(We were very close to being quarantined). My solution was not to touch elevator buttons, hand rails and yes to use the hand santizer.

Luckily we did not get the virus.... but I am 100% in agreement with you.. if you overuse lysol you do your body a disservice.

I noticed a few years ago... after cleaning the whole house with lysol within 2 days we would get ill. Now I use hot soapy water. (And a steamer on the floors)

[Toothfairy754]

I am in total agreement with you Tazzycat! I did my first and last NCL. The part that really upset me was there were taking the sick people in the elevators to the infirmary with people who were not ill.

[florisdekort]

I don't understand why people continue to link hand sanatizers to Noro. The one has *nothing* to do with the other. Noro is a virus, and hand sanatizers are only effective against bacteria.

 

Also, on any cruise people will get sick. Calling it an "outbreak" is only valid if the percentage of sick people exceeds the limit as set by CDC, and CDC reports the outbreak. For Constellation, this is not the case (yet).

 

Best Regards,

Floris

[bububr]

Unless of course you've already contacted the virus.

 

If you take simple precautions and use common sense, noro is not that easy to catch.

 

I have never nor has anyone in my group on ANY trip, come down with noro. None of us use Lysol or anti-bacterial soaps or wipes. And NO for the last time, while hand sanitizers are good for plain old germs...they DO NOT have any affect on noro. as a matter of fact they are almost all alcohol based which dries out the skin making it more suseptable to catching other things. You should always use a hand moisturizer if you are using hand sanitizers too much.

 

Noro is a fecal to mouth virus in simple terms.

 

1. Frequently wash your hands.

2. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth if you can.

3. Live a healthy lifestyle...don't eat, or drink, or smoke to excess. this lowers your immune system.

4. DO NOT over use anti-bacterials...This also lowers your immune system..ALL of this hype is media advertising for products that we don't need.

5. If there is an outbreak, having wipes with a small percentage of bleach will help if you get ill. disinfect things you touch in your cabin, and stay there if you are quarantined.

6.Noro is mostlikely NOT going to kill you...however it will make you pretty miserable for a few days.

 

Dave:eek:

[gmcrow]

1. There are several commercial hand sanitizers that have been proven effective against Noro. They are heavily marketed to cruise lines.

2. Noro lives on surfaces at room temperature for up to 4 weeks; Clorox wipes containing 1:50 ratio of bleach can help sanitize your cabin.

3. Food temp has nothing to do with Noro. It can survive at 140º, which is the CDC recommended hold temp for hot foods. Most transmission is on tongs, glassware, salads, and unpeeled fruits. These things get handled by unclean hands, then the virus is transferred to you when you handle them.

4. The hand sanitizer at the entrance to the dining room might not stop Noro (unless they are using the commercial product), but it WILL inactivate the common cold, which I don't want either.

5. You people that think we germaphobes are making ourselves and you sicker by using a little extra care are just as nutty as we are. We all have our issues and germs are mine, thank you very much. Most of the people that eat in my restaurant are thankful that I have this particular issue.

7. Daily acidopholous capsules help build immunity.

8. I don't worry just about ME getting sick on vacation. Having too many people with Noro on board can stop a cruise in mid ocean, leaving it adrift with no ports of call. Last year we were barely allowed to dock in Curacao and all snorkeling and scuba excursions were cancelled.

9. We all need to WASH, WASH, WASH.

10. Especially the people on Connie between now and Dec. 12 DH and I sail!