Mariner Alaska Cruise Viral outbreak

Currently on Mariner

25+ cabins quarantined

Public areas are a ghost town

Praying we do not get infected

Mariner again not good

Sorry to hear about this; we went through two weeks of Code Red on Mariner earlier this year; not fun.

Question: Is this confined to passengers or are crew also affected (our outbreak was confined to passengers)? If crew are affected, I wonder if this is a carryover from the charter that just ended when you boarded.

We kept using the public areas just did a lot of hand wringing (I mean washing).

Please try to still enjoy your wonderful itinerary.

Marc

Fingers crossed for a quick resolution and a wonderful cruise.

Bob

Sent from my SM-G950U using Forums mobile app

Good grief, not again! We went through this on Mariner about a year and a half ago. But it was handled very well, and we didn't really feel like much was amiss. Perhaps it wasn't as bad.

Wondering what type of illness it is.... Gastrointestinal or Respiratory?

Gastrointestinal

Passengers only as reported

The crew is doing all they can.

The ship and crew are awesome. Not letting it dampen our spirits

Praying all get healthy again. Glad to hear about the crew’s response... and your positive outlook.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Hoping that this is resolved quickly. We had this happen on the Mariner in Alaska late last August.

Greetings from South Beach, Everyone. When I read Code Red, I wonder if the designers of the cleaning program are aware of what soil is around them. We have two Chihuahuas, and one has bladder issues. I bought a detection kit to make sure I got rid of all evidence of his problem. A UV light, coupled with tinted goggles reveals All. I mean All. This light picks up almost everything related to living creatures. It is not as good as the lights used by police departments, the FBI and the like, but it is very impressive. Just wearing hazmat, wearing rubber gloves, and spraying cleaner will not do the job. This process is not for the faint of heart. At the moment, mission accomplished here. Just wondering why the problem may be persistent.

Mary

I still recommend buying jewelers white gloves by the dozen. White, cotton, bleach-able, and for those with sensitive skin...no washing your hands every time you touch something. So sorry this cruise is experiencing another outbreak.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I tried the white glove thing and found it to be a bloody nuisance (still have many in a closet). If I could remember them and if they could fit in my small bag, they are good for holding the utensils on the buffet (which aren't out anyway because you can't serve yourself during Code Red.)

What we do take are the wipes that hospitals use that do kill Norovirus (not saying that the Mariner has Norovirus -- just saying how strong the product is). It is available on Amazon and other places. It is a good thing that the salt and pepper shakers are not on the table and that they use paper menus as they get touched a lot.

The main things not to do is use the handrails (and if you do, do not touch your hand until you disinfect it) or touch the elevator buttons. I always use a knuckle to press elevator buttons as it isn't as likely for me to rub my eyes with a knuckle as it is a finger.

The main thing to do is not shake hands. As many of you may recall, after the Code Red on the Mariner in Alaska, there were 2-3 more Code Red sailings before it ended. So, when we boarded the Mariner in November 2018 (2 months after our Alaska cruise), Captain Serena put a "no hand shaking" policy in place. We were going to a part of the world where people typically get sick on cruise ships ....... Brazil (the Amazon). We all abided by the policy and people were healthy - no problems. Unfortunately, Captain Serena went on vacation when we returned to Miami - the policy ended and the South America cruise that many post about had Code Red.

Just sharing this information for people new to Regent or to Cruise Critic.

P.S. Hugging is fine - just don't touch the palms of your hands.

Sorry the gloves didn’t work for you, yet I swear by them....wearing a pair whenever I go to grocery, library, restaurants, etc., and , knock on wood, I am never sick. If you see the person with the white gloves at the buffet...that may be me! Say hello.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Sorry the gloves didn’t work for you, yet I swear by them....wearing a pair whenever I go to grocery, library, restaurants, etc., and , knock on wood, I am never sick. If you see the person with the white gloves at the buffet...that may be me! Say hello.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Definitely will look for anyone wearing white gloves:halo:. I just can't use my fingers to manipulate anything when I wear gloves. The grocery stores in our area all have disinfectant wipes near the carts and I use them to wipe things down. For our February, 2019 Explorer cruise, I may take the gloves out again and see if I can use them because you can't be too careful when people are boarding the ship in Lima. Thanks for the advice!

Looks like it’s probably noro. 38 passengers, 0 crew ill at some time during the cruise. See: https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2018/SevenSeasMariner_6-20.html

Thanks Dave; sounds like no hurry for arriving passengers tomorrow to get to ship; boarding probably delayed a few hours.

Marc

Curious, since the sick passengers are leaving, does the ship stay in code red?

Last year when we left the Mariner it was in Code Red and it remained in Code Red until the ship went 48 hours without a new case. So, it was still on Code Red when the new passengers boarded.

TC2, you may have already answered this, so please be patient with me, and explain again why passengers boarding in Lima bring onboard so many bugs. I wonder if Regent keeps track of who came onboard then, who was sick, etc.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

TC2, you may have already answered this, so please be patient with me, and explain again why passengers boarding in Lima bring onboard so many bugs. I wonder if Regent keeps track of who came onboard then, who was sick, etc.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Having been to Lima many times on business, I can’t find any reference to this. More people board ships in the US with illness. Hog wash. Lima is a fantastic city and have never been sick. Why focus on Lima or any city for being the focus. This can happen anywhere around the world.

TC2, you may have already answered this, so please be patient with me, and explain again why passengers boarding in Lima bring onboard so many bugs. I wonder if Regent keeps track of who came onboard then, who was sick, etc.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Hi grandmommy987 - wish that I could answer your question definitively but I can only share what I've been told by officers onboard Regent ships. They feel that people that visit Machu Picchu eat and drink at places that cause them to become ill. Passengers may not even know they are sick when they board the ship, however, once they become ill, they have likely infected many other passengers. The Mariner has become "sick" several times with passengers boarding in Lima (after having visited Machu Picchu) as have other ships. Not sure what they can do to prevent people from eating at the wrong places or drinking water (or having ice in their drinks). While the illness is not always Norovirus, it is gastroenteritis.

We once departed a ship in Lima and flew directly home and had no problems. However, due to the reported sickness over the years linked to Lima/Machu Picchu, I'm hoping that our cruise next year isn't the first time that the Explorer passengers get sick. I can only hope that whomever the Captain is on our cruise will implement the "no hand shaking" policy which will lessen the chances of contamination.

Having been to Machu Picchu several times and stayed at the hotel Monestario in Cuzco and ate at local restaurants we have never been sick except for a little altitude sickness because the air is thinner and also Cuzco which is higher we had no problems whatsoever. Many cruisers do land portions without issues. The virus is everywhere even in the US. This primarily has to do with personal hygiene.

NCL has had plenty of issues out of the US doing Carribean cruises boarding in Miami or returning to the port. Nobody can say Lima is a problem or outlying areas they visit. The captain is not an infectious disease doctor. So just pushing the blame on Peru is not a valid medical opinion.

Your evaluation is not valid and I would love others to experience Lima and Cuzco and take the fabulous blue train up to Cuzco and down to Macho Picchu for a lifetime adventure. Pre-cruise or post cruise. Well worth it.

Having been to Machu Picchu several times and stayed at the hotel Monestario in Cuzco and ate at local restaurants we have never been sick except for a little altitude sickness because the air is thinner and also Cuzco which is higher we had no problems whatsoever. Many cruisers do land portions without issues. The virus is everywhere even in the US. This primarily has to do with personal hygiene.

 

NCL has had plenty of issues out of the US doing Carribean cruises boarding in Miami or returning to the port. Nobody can say Lima is a problem or outlying areas they visit. The captain is not an infectious disease doctor. So just pushing the blame on Peru ���� is not a valid medical opinion.

 

Your evaluation is not valid and I would love others to experience Lima and Cuzco and take the fabulous blue train up to Cuzco and down to Macho Picchu for a lifetime adventure. Pre-cruise or post cruise. Well worth it.

As you know, it is fine to disagree but suggesting that someone else's experience is "Hog wash" is unkind and untrue. The issues in South America is well known amongst the cruising community. All it takes is multiple Code Red's in the same areas to create concern about sailing on a ship that is in the area. Not arguing with you - just expressing a different point of view!

I am mainly discussing this because of Mariner's Code Red in Alaska that continued until the ship went to the Amazon and returned without incident (due at least in part to no hand shaking). Once the Mariner returned to South America, Code Red returned (for the 2nd, 3rd or 4th time in the same area). This is definitely a concern for those of us that will be on Explorer in South America early next year!

Thanks for the info, TC.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

All opinions on this forum are welcome, but I wonder why people can’t be kind.

Sent from my iPad using Forums