Recent Cruisers - Noro and Horizon Court Questions

[ChevyCruiser]

Anyone off a recent cruise? I'm interested to see if sanitation practices in the Horizon Court has changed.

 

In the early part of 2011, I took three cruises on Princess, two on the Coral and one on the Star. On all three, I observed the following unsafe food service sanitation practices, on all three I complained while on the cruise, and on all three nothing changed.

 

In the Horizon Court, the same person who clears dirty dishes and utensils then sets the table with clean utensils without washing or sanitizing his/her hands.

 

On more than one occasion, I observed an attendant clear off a table, then pick up a selection of clean utensils, and then cradle the eating surface of those utensils in one hand to line them all up in preparation for setting the table.

 

On more than one occasion I observed an attendant clear a table and then reset it without wiping the table. When the table was reset, coffee and juice glasses were placed on the table upside down so that the contact surface for a patron's mouth was resting on a dirty table.

 

On more than one occasion, two of us sat at a table for four. The attendant would then remove the extra coffee cups and juice glasses and return them to the trays with clean cups and glasses to use for setting another table.

 

Can anyone spell Norovirus?

[cuzie]

We were on Golden RT to Hawaii over Thanksgiving. It has apparently NOT changed. :( It's the same practice that land-based restaurants generally use - the one who clears/cleans the table also sets them. In this day and age with all we know about Noro, etc., one would think they would understand that this procedure should be changed!

[Bowie MeMe]

I know and if someone has a nut allergy! At school, (with a child who had a severe peanut allergy) I was told to not be so paranoid when I complained to the manager that the table for allergy free was being washed with the same cloth and water as the other tables. Norovirus can be VERY serious if the wrong folks get infected and it is a BAD thing for any who have it or are afraid they will get the germs.

 

Keep telling the on duty managers that the problems with clearing and smearing are important and that WE the public SEE WHAT YOU DO! Then ask firmly that clean dishes be provided and that the table be cleaned again. Maybe take a roll of paper towels to put the clean dishes on:) Can't hurt.

Alcohol wipes? This is also the main reason that hospitals are such a risk -- it is easy to spread germs AND we do it often. :rolleyes:

[Loonbeam]

This is one of the reasons we tend to avoid buffets (in general not just on cruise ships).

 

In the MDR they are much more likely to wash hands as they enter the galley, especially if the headwaiter and MD are on the ball. In buffets the staff never really leaves the floor except to drop off and collect dishes.

 

One difference I did note on the Island in October was that the silverware came out of the back wrapped in sets in a napkin and so was not directly handled at least on the floor.

[ChevyCruiser]

Thanks for your responses. I plan to do a formal letter of complaint to Princess corporate and it will be helpful to report that my experience and observations were not isolated to my three cruises.

 

Anyone else have personal observations?

[watergal]

Thanks for your responses. I plan to do a formal letter of complaint to Princess corporate and it will be helpful to report that my experience and observations were not isolated to my three cruises.

 

Anyone else have personal observations?

 

It's disconcerting to walk into Horizon Court and follow people who refuse to sanitize their hands before handling a tray, cutlery, and more specifically, coughing and sneezing into their hands (some don't even follow the basic hygeine rules) and then handle the utensils. I did mention this on a past cruise when it was so blatantly practiced by some pax and the cruise director who was in HC for an evening snack, actually embarrassed members of our party by 'yelling' that we shouldn't be so ridiculous because everyone knows Noro isn't spread like that and hand sanitization won't stop it.' He definitely liked the sound of himself loudly chastizing us. Perhaps it won't stop it, but there are definite reasons why common sense hygeine should be practiced by EVERYONE. Hope you send the letter and I hope you receive a response that isn't just a standard form of 'Princess-speak.'

[ChevyCruiser]

I protect others by sanitizing my hands before I go through the buffet and I protect myself by sanitizing my hands again after I sit down.:)

 

I protect myself by using my own insulated travel mug for my coffee.:)

 

I protect myself by drawing a tumbler of hot water from the beverage bar and dunking my silverware in the hot water after I clean them with a dose of my hand sanitizer.:)

 

I protect myself by grabbing an extra plate when I go through the buffet and using the extra plate to rest my clean silverware on instead of placing them directly on the "clean" table.:)

 

A bit overboard? Perhaps, but I don't want my cruise vacation ruined with a bout of gastro-intestenal illness that could've been easily prevented in Princess would follow basic food service sanitation practices.:mad:

[gooch47]

There is no difference between the staff in the Horizon court and the servers in the dining rooms. They both clear and place the new tableware.

[Loonbeam]

Actually there is one HUGE difference. In the MDR galley, between the dish station and where new food and supplies are picked up, there is a handwashing station that if the MD and headwaiter are on the ball must be used. In the buffet, they drop dirty dishes and come right back on to the floor.

 

The Horizon court follows different procedures for floor staff because ostensibly they don't handle food directly.

 

There is no difference between the staff in the Horizon court and the servers in the dining rooms. They both clear and place the new tableware.

[lafngas]

The one time I had to use the buffet(disembarking) I did notice the silverware was wrapped in a napkin. I avoid the buffets at all costs-the IC was ample for us for lunch on port days,as was room service and MDR for breakfast, and MDR for dinner. The Trident Grill is also fine.

This was on a 12 day cruise overseas. I notice the first 3 days they were very strict about handwashing,no sharing of bread baskets or salt/pepper or butter dishes. Once they exceeded the incubation time for noro and no outbreak occurred, things relaxed more in the MDR.

Using an alcohol based hand sanitizer,while a good idea for overall hand hygiene(I work in an academic medical center which is aggresive with alchohol hand cleansing), will NOT kill the Norovirus. A high concentration of a bleach solution is necessary-and those Clorox wipes are also not strong enough to do the trick so they are a waste of time to bring along.

It is possible to do google searches for a few industrial types of wipes that will kill Noro, hepatitis,HIV,influenza,etc but they may not be cheap and will have to be ordered online. These kinds of wipes are rough on the hands(caustic) so you also need some medical gloves to protect your hands. The "kill" time for some of these is long-up to 10 minutes on a nonporous surface which has to be kept wet or moist from the wipe to disinfect correctly-fairly labor intensive.

[2little time]

The one time I had to use the buffet(disembarking) I did notice the silverware was wrapped in a napkin. I avoid the buffets at all costs-the IC was ample for us for lunch on port days,as was room service and MDR for breakfast, and MDR for dinner. The Trident Grill is also fine.

This was on a 12 day cruise overseas. I notice the first 3 days they were very strict about handwashing,no sharing of bread baskets or salt/pepper or butter dishes. Once they exceeded the incubation time for noro and no outbreak occurred, things relaxed more in the MDR.

Using an alcohol based hand sanitizer,while a good idea for overall hand hygiene(I work in an academic medical center which is aggresive with alchohol hand cleansing), will NOT kill the Norovirus. A high concentration of a bleach solution is necessary-and those Clorox wipes are also not strong enough to do the trick so they are a waste of time to bring along.

It is possible to do google searches for a few industrial types of wipes that will kill Noro, hepatitis,HIV,influenza,etc but they may not be cheap and will have to be ordered online. These kinds of wipes are rough on the hands(caustic) so you also need some medical gloves to protect your hands. The "kill" time for some of these is long-up to 10 minutes on a nonporous surface which has to be kept wet or moist from the wipe to disinfect correctly-fairly labor intensive.

I agree with this. Handwashing is better for preventing the spread of norovirus than alcohol based hand sanitizer. The brand "Wet Ones" wipes is however effective in killing the Norovirus.

[lannp]

I protect others by sanitizing my hands before I go through the buffet and I protect myself by sanitizing my hands again after I sit down.:)

 

I protect myself by using my own insulated travel mug for my coffee.:)

 

I protect myself by drawing a tumbler of hot water from the beverage bar and dunking my silverware in the hot water after I clean them with a dose of my hand sanitizer.:)

 

I protect myself by grabbing an extra plate when I go through the buffet and using the extra plate to rest my clean silverware on instead of placing them directly on the "clean" table.:)

 

A bit overboard? Perhaps, but I don't want my cruise vacation ruined with a bout of gastro-intestenal illness that could've been easily prevented in Princess would follow basic food service sanitation practices.:mad:

 

Will you be using that travel mug in the buffet? If you intend to fill it with coffee, etc. you might possibly be transferring your germs onto the spigot.

[ChevyCruiser]

Will you be using that travel mug in the buffet? If you intend to fill it with coffee, etc. you might possibly be transferring your germs onto the spigot.

 

Good point. Yes, I use my travel mug for my own coffee but, being a self-aware germophobe, I make sure I don't jam the mug up under the faucet - and cross contaminate (as much for my protection as others).

[6pack]

It still amazes me how many people don't wash their hands after using the washroom! This cartoon really rings true!

 

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