Coral just ended--Norwalk, lots quarantined

[Parrot Mom]

I know for a fact that EVERY INFECTION in a hospital is reportable to an Infection Control Committe and then the State.. Hospitals are deep into training their staff, clerks, M.D.s and visitors..For whatever reason I popped in an "pill" that night. and yes schools are being closed even now.. I am beginning to think that we have lost our immunity to germs..the germs we grew up with as kids.. I know I'm "ticking" off a particular Princess fan who is in a cruise right now, but it's true..maybe Princess should get their act together and become very pro-active in cleaning and making sure that passengers have sanitizer given to them before they enter any dining area..

[Coral]

I know I'm "ticking" off a particular Princess fan who is in a cruise right now, but it's true..maybe Princess should get their act together and become very pro-active in cleaning and making sure that passengers have sanitizer given to them before they enter any dining area..

 

Last time I checked, other cruise lines also have cases of norovirus. I have sailed other lines and they have not been anymore pro-active then Princess has in regards to norovirus. I have also been on Princess ships where 6% of the passengers have been sick and I can tell you that they take norovirus very seriously.

 

I am not a Princess cheerleader by any means. There are cruise lines out there that I prefer to Princess. I am the first to point out Princess's flaws and where I think they should improve.

[Coral]

maybe Princess should get their act together and become very pro-active in cleaning and making sure that passengers have sanitizer given to them before they enter any dining area..

 

Heck - maybe you should go after passengers who do not wash their hands for 90 seconds with hot water and soap or go after those passengers who are sick and get on a ship anyway.

[California Native]

You can always tell how bad noro is getting onboard

or was the cruise before

when the Sanitizer SENTRY is standing in front of the buffet

and won't let you enter unless they squirt or spray you.

otherwise its really a hit or miss if they are working

sadly adults are sometimes incapable of being adult and doing it themselves if the gel or spray is just left there

and if you are standing next to me on the buffett grazing and then serving your plate. this kittycat will ROAR! :)

I been on 2 CODE RED sailings and they are not fun!

Also back in 1992 when the Fair Princess was quarantined in San Pedro because literally 1/2 the ship and crew were sick.

 

One of the BIGGEST breeding grounds for germs is keyboards..

Keep that in mind when you use the internet cafe, if no wipes are present go to the pursers desk yourself, have them call housekeeping and get them!

[Parrot Mom]

Heck - maybe you should go after passengers who do not wash their hands for 90 seconds with hot water and soap or go after those passengers who are sick and get on a ship anyway.

 

and how do we do that.. station sentries in the wash rooms..lol

[Parrot Mom]

Last time I checked, other cruise lines also have cases of norovirus. I have sailed other lines and they have not been anymore pro-active then Princess has in regards to norovirus. I have also been on Princess ships where 6% of the passengers have been sick and I can tell you that they take norovirus very seriously.

 

I am not a Princess cheerleader by any means. There are cruise lines out there that I prefer to Princess. I am the first to point out Princess's flaws and where I think they should improve.

 

Then you are unsual Coral..I have found Princess fans are blind to faults of "their" cruise line..Now how do you get people to clean the keys in the internet cafe..wipe tables, etc. or how about the books from the library..

[Parrot Mom]

You can always tell how bad noro is getting onboard

or was the cruise before

when the Sanitizer SENTRY is standing in front of the buffet

and won't let you enter unless they squirt or spray you.

otherwise its really a hit or miss if they are working

sadly adults are sometimes incapable of being adult and doing it themselves if the gel or spray is just left there

and if you are standing next to me on the buffett grazing and then serving your plate. this kittycat will ROAR! :)

I been on 2 CODE RED sailings and they are not fun!

Also back in 1992 when the Fair Princess was quarantined in San Pedro because literally 1/2 the ship and crew were sick.

 

One of the BIGGEST breeding grounds for germs is keyboards..

Keep that in mind when you use the internet cafe, if no wipes are present go to the pursers desk yourself, have them call housekeeping and get them!

 

On the ship we were both on.. the young 12 year old boy was confined to his cabin being sick..I've only been on one ship where a passenger mentioned being confined to his cabin with an upset stomach. Since I can live without communicating and giving "live" reports I doubt I'll ever be in an internet cafe... How about you?

[Coral]

Then you are unsual Coral..I have found Princess fans are blind to faults of "their" cruise line..Now how do you get people to clean the keys in the internet cafe..wipe tables, etc. or how about the books from the library..

 

I can easily rattle off a dozen or more things where I think Princess should improve with out even thinking too much about it. A couple of dozen if I thought about it. Though I think Princess overall does have a good product. That is not to say they are the best by any means. I came back from my HAL cruise a year ago and saw many things that HAL does better then Princess (and personally - I prefer their ships to the mammoth ones that Princess has.)

 

The main reason I sail Princess more then the others is that the one thing Princess does excel on compared to other lines is how they treat people with disabilities. Cruising is something that I do often to spend quality time with my mom. Since my mom has a disability (visual impairment with a service dog) and we have had very negative experiences on other lines (Celebrity and RCCL) - my mom's comfort zone is with Princess. We know exactly what we are getting and they are consistent with how they treat her. I personally would love to get her on HAL and am considering taking her on Crystal this fall as I think both lines would do well with her - she is hesitant after negative experiences with RCCL and Celebrity.

 

As far as getting passengers to wash their hands - education! Maybe that is a positive outcome of the H1N1 flu - it made (some/more) people think more closely at washing their hands. Unfortunately - when schools/hospitals/daycares have norovirus/stomach flu - washing hands isn't stressed or associated at all and it should be. Again, education!

[rdsqrl]

I know for a fact that EVERY INFECTION in a hospital is reportable to an Infection Control Committe and then the State.. Hospitals are deep into training their staff, clerks, M.D.s and visitors..For whatever reason I popped in an "pill" that night. and yes schools are being closed even now.. I am beginning to think that we have lost our immunity to germs..the germs we grew up with as kids.. I know I'm "ticking" off a particular Princess fan who is in a cruise right now, but it's true..maybe Princess should get their act together and become very pro-active in cleaning and making sure that passengers have sanitizer given to them before they enter any dining area..

I'd just like to point out that even if santizer isn't available, nobody is preventing you from going to the ladies room and washing your hands before you eat. But it's more fun to blame Princess than take responsibility for your own health, right?

[EliseRN]

We are super careful and my husband still got the Norwalk virus on our cruise in January. I truly dont know what else we could have done. Luckily, I didn't catch it from him. I'm taking my own meds with me in August on our Alaska cruise tour so I can take them at the first moments symptoms.

We are headed out in late August on the Coral....and curious...what kind of meds can prevent noro virus?...are you thinking something over the coutner like Airborne?

 

and re;earlier posts about Princess being heavy with the norovirus problems...they aren't...google the norovirus and cruises...HAL, Celebrity, ...etc have had issues too. It's basically the stomach flu. Am hoping 'flu' season will be over by late August :-) for our cruise, but also hoping the best for everyone sailing until then! :-)

[California Native]

of all the lines I have sailed on over the years, I have been most impressed on how Princess has handled containment.

I was on a Celebrity Mercury sailing and they did nothing until be started literally being sick in the dining room.

just because you dont see them cleaning doesnt mean they arent doing it at 3am in the morning...which I have seen when I was the Tahiti and Europe sailings... when I was up in the internet cafe emailing and instant messaging my DH

(time differences and love) what a combination!!!!

 

I will be back on the Pacific in just 2 weeks and I;ll report back my observations during the live thread

[captainron]

Pia,

You're absolutely right girl. They don't spray you unless they're getting close to the bottom of the bottle.:D

 

On our 3 week FLL/YVR Trans Canal in 2006 and our 6 day coastal on Golden last year there were staff members at all entrances to the HC squirting sanitizer gel on everyones' hands whether they wanted it or not. In addition, there were also staff members at all entrances to ship's DR and specialty dining venues. The requirement for hand sanitization was even printed in the Patters on both cruises.

 

I have found Princess to be most conscientious WRT sanitization and ship cleanliness.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[tequilatamm]

I really don't know what all the fuss is about.

 

I had "Delhi Belly" in India 10 years ago, and got the Norovirus in Japan 2 years ago.

 

In both cases, it was hellish for about 24 hours, but stomach things will never last more than 48 hours if you look after yourself once you get it. If it lasts in its violent phase for more than 2 days, seek medical attention, because you are probably having complications from dehydration at that point.

 

One of the best things you can do if you get a stomach bug is to keep yourself hydrated. If you can't manage anything else, then small sips of water between naps.

 

In both cases, in India and Japan, I was carrying a product called Gastrolyte with me. In the US, I think it's called Pedialyte, but any electrolyte replacement product will do... if you can't get a proper, powdered one, Gatorade will also do the job.

 

Again, small sips when you can manage it, and force yourself to manage it to some extent.

 

In India, I sort of lost my appetite for Indian food and ended up living on Gastrolyte for about 5 days, with no problem. It keeps your energy levels up when your digestion is bad. In Japan, I was a bit weak, but fine by day 3.

 

Another tip I'd give is if they serve Oysters on the cruise, don't eat them. I found out a year or so later that Japanese citizens were claiming that they had contracted the Norovirus from Oysters during the time I was there and got it. The government denied it, but I think it's an awful odd coincidence that I had had a couple deep-fried Oysters about 3 or 4 hours prior to getting violently ill. And no, it wasn't food poisoning, it was actually the Norovirus. Apparently Oysters are notorious for carrying it.

 

For me, that was the end of my days of eating Oysters, it's just not worth it.

 

As some other cruisers said, things like Norovirus are a fact of life on cruises, but if you wash and/or sanitize your hands before eating, and try to keep them away from your mouth when not, you are doing what you can to avoid it. If you get it, go into damage control, sleep, take electrolyte replacements, and you'll be on the road to recovery in no time.

[coo359a2]

As adults we should take the responsibility of keeping our hands clean with santitizers, wash with soap/water for at least 20 seconds worth or however we keep clean hands. To me using the public bathroom is a no-no unless it is a dire emergency - that's what my cabin is for. Be creative when touching public door handles/elevator knobs etc. I can't think of any Princess ship that I've been on that doesn't have the pump hand sanitizer at the buffet entrance for you to use or someone standing there to squirt some in your hand. As for crew cleaning the railings etc, on the Pacific Princess last Amazon cruise in April, they were out and about the ship wiping things down at 5:30am when I was walking through the ship. Yes I do rise early to do my 2 mile walk either on inside/outside decks. They must have done a good job as we had our salt/pepper out on the tables in both the buffet and main dining room.

[Parrot Mom]

"The main reason I sail Princess more then the others is that the one thing Princess does excel on compared to other lines is how they treat people with disabilities. Cruising is something that I do often to spend quality time with my mom. Since my mom has a disability (visual impairment with a service dog) and we have had very negative experiences on other lines (Celebrity and RCCL) - my mom's comfort zone is with Princess. We know exactly what we are getting and they are consistent with how they treat her. I personally would love to get her on HAL and am considering taking her on Crystal this fall as I think both lines would do well with her - she is hesitant after negative experiences with RCCL and Celebrity."

 

CORAL..we were on a much smaller ship (under 700) and Parrot Pop walks with a cane with great difficulty and the last two days was in a wheel chair. While he was using the cane NOBODY offered to help him and he did ask the buffet people to get him a cold drink or refill of coffee. Whereas, and this is our experience, on Celebrity you have to fight the waiters off who want to carry your tray (on three different ships).. As a matter of fact there was a woman with a "rollater) who put her dish on the seat and rolled it to a table.. Sadly first impressions meant alot..Parrot Pop did need help in our cabin and two stewards came in. But every ship is different. We have not had the pleasure of cruising HAL yet. Parrot Pop maybe using his own "rollator" on our next cruise..

[pfopma]

I was in Alaska several years ago NOT on a cruise and came back with the flu. I stayed in Glacier Bay and Juneau. The next to last day in Juneau we did a small ship cruise to Tracy Arm. I didn't feel well that morning but went on the trip anyway. By the end of the day was feeling miserable. I found a vacant bench on the ship on the way back to Juneau and curled up and went to sleep. That night we packed and went to bed early. I was dreading the trip back to the East coast the next day. I called my job from the airport in Seattle and told them I would not be in the next day and called the doctor and made an appointment. When I got home I did not feel well enough to unpack for a few days. When I finally unpacked I pulled out the Juneau newspaper I tossed in my suitcase and there on the front page was a story about the "Cruise Flu" that was going around Alaska. The people working in the shops, restaurants and tourist attractions were getting sick from coming in contact with cruise passengers.

[SeaDawg]

The Anchorage Daily News reports a gastrointestinal illness outbreak on Sunday sickened 108 of its 2,000 passengers and seven crew members. The ship arrived in Whittier on Monday shortly after noon and was scrubbed down before taking on a new load of passengers that evening.

[antsnanny]

We carry a can of Lysol wipes too beside the hand sanitizer. Even though there is sanitizer on the ship, I always have a small bottle with me at all times.

 

Vicks makes a great product called "Early Defense" It is suppose to protect you for 3 hours. Works for me......... Most drug stores carry it.

[Just zis guy]

Vicks makes a great product called "Early Defense" It is suppose to protect you for 3 hours. Works for me......... Most drug stores carry it.

 

The Vicks Early Defense hand cleansers use triclorosan, which is effective against many bacteria, but will not block norovirus, the virus associated with many shipboard 'stomach flu' outbreaks.

 

Alcohol-based cleaners such as Purell are also not effective against norovirus, although they do disable influenza and kill many bacteria.

 

Norovirus can be rendered inactive by dilute hydrogen peroxide or bleach solutions, keeping the surface wetted down for 5 minutes. For cleaning the hands, thorough washing with soap and water and rinsing well is effective.

 

Everyone, please try to wash your hands after using the loo. :)

[cacy6893076]

norwalk (n american travelers)or swine with lots of asian travelers preesents as a s similar flu is brought via asia / n america /south america/mexico....there qre lots of asians traveling from hong kong etc to alaska for example and can pass it just like on any airline cabin via coughing etc(keep masks avaiable)not to single out a specific demographic, but it is what is is today,fri, 29 may,2009

[pablo222]

Princess doesn't spray you. They trust that you will wash your hands accordingly, use the sanitizer and keep yourself clean.

 

In my experience, many times entering the dining room or buffet,

there has been a buffet steward there holding a pump bottle, giving

each passenger a squirt of sanitizer in their hands, as they enter.

 

Particularly during "code red"

[bubbachief]

Princess doesn't spray you. They trust that you will wash your hands accordingly, use the sanitizer and keep yourself clean.

 

Not true on the nCoral last week. With the outbreak of Noro they sprayed our hands anytime we went into the Horizon Court.

[Pia1913]

Not true on the nCoral last week. With the outbreak of Noro they sprayed our hands anytime we went into the Horizon Court.

 

Of course they did. Extenuating circumstances, which I referred to in my original post.