Hundreds get sick with intestinal bug on 3rd straight cruise

[PPH2]

Rich,

 

Get some ointment for your crab issue. :p

 

I can guarantee you that not everyone in Charleston is sick! To be honest, virtually every mention of norovirus I have heard about has been in relation to the Mercury. I am in no way doubting that it may be here in the lowcountry; I am only saying that it isn't a hot topic.

 

I sure hope they can get this cleared up fast. We are sooo excited about our upcoming Century cruise in May and I can only imagine how disappointing it would be to have something widespread like this pop up.

 

Bryan

[bug_dan]

Hey Rich,

 

We were going to bring 2 bushels of crabs on for our Sail Away Party on the Thanksgiving Cruise out of Baltimore, but they wouldn't let them on board:D

 

I hope those who are going to thank the crew on their cruises, would take a little extra time to drop in on the Medical Center and thank those folks also. In January, we spent 3 days there and Dr Urisha Brijlal and her nurses gave my wife the best of care during her stay. They truly are professional and caring. I can't begin to imagine what they must have been going through these past cruises. Hope they have everything cleared up for those cruising in the next few weeks:)

[RichS10]

Hey Rich,

 

We were going to bring 2 bushels of crabs on for our Sail Away Party on the Thanksgiving Cruise out of Baltimore, but they wouldn't let them on board:D

 

 

I'm sure Celebrity was just following CDC guidelines.

Wouldn't want an outbreak of crabs on board. Their claws can pinch like heck.

While "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", it's the crabs that stay in Baltimore.

[Longboysfan]

No amount of cleaning will help if the sick people of SC keep getting on the ship. The virus is growing like wildfire there! My niece is a student at the College of Charleston.

 

This is what I was wondering.

 

They must have cleaned the ship top to bottom a few times.

But

If it's not the ship it some common element in the equation - Airport, Transport, pier area or whatever they need to rethink where the virus is coming from.

 

They could try the get naked and boof them with disenfect spray.

[dzcruisers]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/03/16/cruise.ship.outbreak/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn

[Jill SC]

It only takes a couple of people to bring it on board with them and it will spread quickly. Unfortunately there are a lot of people who don't properly wash their hands and don't have the common courtesy to cover their mouth when coughing.

[Puffthefish]

News story about it being in SC from March 8th.

http://www2.counton2.com/cbd/news/local/article/norovirus_increase/118952/

 

Norovirus fact sheet from SC dept of health

http://www.scdhec.gov/health/disease/docs/Gastroenteritis-Fact-Sheet.pdf

 

SC Department of health news release about the novovirus outbreak from 2/23:

http://www.scdhec.gov/administration/news/2010/nr20100223-01.htm

[MrPete]

I wonder if the individual or individuals that originally brought it on are aware.

 

I understand the next cruise is postponed by 2 days.

[parrothead1]

If this doesn't work, I don't know what will.

 

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/mar/17/extra-crew-to-scour-mercury/#comments

 

"Celebrity will bring an extra 50 crew members to help disinfect the ship, according to Cynthia Martinez, corporate communications manager for parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises. She said Celebrity contracted with one company to steam clean the carpet in all state rooms and public areas and with another company to bring 12 technicians onboard with electrostatic sprayers that use a charge to evenly distribute the cleaning solutions."

[smtcan]

We decided and did take our delayed sailing on the Mercury sailing on Feb 27. My wife and I have traveled many times with Celebrity and RCL, we tried to celebrate our 30th Anniversary, here is why we did not enjoy this trip:

 

• If you are planning on seeing a clean ship, look twice, it will be easy to see it is everywhere, I mean the white haze all over the ship, on tables, elevators walls, the chemical they used is visible everywhere!! It took the glitz and sparkle out of our trip, physically and mentally!

 

• Yes the crew works hard, but they are burnt out, you can see it in their eyes~~all week all we heard was who is sick today, that was another bad taste!

 

• Don't be surprised if you get to a port and you are delayed getting off the ship, when in Nassau, we got delayed getting off the ship by 2-hours, the Captain said it was due to the fact the port had 6 ships that day, BS to that, we found out from a crew member that it was due to the fact our ship was coded "Red"

 

• Every time we asked a question regarding why the band is not playing around the pool, told it was due to the virus, come on, that was a joke!

 

• I will say, the illness is on the ship, it is not the people from the south or North, or port handlers, 3 times in a row, think about that, something is alive and infectious on the ship.

 

Are we bitter, you bet, I will say if you do get sick like i did, the days of Throwing up and S***ING and fever and chills was not fun!

 

I truly hope and wish all the best of luck if you go?

 

Is the 25% off a future cruise worth it for compensation, no way! They should provide all who sailed a refund or 100% future cruise!

 

Again good luck we truly wish you the best, cross your fingers and enjoy the white haze!!!!!!!

 

 

B-

 

We were also on this cruise and have a rather different perspective - probably because we were among the vast majority who did not get sick. While it was not the best cruise we have ever been on, we enjoyed ourselves and thought the compensation was fair.

 

I will not dwell on the confusion before we boarded because I have mentioned that elsewhere. Once on the ship the crew was as friendly and helpful as usual. Yes they were tired, but as far as we were concerned they did a good job. Mirrors and shiny surfaces were hazed with cleaning agents, but this showed they were sanitized. We heard no talk of sickness and were not aware of how many people were sick until we read about it after disembarking. There was a lack of information about the delay in going ashore in Nassau which was annoying.

 

If we or any in our group had been sick, I may well have felt as this poster did, but the number who were affected on this cruise was not large and most people we spoke to had a good time.

 

Sheila

[cruisecluestoo]

I was on the same cruise . I think you just don't know how many people were sick . It was a lot more then was reported . I know a lot got sick the last night and on the way home . Three out of six in our group did. They don't have that added to their count. We had problems but still had fun .

 

Diane cruiseclues

[LadeeBug100]

I was on the delayed Feb 27 sailing of the Mercury, I, too, like Sheila had a different experience. Even though the boarding process was not great we did not let that get us down. I could not have done any better trying to communicate with that many passengers, maybe Celebrity and the port can learn from that experience.

 

Even though the cruise was not one of our better cruises it was mainly due to the weather, no one can help that. It has been so cold this winter in the south we were hoping for a lot of warm weather. But we still had a great time. no cooking or cleaning, except for sanitizing our cabin. My husband nor I got sick.

 

Like previous posters have said I am not so sure it is a SC problem, my brother in Fla and parents in Ga have all had it and it is going around their area.

I do not think it is a "sick ship" just sick passengers. I observed many times in the ladies public restrooms of ladies not washing their hands properly,ie;rinsing for a few seconds with just water or washing for a few seconds. We are teaching our granddaughter to sing the ABC song while she washes her hands, so that is exactly what I did (to myself , of course).That is just a simple way to make sure we wash our hands for the recommended amount of time.

 

Okay , so much for my rambling , the only complaint I have about the cruise was the music they piped in at the pool. It was just awful. Some kind of smooth jazz, not pool music, I almost wanted to jump overboard after listening to it all day.

[Ships R Great]

I'll jump in also. We were on the 2/27th cruise. We did not get sick. I wiped down the cabin when we boarded, including he coat hangers! We washed, washed, washed our handa at every opportunity. We purposely did not use public restrooms. We used the hand sanitizer before enering the dining venues and whenever we pass a dispenser. did all of this make anuy difference? I don't know but we did not get sick. We were fortunate, I know. I wouls sail on this upcoming cruise if I could talk DH into it. And we are not spring chickens!

 

Good luck to all who are sailing Mercury or any ship soon!

[CruisingChick]

We purposely did not use public restrooms. Good luck to all who are sailing Mercury or any ship soon!

 

Ships - we are sailing on March 29th and even before this latest news on Mercury I told my DH that we should not use the public restrooms but run back to the cabin - the ship isn't that big.

 

I also read on the CDC site to only drink bottled water and only eat hot foods, no salads or sandwiches at the buffet.

 

Can I asked what you used to wipe down the room? Lysol wipes or something else.

 

Thanks.

[Dharma517]

I have to agree about the hot foods theory. I have only taken about 6 cruises and the first 3 I enjoyed the salad bar and fresh cut fruits. A few hours later I would be in terrible GI distress. The last 3 cruises I totally avoided anything raw and presto...no mad dash back to the cabin to pollute my potty.

 

You know what I find very interesting about this noro season and many past? You rarely see a Disney ship struck with this (not never...just rarely). Those ships are TEAMING with children who are notorious for carrying and spreading germs. I am a mother of 4 children under the age of 8 so I know this first hand! Why could it be that we are not seeing it as much? Because parents take control over the little passengers and force them to wash their hands properly and use plenty of hand sanitizer!!!! Wish the adults traveling on these cruise ships could be so cleanly!

 

Jenn

 

 

Jenn

[cookiejarvis]

Chiming in...DH and I were on Mercury 2/27. We had a blast despite my getting sick last night. It did not effect our cruise. I felt sorry for the crew who only a handful got to go ashore the entire time. Our dining room staff was not able to get off the ship for two cruises. I felt safe, and seeing the milky film only enhanced my feeling that the ship and crew were doing everything it could to prevent us all from falling ill. I know there were sick people on this ship, many were older folks whose immune systems are alreadycompromised by various reasons. I am so sorry many were confined to their quarters and had to endure the unpleasantness of the illness. This illness could have caught up with you at home, too, from visitng the doctor, hospital, clubhouse, or anywhere else you have contact with other folks. For those complaining, stop. This is no one's fault. Those of you who decided to sail on 2/27 were given the option of having a full refund. You chose to go on this cruise knowing full well it was delayed becuase of the noro on the previous cruise. I doubt seriously if any of you had your entire cruise disrupted.It is over. Move on. Pray for those poor souls that are set to sail this weekend. and by all means, remember, there is another cruise leaving just about any day of the week for your pleasure. Hope this does not offend anyone but I really am tired of reading all the b...ing and whining.

[cookiejarvis]

• Don't be surprised if you get to a port and you are delayed getting off the ship, when in Nassau, we got delayed getting off the ship by 2-hours, the Captain said it was due to the fact the port had 6 ships that day, BS to that, we found out from a crew member that it was due to the fact our ship was coded "Red"

 

 

B-

 

I am not sure where you got that information or how reliable it was, however, the cold fact is that there were 6 ships arriving at approximately the same time. We were forced to tie up to half of the pier and then use a portable island docking station for the rear of the ship. We watched the dock workers for 2 hours trying to stabilize our ship right out of our cabin. This was not an easy task. The entire time we were docked, someone paid a tug boat to push against our boat to keep it from slamming on to the dock. The tug was running the entire time we were in port. Port authorities in Nassau were probably at blame here for overbooking their port.

[PatC]

Joe & Karen

 

AMEN and thank you for that post. We sail on 3/29 and plan on being some of the first on board.

 

You hit the nail right on the head. With Celebrity bringing in additional staff (I believe they said 50) to help the ship should be okay by the time we sail.

 

I also agree with someone on another thread who said she wondered why the Disney cruise line doesn't have more noro with all the kids. Her reasoning, and she' right, moms make their kids wash their hands before every meal and usually after. They also train them to wash in the bathrooms.

 

Maybe we should bring those mom's on other ships to train those who just walk right by the sinks!

 

Seriously, thanks for the post. It was uplifting to those of us who plan on having a ball on our trip and also plan on being cautious.

 

Pat C

[StevefromOhio]

There have been only 40 cases reported across the state of South Carolina. Compared to 36 this time last year.

And a state official went on to say the out break may have been caused by contaminated people dis-embarking from a cruise ship in Charleston.

 

It appears that the virus may be deeply imbedded in the ship and that it be no amount of cleaning will be totally effective.

 

If you study the mechanics of how the virus is spread it is some what unlikely that each incident has been caused by infected boarding passengers bringing the virus on board. The biggest data point is, as I have been told, the illness peaks several days after departure.

 

Just a thought or two.

[Christine Frances]

There have been only 40 cases reported across the state of South Carolina. Compared to 36 this time last year.

 

It's now 45 OUTBREAKS (not cases) of Norovirus http://www.scdhec.gov/health/disease/han/docs/HAN-20100226-01.pdf

 

This is an update to the Advisory issued in January

[eileen & jay]

 

It appears that the virus may be deeply imbedded in the ship and that it be no amount of cleaning will be totally effective.

 

If you study the mechanics of how the virus is spread it is some what unlikely that each incident has been caused by infected boarding passengers bringing the virus on board.

 

 

IMHO, I don't understand what you are implying. Please explain.

[AAAAmerican]

It is not only a ship but many with Celebrity now.

 

You may not have seen the Summit reported by many passengers as well many did not go to the Medical Facilities too.

 

It may be a lot worse in numbers than we all know/see.

 

SAFE FOOD PRACTICES((???)))::

 

I do/did notice even in what is called the Buffet Lines ( We call it another assortment of names... **** ) that they do not replace the Serving Trays as a Good Food Buffet should but scarp the products into the trays. *YIKES* Talk about a Germ Factory.. it is as leaving Mayonnaise out for 9-10 does...:mad:

 

 

Also you may have seen staff refilling even the Condiments.. Oh why do they not wash these vessels first? Why don't they wear sanitary gloves even doing this..?:mad::mad:

 

 

 

The NORO is best killed with a Clorox Bleach Product yes the percent of CL is important. ;)

 

Washing of hands is a necessary method of basic cleanliness. So the Cruise Lines should have more sinks and heated blow dryers available to cruisers.

 

The alcohol based gel is well if they do not use any other methods.. but it is not really that effective in killing viral forms.

 

::

 

KEEP IT CLEAN!

[StevefromOhio]

IMHO, I don't understand what you are implying. Please explain.

 

The virus may be in so many areas that it is spreading from a contaminated area to a newly cleaned area. One very good thing is that the ship will be docked for almost 4 days before passengers return. This will greatly reduce the possibility of "cross contamination". Plus due to the severity of the previous outbreaks the CDC will be there in full force (I assume).

Unfortunately there are no magic googles that you can put on to find the virus.

The extra time in port will aid in the natural expiration of the virus.

Please understand these are just ideas tho based on some knowledge of virus contamination. The major point I was making was I don't think all three outbreaks were caused by new contamination.

[eileen & jay]

Steve, thanks for the explanation.

[StevefromOhio]

There have been only 40 cases reported across the state of South Carolina. Compared to 36 this time last year.

 

It's now 45 OUTBREAKS (not cases) of Norovirus http://www.scdhec.gov/health/disease/han/docs/HAN-20100226-01.pdf

 

This is an update to the Advisory issued in January[/quote

 

And your point is........?

 

A case contains many events. The fact remains that they are near normal in Noro Virus events.

The Cruise line has, according to the CDC, taken all the usual steps and they have not been effective. They are taking some drastic measures to solve the problem for which they should be applauded.