Ryndam Sick

[Santa Fe Jim]

What we are talking about here may be the flu (as the term is commonly used), but it is not the FLU, the type we get shots for. Oh, some on a ship may have the FLU, but the outbreaks many talk talk about on this board are different. Now, if one is sick and days on a ship spoiled - this is small comfort. However, the FLU that so many die of in a average year involves many days in bed with severe chill, fever, upset stomach and GI problems. This is a serious illness, particularly for the young, elderly and for folks with compromised immune systems.

 

Close, but not quite correct. The "stomach flu" (aka stomach virus, intestinal flu, stomach bug) includes various types of viral and bacterial illnesses, one of which is a norovirus, like the Norwalk virus. "Food Poisoning" in some instances has symptoms like "stomach flu".

 

What we get flu shots for is influenza(e). This flu is a respiratory illness -- it would not usually involve an upset stomach or GI problems. As you say it is sometimes fatal for certain groups, but from respiratory problems, not GI.

 

I had a severe case of the flu this year despite getting the vaccine. Since it presented four days after departing the Zaandam, I apparently acquired it in the Orlando airport or on the flights home. I was obviously rested and in good health (and had the vaccine), but the case was severe and lasted 3 weeks, with a lingering slight cough for a couple more weeks.

 

SFJ

[OCruisers]

Saw just one version of the Veendam's norovirus exposé this morning on Northwest Cable News today. The exaggeration was beyond comprehension in both Tampa and the PNW. I guess the media is desperate for stories. One person said it was a "trip from hell" and another said that it was barely noticeable (!?)...

 

We were on the V-DAM 1/15 Sailing!

 

Can't understand WHY anyone would said that it was "barely noticeable"! :confused:

 

When people you normally saw were missing for a day or so, you knew they had the virus!

 

At the Q&A Session/Report from CDC at the time 180 people had reported to the infirmary and 240 had stated on their CDC Questionnaire they had been infected with the virus. Later that evening, the nurse told us there had been another as they called it "wave" of the virus (explaining why it took 2 hours to return our call) so there were MANY more sick to ADD to these numbers!

 

Also at the Q&A the Captain very honestly answered that he did NOT know how many people (pax,staff,crew) were ill because people could have the virus and show no symptoms (per CDC) ... and some might not report they were sick.

 

LOTS OF PEOPLE were infected. The Captain did the right thing with his decision to take us back to Tampa as quickly as possible!

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[sail7seas]

Captain Schoonderbeek and Hotel Manager Nick Burger could not have been more honest with us. They did everything possible. They immediately took action at the first sign there was illness. There is no way either of those gentlemen could have done more to take care of all of us.....crew and passengers alike. It is the fine officers like these gentlemen that make the ships of HAL what they are. They and their crews are why we continue to sail HAL over and over again.

[rottenbinkle]

thanks Wanderer...that is what I meant..not "THE FLU"but the flu...that was my first time posting..I guess I had beter be more careful...my daughter called me this mornng and had been on the boat which is why I thought I would share about it not being a Norwalk type virus...

 

i was on the ryndam 1-13 to 1/28-29 sailing. actually, it was a norwalk type virus. in fact, the name that even the captain used to call it was the "nlv" or the "norwalk-like virus". so yes, it is a flu, but it is also quite similar to norwalk.

[jancookz]

Just got back from that Panama Canal cruise. It was a serious flu virus that made well over half the passengers sick. We would not sail on the Ryndam again or, perhaps, even HAL, because of how the passengers were treated during this mess. We were all "dumped" in Florida one day early (Jamaica even denied us entry because so many were sick), with absolutely no option for a hotel room for the night. Passengers, like us, who booked our own air, were given 20 minutes of phone time from the ship to change/re-book any reservations we had. The phone lines were jammed and 20 minutes simply wasn't enough time for most. The best news about this cruise is that we didn't get sick. We washed our hands 20-30x every day and worked hard not to touch our faces with our hands, as well as staying away from sick people. Plumbing didn't work right in lower levels of the ship, according to many we talked with about the ship. This doesn't help, when you're sick and have to smell bad odors throughout that entire level of the ship. Food was terrible in the Lido and mediocre in the dining room, except for the evening rolls, the soups and the salads. Entertainment was fair--some bad acts and some good. I'm afraid that the "old days" of cruising are gone, with the great food, service and entertainment. We have been cruising since 1981 and have seen these changes come about, but we will continue to cruise, though will be more selective about the lines we use. Our previous good experiences on HAL led us to believe this cruise would be the same. Sorry, but it was a dud.

[2rg]

I suspect the illness your refering to is a form of flu thats been going around loaclly for the last couple of years. My wife and I had it last winter and it was brutal. Laid us both up for over a week and took a couple months to get over it. We both got sick with-in a day of each other. In the first week I had 3 meals, 2 of which were soup and the other was a slice of dry toast.

[sail7seas]

Just got back from that Panama Canal cruise. It was a serious flu virus that made well over half the passengers sick. We would not sail on the Ryndam again or, perhaps, even HAL, because of how the passengers were treated during this mess. We were all "dumped" in Florida one day early (Jamaica even denied us entry because so many were sick), with absolutely no option for a hotel room for the night. Passengers, like us, who booked our own air, were given 20 minutes of phone time from the ship to change/re-book any reservations we had. The phone lines were jammed and 20 minutes simply wasn't enough time for most. The best news about this cruise is that we didn't get sick. We washed our hands 20-30x every day and worked hard not to touch our faces with our hands, as well as staying away from sick people. Plumbing didn't work right in lower levels of the ship, according to many we talked with about the ship. This doesn't help, when you're sick and have to smell bad odors throughout that entire level of the ship. Food was terrible in the Lido and mediocre in the dining room, except for the evening rolls, the soups and the salads. Entertainment was fair--some bad acts and some good. I'm afraid that the "old days" of cruising are gone, with the great food, service and entertainment. We have been cruising since 1981 and have seen these changes come about, but we will continue to cruise, though will be more selective about the lines we use. Our previous good experiences on HAL led us to believe this cruise would be the same. Sorry, but it was a dud.

 

 

 

 

What were the symptons of this 'flu'?

 

Was it vomiting and diahrea? Fever? Any upper respitory illness? Coughing? Body Aches? I am really curious which symtons were the most common about which you heard?

 

What did all of these very ill pax do when 'dumped' in Florida. If they were in sickbeds, how did they transfer ship to shore? Were hotel rooms arranged?

 

Please share whatever info you have.

 

I am very happy you remained healthy but sorry your cruise was disappointing.

 

Thank you.

[jancookz]

All of the symptoms you mentioned were present for the NLV. But the cough and cold virus was going around, too, and that was a different virus. Most of the people we talked with who got sick had vomiting, diahrea, fever and body aches--typically, it lasted 24-48 hours. But one 89 year old woman, who was traveling with her 92 year old husband, was sick for 5 days, and her husband never caught the bug. And they're going back to San Diego on the same ship as a turn-around! At least they were being put up in a hotel for that night.

Otherwise, only international passengers were to be put up in hotels. Absolutely everyone else had to rebook their flights, if they had made their own air arrangements, unless it was impossible for some reason. Then, supposedly, the HAL agents would "assist them with their travel plans". This is what we were told by Customer Service on the ship. The priority was to get all the passengers off the ship so that they could sanitize it for the next cruise.

When we disembarked, we went directly to the airport, so we don't know what happened to the really sick passengers. Personally, I believe it would have been cheaper, easier and better for PR if HAL had put everyone in hotels and let them keep their original reservations for Saturday. I felt we were treated like second-class citizens. We simply had no choice in the matter. Don't know what happened to anyone who decided to wait to let the HAL personnel help them after they disembarked. It was a mess.

Janet

[sail7seas]

Thanks for the info, jancookz.

 

 

Not a good situation IMO

[cru1s1ng]

Thanks for the info and good advice. Looks like I'll be adding handwipes to my packing list.