Caribbean Princess Norovirus

[piper28]

30 cases of Noro onboard the CB ( intel from a white shirt) and some of them are not staying in their cabins....deep cleaning Saturday.

 

Heck, 30 cases isn't really that much. I've been on sailings after much larger outbreaks with no problems.

[caribill]

Heck, 30 cases isn't really that much.

 

Correct, but the extra cleaning should reduce the possibility people on the next voyage will get noro from the ship itself.

[Wehwalt]

We had a number of cases on the Pacific in December 2012 when we picked up the Noro from having shuttles in common with the Costa Morbus (so to speak), in port in Gibraltar with us. They had servers on the buffet. And the PP is a much smaller ship.

Edited January 18, 2014 by Wehwalt

[BridgeMates]

Half the cruises we've been on have had a Noro outbreak. We are careful and wash our hands frequently. Unfortunatley, I have to hold on to the banister going up and down stairs but I always stop to wash my hands before heading into the dining room. Luckily we haven't caught the bug yet. Hope it doesn't get worse before we get on the CB next Saturday.

[Bimmer09]

No fog. CB docked 6.15

[5:00_Somewhere]

No fog. CB docked 6.15

 

Yeah, we just went out onto our hotel balcony and can see her docked in the distance. It's a beautiful, clear, sunny morning. YAY!!!! Except it makes me want to get on board all that much sooner. ;)

 

Fortunately, our hotel is permitting us a late check out.

 

Hope you had a GREAT trip, Norris. Sorry our paths will most likely not cross, but I'll keep an eye out for you just in case. :)

[Raring to go]

And did they have open seating in the traditional dining room?

 

Don't about the open seating in the traditional dining room, but beer and wine were free "on the captain" the first night.

[caribill]

Heck, 30 cases isn't really that much. I've been on sailings after much larger outbreaks with no problems.

 

 

66 passengers plus 2 crew on Royal Caribbean today

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/17/travel/cruise-line-passengers-sickened/

[chsalas]

Don't about the open seating in the traditional dining room, but beer and wine were free "on the captain" the first night.

 

Yes, one light beer or glass of white or red wine per passenger.

[5:00_Somewhere]

When we boarded yesterday, due to the late departure, all main dining rooms were listed in the Patter as "open seating", but today the Palm was listed as traditional seating again.

[Raring to go]

Yes, one light beer or glass of white or red wine per passenger.

 

We did not get just one glass of wine or beer. Our server in the buffet stopped by several times to see if we wanted another wine or beer.

[chsalas]

We did not get just one glass of wine or beer. Our server in the buffet stopped by several times to see if we wanted another wine or beer.

 

We had dinner in MDR the first night, they were specifically clear, ONE beer or Wine. Good for you that you were treated to a few more on the house.

[Barkley2013]

For those who late on Saturday, January 11th, 2013 - did Princess do any customer satisfaction recovery? Onboard credit, free or discounted drinks/bingo cards maybe?

 

Was on the 1/11 cruise and we were offered free drinks in the lounge for the late embarkation. We were also supposed to visit the bridge and meet the Captain as part of a purchased package, but that was cancelled due to "CDC regulations regarding non-essential personnel on the bridge during a health crisis." We were offered nothing in compensation for that.

 

On a bright note, we managed to get in all 3 ports (with Cozumel being moved to last.)

[Bimmer09]

Yeah, we just went out onto our hotel balcony and can see her docked in the distance. It's a beautiful, clear, sunny morning. YAY!!!! Except it makes me want to get on board all that much sooner. ;)

 

Fortunately, our hotel is permitting us a late check out.

 

Hope you had a GREAT trip, Norris. Sorry our paths will most likely not cross, but I'll keep an eye out for you just in case. :)

 

Hi guys-when i told you what clothes I would be wearing on disembarkation I was working on the theory that we might be delayed arriving at the pier as when I embarked on the 11th there were people still coming off at 3.30 pm and we had been waiting since 12.30. Our ship docked at 6.15 on the 18th and we were off by 9.15 an hour earlier than we had planned. We were the penultimate group to leave as we had no time pressures.

 

We then took a taxi to pick up our rental car from the Hilton Nasa Clear Lake where we had stayed the night before sailing and I have since read that you stayed there on the 17th. We were in the lobby for 30 mins from 10.30 to 11 waiting for Hertz to rectify a botched pick-up. Missed you again!

 

Back on dry land now, full of great memories and with some time on my hands today hope to get a review up and running.

 

Hope you are having a great time on board!

 

Norris

[seagrl44]

My friend and I were just on the Caribbean Princess from the Jan. 11th -18th and our stateroom attendant told us that on the previous cruise that 30 cabins had been infected. We practiced handwashing and became total freaks washing our hands. It was terrible how the captain came on two days in to the cruise to tell us that we had an increase in people reporting to the medical clinic with the norovirus and that was the only thing he ever said to us. Nice. Also one thing I noticed was that at each port when you got back on the ship at being in some of those nasty little ports touching stuff they didn't have a Purell stand as you boarded the ship? Wow that was bad. We met several people that had come down with the norovirus onboard and I believe they were supposed to be quarantined?

We made it to the end of the cruise and got off the ship. Never will go on an infected ship again. It took away from the joy and relaxation and the reason we went on the cruise. By the way 3 hours after we dropped my friend off from the cruise she became horribly ill with the norovirus. Dropped 22 pounds in fours days and is still trying to get over this horrible virus. You don't want this virus. Stay away from any cruise with this stuff. I feel very sorry for the elderly people that were on the cruise, the young children and the ladies I saw that were pregnant. This ship should have been quarantined and not allowed to sail so infected.:eek:

[Cozumel Parrot]

Was on the 1/11 cruise and we were offered free drinks in the lounge for the late embarkation. We were also supposed to visit the bridge and meet the Captain as part of a purchased package, but that was cancelled due to "CDC regulations regarding non-essential personnel on the bridge during a health crisis." We were offered nothing in compensation for that.

 

On a bright note, we managed to get in all 3 ports (with Cozumel being moved to last.)

 

I was on the 1/4 - 1/11 cruise and we were NOT offered free drinks in the lounge for the late disembarkation, which was probably at least as annoying to us as was your late embarkation. :cool:

[gooch47]

Question for those of you who personally disinfect your cabin upon arrival:

 

What about the cabin steward who enters every day and touches and handles so much stuff? I've never seen or heard about them disinfecting their hands between cabins.

[ar1950]

My friend and I were just on the Caribbean Princess from the Jan. 11th -18th and our stateroom attendant told us that on the previous cruise that 30 cabins had been infected. We practiced handwashing and became total freaks washing our hands. It was terrible how the captain came on two days in to the cruise to tell us that we had an increase in people reporting to the medical clinic with the norovirus and that was the only thing he ever said to us. Nice. Also one thing I noticed was that at each port when you got back on the ship at being in some of those nasty little ports touching stuff they didn't have a Purell stand as you boarded the ship? Wow that was bad. We met several people that had come down with the norovirus onboard and I believe they were supposed to be quarantined?

We made it to the end of the cruise and got off the ship. Never will go on an infected ship again. It took away from the joy and relaxation and the reason we went on the cruise. By the way 3 hours after we dropped my friend off from the cruise she became horribly ill with the norovirus. Dropped 22 pounds in fours days and is still trying to get over this horrible virus. You don't want this virus. Stay away from any cruise with this stuff. I feel very sorry for the elderly people that were on the cruise, the young children and the ladies I saw that were pregnant. This ship should have been quarantined and not allowed to sail so infected.:eek:

 

Sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience. Unfortunately noro can and does happen on any cruise line and on any cruise ship. For example:

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/300-sickened-royal-caribbean-cruise-ship-2D11996578

 

Good luck trying to avoid it entirely.

 

BTW, here is another thread about the Royal Caribbean problem:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1978803

Edited January 26, 2014 by ar1950

[5:00_Somewhere]

Hi guys-when i told you what clothes I would be wearing on disembarkation I was working on the theory that we might be delayed arriving at the pier as when I embarked on the 11th there were people still coming off at 3.30 pm and we had been waiting since 12.30. Our ship docked at 6.15 on the 18th and we were off by 9.15 an hour earlier than we had planned. We were the penultimate group to leave as we had no time pressures.

 

We then took a taxi to pick up our rental car from the Hilton Nasa Clear Lake where we had stayed the night before sailing and I have since read that you stayed there on the 17th. We were in the lobby for 30 mins from 10.30 to 11 waiting for Hertz to rectify a botched pick-up. Missed you again!

 

Back on dry land now, full of great memories and with some time on my hands today hope to get a review up and running.

 

Hope you are having a great time on board!

 

Norris

 

I just saw this for some reason. I can't believe our luck. We were upstairs on our balcony while you were downstairs working on your Hertz issue.

 

Maybe next time. :)

Edited January 26, 2014 by 5:00_Somewhere

[QueenofEverything]

My friend and I were just on the Caribbean Princess from the Jan. 11th -18th and our stateroom attendant told us that on the previous cruise that 30 cabins had been infected. We practiced handwashing and became total freaks washing our hands. It was terrible how the captain came on two days in to the cruise to tell us that we had an increase in people reporting to the medical clinic with the norovirus and that was the only thing he ever said to us. Nice. Also one thing I noticed was that at each port when you got back on the ship at being in some of those nasty little ports touching stuff they didn't have a Purell stand as you boarded the ship? Wow that was bad. We met several people that had come down with the norovirus onboard and I believe they were supposed to be quarantined?

We made it to the end of the cruise and got off the ship. Never will go on an infected ship again. It took away from the joy and relaxation and the reason we went on the cruise. By the way 3 hours after we dropped my friend off from the cruise she became horribly ill with the norovirus. Dropped 22 pounds in fours days and is still trying to get over this horrible virus. You don't want this virus. Stay away from any cruise with this stuff. I feel very sorry for the elderly people that were on the cruise, the young children and the ladies I saw that were pregnant. This ship should have been quarantined and not allowed to sail so infected.:eek:

 

 

hmm...first post. Nothing good happened all week?

[caribill]

Never will go on an infected ship again.

 

Ships are not infected, people are.

 

Just as every ship will have at least one person with a cold on it, there will be at least one person with noro on it. Noro is the second most prevalent virus in the USA (after the common cold) with about 21 million USA cases a year. It would be very rare that one of those 21 million does not board a cruise ship and not know they are infected at the time they board.

 

So on the average day, over 57,000 Americans acquire noro. Remember, the virus can be spread before showing any symptoms and up to a week after symptoms go away. So to totally avoid noro, not only do not take any cruise, but on land avoid any place infected people are likely to be (work, stores, public transportation, etc.)

[TubT]

Norovirus is common. More common ashore than on a ship, in fact. You're about 15 times more likely to get it ashore than on a ship, on an annual basis. That said, I agree that the sanitation requirements reduced the enjoyment of the cruise.

[cruising sister]

I will start with the fact that I am a germ-a-phobe so I did not mind watching them clean. I especially did not mind them serving us in the buffet as I have watched people lick there fingers and pick up tongs in the past. I was a little worried I would get ill but for the most part relaxed. I am glad Princess was so strict as we can see how out of control it can get fast. Yes, we as passengers bring this on board and will always be at risk. It is one of the things to consider when traveling. I was much more comfortable on the CB with hand sanitizers at least available than I was on the Diamond where you could not even find one. During influenza a respiratory viral season it was nice to have them readily available for use. I was surprised that I could not find them in the casino.

[ilovesalchows]

I was on the 18th sailing, deck 12 port forward. I saw the guys in the hazmat suits cleaning at least 2 cabins near mine, and one of them I could smell the vomit as I walked by. My mom had diarrhea on the last day and was quarantined to her cabin on deck 11. They also made her disembark first thing on Saturday. The doctor said she didn't think she had Noro however, probably something else. She said she can smell it when she enters the cabin. My mom never vomited and was fine the next day.

 

There must not have been that many infected people because they stopped serving us at the buffets towards the end. We just washed our hands and hoped for the best.

 

It was a great cruise, my first on Princess, and I really enjoyed both the layout of the ship and the ambience of fellow cruisers compared to both Carnival and RC.

 

You may have seen me walking the decks, Brunette with a 6 year old son permanantly attached. I had a pedometer on and earned my calories for sure!

[HUNKY]

On the CB now. Cleaning seems to be normal, no "washy washy" like on NCL. Plenty of older folks gripping the stair rails though. I try my best not to touch them myself.