Any recent Millie cruisers???

[lawgirl]

I was reading about all of the problems on the Millie with the norovirus and wondered if anyone sailed in the past few weeks? Any reports on whether things have improved? Thanks!!!

[cssreggie]

We just returned from the July 17th Alaska Southbound on the Millie. For the first half of the cruise, it appeared as though life was back to normal and some of the crew had advised us that there had been no issues the week before.

But in the second half of the week, they began to increase Norovirus notices (written and on TV) re: washing of hands, symptoms and such. They also reverted back to the increased disinfecting (bleaching) of areas...also we were no longer allowed to get our own coffee/juices/bread etc. It did not appear as though there were alot of cases but my wife did come down with a mild case of it on the last day of sailing.

[cathleen]

Bummer. Any other experiences? We are sailing in September and are interested..

[Mrs. PB]

I, too, was on the July 17 southbound cruise. One of my tablemates was quarantined for 48 hours due to symptoms. I also noticed the increased disinfecting and such.

[lawgirl]

Anyone back from an August cruise that can update us? Thanks!!!

[kittyluvrnurse]

Wouldn't the presence/absence of Noro be the same risk on any ship, which is dependent on the PASSENGERS that embark the ship that cruise? It is not an airborne virus, and therefore survives on surfaces, usually dying minutes after someone/something touches that surface? I'll be 5 months pregnant at the time, and will be sure to be careful of where I touch and what I eat (and where).. handwashing is key! :)

 

Interesting, Wiki tells me that SHELLFISH and SALAD ingredients are most often implicated in Noro outbreaks. I watched a cruise ship show that showed the cleanliness of the kitchen facilities to ensure things like these outbreaks do not originate from the staff side of things.

[WestfieldTraveler]

Keep in mind the same crew is on the ship from week to week, and a few of the postings have noted they get have gotten sick too...and so they may be continuing the problem on the Millie. I believe I've also read that some people can show no symptoms but still carry the virus, so one can't simply keep all the sick crew off the boat.

 

Most of the time, you can just use common sense and stay healthy.

[kittyluvrnurse]

Did you know that people with O type blood are more susceptible to actually having the illness (i.e. a more severe, longer lasting) than those with A or AB? YAY for me! :D

[takemewithyou]

The most recent reports from Millie can be found on this thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1037923

[pellefsen]

Transmission

 

 

• Noroviruses are found in the stool or vomit of infected people. People can become infected with the virus in several ways, including:
  
  • eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with norovirus by foodhandlers who have not washed their hands adequately
    
  • touching surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus, and then placing their hand in their mouth or eating before washing their hands
    
  • having direct contact with another person who is infected and showing symptoms (for example, when caring for someone with illness, or sharing foods or eating utensils with someone who is ill)
    

   

[seahawkfan]

Since I'm afraid of needles, I would rather not get a flu shot if that even helps. Is there any preventative remedies I can take at home before my cruise? Lots of vitamin C, maybe?

[bqkali]

Since I'm afraid of needles, I would rather not get a flu shot if that even helps. Is there any preventative remedies I can take at home before my cruise? Lots of vitamin C, maybe?

 

I think the flu shot would be a fantastic suggestion whether or not it is effective for Noro - after all, you don't want the flu onboard either - but I don't think it has any effectiveness against Noro. I also am afraid of needles, but get a flu shot every year. I'd rather have an hour of discomfort at my physician's office than a day or more of being ill on vacation! It is a trade off.

 

I have never heard of anything special to do to avoid Noro. Normal precautions to prevent any illness will definitely help you avoid it, but obviously there are no guarantees. Hand washing is definitely the best thing you can do!

 

BEFORE the cruise, take your vitamins (and/or eat lots of fruits and veggies), be well rested, etc. If you start out healthy before you board, you will be less susceptible to the virus. A weak body is more likely to contract a disease so you want to be as healthy as possible :):)

 

ON the cruise, continue to eat well, rest at night, avoid touching hand rails and other public surfaces whenever possible (obviously some things cannot be avoided), maybe bring some lysol/chlorox wipes for your room and disinfect things like door handles, phones, drawer handles, etc. Using the hand sanitizer that is offered certainly won't hurt but it is not a replacement for washing your hands thoroughly and regularly.

 

I hope you stay healthy and enjoy your cruise!!

[seahawkfan]

bqkali, Thanks for the advice. Hopefully we can both stay healthy, seems how we will be on the same cruise. I was kinda hoping the virus would be dead by the time our cruise came along, but doesn't look like it will.

[bqkali]

bqkali, Thanks for the advice. Hopefully we can both stay healthy, seems how we will be on the same cruise. I was kinda hoping the virus would be dead by the time our cruise came along, but doesn't look like it will.

 

I was also hoping the virus would be dead...I'm just going to try and stay healthy, avoid the buffet as much as possible, etc. The fewer people handling my food, the better :rolleyes:

 

I'd also like to suggest you drop by our Roll Call: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=772310

There is a great group of people chatting, and we'd love it if you could introduce yourself! (Plus you can get some information on our sailaway party!)

[takemewithyou]

Please come back and let us know how things went after your cruise!

[Guitar Ed]

My wife and I just got off the Millie on Friday. It seems like 2 cruises before us had many cases of the Norovirus. The previous cruise had a few. I did not hear of any on our cruise (August 7-14th).

 

I posted more of the details at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1037923&page=2