Crown princess steaming home!

[moniquet]

I posted on another board and didn't get a response...How do we know that the Novovirus is taken on board. Supposing it is vice-versa and passengers are leaving ships to spread the virus in the USA/UK? It does happen on land but is irradicated quickly, not hang around like on Princess. There is no proof either way.

 

Personally I can't think of anything worse than going on a relaxing (?) cruise to have to spend time wiping down door handles and walking around with wipes etc:eek:

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Kind of strange that with the reason we left late last Saturday and had to spend the day in the convention center was because of noro but many people were seen by other pax using the restrooms and not washing.

 

Seems the casino would be a nice breeding ground for the spread of noro but that remained open. Didn't see any wipes or hand sanitizing machines in the casino.

 

Also the food venues were closed at 9pm except for the international grill and the mdr starting Tuesday.

 

Bill

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk

[arizonaperson]

Crown is back in Ft. Lauderdale as of this morning. This is the latest #'s.( source-princess.com-news)

For the Feb. 4th sailing.

226 passengers out of 3,078 became ill on The Crown.

63 crew out of 1,178 became ill on The Crown.

[bab123]

Wasn't the original number of passengers in the low 100's? That's quite a few more to get sick in the last 2-3 days, some must still be ill or not yet showing symptoms.

[Brig273]

We are now sitting in FLL airport waiting for our flight. Thank God we didn't get sick, but there were several red biohazard bags in our hallway. As soon as we got to our cabin, I wiped everything down with Lysol wipes. We used our cabin bathroom only. We actually had a very enjoyable 4 days. I will be posting a full review when I get home.

I did feel bad for the crew. They were working very hardy and some of the crew were working in areas they were not familiar with. I think the crew got hit harder than the passengers. The staff did take every opportunity to apologize and thank the passengers for being nice.

I hope they get rid of the bug. We did see a 18 wheeler tractor trailer pulling into port everglades with a huge sanitation advertisemnt on the side of it! I think the worst part of the whole trip was sitting in that convention center all day and sailing away at 10:30! Safe travels to everyone and I hope the next cruise is healthy!!!!

[Lemonslikethefruit]

Just wanted to update you as we just received a letter highlighting the details:

7 day cruise fare + gov fees and taxes will be refunded in full

 

They are transporting us to Orlando where we will receive two nights at the Orlando World Centre Marriott Resort

 

$60 per person per day non receipted to cover food expense

 

Also will receive a 25% future Cruise Credit based on actual 7 day cost

 

Free phone call and or wifi for remainder of cruise

 

All in all a very nice gesture.

 

We just enjoyed a spectacular sunset as well!

 

Very generous of Princess, in my estimation:)

[6pack]

Hi,we just got off the Crown at 1230. We were very careful about hand washing and using hand gel. We used Lysol wipes in our room everyday but that doesn’t stop people who don’t declare their illness and continue be amongst all the other passengers from breathing or coughing on you. We even avoided crowed elevators by taking the stairs to our stateroom or the pool deck. We were told by one of the crew on board the Crown that due to US immigration laws the crew cannot be left in the U.S. So it’s a sure thing that there will still be sick crewmembers on board working or not. We declined the hotel in Orlando, as we didn’t want to drive 4 hours each way. We have a place in Fort Lauderdale that we will be staying at. If Princess doesn't cover the expense we always purchase private insurance and they just confirmed that they will cover our expenses. I surely don’t want to scare people but I do want everyone who loves cruising to know that things will not be as you expect in terms of service or amenities. They will continue to serve you in the HC no self serve; kids club is closed; future cruise desk is closed; nothing that can be touched by numerous people will be available e.g. perfume sampling in the gift shop, no copies of the Patter at the front desk, no self serve printing your state room folio, no snacks in the Platinum / Elite lounge. We tried to make the best of a not so great situation and we did have fun, however it just wasn't the same. We will be boarding on Saturday if it's departing. One very positive comment is that we LOVED our corner aft cabin:)

 

As our hotel offers FREE internet, feel free to throw any questions that you may have and I'll attempt to answer them.

 

Dave

[5326jan]

Hi,we just got off the Crown at 1230. We were very careful about hand washing and using hand gel. We used Lysol wipes in our room everyday but that doesn’t stop people who don’t declare their illness and continue be amongst all the other passengers from breathing or coughing on you. We even avoided crowed elevators by taking the stairs to our stateroom or the pool deck. We were told by one of the crew on board the Crown that due to US immigration laws the crew cannot be left in the U.S. So it’s a sure thing that there will still be sick crewmembers on board working or not. We declined the hotel in Orlando, as we didn’t want to drive 4 hours each way. We have a place in Fort Lauderdale that we will be staying at. If Princess doesn't cover the expense we always purchase private insurance and they just confirmed that they will cover our expenses. I surely don’t want to scare people but I do want everyone who loves cruising to know that things will not be as you expect in terms of service or amenities. They will continue to serve you in the HC no self serve; kids club is closed; future cruise desk is closed; nothing that can be touched by numerous people will be available e.g. perfume sampling in the gift shop, no copies of the Patter at the front desk, no self serve printing your state room folio, no snacks in the Platinum / Elite lounge. We tried to make the best of a not so great situation and we did have fun, however it just wasn't the same. We will be boarding on Saturday if it's departing. One very positive comment is that we LOVED our corner aft cabin:)

 

As our hotel offers FREE internet, feel free to throw any questions that you may have and I'll attempt to answer them.

 

Dave

 

Thanks so much for all the great information. Sorry your first cruise was such a mess, but I really respect your attitude. I hope your next leg is better. :)

[IrishRoamers]

Dave, what do you think the chances are of the ship leaving Saturday?

[monicajay]

Dave, was there any explanation as to why they were going all the way to Orlando for the hotel? Hard to believe they couldn't find anything suitable closer to the port.

 

Good call staying in FLL on your own, 4 hours on a bus with others who may or may not be sick is not my idea of fun.

[bab123]

Dave, what do you think the chances are of the ship leaving Saturday?

 

Do you think there is a chance that it will not leave?

[6pack]

Dave, what do you think the chances are of the ship leaving Saturday?

 

They have brought in Professional 3rd party services so I'm pretty confident we'll be leaving on Saturday. I just hope it's not like our last 6 hour delay!

[bab123]

We will be on the ship as well. I know there are many unknowns and they will do their best. I just wonder, should there be a couple of dozen noro cases again within a couple of days, would they return again??

[6pack]

Dave, was there any explanation as to why they were going all the way to Orlando for the hotel? Hard to believe they couldn't find anything suitable closer to the port.

 

Good call staying in FLL on your own, 4 hours on a bus with others who may or may not be sick is not my idea of fun.

 

Princess told us as did other passengers that there was no hotel accommodation in Fort Lauderdale. Logistically it was probably the fastest way to secure 2 or 300 blocks of rooms.

 

We took a chance and went on expedia and booked into the B Ocean Hotel on Beach Blvd. Very nice hotel with a great view.

[wcc19]

We are on the Crown this Saturday. Got a notice yesterday from our TA saying that there is a "move over" offer on the table. Anyone with a balcony cabin is eligible - you can delay to a future cruise on the Crown in exchange for perks:

- upgrade to mini-suite

- second passenger free

- up to $150 in air change fees covered.

 

Not exactly sure what the motivation is. We work and have to plan vacation time well ahead so could not take this. We will be there on Saturday hoping for the best.

[Shogun]

Hi 6pack,

 

Tanks for keeping us updated.

 

yours Shogun

[JimmyVWine]

Not exactly sure what the motivation is.

Purely a guess, but I would say that if they are trying to move people off of this sailing without a long wait list of people to get on it, (and I can't imagine that there is a backlog of people desparate to get on this particular sailing), then it would appear that they want to sail without full capacity in hopes that the smaller scale passenger load will help stem the spread of illness. It might also provide them some extra time to do some additional cleaning.

[6pack]

We will be on the ship as well. I know there are many unknowns and they will do their best. I just wonder, should there be a couple of dozen noro cases again within a couple of days, would they return again??

 

Truthfully, I think the real issue was too many crew members were sick which caused doubling up on shifts etc. They never did provide how many passengers were sick, however the CDC has released 114 passengers (3.7% out of 3,078) and 59 crew (5% of 1,178). Although we were disappointed, I believe Princess took the responsible action of terminating the cruise early and provided all of its guests with a full refund.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Jimmy and 6pack...I think you are probably right...move over deals are wonderful if you have the flexibility to change your plans on a dime...a few years ago we took a moveover offer for a Med. Cruise and it ended up being the best deal we will ever get!!

[bab123]

I just saw in an article that claims it is based on Princess information:

 

On the current sailing 198 passengers (6.43% out of 3,078) and 62 crew (5.26% of 1,178) have reported gastrointestinal illness. On the previous cruise, 364 passengers (11.73% of 3,103) and 30 crew (2.57% of 1,168) were affected.

[6pack]

I just saw in an article that claims it is based on Princess information:

 

On the current sailing 198 passengers (6.43% out of 3,078) and 62 crew (5.26% of 1,178) have reported gastrointestinal illness. On the previous cruise, 364 passengers (11.73% of 3,103) and 30 crew (2.57% of 1,168) were affected.

 

These numbers don't surprise me at all :eek:

[Sassy's Mom]

Princess has released a new update for the last three days. The link is on their main page.

[bab123]

We are on the cruise Saturday and I just received this email:

 

On the current sailing of Crown Princess there has been an increase in the number of cases of gastrointestinal illness amongst passengers. The cause of the outbreak has been confirmed as Norovirus which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised is widely circulating throughout North America. The ship will undergo a comprehensive disinfection from Thursday, February 9 to Saturday, February 11. Embarkation time will not be impacted. Please plan on arriving to the pier as scheduled.

 

To ensure a smooth start to your voyage, normal check-in procedures will be completed at the Broward County Convention Center which is located at 1950 Eisenhower Boulevard, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316. This is within walking distance and directly across from Pier 2 Terminal, Port Everglades. Please ensure that you drop off your luggage at Pier 2 Terminal. We will have complimentary shuttle busses to the convention center.

 

Thank you for your attention to this important reminder. We look forward to welcoming you onboard Princess Cruises.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Oops

[CZEE]

That sounds like an offer that is extremely fair (maybe a bit on the generous side, but I'm sure y'all aren't complaining :D ) I hope everyone on the cruise made the best of things and now you get to take the money you get back, plus that discount, and plan another cruise. :)

 

I wonder if this was only for people who had PrincessCares? I had heard that if you did not have their travel insurance, you were out of luck. Surely, that can't be true.