Cruisebugg

On 12/27/2019 at 6:33 AM, flyingron said:

One amusing paradox not mentioned here is the ubiquitous buffet tongs.    If you reach in and pick up a roll from the table with hour hand, perhaps one or two people touch an adjacent roll to the one that they selected.   But every single person who comes along touches that same tong handle.   Your risks are bigger with the tongs.

Yes, I have seen the food trays replenished or replaced but the old tongs have remained - ready for the next hundred passengers to touch! 😝   

On 12/19/2019 at 9:12 AM, MicCanberra said:

Some cruise lines (P&O) have servers in the buffet all the time, their incidence of Noro is negligible compared to others like Princess.

It would make sense that Princess would know this fact and act accordingly to correct the problem.
 

 In the meantime, they need to actually enforce the use of the hand sanitiser and not just ignore the passengers that walk past and risk infecting others. I know that hand sanitiser if not foolproof, and soap and water is probably better, but if it is policy, then it should be enforced.   (rant over... 😉)

As others do, I wash my hands regularly with soap and water and also use the hand sanitisers available, as well as my own, at times. 

I know it has been discussed before, but I still get amazed that due to the incidence of norovirus etc onboard ships, why food is not served by the crew, at all times... I have seen many people avoid using the hand sanitiser in the buffet areas and then proceed to serve themselves food, potentially risking the health of other passengers.  Inevitably, people start getting sick at some point on the cruise and THEN the staff start serving the food.  🤷‍♂️

Thank you everyone!     😋

Thanks, everyone!  I appreciate your replies. 

 Just another quick question.... I am keen to fill out all the information required on Cruise Personaliser for our trip, so I can print out the boarding passes etc...but some of our group don't want to give out all the details such as credit card info online. I don't think the passes will print without this information. Clearly, they will have to provided that information at embarkation. However, I just wanted to know if it is much quicker to have everything printed out - boarding pass etc.....or does it make little difference?   (I won't rant and rave to them if it is not necessary 😉).

Hi All,

I am setting off on a Princess cruise that is only travelling to Australian ports. When I filled in information on Cruise Personaliser, it asked about ID and the only option was 'Passport book".  It is my understanding that Australians would not need to show a passport for embarkation, if they are only travelling within Australia. Is this correct?

(I have no problems showing my passport if necessary).

Many thanks,

Cruisebugg

Great! Thank you! :D

Hi All,

Just wondering how you find out which main dining room has been allocated to you on Dawn Princess. I have booked an early sitting time but unable to work out which dining room....? :confused:

On our last cruise, my sister-in-law introduced me to vegemite on toast with a poached egg on top....delicious! :p

Thanks everyone!

Yeah, I haven't seen it advertised. Seem to remember that it used to be advertised and passengers were encouraged to bring 'dress up' clothes.

HI,

Just wondering if they still do theme nights on Princess cruises from Australia?

Many thanks,

Cruisebugg :D

Thanks everyone for your replies! Bit of a worry about the rough waters and difficulties disembarking. Hopefully, our trip will find calmer waters.

Cheers,

Cruisebugg :)

Hi All,

Hopefully you can help with a few questions. :confused: Just wondering how long it takes to disembark in Bali (Benoa) and any tips about when/how to secure tender tickets etc. We arrive at 8am and would like to be on shore by at least 9:30am if it is possible. We have a private driver pick up. Where would they be parked or waiting?

Many thanks,

Cruisebugg :)

Thank you! Appreciate your replies. :)

HI All,

It has been a while since I have sailed on a Princess Cruise so I was just wondering about the latest info on tipping/gratuities.

In the past it was added on each day to the shipboard account. (This could be removed or retained). Is this still the case or have I already paid it in my fare?

I know it is an irritating subject for many, but just want to know my options as I can't seem to find clear information. :confused:

Thank you,

Cruisebugg :D

What cabin number?? We have 7261 in 3 weeks time. Any feedback on deck 7 PR cabin would be great.

Karen:confused:

We found a deck 7 PR cabin to be great! It was high enough to avoid noise from the Promenade and low enough to have a clear view of the happenings below!

Remember to close the curtains for sleeping as the light from the Promenade can be quite bright. It was fine once they were closed. :cool:

We had difficulties waking up some mornings so we solved the problem by ordering room service at the time we wanted to get up! (added bonus was a nice cuppa and pastry in bed :p )

You will enjoy your cabin :D

I agree, that th estaff should enforce (if needed) the hygiene standards.

BTW, it is an appropriate cc name for this subject.:D

Haha,

I hadn't thought about the name! :o :rolleyes:

Just back from the Solstice 14 day Auckland to Sydney. It was good to see that Celebrity took a serious view towards hygiene as they had staff serving in the buffet for the first 72 hours, and all entrances to restaurants and gangways were personally issuing the hand sanitize throughout the cruise. Did not hear of any health issues.

I think it's crucial that hygiene is closely monitored during the first few days of the cruise (perhaps for the whole cruise!) to ensure passengers are aware of what is expected to enable a healthy cruise for everyone.

Unfortunately, some people do not have basic hygiene practices and so careful monitoring is essential to show what is expected. It is also important that the crew who monitor, are forceful enough to insist that passengers use the sanitisers. On some cruise lines, I have seen an occasional passenger refuse, and the crew who are very polite and shy, just let them pass without a challenge. (That's why I was so impressed on my last cruise on the Voyager of the Seas - The crew were very insistent, but did it with good humour, and I don't think anyone got through!!) :D

They don't wash their hands then they touch things like door handles, handrails, lift buttons, serving implements in the buffet restaurant, the sides of chairs when pulling them closer to the table, etc. You come along with your impeccably clean hands, touch one of those surfaces that have been infected by those unwashed hands, and voila! You have now picked up norovirus. Then you eat some bread or something and next thing you know is that you're on the sick list.

Yes! This would apply to anyone (passengers or crew members) that don't wash properly. :eek:

Just off Celebrity Solstice. They have public toilets with electronic doors so you never ever have to touch the door handles. Just nudge the button with your elbow or use one of the individual towels and drop it in the wash bin before leaving. At night they post staff in there who pass you towels and turn the water on for you as well as opening the door for you when leaving. Excellent.

 

Also their policy in the buffet is that the first 72 hrs of every cruise buffet food is served by the staff to ensure any lingering "germs" from the previous pax and any new ones brought on board have a good chance to "die off"

 

 

 

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Sounds like a great idea! Just have to find a way to get everyone to actually practise good hygiene without constant monitoring. :(

We were on Deck 7 (opposite the giant Christmas tree!) :cool:

Loved the monitoring of the hand sanitisers and the "Washy, Washy". I'm sure this is why we had such a 'healthy' cruise.

We have just sailed on Voyager of the Seas and had no outbreaks of Novo virus. It may well have been due to the fact that all entrances to the dining rooms and buffet areas are monitored by staff (for the whole cruise) who insisted that passengers use the hand sanitisers. This was done with good humour and we were always reminded to "Washy Washy!" (No-one got through without washing!) :)

Alternatively, on all our other cruises, I noted that the sanitisers were only monitored for a few days and I was shocked at the number of passengers who ignored them and walked straight through to the dining areas. It was no surprise that after a short time, quite a few passengers became sick. Staff had to serve all food in the buffet areas to help stop the spread of the virus. :eek: Suddenly, using the hand sanitises became a priority once again.

It would be great if all cruise lines followed the example I witnessed on Royal Caribbean. :)

We are also just off the Voyager from the NYE cruise! Agree with all the positive comments. We had a great time in our Promenade view cabin.

A suggestion for when you embark…go down to the dock early and get the immigration forms (just ask an official). We filled these out in our hotel room and found it much easier than having to fill them out in the queue. The whole process was much quicker too. :D

Nah, Anthony… Cruisebug with one g was already taken when I signed up so I just added another g :D

Haha! Yeah, I guessed you were joking! Gave me a chance to see if I could change the picture though….and I could!! :D