Crown Princess and Norovirus

[Grumpy69]

There is a new version of Purell that is effective against Norovirus, but its very difficult to find.

 

Purell VF481 is the product name.

[pablo222]

There is a new version of Purell that is effective against Norovirus, but its very difficult to find.

 

Purell VF481 is the product name.

 

Interesting.

 

This is a list I found from the EPA.

 

I don't know if any of these are available to consumers.

 

http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/list_g_norovirus.pdf

 

This study likes VF481:

 

https://www.handwashingforlife.com/files/Norovirus_Study.pdf

Edited November 24, 2014 by pablo222

[cruiselvr1]

All of this is seriously bumming me out. My husband and I will be on the Crown in a little over one week to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. My husband is absolutely PANIC ridden whenever he hears about someone with the stomach bug. I refuse to even tell him about this outbreak on our ship, I'm scared he won't even get on the ship if I tell him before we get on!

 

So very hopeful it gets resolved - we have spent so much time, money, and energy to make this trip possible. I'm trying really hard not to get too anxious about this. :(

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

My DW and I will be on the Crown for our 10 year anniversary, next year for an Alaskan cruise. We will be in a suite for the first time, and plan to eat most of our meals in the suite. If something does go around, hopefully we will miss it. Neither one of us are afraid to sail on her. It's my opinion that it is just a coincidence. Most germs will die after a certain amount of time, unless it keeps getting reinfected. The best way to keep safe is to wash your hands.

[shredie]

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps the crew needs to be educated to cough and sneeze in the crook of your arm or elbow. This is huge.

 

 

I don't think I want a crew member sneezing into the crook of my arm. LOL

[jamespebbles]

You should tell your DH so that he can take precautions! WASH WASH WASH your hands for a full 20 seconds EVERYTIME you use the rest room. Try not to use the public restrooms if possible. Do not touch handles, handrails, elevator buttons, etc etc. etc. We were just on the 28-29 day sailing and my DH got it, but I didn't. I am fanatically about washing my hands. Bring clorox wipes and use them everywhere....casino, photo shop....wipe off tables and arms of chairs. Use hand sanitizer ALWAYS!!

After having been on the Crown during the April outbeak on the Pacific Coastal cruise, I would never cruise this ship again.We were in a code red the entire time and treated like lepers at some of the ports . Every night we got the daily diarrhea count at dinner. We boarded late while they tried to clean the ship They need to put it in drydock and terminally clean every bit of the ship. Trust me this is NOT the way to cruise. Never again on the Crown.

[redtogo]

We were on the Crown Princess in 2012 for a transatlantic. The noro was prevalent on the ship. I think we had 175 people with the virus. It was alarming to get a verbal (loud speaker) report from the bridge updating us on the number of people who had come down with noro.

[redtogo]

After having been on the Crown during the April outbeak on the Pacific Coastal cruise, I would never cruise this ship again.We were in a code red the entire time and treated like lepers at some of the ports . Every night we got the daily diarrhea count at dinner. We boarded late while they tried to clean the ship They need to put it in drydock and terminally clean every bit of the ship. Trust me this is NOT the way to cruise. Never again on the Crown.

 

 

I will also avoid the Crown. It's a nice ship, but something just isn't right about the repeated bouts with noro. I know it can be everywhere at anytime, but we sail on other ships and don't get daily updates about outbreak numbers.

[Snow cat]

I would assume I am in the minority, but I have to say I actually appreciate the Code Red procedures. We just got off the Crown on Saturday, and I grew to like being served at the buffet. Prefer that to having everyone handle the food.

 

I handwashed like a crazy person, wiped down everything and used every purell hand sanitizer I saw. I would sail on the Crown again (4 times so far and no Noro yet).

[MauiLvrs]

I would assume I am in the minority, but I have to say I actually appreciate the Code Red procedures.

Us too... After the April deep clean we were surprised that they lifted it half way through the cruise.

[Mrs.C.]

I don't think I want a crew member sneezing into the crook of my arm. LOL

 

Bahaha that didn't come out right lol. But it would be better then them sneezing in my hands lol.

[CZEE]

My colleagues at CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program estimate that every new cruise sailing from a US Port has just boarded between 40 and 60 passengers who have Norwalk Virus.

 

Some of them have unknowingly picked it up on the way to the ship and do not yet have any symptoms - but they are already contagious.

Others know that they have it and do not want to admit it for fear of being isolated in their cabins or denied boarding.

 

All of these people are moving around the ship, contaminating everything they touch.

 

It doesn't matter how sanitary you make the ship. As soon as a new crop of people who were raised by wolves gets onboard, it is no longer sanitary.

 

Who are those people who manage to avoid getting sick, despite all the contagion around them?

Those who avoid the buffets for the first 72 hours.

Those who avoid public toilets ALWAYS.

Those who NEVER put their hands in their mouth, nose, eyes, or ears.

Those who eat all food with utensils instead of with hands.

 

People suffering from viruses rarely give that virus to others.

It is usually people with unclean personal habits who allow the virus to enter their bodies.

 

Very well said.

[Salacia]

My colleagues at CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program estimate that every new cruise sailing from a US Port has just boarded between 40 and 60 passengers who have Norwalk Virus.

 

Some of them have unknowingly picked it up on the way to the ship and do not yet have any symptoms - but they are already contagious.

Others know that they have it and do not want to admit it for fear of being isolated in their cabins or denied boarding.

 

All of these people are moving around the ship, contaminating everything they touch.

 

It doesn't matter how sanitary you make the ship. As soon as a new crop of people who were raised by wolves gets onboard, it is no longer sanitary.

 

Who are those people who manage to avoid getting sick, despite all the contagion around them?

Those who avoid the buffets for the first 72 hours.

Those who avoid public toilets ALWAYS.

Those who NEVER put their hands in their mouth, nose, eyes, or ears.

Those who eat all food with utensils instead of with hands.

 

People suffering from viruses rarely give that virus to others.

It is usually people with unclean personal habits who allow the virus to enter their bodies.

 

Hi BruceMuzz. Do your 'colleagues' at the CDC mention that crew members are also subject to the same virus that infects passengers? Or that water and food can also carry Noro virus?

 

Your statement that "It is usually people with unclean personal habits who allow the virus to enter their bodies" is beyond the pale, and indicates that your knowledge of transmittal of the Noro virus and other gastro-intestinal illness is negligible.

 

Salacia

Edited November 25, 2014 by Salacia

[shredie]

Oh, I see Bruce has been around again being his usual sun-shiny self. :rolleyes:

[pablo222]

Oh, I see Bruce has been around again being his usual sun-shiny self. :rolleyes:

 

I find it a nice change from the (many) love-blind cheerleaders...

[shredie]

I find it a nice change from the (many) love-blind cheerleaders...

 

LOL. It's a change, I'll give you that!

[suzyed]

After having been on the Crown during the April outbeak on the Pacific Coastal cruise, I would never cruise this ship again.We were in a code red the entire time and treated like lepers at some of the ports . Every night we got the daily diarrhea count at dinner. We boarded late while they tried to clean the ship They need to put it in drydock and terminally clean every bit of the ship. Trust me this is NOT the way to cruise. Never again on the Crown.

 

It is going into dry dock in the spring...hopefully that will help. But if people keep bringing it aboard...it will be an issue again.

[suzyed]

Hi BruceMuzz. Do your 'colleagues' at the CDC mention that crew members are also subject to the same virus that infects passengers? Or that water and food can also carry Noro virus?

 

Your statement that "It is usually people with unclean personal habits who allow the virus to enter their bodies" is beyond the pale, and indicates that your knowledge of transmittal of the Noro virus and other gastro-intestinal illness is negligible.

 

Salacia

 

I agree Salacia.

[RetiredNTraveling]

It is going into dry dock in the spring...hopefully that will help. But if people keep bringing it aboard...it will be an issue again.

 

The Crown Princess goes in for a "12 Day Tuneup & Refreshening" from May 3, 2015 thru May 15, 2015!

 

"Great News" for our "Oct, 17, 2015 Hawaii, Samoa & Tahiti Cruise!"

 

They should be able to cleanse the ship of that nasty virus! :eek: :rolleyes:

[caribill]

 

They should be able to cleanse the ship of that nasty virus! :eek: :rolleyes:

 

 

 

 

 

From CDC: Why noroviruses are associated with cruise ships

 

 

• Health officials track illness on cruise ships. So outbreaks are found and reported more quickly on a cruise ship than on land.
  
• Close living quarters may increase the amount of group contact.
  
• People joining the ship may bring the virus to other passengers and crew.
  

Nearly two-thirds of norovirus outbreaks occur in nursing homes.

[shredie]

[*]Health officials track illness on cruise ships. So outbreaks are found and reported more quickly on a cruise ship than on land.

 

Exactly.

[avalon1025]

Having been on the crown on cruise post Noro this past may,the horizon court was an area i'd avoid; people packed together, communal condiments ( i watched someone stick their own spoon into a gross communal bowl of strawberry jam). The whole buffet area reeked of cleaning fluids yet they would clean the tables with dirty rags one after the other. A nasty place

Edited November 25, 2014 by avalon1025

[Kartgv]

From CDC: Why noroviruses are associated with cruise ships

 

• 
  
• Health officials track illness on cruise ships. So outbreaks are found and reported more quickly on a cruise ship than on land.
  
• Close living quarters may increase the amount of group contact.
  
• People joining the ship may bring the virus to other passengers and crew.
  

QUOTE]

 

Another reason that I've not seen posted is that when someone comes down with Noro while on a cruise, they've most often been on the ship for days and are more certain that this is where they were exposed and contracted it. When someone comes down with it at home or on a land based trip, they are more likely to have been exposed in any of a number of places, so can't pinpoint where they got it. They also aren't in daily contact with others who may have picked it up in the same place, so don't even know that there was a cluster o cases. This partially explains why you don't see many more reports of Noro contracted at local grocery stores, buses, libraries, gyms, etc. - people are just are not sure where it came from.

[BruceMuzz]

I agree Salacia.

 

Apparently you have never attended the USPH Classes I teach for the CDC.

 

Yes, food and water can be carriers of viruses.

So can the air - when someone with a virus vomits near you.

 

On a cruise ship, many hundreds or thousands of people eat and drink the same things every day. Food and drinks are prepared in very large batches at the same time. If the food or drinks are contaminated by a virus, many hundreds or thousands will become sick at the same time. Even if those hundreds or thousands have been incredibly clean in their behavior, they have no control over what has been done to their food or drinks before they consume them.

But that almost never happens. Even the worst outbreaks ever seen on ships start with small numbers at first and then increase rapidly as the infected passengers spread their illness to others.

 

We track the contagion routes and patterns very carefully. Typically we start with "patient zero", then we see the next 2 to 6 people who were in contact with him/her, then we next see the next dozen or so who shared a tour or dinner, or a craft class with the original carriers. The numbers increase exponentially from there.

 

If an ill person vomits in a public area, the virus spores are aerosolized for a short period of time. Anyone passing that area and breathing in the spores cannot help but be infected. No amount of hand washing can prevent this.

But research has shown that the number of people who are infected in this way is nearly zero. The aerosolized spores remain in the air for just a few minutes after the event.

 

So how else does the virus enter your body?

There are very few available routes; mouth, nose, eyes, and ears.

How does it usually enter those spaces? Dirty hands.

 

You DO NOT have to wash your hands EVER in order to stay free of Noro Virus. You need only keep them out of your mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. And you need to use utensils instead of hands to eat your food.

 

In this age of the ME, ME, ME,ME Generation cruising on ships, it is all too easy to blame everyone else for poor personal hygiene. It is time to look into the mirror a bit more closely.

[shredie]

Apparently you have never attended the USPH Classes I teach for the CDC.

 

 

Oh, Bruce! You got me! I have never attended the USPH class you teach for the CDC. Gosh, here I thought I was gonna get away with it. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

Are you currently between jobs or something? You seem to have so much spare time to come here to the Princess boards and lecture us in the error of our ignorant ways.

[wizard-of-roz]

We just got off the Crown and she's lovely. The crew is very attentive, the cabins are clean and there's no bad smell anywhere.

 

I did not see a dirty rag wiping down tables. The towels being used were clean and there was hardly a moment between someone leaving the table and someone else cleaning it.

 

We thought the ship was kept immaculately and being a person who can't stand dirt anywhere, I promise you the Crown is well maintained and certainly not neglected. I wouldn't hesitate to get right back on her, please, please, please!

 

My only issue is that the couches and chairs outside the lounge area needed to be re-stuffed - Obvious and natural wear & tear. I'm hoping this will be done when she goes in for re-grouping in the springtime!