Norovirus

[ONECRUISER]

2 hours ago, Miss Studio said:

I’m freaking out, a little bit, but trying to keep things in perspective. As I sit in my hotel room, a couple of hours away from Tampa, I saw an “over the top” report of the Oasis situation!  The reporter called it the “Barf Boat”!  So crass!  My Husband and I are getting ready to board the Rhapsody tomorrow.  An earlier post here says that the flu is on that ship.  I will turn Diamond after this cruise, but that diamond is very quickly loosing its sparkle! 

It's nothing to do with Influenza and would make do difference if had a Flu shot or not.  GOOGLE: "Norovirus"  Common this time of year, doesn't matter it at home in school, at work or on a Cruise. "Norovirus results in about 685 million cases of disease worldwide each year"

[chengkp75]

7 hours ago, slipsailinaway said:

Any idea about what chemicals are being used to clean the ship. A spray was mentioned, but does anyone have anymore details (or know where to find out)? I'm traveling with an infant (breastfed and beginning to crawl) and young child. 

 

Not only am I concerned with the little ones (especially the littlest one) getting sick, but by the chemicals being used to clean a

All. The. Things.

The disinfectants used have been certified by the EPA as both effective against noro, and non-toxic to humans.  The most common disinfectant used on ships is Virkon, and in its concentrated form is hazardous, but when diluted to the "use" concentration of 1%, it has been shown to be non-toxic to humans.  You can google "Virkon" to see studies of its testing.  When Virkon powder is diluted in water, it has a time limit of effectiveness, so a colorant was added, so that as long as the solution is pink it can still be used, while if it is colorless or white it is no longer effective.  The white residue sometimes found on surfaces fogged with Virkon is the "surfactant" component (think of surfactants as soap, something that acts as a lubricant to make things easier to remove).

All soft surfaces (curtains, upholstery, carpets) will get fogged with Virkon, but I would say that within about 5 minutes after drying, that none of these surfaces are any more dangerous to humans than a normally nasty, dirty carpet is.

[hummy0605]

We were on rhapsody on 17th nov and over a third of our ship had it. People were quarantined and staff used to ring their cabins to check they were in there. If they weren't an announcement was put on asking them to return. If they 'escaped' again they were escorted back and their door was guarded. We didnt have it but kind of quarantined ourselves as our balcony on the back was a sun trap. When we did venture round the pool a poor lady vomited right by tge side of us so back to our cabin we went. Even with letters in cabins and announcements there were still people coming out of bathrooms without washing their hands. The whole ship was deep cleaned and sanitised when we arrived back

[Starry Eyes]

7 hours ago, Coralc said:

 

They used yellow magnets above the doors on Vision when we were on a noro cruise. Maybe Oasis is so large that it is cheaper to use tape. With so many cabins affected, and knowing that the ship is going to be sanitized, the stewards may not be as vigilant about putting tape up and taking it down. ALL of the staterooms will be treated as hazardous, fogged and sanitized, it doesn't really matter if the previous occupants became ill on the sailing or not. 

 

It is just like a hotel room, you don't know what went on with the previous guests. And everything should be fine once you are on onboard. 

They might be magnets rather than tape.  I’m rather short and won’t be climbing up for a closer look at how it is adhered.... no need to make a total spectacle of myself.

 

Last night a parting questionnaire was delivered.  It is to be left on the vanity of each stateroom indicating if anybody in stateroom had experienced GI symptoms during the  sailing.  The cruiseline is clearly doing all they can to have the ship clean and ready for the next cruise.

[brillohead]

7 hours ago, BoDidly said:

Sigh ! I started looking at RCI for a few good pointers on ships.  What do I do now  ,wear a mask and gloves while on the ship ?

It's really basic... small children can do it.  WASH YOUR HANDS.  Problem solved.
 

 

[Miss Studio]

6 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

It's nothing to do with Influenza and would make do difference if had a Flu shot or not.  GOOGLE: "Norovirus"  Common this time of year, doesn't matter it at home in school, at work or on a Cruise. "Norovirus results in about 685 million cases of disease worldwide each year"

I guess I didn’t make my point clear.  I just wanted to point out that being in closed quarters with a bunch of people is always going to be a risk.  Some people are just plain nasty.  Some people don’t think anything of spreading their germs...whether it’s noro, flu, or a common cold.

[BND]

19 minutes ago, Miss Studio said:

I guess I didn’t make my point clear.  I just wanted to point out that being in closed quarters with a bunch of people is always going to be a risk.  Some people are just plain nasty.  Some people don’t think anything of spreading their germs...whether it’s noro, flu, or a common cold.

And, most of the noro cases are in hospitals, schools and nursing homes.  A lot also happen in work places. Yet, people panic when it happens on cruise ships.  On a daily basis everyone is touching surfaces covered in viruses and bacteria but they only get sick occasionally.  25 cruises and the worst we've ever had is a cold.  All of us have also probably had noro at some point in our lives but when it happens when people are not on vacation they just assume it's a stomach bug and go on with their lives after staying home for a couple of days.  The last count I heard was 500 so including crew less than 10% of those onboard have been infected. I've said this before, but when illnesses go around at work no one blinks when 10% of their office is out sick especially in the winter.

[boontj2003]

22 minutes ago, BND said:

And, most of the noro cases are in hospitals, schools and nursing homes.  A lot also happen in work places. Yet, people panic when it happens on cruise ships.  On a daily basis everyone is touching surfaces covered in viruses and bacteria but they only get sick occasionally.  25 cruises and the worst we've ever had is a cold.  All of us have also probably had noro at some point in our lives but when it happens when people are not on vacation they just assume it's a stomach bug and go on with their lives after staying home for a couple of days.  The last count I heard was 500 so including crew less than 10% of those onboard have been infected. I've said this before, but when illnesses go around at work no one blinks when 10% of their office is out sick especially in the winter.

EXACTLY!!!

[KaliMarie]

11 hours ago, Starry Eyes said:

No tape; I hope it eases your nerves a tiny bit.

 

My cabin walking tour is complete for the cruise.  My Fitbit reads over 14,200 steps...not bad for a planned light day.  I’m packing my suitcase and settling into the cabin for the evening.

Thanks so much! You are wonderful!

[vacationlover_mn]

13 hours ago, Starry Eyes said:

No tape

It is so nice that your are doing this for people 🙂

[boscobeans]

10 hours ago, Miss Studio said:

I’m freaking out, a little bit, but trying to keep things in perspective. As I sit in my hotel room, a couple of hours away from Tampa, I saw an “over the top” report of the Oasis situation!  The reporter called it the “Barf Boat”!  So crass!  My Husband and I are getting ready to board the Rhapsody tomorrow.  An earlier post here says that the flu is on that ship.  I will turn Diamond after this cruise, but that diamond is very quickly loosing its sparkle! 

 

Be careful and be smart. Enjoy your cruise.

[itsmeagain]

I googled Oasis and then limited results for the last hour.  I received an article titled.  https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1071151/norovirus-symptoms-uk-outbreak-diarrhoea-stomach-bug-contagious-warning-lincolnshire

 

Norovirus symptoms you need to know after this outbreak in this part of the UK

 

wonder if someone from that area carried it without knowing.

[brillohead]

9 minutes ago, itsmeagain said:

I googled Oasis and then limited results for the last hour.  I received an article titled.  https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1071151/norovirus-symptoms-uk-outbreak-diarrhoea-stomach-bug-contagious-warning-lincolnshire

 

Norovirus symptoms you need to know after this outbreak in this part of the UK

 

wonder if someone from that area carried it without knowing.

Norovirus symptoms are the same in ALL parts of the UK, the USA, the Caribbean, etc.  

What a stupid way to title an article.

[boscobeans]

This is the usual times of year for Noro and I have never really heard about people concerned with the probability of catching any number of illnesses while flying to or from a cruise port.

 

It would be interesting to do a work up seeing the percent of cruisers who fly to ports vs those who drive and compare that to the percent of cruisers who become ill from Noro and when their illness first exhibits itself...

 

I have never seen anything in an airport waiting lounge ever cleaned let alone sanitized.

I have never seen armrests, seat belts, magazines, fold down trays or lavatory doors sanitized.

I don't know of a place other than a plane where we are in such close quarters with so many for so long a period of time.

 

We live in a world surrounded by every sort of danger but using common sense and by following the general rules of cleanliness and personal hygiene we stay relatively healthy and hopefully make sure those around us remain the same.

 

Life would sure be boring without going to a theater, eating a hot dog or salted pretzel from a street vendor or taking the subway to Coney Island where we can white knuckle a ride on the Cyclone without a second thought..

 

 

 

[Starry Eyes]

51 minutes ago, vacationlover_mn said:

It is so nice that your are doing this for people 🙂

It was nice that for every single request I could report good news.  It would have been less fun to dispense news that would make an already nervous traveler feel worse.  

 

I’m off the ship and headed home. DH and I will be back aboard in a few weeks, and we look forward to that sailing.  Watching the diligent sanitation, the odds of future healthy sailings are good in my opinion....the trouble is some passenger(s) may again bring the virus on board  and carelessly spread it.  That could happen on Oasis, a different cruise ship, or any public venue anywhere.

[Starry Eyes]

32 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

This is the usual times of year for Noro and I have never really heard about people concerned with the probability of catching any number of illnesses while flying to or from a cruise port.

....

I have never seen anything in an airport waiting lounge ever cleaned let alone sanitized.

I have never seen armrests, seat belts, magazines, fold down trays or lavatory doors sanitized.

I don't know of a place other than a plane where we are in such close quarters with so many for so long a period of time.

...

 

 

I know many people who are very concerned about becoming ill while flying for the reasons you cite.  Not just flying to cruise port, but flying anywhere.  I certainly see people whip out disinfectant wipes to clean armrests and tray tables as soon as the board a plane.  Good start, though one still is in close quarters and has potential  airborne pathogens.

[CEOofVacation]

3 hours ago, hummy0605 said:

We were on rhapsody on 17th nov and over a third of our ship had it. People were quarantined and staff used to ring their cabins to check they were in there. If they weren't an announcement was put on asking them to return. If they 'escaped' again they were escorted back and their door was guarded. We didnt have it but kind of quarantined ourselves as our balcony on the back was a sun trap. When we did venture round the pool a poor lady vomited right by tge side of us so back to our cabin we went. Even with letters in cabins and announcements there were still people coming out of bathrooms without washing their hands. The whole ship was deep cleaned and sanitised when we arrived back

Are you sure that a third had it?  Anything more than 2% has to be reported to CDC.  There is nothing regarding the Rhapsody sailing on the CDC site.  Also, how did you know that people were coming out of bathrooms without washing their hands?  Norovirus is highly contagious and someone with good hygiene practice can still contract it.

Edited January 12, 2019 by CEOofVacation

[hummy0605]

4 minutes ago, CEOofVacation said:

Are you sure that a third had it?  Anything more than 2% has to be reported to CDC.  There is nothing regarding the Rhapsody sailing on the CDC site.  Also, how did you know that people were coming out of bathrooms without washing their hands?  Norovirus is highly contagious and someone with good hygiene practice can still contract it.

Because staff were telling us a third had it. They may have been wrong but thats what we were told. Both my husband and i were in our respective bathrooms on various parts of the ship and saw people coming out of cubicles and going straight out the door without washing their hands. Happened every night. On the day we left ship everything was taken out of cabins, deep cleaned and disinfected

[Reader0108598]

15 minutes ago, CEOofVacation said:

Are you sure that a third had it?  Anything more than 2% has to be reported to CDC.  There is nothing regarding the Rhapsody sailing on the CDC site.  Also, how did you know that people were coming out of bathrooms without washing their hands?  Norovirus is highly contagious and someone with good hygiene practice can still contract it.

I say we tar & feather anyone with Noro Virus! I mean it is clear to some CC peeps think that they did not practice good hygiene.🙄

 

 

 

Edited January 12, 2019 by Reader0108598

[Teacher42]

To RCCL/RCI,  Perhaps the returning passengers on b2b should all have their footwear sprayed down with antiseptics just before re-boarding the ship. Or take it one step further and have all passengers footwear sanitized before boarding as well as returning crew members. This occurred to all passengers on our excursions in Antarctica. The cruise line did not want returning passengers tracking penquin guano all through out the ship. One would think penquin guano is most innocuous compared to everything else being tracked on board. The Japanese have a great cultural habit of leaving their 'street' footwear outside their homes and thus not tracking the filth of the outside world into their inner sanctums. Or are you all of the sort that believes that your contact with filth and disease is great because it builds up your immunities.

[fla gang]

I wonder what other Royal ships are experiencing guests sick with Gastro illness?

[boscobeans]

32 minutes ago, Reader0108598 said:

 

 

 

 

43 minutes ago, CEOofVacation said:

  Norovirus is highly contagious and someone with good hygiene practice can still contract it.

 

Excellent and so true.  I don't REALLY see ANYONE on this thread that doesn't agree totally.  

Edited January 12, 2019 by boscobeans

[MTLCRUISER72]

On ‎1‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 9:10 PM, boscobeans said:

 

As  I have been posting for years whenever  the situation becomes popular, PERSONAL hygiene, common sense and a good product to help is the way to go.

 

We wash our hands and use sanitizer frequently. We spray our stateroom down (goes for hotel rooms as well) when we first walk in. Only takes a few minutes at the most. All switches, knobs, controllers, door and drawer handles, phones, bathroom surfaces BASICALLY EVERYTHING. We do use a product that DOES kill Noro and leaves behind no residue and once dry is food safe without the need to rinse even on silverware, dishes and glasses. 

 

We also carry it with us in a small spray bottle and since there is nothing in it that we have found to be toxic in any way we use it as a hand sanitizer as well. I would not recommend that as it is our choice and not a recommended use. 

 

Never got sick even when on ships that were in condition red with libraries emptied, no self service anywhere even for coffee or juices, chlorine based sanitizers used all over the ship on stair rails, hallway rails and furniture being sprayed during the night, no handshaking and the entire drill many of us have experienced. 

 

Lucky ??  Could be, but so far so good.

 

Three little bottles is enough to last an entire cruise along with hand washing (the most important) common sense and be careful.

 

What disinfectant are you filling the bottles with?

[ONECRUISER]

7 minutes ago, MTLCRUISER72 said:

What disinfectant are you filling the bottles with?

Gin...

[MTLCRUISER72]

2 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

Gin...

😂 No seriously .