Do other cruise lines follow the 48-hr "hands off"

[jtl513]

We saw two of the hand washing machines in Lido on Veendam. They actually were fun. :)

 

Capt. Bos was very proud of those as they were relatively new when we were on our June 2013 Veendam cruise. We tried them. They're fun :)

We saw a pair of them at the Lido entrance on some HAL ship a few years back, but I can't remember which one! Noordam I think. Few people were even giving them a second glance, but I tried one. Interesting, but they took too long to be practical for a long line of people entering the MDR at once. I got the impression they were just a test.

 

I like the moist wipes that Disney hands out best. Grab one, and wipe as you keep walking, then use them to wipe the table, salt shaker, etc.

[SilvertoGold]

Last January one of the tour leaders on a HAL shorex told us their contract with HAL states they will not serve raw veggies to pax, therefore we got cooked veggies in place of the salad everyone who did not book with HAL got.

 

AS to ports and the virus, I am thinking also about all the pax and crew who eat in port, shop in port, or just touch anything in port! Very hard for the ships to keep out the virus, but at least HAL is trying.

[startwin]

My brother and SIL are taking the Explorer in two weeks. It will be interesting to see if RCL adopts the 48-hour policy. One can't help but wonder if this policy would have avoided 700 people becoming ill.

 

I'm sure it would have at least cut down on the number who became ill. On RCI everyone heads straight the buffet, usually. Any passenger could have been incubating it from shore-side, and shared it around.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Only Holland ...

[sun~]

I was on the Nieuw Amsterdam last week on the Blues Cruise. There was no 48 hour restriction on anything. I was very surprised when I saw the salt and pepper grinders on the tables everywhere and no restrictions on food service at all for the first couple of days.

 

I had been told by a staff nurse that our cruise has "younger and healthier" passengers than a typical HAL cruise, so I can only guess why they didn't bother with the 48 hour restriction. I personally don't like the salt and pepper grinders, and prefer packages for hygene reasons.

[Cruise_More_Often]

Here's a link that was posted on the NCL Board today: The 6 Most Hygeinic Cruise Lines.

 

We cruise mostly on NCL but have also cruised on RCI and Princess (going on the Eurodam soon :D). We are always aware of how much NCL tries to combat noro-like viruses, but we don't see the same efforts on RCI and Princess. Someone mentioned the "Washy Washy" girls and guys in the NCL buffets, but there are also hand sanitizer stations in the main dining rooms and all alternative restaurants on the ships, and everyone is encouraged to use them before being taken to their tables. It seems to be working.

[Typhoon1]

I believe it to be exclusive to HAL. It seems to work well, viral outbreaks seem to be rare.

[RuthC]

Capt. Bos was very proud of those as they were relatively new when we were on our June 2013 Veendam cruise. We tried them. They're fun :)

 

I don't know when those hand washers were introduced on the Veendam, but I know they go back further than that. I used them on that ship in the past, but don't remember if it was the 10/10 or the 2/09 cruise (or both).

I love them, and agree they are fun. Unlike that sanitizer goop, my hands feel clean after using them.

[jtl513]

I had been told by a staff nurse that our cruise has "younger and healthier" passengers than a typical HAL cruise, ...

That sounds like baloney to me as the reason for no Code Orange. Noro sometimes strikes heavily in colleges with "younger and healthier" populations than you likely had on your cruise. Was that a charter? Maybe that made a difference.

 

I don't know when those hand washers were introduced on the Veendam, but I know they go back further than that.

Maybe that's where I saw them in Oct '11.

...

Edited January 31, 2014 by jtl513

[Susie51]

Is the 48 hour policy only used if there is a noro case, or is it enforced at the beginning of each cruise?

[RuthC]

Is the 48 hour policy only used if there is a noro case, or is it enforced at the beginning of each cruise?

 

It's SOP on every HAL ship, every HAL cruise. That started back in '09, IIRC.

[rooddatood]

Only been on two HAL cruises, and it was enforced on both.

[sun~]

That sounds like baloney to me as the reason for no Code Orange. Noro sometimes strikes heavily in colleges with "younger and healthier" populations than you likely had on your cruise. Was that a charter?

...

 

It was at full charter. I keep seeing that "Noro" is everywhere. Not once has there been a Noro outbreak in my lads schools (elementary to uni), however, the retirement residence my son worked at last year, had a horrible outbreak which hit the seniors very hard. It can send frail folks to the hospital.

[jtl513]

Two years ago there were an outbreak of 85 cases at George Washington U and 40 more at Howard U, both in WDC.

[djhsolara]

We are just off Carnival Splendor and there was no Code Orange. In fact, there was a much more relaxed approach to the hand sanitizing altogether. Although we find it a little much sometime, I much prefer that HAL has people at the entrance to eating areas "squirting" everyone with sanitizer. At least I feel that everyone is a little better off that way. No such thing on the Carnival ship...and very few people that actually used the hand sanitizer station outside of the MDR...it didn't leave me with a very good feeling.

[mariner]

what the heck is a 48-hour hands-off policy?

[RJ2002]

what the heck is a 48-hour hands-off policy?

 

For the first 48 hours, you can't serve yourself in the Lido.

[mariner]

I interviewed RCI today. No one will be serving themselves at the buffet on the EXPLORER on this cruise. So I think it might be more than 48 hours.