food hygiene Crown Princess Burger grill

It's shameful really given how much people pay for their cruise. If you pop into Five Guys for a burger you will see how seriously they take hygiene. The staff in their can be seen changing gloves at every step when required. Spending £10 on a burger at Five guys gets me better hygiene standard than £10,000 on a cruise. Something not right with that.

Well it can't be any worse than people eating food while going down the buffet line, licking their fingers then handling the serving spoons. Or watching people at their dining tables licking their fingers and returning to the buffet line. What the OP witnessed was disgusting, if one looks hard enough there's enough to make you want to hurl. I did suggest that the french fries be put at the opposite end of the buffet and not at the beginning just for that reason.

Actually it is worse. In part because we are talking about a foodservice professional who should, but obviously doesn't know better and who potentially handles food consumed by everyone aboard. It is also a health code violation in most jurisdictions. The reason for this is the small chance of transmitting Campylobacter or Salmonella. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/diseases/campylobacter/index.html, https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/index.html.

I would have refused the offering had I observed a cook handling raw chicken then touching any part of my sandwich.

Actually it is worse. In part because we are talking about a foodservice professional who should, but obviously doesn't know better and who potentially handles food consumed by everyone aboard. It is also a health code violation in most jurisdictions. The reason for this is the small chance of transmitting Campylobacter or Salmonella. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/diseases/campylobacter/index.html, https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/index.html.

 

 

 

I would have refused the offering had I observed a cook handling raw chicken then touching any part of my sandwich.

I don't understand why none of you who saw this happen didn't ask the cook to change his gloves and give you a fresh bun/ burger etc. I would have.

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Skin cracking! That's a new one.

 

I hope you didn't leave any excess dried flaky skin in the salad bowls then.

I am also one of those people who can suffer with 'cracked' skin after days of constant use of hand sanitizers. Can assure you that splitting skin is no laughing matter and using sanitizers can be extremely painful from the stinging. This is not like dandruff, where one experiences dry flaky skin. Having split skin on one's hands can lead to bacteria finding a home as can any cut. IMHO your comments were uncalled for but hope that you now understand.

Love the Royal/Regal having the washstands outside of the buffet so I can minimize how often I use sanitizers. Do believe one should have clean hands when going thru the buffet but have gotten into the habit of cleaning hands again (often with sanitizers) before eating especially if there are foods to be eaten with hands such as bread. Keep hand lotion handy as well to offset the drying element.

Happy cruising.

Sandy :)

As a physician, your description reveals some major problem in food handling. Whenever we cruise we try to avoid the buffet line.

We tried to explain to the cook why we were not going to eat the sandwiches. He did not understand what we were saying. So even if he changed his gloves, which he did, he did not understand what he was doing wrong. He continued to touch raw meat and buns with the same gloves.

I

As a physician, your description reveals some major problem in food handling. Whenever we cruise we try to avoid the buffet line.

If this is done in open view at the grill, imagine what goes on behind the closed doors of the MDR galley. :eek:

I don't understand why none of you who saw this happen didn't ask the cook to change his gloves and give you a fresh bun/ burger etc. I would have.

 

 

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I always say something if the person in front of me is munching down a french fry then lick their fingers. I tell the staff member what the person did and I want a new spoon for the food. I also mention it to the person licking their fingers and touching the spoons. Hepatitis A anyone?

We tried to explain to the cook why we were not going to eat the sandwiches. He did not understand what we were saying. So even if he changed his gloves, which he did, he did not understand what he was doing wrong. He continued to touch raw meat and buns with the same gloves.

To bad someone couldn't have gotten a video or two and posted them on Youtube then link them here and on the other Princess forums that are out there. Princess seems to monitor these things and if someone at Princess knew that a bunch of potential cruisers are seeing this stuff maybe they might be a little quicker to do something. Then, again, maybe not......:confused:

Having been on Crown Princess recently this does not surprise me.

Many of the crew just don't care about hygiene.

And no one at managerial level seems to care about any issues on there.

We had our worst Princess cruise ever - out of 67 - on Crown this spring.

But there will be vociferous members on here who had wonderful cruises on Crown, many however not recently, and others will rally round as they are cheerleaders for Princess.

But I live in the real world.

And Crown Princess is the Noro and GI chief culprit out of the whole Princess fleet by a long way.

CDC records do not lie even though they are government statistics.

I am praying for a miracle, as we are going 35 days in 2018. We do not eat the buffet because I am allergic to shell fish and even if someone touches anything or if the fries are in the grease..

I am really feeling bad by what you said. Is it really that bad? Please respond with honesty...good or bad. Just your opinion and why you experienced it.

Just got off the Crown Princess yesterday after an excellent Baltic cruise. However I did witness one of the worst issues of poor practice with regard to food handling I have witnessed. Location burger grill open deck 15. The man in question handled raw chicken which was dripping with moisture or juice for want of a better word. He had taken a whole batch of it from the fridge and was placing it on the grill. His disposable gloves were soaking wet from handling the chicken . He then proceeded to handle my burger bun without changing his gloves passing on all the various germs to my plate and burger bun. I was shocked by this and immediately went downstairs to reception level 5 and report it. They were less than interested. Simply asked me to fill in a feedback form and that as it. I gave accurate details of time etc but I felt they did not realize this was unacceptable . On reflection I wish I had went back up and told people in line not to eat from the grill.I hope nobody got ill from this.

Next time ask to talk to the head ... who is over the Mat'red... head of hotel and food services, do not know exact title... my dh did his once... works...

Let me ask this. In the past few years failing health has caused both of my wife's parents to be hospitalized multiple times. In every patient's room there is a sanitizer station. Every doctor, nurse, and staff member would sanitize their hands when entering the room. Did they not get the memo?

 

I won't disagree that washing your hands with soap and water is an effective method--maybe the most effective method--to prevent the spread of infection, but, I just really doubt that, when a passenger drops by the buffet mid-afternoon to "just grab a snack," the handwashing that he/she did an hour ago is still effective.

 

Yes, I have read all the comments, here on Cruise Critic, that the sanitizer is not effective against the Norovirus. I have also read the comments that the sanitizer used on cruise ships is, in fact, efective against the Norovirus. However, I also know that there are hundreds (at least) of pathogens that can cause gastro-intestinal or respiratory distress. If the sanitizer is effective on, say, only 90% of them, then I say it should be used.

 

 

To the OP, I agree with your disappointment in the actions of the grill person. It shows a failure in the training process. Management is completely responsible. The disinterest that you saw when you reported the incident is completely unacceptable.

sorry to tell you the hand santitizer is more for show ... washing hands with soap and water is what counts... I do it all the time when on board a ship... never use the santizer.

As a physician, your description reveals some major problem in food handling. Whenever we cruise we try to avoid the buffet line.

Agree with you 100%. We have seen more than we needed to see and will NEVER EVER do the buffet. Only time we will visit is when it first opens around 4 pm to get chips, etc. for happy hour in cabin. First one in, first one out!

by the way, the buffet also has a mat'red... ask to talk to this person... report what you see immediately ...

I don't understand why none of you who saw this happen didn't ask the cook to change his gloves and give you a fresh bun/ burger etc. I would have.

 

 

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If you say anything to unhygienic crew or passengers they make out like YOU are the dumb one............ and just being too picky

There is one particular group of pax on Princess who persist in contaminating the machines by filling their water bottles up at the water or beverage dispensers in spite of the notices forbidding it , and its no good mentioning to them as they apparently do not understand you, and crew won't do anything to stop it.

by the way, the buffet also has a mat'red... ask to talk to this person... report what you see immediately ...

There is only one Maitre D' on a ship, he seems to be more into assigning tables in MDR and strutting about looking smart, there is a buffet manager but in my experience they aren't really very interested

The last 14 day cruise I was on aboard Crown Princess this year I spent a few minutes every day writing complaints at Passenger Services desk and just got a reputation as a serial complainer, it wasn't my fault there was so much wrong, and nothing much got done to fix problems, I was so pleased to debark.

Then we had 2 weeks on Majestic without a single complaint. Wonderful.

Complain too much and you may find Princess ban you from being a passenger. Happened to friends of mine.

I had a similar view of cross contamination potential on one of my Princess cruises. I asked him to get his supervisor. When I talked to him, the 'cook' was taken back to the kitchen and talked to. The supervisor than came out and thanked me!

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Hand sanitizer is not the answer - ask any doctor - it is mostly alcohol. A thorough washing of hands as often as possible will do much more than the hand sanitizer

I totally agree with you!!

Tony

sorry to tell you the hand santitizer is more for show ... washing hands with soap and water is what counts... I do it all the time when on board a ship... never use the santizer.

I dislike the sanitizer as well, but sometimes you are not given a choice.

We sailed RCCL in 2014 and the cruise before ours had a Norovirus outbreak, plus it continued into our cruise (fortunately we did not get sick, and the crew were vigilant about cleaning). My husband and I would always wash our hands at the rest room just outside the dining room, but we were still required to use sanitizer before entering the dining room (also the photo area).

I dislike the sanitizer as well, but sometimes you are not given a choice.

 

Sure you do.

Many times I've gone past the person pointing at the sanitizer & just put my hand under till it begins to squirt and remove it quickly before receiving my dose.

They never know the difference.

Sure you do.

Many times I've gone past the person pointing at the sanitizer & just put my hand under till it begins to squirt and remove it quickly before receiving my dose.

They never know the difference.

They were not pointing at sanitizer, they were holding either spray bottles or pump dispensers and applying to the person. Either way, if ship personnel ask me to do something reasonable with respect to my safety and the safety of others I will opt to comply and endure some mild discomfort (and pack hand lotion to deal with dry skin).

sorry to tell you the hand santitizer is more for show ... washing hands with soap and water is what counts... I do it all the time when on board a ship... never use the santizer.

Again, I have to ask, why are there sanitiation stations in every room--and spread thoughout other areas where the public congregates--in the hospital? For show?

Also, again, I agree completely with the benefits of handwashing. I know that people who have sailed on the Regal Princess and the Royal Princess have reported that there are handwashing stations at the entrance of the buffet. I know of at least one report where handwashing was required before entering the buffet. That report started with a lament about how the poster was humiliated because he had to wash his hands. I have read no further reports that handwashing is required on those ships.

Now, I am willing to assume that you are very diligent about washing your hands and, then, not touching anything--door knobs. staircase railings, elevator call buttons, elevator floor buttons, your face--before you enter the buffet. How many people do you think are on the ship that are not as careful as you? My guess is a vast majority.

Let's assume you are not sailing on the Royal or the Regal, and you want to go to the buffet. There are no convenient sinks for buffet patrons to wash their hands. I am very OK with you walking through the entrance without sanitizing, because I do believe that you are quite diligent about your cleanliness. However, what about the people in front of you who also don't think they have to sanitize? Did they just run to the buffet after washing their hands in their cabin? Have they been sitting in a lounge, enjoying a cocktail with friends? Have they been jogging on the Promenade? Have they been sunning by the pool? Have they just come from bingo? Are they mature adults? Are they children? Are they already infected?

Here's the thing. Handwashing or sanitizing, as effective as they are in protecting you from the infections of others, are more important in protecting others from your infections. So, again, let's assume that you are not carrying any infections and your hands are clean. I am happy to follow you around the buffet. However, what about that kid in front of you? He did not use the sanitizer, and the last time he washed his hands was three hours ago. Since then, he has visited the pool, played arcade games for an hour, and, generally, "hung out." Now, he's going to the buffet to get something to eat. Since we followed him into the buffet and saw that he did not bother to sanitize, are you really confident that your clean hands are going to protect you from any pathogens that he might leave on any of the communal plates or utensils that you are going to touch?

A couple days ago, a friend sent me this link:

https://share.kaiserpermanente.org/article/guide-germ-free-cruising/?wt.mc_id=041317photo3&cat=36cta1

Here is an MD who, not only espouses the use of sanitizers, he insists on taking it with him for use in his cabin.

Now, I know that I am at risk when I am in any crowd. Let's say I make it though the buffet without picking up any pathogens. How do I know that the guy who just left the chair that I am now using is not infected? How do I know that the server who just left the napkin and utensils for me is not infected? I can't completely obsess about everything. I do wash my hands frequently, and I silently sing "Happy Birthday" twice when I do so. I honestly believe that my handwashing and my use of the sanitizers protects others as much, if not more, than it protects me. I would like to think that other passengers and ship staff take care to protect me. Sadly, I believe that is a naive view.

People should just comply and use the hand sanitizer. Maybe it doesn't kill norovirus, but it helps eliminate many other types of viruses and bacteria. I don't know why you would avoid it. It's for your own good. Sometimes people just don't want to do something if they feel they're being told to do it. The hand washing stations on Regal are very nice, I appreciated it. If everyone would do it, it would severely decrease the spread of infection. Some people just prefer dirty hands. I work in a medical college and there is an MD on my floor, I've seen her use the ladies room and just walk out of the stall and leave without washing her hands (on more than one occasion). This is a medical doctor, who should not only be well versed in infectious diseases but also rigorously trained by the hospital she works for on hand hygiene and preventing the spread of infection.

Apparently they changed the menu to add Salmonella.

We've just got off the Crown too on Saturday.

 

I was unimpressed with the Grill also. One guy had no gloves on and the burgers were always luke warm. Only when I asked for a double cheese burger was it hot.

 

What really got my back up wasn't the staff, but passengers entering the Horizon buffet through the exits and therefore bypassing the hand gel dispenser at the designated entrance.

We were also on the Crown Princess. Almost always came to Horizon from our cabin where I washed my hands with soap and water and see no reason to than add the gel on top of that.