Preventing illness on board- hand sanitizing

[triplefigs]

On DCL, before meals, embarking, entering the kids' clubs, really ANYTHING, they gave you a Hand Sanitizing wipe that was mandatory to use (to help prevent on-board illness). Do they do a similar practice on RCI (specifically FOS)?

[Alexis]

On DCL, before meals, embarking, entering the kids' clubs, really ANYTHING, they gave you a Hand Sanitizing wipe that was mandatory to use (to help prevent on-board illness). Do they do a similar practice on RCI (specifically FOS)?

 

They do this at times if there is any type of an illness on board. Some ships have the sanitizers outside the eating places and some don't.

It has been said that the hand sanitizers will not stop the spread of illness. Washing ones hands with soap and water will do more for you than the wipes. Just wash your hands and keep them away from your face as much as possible.

If any illness breaks out on a ship, they will break out the wipes as a secondary precaution. They also wipe the ship down with a bleach solution if an illness breaks out on board.

You could see someone use the wipe and then sneeze in their hand! That is why wipes don't really do the job.. If you are concerned, carry a small bottle of sanitizer in your pocket or purse and use it before you eat.

Go and enjoy your cruise and don't worry. ;)

[unklez]

Wash with soap and hot water.

[travelntreats]

wash hands frequently with hot water and soap.... Liquid hand sanitizers and or wipes give a "false sense" of safety regarding germs.

[triplefigs]

OP here. I am a RN (with my masters). We use hand sanitizer hospital-wide (it is a bit higher percentage of alcohol than what is available in stores), including the ICU where I work. This is what DCL gives out on their wipes (I checked the canister). There are not always bathrooms available to wash with soap and water (boarding the ship). And just because WE are washing with soap and water before entering the dining room/ kids club/ buffet, doesn't mean the person next to me who just touched the serving utensil or at the buffet has washed his or her hands...

[Captain Jake]

wash hands frequently with hot water and soap.... Liquid hand sanitizers and or wipes give a "false sense" of safety regarding germs.

 

Here we go again.Any nurse would disagree with you

[travelntreats]

OP here. I am a RN (with my masters). We use hand sanitizer hospital-wide (it is a bit higher percentage of alcohol than what is available in stores), including the ICU where I work. This is what DCL gives out on their wipes (I checked the canister). There are not always bathrooms available to wash with soap and water (boarding the ship). And just because WE are washing with soap and water before entering the dining room/ kids club/ buffet, doesn't mean the person next to me who just touched the serving utensil or at the buffet has washed his or her hands...

I am not questioning your logic nor your knowledge in your profession.....But using your theory would mean you would be using a hand sanitizer before touching ANYTHING....and there is alot of things to touch at any given time ! I am in the restaurant business and am well aware of the importance of hand washing and have always been able to find a restroom on a ship nearby when I think a good washing of hands is necessary INLCLUDING the correct procedures to wash hands properly. When exiting the bathrooms many will grab a piece of hand towels to open doors to also prevent the possible germ collection found on those door handles !

[beachdogboarder]

OP here. I am a RN (with my masters). We use hand sanitizer hospital-wide (it is a bit higher percentage of alcohol than what is available in stores), including the ICU where I work. This is what DCL gives out on their wipes (I checked the canister). There are not always bathrooms available to wash with soap and water (boarding the ship). And just because WE are washing with soap and water before entering the dining room/ kids club/ buffet, doesn't mean the person next to me who just touched the serving utensil or at the buffet has washed his or her hands...

 

Thank You.There are many that post false or twisted information against sanitizers

[beachdogboarder]

I am not questioning your logic nor your knowledge in your profession.....But using your theory would mean you would be using a hand sanitizer before touching ANYTHING....and there is alot of things to touch at any given time ! I am in the restaurant business and am well aware of the importance of hand washing and have always been able to find a restroom on a ship nearby when I think a good washing of hands is necessary INLCLUDING the correct procedures to wash hands properly. When exiting the bathrooms many will grab a piece of hand towels to open doors to also prevent the possible germ collection found on those door handles !

 

Yes but many places do not have paper towels and you have to pull the door open when exiting.That is why sanitizers are so great.The experts say to use them along with hand washing

[Esprit]

Regardless of its effectiveness I always use the hand sanitizer whenever I see the dispenser.

 

It's a pity some choose to ignore it (particularly the elderly, I've noticed). If nothing else it makes your hands feel clean and I believe it's a gesture of respect for fellow passengers and crew.

 

Peter

[triplefigs]

I am not questioning your logic nor your knowledge in your profession.....But using your theory would mean you would be using a hand sanitizer before touching ANYTHING....and there is alot of things to touch at any given time ! I am in the restaurant business and am well aware of the importance of hand washing and have always been able to find a restroom on a ship nearby when I think a good washing of hands is necessary INLCLUDING the correct procedures to wash hands properly. When exiting the bathrooms many will grab a piece of hand towels to open doors to also prevent the possible germ collection found on those door handles !

I won't disagree with you either. But handing out hospital-grade sanitizing wipes before entering the dining halls, reboarding, etc certainly helps in the spread of germs. Handwashing is extremely important (in the ICU we must handwash between patients, etc and use sanitizer if we are still with the same patient). In the kids clubs on DCL, the kids are all given a huge squirt of liquid SOAP and then directed to the bathrooms to wash before being allowed to play. I am just a tad surprised that RCI doesn't do BOTH. I think that is the safest practice- sanitizer coupled with frequent hand washing. I will be bringing sanitizer with me to use.

[ritaontherocks]

Its possible to get sick despite all these measures. We were on the FOS 3 weeks ago and my adult daughter caught a stomach virus. We were diligent about washing hands and using the sanitizer. FOS did have them outside the dining areas and the casino. I had my own personal bottle of purell, too. I also wiped down our cabin with clorox wipes when we entered the first day. So you see, you can still get sick no matter how hard you try to prevent it. I'm not sure if she had norovirus or not but I do believe that's what it was because of her symptoms. Luckily I had taken an arsenal of meds with me so we didn't have to visit the ship's clinic. She was fine after 24 hours of misery.

[travelntreats]

I won't disagree with you either. But handing out hospital-grade sanitizing wipes before entering the dining halls, reboarding, etc certainly helps in the spread of germs. Handwashing is extremely important (in the ICU we must handwash between patients, etc and use sanitizer if we are still with the same patient). In the kids clubs on DCL, the kids are all given a huge squirt of liquid SOAP and then directed to the bathrooms to wash before being allowed to play. I am just a tad surprised that RCI doesn't do BOTH. I think that is the safest practice- sanitizer coupled with frequent hand washing. I will be bringing sanitizer with me to use.

I am in total aggreement.....I do too !

[cb at sea]

If there is sickness on the ship, they will put out the sanitizers. If they aren't out, then no sickness has been reported.

Hand-washing is still the most effective way to avoid catching most things.

There's really no need to be obssessive about it!

[triplefigs]

If there is sickness on the ship, they will put out the sanitizers. If they aren't out, then no sickness has been reported.

Hand-washing is still the most effective way to avoid catching most things.

There's really no need to be obssessive about it!

For some cruisers, there are definitely reasons to be "obsessive" (chronic illness, immunocomprimised patients, former premature children, pregnant women, etc).

[RetireeWannabee]

They make little bottles of the stuff so you can carry your own.

[Mark_K]

OP here. I am a RN (with my masters). We use hand sanitizer hospital-wide (it is a bit higher percentage of alcohol than what is available in stores), including the ICU where I work. This is what DCL gives out on their wipes (I checked the canister). There are not always bathrooms available to wash with soap and water (boarding the ship). And just because WE are washing with soap and water before entering the dining room/ kids club/ buffet, doesn't mean the person next to me who just touched the serving utensil or at the buffet has washed his or her hands...

That's fine for people in a hospital that are educated in proper procedures and use sanitizers in addition to hand washing. The issue on a cruise ship is that not everyone is educated in that area, and depending on the percentage of people that use them as a replacement for handwashing instead of as an addition to it, they can actually have a negative value.

[aloha43]

The "false sense of security" doesn't fly with me. :eek:

 

When you have people that normally don't wash their hands after using the restroom, then it isn't going to create a false sense of security for them, because they don't care.

 

For the people that already wash their hands religiously, they won't get a false sense of security either, because they are smarter than that.

 

So, IMO making it mandatory for the dining areas seems like a good thing because, although it won't kill everything, it DOES kill some germs. And I would rather have some germs taken care of, then none.

 

The "false sense of security" claim doesn't fly with me.

[Captain Jake]

The "false sense of security" doesn't fly with me. :eek:

 

When you have people that normally don't wash their hands after using the restroom, then it isn't going to create a false sense of security for them, because they don't care.

 

For the people that already wash their hands religiously, they won't get a false sense of security either, because they are smarter than that.

 

So, IMO making it mandatory for the dining areas seems like a good thing because, although it won't kill everything, it DOES kill some germs. And I would rather have some germs taken care of, then none.

 

The "false sense of security" claim doesn't fly with me.

 

Great Post!;That false sense of security crap is a laughingly weak argument

[Happy ks]

That's fine for people in a hospital that are educated in proper procedures and use sanitizers in addition to hand washing. The issue on a cruise ship is that not everyone is educated in that area, and depending on the percentage of people that use them as a replacement for handwashing instead of as an addition to it, they can actually have a negative value.

 

 

I find this funny because we actually have hand washing inservice at school once a year. I wash my hands probably 40-50 times per day at work, we follow protocol as it is taught to us...over and over.

 

It's simple, using soap and hot water later your hands until the bubbles get big, rinse and turn off the faucet with the towel you use to dry your hands. Use the same towel to open the door and discard it. Most people do a quick rinse, maybe some soap. How many people open the door with their hands??? Probably lots...then you pick up the germs from the door knob that were left there by someone else.

 

There's a film with little germies, kind of like scrubbing bubbles. They multiply and get on everything. While I do agree some germs are good for us, the ones that cause illness (stomache, cold virus for example) can be avoided with a little precaution.

 

We were in the emergency room recently for a couple hours. I observed that not one doctor or nurse followed the rules with the exception of putting on gloves, no hand washing, no hand sanitizer used. Great... put on clean gloves with dirty hands, go from one patient to another....gross. Sometimes I see people at work wearing gloves and going from child to child, touching them. No sense wearing gloves for that, you have just spread germs with the gloves rather than your skin.

 

While I think hand sanitizers give a small amount of protection from some germs, I do not think they are the best solution. I avoid the buffet (you don't know who has touched the serving spoons) and use the bathroom in my cabin, it's never that far I can't walk back for a few moments.

[Captain Jake]

 

While I think hand sanitizers give a small amount of protection from some germs, I do not think they are the best solution. I avoid the buffet (you don't know who has touched the serving spoons) and use the bathroom in my cabin, it's never that far I can't walk back for a few moments.

 

I always use the cabin facilities for number 2

[unklez]

i always use the cabin facilities for number 2

 

tmi

[Powriv]

if ever there was germ police, they should have a permenent posting in restrooms. It is really gross seeing the number of men(kids, elderly and in between) that don't wash before leaving.

[SamFritz]

For some cruisers, there are definitely reasons to be "obsessive" (chronic illness, immunocomprimised patients, former premature children, pregnant women, etc).

 

There are also reasons to be obssessive about NOT useing the sanitizers. The harsh drying chemicals and the residue left behind can lead to psorisis or contact dermatitis. I have had several serious skin infections that my Doctor has traced to my use of sanatizers. The sanatizers lead to cracks in the skin which leave me open to infections. His two pieces of advice to me about cruising were: don't use the sanitizers, and stay out of the hot tubs.

[Big Kev]

The "false sense of security" doesn't fly with me. :eek:

 

When you have people that normally don't wash their hands after using the restroom, then it isn't going to create a false sense of security for them, because they don't care.

 

For the people that already wash their hands religiously, they won't get a false sense of security either, because they are smarter than that.

 

So, IMO making it mandatory for the dining areas seems like a good thing because, although it won't kill everything, it DOES kill some germs. And I would rather have some germs taken care of, then none.

 

The "false sense of security" claim doesn't fly with me.

 

 

EXACTLY !!!

 

Some people just don't get it, do they?

 

I can wash my hands every 5 minutes of the day, but that does not protect me from OTHERS who never wash.

 

To use sanitisers/wipes should be compulsory, not as a substitute for washing ones self, but to help protect from OTHERS.

 

Every ship we have been on, bar 2, has had compulsory hand sanitising in buffet, and sometimes dining rooms.

 

We also, to date, have thankfully not experienced any food contamination problems.

 

Re dining rooms, we noted that they have now removed bread baskets, and butter dishes, so that helps, but is not the complete answer.

 

Some buffets handed out napkins and utensils, only AFTER using the sanitiser.

 

Only earlier this year, we complained rather loudly on the ROS, about cost cutting causing sanitisers to be removed, let alone being used ..

 

We were given the line that we would be OK if WE wash OUR hands..

 

Again, some people just don't get it, do they?

 

This was after we witnessed people handling food in the buffet lines, and also people walking out of restrooms and straight to buffet lines next door.

 

We were on that same ship on B 2 B, and on the next leg, sanitisers were reintroduced to buffets, and wipes handed out by head waiters whilst entering dining rooms..

 

All cruise lines have a duty of care to protect passengers from others.

 

Now we can get back down from our soapbox..

 

Sue and Phil

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