Norovirus form - to be honest or not...

[opencruisecritic]

I just read this post (well written and funny btw), and I then wondered if anyone has ever been denied boarding because of having declared some or all norovirus symptoms upon embarkation?

 

What would you do if you felt sick and had to fill out the little questionnaire that some lines present?

[albether7]

I just read this post (well written and funny btw), and I then wondered if anyone has ever been denied boarding because of having declared some or all norovirus symptoms upon embarkation?

 

What would you do if you felt sick and had to fill out the little questionnaire that some lines present?

 

Not an issue of honesty...It's about you much you choose to disclose.

Use your common sense, you'll be find!

If you're worried, see your dr. just before you cruise.

 

Al

[Hlitner]

We suspect that most cruisers never disclose being ill on those forms. If you do disclose being sick you will be interviewed by a medical person (most lines use one of the nurses from the ship) who will try to determine the nature of your illness. If they suspect Noro or influenza one can only imagine the outcome.

 

Hank

[mr green]

About six months ago an honest person wrote on one of these boards that he/she, had just recovered from a cough, and reported the fact at the dock. That person was refused the privilege of boarding. That fact I would never report.

 

john

[Keith1010]

I am sure it happens as it might happen if someone has the flu.

A good reason to get insurance.

 

Keith

[cb at sea]

Having HAD noro once...there is no way I'd even leave my home....you are TRULY SICK when you have it! You really don't want to be more than 2 steps from a working bathroom!

 

Now...you have no way to know if you've been exposed, until you get the horrendous symptoms....by then, it's too late. So, you could be exposed and infectious BEFORE you even board the ship, and don't know it! I would surmise that that is what happens to most folks. They catch it on land, board the ship, and THEN, get sick. Even before the symptoms begin, you are contagious....that's why it's so easily spread....you are spreading the virus BEFORE you know you're ill!

[ducklite]

I agree, when I had Noro I slept on the bathroom floor for 24 hours. There's no way I would have been able to get on a cruise ship.

 

We had some really rough seas on our last cruise, and I was terribly seasick the first night. My husband told our server I was "sick"--thank goodness about half the ship was green so they didn't make a fuss over it. I told him to stop saying that, I didn't want to be quarantined because of rough seas! (I was fine the next morning after we had gotten through the gulf stream and away from the storm.)

[happy cruzer]

I am sure it happens as it might happen if someone has the flu.

A good reason to get insurance.

 

Keith

 

Hi, Just thought I would mention what I read from a cruiser about a year ago. They flew to London and stayed about two days. The day that they went to the ship. The wife put that she had been ill with flu symptons in the last 24 hours; she felt ok then but admitted to having been sick. The nurse would not let her board the ship. They went to a local doctor and the doctor found no illness. The cruise line did refund their fares. Their insurance did not cover any expenses to change airfare etc. since she had not been ill.

 

Makes you think.

[4x4bob]

Three years ago while in line to process onto the ship a person right in front of us had a very red face, was sweating, coughing, their hands were shaking.

 

I grabbed my wife's arm and held her back to let a space develop between us and that person.

 

Three days later my wife was sick and confined to our cabin.

 

I sure wish that I had spoken up to the clerk at the desk when that person turned in their health form stating nothing wrong with me.

 

Bob

[ducklite]

Part of the problem is that so many serious or highly contagious illnesses mimic so many non-contagious conditions.

 

GI problems/Noro can have some of the same symptoms of Crohns disease or even severe acid reflux. Neither are contagious.

 

Allergies and non-contagious bronchitis can mimic the common cold, influenza, or other highly contagious respiratory illnesses. A fever is generally a tell tale difference, but you can have a non-contagious illness with a fever as well.

 

The best way for cruise lines and airlines to deal with this is to simply relax their cancellation policies for passengers with contagious illnesses who choose not to travel. By not doing so, they encourage sick passengers to hide their symptoms and board, potentially infecting an entire vessel.

 

Sadly, in the case of Norovirus, if people would just wash their damn hands after going to the bathroom and before eating, there would be 90% less cases.

[beachchick]

Part of the problem is that so many serious or highly contagious illnesses mimic so many non-contagious conditions.

 

GI problems/Noro can have some of the same symptoms of Crohns disease or even severe acid reflux. Neither are contagious.

 

Allergies and non-contagious bronchitis can mimic the common cold, influenza, or other highly contagious respiratory illnesses. A fever is generally a tell tale difference, but you can have a non-contagious illness with a fever as well.

 

The best way for cruise lines and airlines to deal with this is to simply relax their cancellation policies for passengers with contagious illnesses who choose not to travel. By not doing so, they encourage sick passengers to hide their symptoms and board, potentially infecting an entire vessel.

 

Sadly, in the case of Norovirus, if people would just wash their damn hands after going to the bathroom and before eating, there would be 90% less cases.

 

On the surface, it makes sense. But IMO, the cruise lines are not encouraging anyone to lie. People who are selfish enough to go on a cruise knowing they are that sick and will probably infect others are just as likely to go regardless of cruise line cancellation allowances. They'll say they need the break or they won't receive airline/hotel/other refunds or they (or others traveling with them) can't easily reschedule vacation time or any other number of reasons. I do not blame the cruise lines at all for the poor decisions of passengers.

 

And you just know if they relaxed their cancellation policies that any number of people would use them to try to cancel for non-medical reasons in order to get a refund they would not otherwise be eligible to receive. The cruise lines wouldn't be able to win either way. People are either going to be honest or they're not. There are travel insurance policies available to fit various needs. If someone chooses not to purchase one, then it is on that person and should not be "paid" for by the rest of us, which it would be in the form of higher fares to compensate for last minute refunds. IMO, it's no different from people who refuse to buy homeowner's insurance (especially those who live in high risk zones) and then expect FEMA or other government programs (i.e., the rest of us) to pay up when something happens. On top of that, people would then figure that all recreation providers (airlines, hotels, excursion companies) should accomodate them the same way.

 

Of course, in many cases people are not even aware that they are coming down with something. They cannot be blamed for not being clairvoyant. OTOH, if someone comes down with a contagious illness onboard, they are selfish if they do not limit their exposure to others because "it's my vacation, damn it, and I'm not going to miss out just because 200 other people get sick too." For example, today at the grocery store, a woman was shopping with her 5 or 6 y/o child. Her daughter was lying down inside the cart with a pillow and blanket. She was obviously quite ill and miserable. Her mom was basically berating her and telling her to stop making a fuss. It turned out the child has the flu, which I learned because she wheeled up to right next to me at the pharmacy counter and asked which medicine was best for a child with flu. I got away as fast as I could. Yeah, thanks lady for exposing the rest of us to your extremely ill child.:rolleyes: Not to mention that the child should have been home in bed for her own health's sake.

 

I think you're 100% righ about hand washing. We've been hand washers for decades and do all the "basics" recommended (e.g., not touching public restroom door handles on the way out). I know it helps, but even so we stay out of public areas as much as possible during the peak of cold and flu season. I've even left stores when half the people around me are hacking, sniffling, sneezing, and even obviously feverish--not because of allergies. My hubby has asthma so he has to be even more careful. An upper respiratory infection generally turns first to viral and then bacterial bronchitis, which can take 6 to 8 weeks to clear up and usually requires antibiotics (although he tries to avoid them if he can). If people would just regularly and thoroughly wash their hands and stay away from others as much as possible when they are ill, we could really reduce the spread of noro and noro-like illnesses, as well as colds, flu, and other infections.

 

beachchick

[Donder1]

Here is something to ponder:

 

"In the United States, CDC estimates that more than 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis each year are due to norovirus infection, and more than 50% of all foodborne disease outbreaks can be attributed to noroviruses.

 

Among the 232 outbreaks of norovirus illness reported to CDC from July 1997 to June 2000, 57% were foodborne, 16% were due to person-to-person spread, and 3% were waterborne; in 23% of outbreaks, the cause of transmission was not determined. Among these outbreaks, common settings included restaurants and catered meals (36%), nursing homes (23%), schools (13%), and vacation settings or cruise ships (10%).

 

Most foodborne outbreaks of norovirus illness are likely to arise though direct contamination of food by a food handler immediately before its consumption. Outbreaks have frequently been associated with consumption of cold foods, including various salads, sandwiches, and bakery products. Liquid items (e.g., salad dressing or cake icing) that allow virus to mix evenly are often implicated as a cause of outbreaks. Food can also be contaminated at its source, and oysters from contaminated waters have been associated with widespread outbreaks of gastroenteritis. Other foods, including raspberries and salads, have been contaminated before widespread distribution and subsequently caused extensive outbreaks.

 

Waterborne outbreaks of norovirus disease in community settings have often been caused by sewage contamination of wells and recreational water" Source:CDC

[bus man]

On the surface, it makes sense. But IMO, the cruise lines are not encouraging anyone to lie. People who are selfish enough to go on a cruise knowing they are that sick and will probably infect others are just as likely to go regardless of cruise line cancellation allowances. They'll say they need the break or they won't receive airline/hotel/other refunds or they (or others traveling with them) can't easily reschedule vacation time or any other number of reasons. I do not blame the cruise lines at all for the poor decisions of passengers.

 

And you just know if they relaxed their cancellation policies that any number of people would use them to try to cancel for non-medical reasons in order to get a refund they would not otherwise be eligible to receive. The cruise lines wouldn't be able to win either way. People are either going to be honest or they're not. There are travel insurance policies available to fit various needs. If someone chooses not to purchase one, then it is on that person and should not be "paid" for by the rest of us, which it would be in the form of higher fares to compensate for last minute refunds.

 

How many people do you suppose wake up on the morning of their cruise -- a trip that most likely they've planned and anticipated for months -- and just decide, hey, I don't feel like going, so give me my money back? I would venture to guess that it would be a very small number. Now, suppose you've finally arrived at the port in order to board the cruise that you've been anticipating for months, and you realize that you have the sniffles. What to do? Be honest, and throw away your dream vacation along with several thousand dollars? (I'm not sure that insurance policies cover a situation where you're denied boarding, and later it proves that you weren't sick.) Or lie and say you're fine? If you answer honestly in this situation . . . well, you're a better person than I am.

 

The fact is, people have a MAJOR financial and emotional incentive to lie in this situation, and conversely a powerful disincentive to tell the truth. Allowing for refunds in cases of self-reported illness wouldn't keep everyone from boarding when ill, but it would keep some people away. I think it's worth considering.

[sail7seas]

The LIE on those health questionaires is what gives the cruise line the right to put you off in the next port, no matter how you will find lodging or flight home. Hopefully you will have the proper travel documents and funds to manage for yourself, not to mention being ill in the process.

[deedeetoo]

The LIE on those health questionaires is what gives the cruise line the right to put you off in the next port, no matter how you will find lodging or flight home. Hopefully you will have the proper travel documents and funds to manage for yourself, not to mention being ill in the process.

 

But they have to prove that you lied. If a passenger claims that they felt fine on boarding and it wasn't until after the ship sailed that they started to feel ill, it is going to be hard for the cruise line to prove otherwise.

[navybankerteacher]

If people will cheat by smuggling liquor to save a few dollars, don't you think they will lie to cover up a contagious condition so they can take the cruise they have looked forward to for months?