Illness on Ships

[Krazy Kruizers]

I was just over reading cruise junkie and I noticed that during May while we were away, 3 ships had outbreaks of the Norvo virus.

Voyager in the Caribbean

Dawn Princess on the West coast

Sun Princess in Alaska

[sail7seas]

Apparently it is present in Alaska now and the ships are being as cautious as possible to avoid it being brought abord. We heard from some friends on one of the ships that they are doing all they can to keep the ships 'germ free'.

WE HAVE to help. WE HAVE to use the hand sanitizers; we have to wash often; we have to stay quarantined as instructed if we contract it.

Hope all of us and all the ships stay free of "NLV" .

[jhannah]

I agree. If everyone does their part, it shouldn't be a major problem ... no more than what typically goes on at work or at school. I had not seen anything on the NLV in a while. Guess (hope) the cases did not involve great masses of people.

[HAL92]

Has any HAL ship ever had a problem with illness?

[RuthC]

Has any HAL ship ever had a problem with illness?

Yes, several times as a matter of fact.

A few years ago (was it two? three?) the Amsterdam had a severe NLV problem coming out of the Alaska season. Eventually a cruise was cancelled and that broke the string of affected cruises.

The Veendam had a problem not that long ago.

 

Many, many ships on many, many lines have had illness problems over the years. It's not a HAL problem, nor even a cruiseship problem. The virus is everywhere people are, but when it's on a ship---a confined area---it tends to make the news.

 

When you cruise be careful to wash your hands often, use the sanitizers, and be careful what you touch. And just as important---if you do catch the NLV, go directly to your cabin and do not come out until cleared by the medical professionals.

[Cruising Illini]

Virus Problem -- We had a major outbreak on the Veendam in February 2005 -- 200+ cases but our group of 8 stayed healthy because we followed all instructions to the letter. On a recent Mexico-Ryndam trip we had a small outbreak -- about 20 -- but they put all of the rules into affect re. food handling, etc. and kept it under control. The ships do all in their power but usually the passengers are the ones that don't follow the rules and leave their quarantined cabins before they should. Some spouses from a cabin have even tried to get off at a port but were not successful because their card was blocked. DO FOLLOW THE RULES!!!

[emsachs]

Virus Problem -- We had a major outbreak on the Veendam in February 2005 -- 200+ cases but our group of 8 stayed healthy because we followed all instructions to the letter. On a recent Mexico-Ryndam trip we had a small outbreak -- about 20 -- but they put all of the rules into affect re. food handling, etc. and kept it under control. The ships do all in their power but usually the passengers are the ones that don't follow the rules and leave their quarantined cabins before they should. Some spouses from a cabin have even tried to get off at a port but were not successful because their card was blocked. DO FOLLOW THE RULES!!!

 

 

What exactly are the "rules"????

If an outbreak happens on our ship, I want to be like your group of 8 and stay healthy.

 

I plan on bringing plenty of Purell with us and washing our hands often.

What else?????

[jhannah]

Purell is absolutely no good for viruses. It only works on bacteria, which are of only a minor concern unless one has an immune disease of some sort. Frequent hand washing is excellent. Wash long enough with soap to sing the "Happy Birthday" song.

 

Two major rules are noted by the poster: remain in quarantine (in your cabin) the full length of time, and remain on the ship ... do not go ashore. The ships will also generally begin serving food in the Lido, not allowing pax to handle serving instruments and the like.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We were on the repositioning cruise (21 days) in 2002 when the first outbreak happened. By the end of the cruise, we had the CDC on board, everything was being scrubbed down everyday. You were not allowed to handle any food in the Lido or anywhere else on the ship. All the salt and pepper shakers were removed from the tables, you were shown the roles and given one of your choice, the waiters and their assistants placed butter on your plate, they sprinkled on the salt and pepper when you needed it, etc. In the lounges - you asked for peanuts and were given about half a container which was removed from the cocktail table when you left the lounge. After the Amsterdam did 2 more cruises and the virus wasn't being stopped, HAL did cancel a cruise and had the ship cleaned from top to bottom.

We were also on the Ryndam in August of 2003 when an outbreak occured. We were fine going north out of Vancouver, but coming back down south, the outbreak happened within hours of passengers getting on the ship. In fact the letter that we all received the first night out of Seward indicated that a few passengers who had just completed a cruise and had gotten on the ship that afternoon were sick with the Norvo virus. Personally I think that since HAL knew these people were sick that they should not have allowed them to get on the ship in the first place. As it was, each port we stopped at, several passengers who were sick were put off the ship.

[sail7seas]

Why were they put off the ship?

 

Were they NOT cooperating with quarantine?

If they were staying in their cabin as required, why would they be put ashore?

I personally feel very strongly about this subject. IMO, if passengers who become ill after boarding the ship are abiding by the quarantine requirements and are not out and about spreading NLV around......I feel very strongly it is WRONG to be them ashore.

On the other hand, if they refuse to cooperate then I totally support them being put off the ship.

 

[Scrumpy]

I also would like the answers to S7S's questions. It doesn't seem quite right to me to put people off a ship when they will end up in another environment like a hotel where they can also spread illness and perhaps visiting restaurants, etc., where the illness can infect a lot of other people. Much better, IMO, to keep them in their cabin if they are cooperative. That way the illness is contained. Very interesting...

[Robin7]

IMO, if passengers who become ill after boarding the ship are abiding by the quarantine requirements and are not out and about spreading NLV around......I feel very strongly it is WRONG to be them ashore.

 

 

We were on the Star Princess a few years ago. We had already boarded the ship and were wandering around getting to know it when my cousin became terribly ill. He immediately headed to his cabin where he stayed for a day and a half. He was so sick we encouraged him to go to the doctor, but he refused because we hadn't left Los Angeles yet, and he was afraid he'd be put off the ship. None of the rest of us (five) got it, and we'd just driven in a car with him for 12 hours. I've often thought about that trip and wondered if they would have, indeed, made him and his wife get off the ship if they'd known.

 

Robin

[sail7seas]

We were on the Star Princess a few years ago. We had already boarded the ship and were wandering around getting to know it when my cousin became terribly ill. He immediately headed to his cabin where he stayed for a day and a half. He was so sick we encouraged him to go to the doctor, but he refused because we hadn't left Los Angeles yet, and he was afraid he'd be put off the ship. None of the rest of us (five) got it, and we'd just driven in a car with him for 12 hours. I've often thought about that trip and wondered if they would have, indeed, made him and his wife get off the ship if they'd known.

 

Robin

 

With all due respect, this story is the WHY they put pax off.

By him staying in his cabin a day and a half, and then going out and about, he was very capable of spreading the virus everywhere he went. Did you hear of any other cases while you were aboard the ship?

It is my understanding that people who have NLV are contagious for about 72 hours.

[Robin7]

With all due respect, this story is the WHY they put pax off.

By him staying in his cabin a day and a half, and then going out and about, he was very capable of spreading the virus everywhere he went. Did you hear of any other cases while you were aboard the ship?

 

It is my understanding that people who have NLV are contagious for about 72 hours.

 

 

 

He was completely well when he left his cabin. We actually decided later it must have been food poisoning from a taco stand we stopped at in San Bernardino which is why none of the rest of us got it. He was the only one brave enough to have a fish taco. :eek:

 

We never heard of another case, and I had to go to the doctor on that ship for a sinus infection so I assume he would have said something if there was an outbreak. There were the typical signs about washing your hands, but I never even saw any purell dispensers. The food was all still self-serve, too.

 

Robin

[blackbird71]

We actually decided later it must have been food poisoning from a taco stand we stopped at in San Bernardino which is why none of the rest of us got it. He was the only one brave enough to have a fish taco. :eek:

 

Robin

 

Or drinking the water in Mexico... there is a lot of non NLV reasons and they should be handled one at a time. But staying in cabin until you do not have to take five books to the reading library:p is the best START.

[trubey]

If you were "put off" a ship in other than your home town, where could you go?

 

Hotel: It seems even more dangerous for you to stay in a hotel room which is unfamiliar with proper disinfection methods.

 

Airport: Imagine the number of people you could infect just by sitting in an airport, using the restaurant, sitting in your airplane seat.

 

Hospital: This is really the only choice you would have. And would they admit you? Would your insurance cover you for this illness?

 

susan.

[Krazy Kruizers]

It was the captain's call - Jan Smit - he wanted to get the cabins cleaned as quickly as possible and since we were in American ports he didn't see a problem with passengers getting home. At most we saw only 8 people leaving the ship in a port. As far as we knew the people were co-operating with the quarentine.

On our Amsterdam cruise no one was put off the ship.

[sail7seas]

Again, I don't mean to sound argumentative and know you are only reporting what you observed.

 

"ONLY Eight" seems like a lot to those Eight, I would imagine.

I truly do have strong feelings on this subject.

[sail7seas]

If you were "put off" a ship in other than your home town, where could you go?

 

Hotel: It seems even more dangerous for you to stay in a hotel room which is unfamiliar with proper disinfection methods.

 

Airport: Imagine the number of people you could infect just by sitting in an airport, using the restaurant, sitting in your airplane seat.

 

Hospital: This is really the only choice you would have. And would they admit you? Would your insurance cover you for this illness?

 

susan.

 

 

All excellent observations.

The only possible response it seems to be is HAL didn't really care about any of it.

They simply want those who are ill with NLV to be someone else's problem and no longer theirs' IMO

Go infect some hotel; spread it around someone's restaurant; infect the airport, taxi.....just get off the ship.

[Grumpy1]

We had a few outbreaks of illness on the Prinsendam World Cruise, and there were some crew members and passengers that were quarantined for 72 hours. There was never any general announcement made and I do not think that the problem was widespread. It probably was not one of the virulent virus strains. We know that the crew was given instructions to use greater care, as we suddenly noticed that the wait staff were using the plastic gloves and being extra careful in their food handling procedures. They were also encouraging people to use the sanitizing stations at the entrance to the dining rooms and Lido.

 

I wonder if the all of the people mentioned in the earlier posts were actually put off the ship or were some passengers that decided not to stay aboard a "sick ship".

 

Grumpy

[sail7seas]

He was completely well when he left his cabin. We actually decided later it must have been food poisoning from a taco stand we stopped at in San Bernardino which is why none of the rest of us got it. He was the only one brave enough to have a fish taco. :eek:

 

We never heard of another case, and I had to go to the doctor on that ship for a sinus infection so I assume he would have said something if there was an outbreak. There were the typical signs about washing your hands, but I never even saw any purell dispensers. The food was all still self-serve, too.

 

Robin

 

 

 

We were on the Star Princess a few years ago. We had already boarded the ship and were wandering around getting to know it when my cousin became terribly ill. He immediately headed to his cabin where he stayed for a day and a half. He was so sick we encouraged him to go to the doctor, but he refused because we hadn't left Los Angeles yet, and he was afraid he'd be put off the ship. None of the rest of us (five) got it, and we'd just driven in a car with him for 12 hours. I've often thought about that trip and wondered if they would have, indeed, made him and his wife get off the ship if they'd known.

 

Robin

 

 

 

This is a different deal than what I understood from your initial post. I had the impression you were saying he boarded with NLV. I did not think you mentioned anything about food poisoning. Obviously, food poisoning is a whole different thing and would not pertain to NLV. It isn't contagious so far as I know.....only those who eat the tainted food become ill.

 

Glad he recovered and could enjoy his cruise.

[Robin7]

This is a different deal than what I understood from your initial post. I had the impression you were saying he boarded with NLV. I did not think you mentioned anything about food poisoning. Obviously, food poisoning is a whole different thing and would not pertain to NLV. It isn't contagious so far as I know.....only those who eat the tainted food become ill.

 

Glad he recovered and could enjoy his cruise.

 

At the time, we weren't certain what it was. He was fine when we got on the ship and two hours later--WHAM! (While we were still in port.) He was laughing with us one minute, and a minute later said, "I've got to go back to my cabin." His wife called us an hour later to tell us he was ill.

 

I guess I don't know much about NLV. Does it have a slow onset or is it fast? We concluded it was food poisoning only later when he recovered so quickly and was fine within 12 hours and none of the rest of us showed any kind of symptoms. How long does NLV last? I'm just wondering if it WAS NLV, and we were wrong about the food poisoning? And should it ever happen again--heaven forbid!--I'd like to know the symptoms.

 

Robin

[Copper10-8]

I guess I don't know much about NLV. Does it have a slow onset or is it fast? We concluded it was food poisoning only later when he recovered so quickly and was fine within 12 hours and none of the rest of us showed any kind of symptoms. How long does NLV last? I'm just wondering if it WAS NLV, and we were wrong about the food poisoning? And should it ever happen again--heaven forbid!--I'd like to know the symptoms.Robin

 

Robin, check out

 

www.bmdtravel.net/Group_Travel/NLV_info.htm

 

or

 

 

http://www.blueodyssea.com/norwalkvirus_FAQ.html

[trubey]

. . . and since we were in American ports he didn't see a problem with passengers getting home.

 

The passengers still need to get home whether they are on American soil or not. And the contagion issue still very much applies—maybe more.

 

(1) Does anyone here actually know, for sure, if people have actually been "put off the ship" because of illness?

 

(2) And does quarantine apply if a person wishes to leave the ship at other than the home port?

 

(3) What are the procedures for disembarkation if a passenger is ill and would still be quite contagious.

 

I think the health issues on this board are extremely important (more so than what font is used, what parties people are invited to, even what is worn to the Lido). Where is everybody on this important thread?—hiding away in NeverNeverLand.

 

susan.

[Mahya]

and what if you're not in an American port...and even if you are, if you're let off in the American Virgin Islands and you live in California, how are you expected to get home?

 

...and who is paying for it?

 

and do you get a refund from the cruise line?

 

and if they are putting you off, are they paying for your flight or whatever home?

 

Xmas. I think I'd sue the pants off them! big time.