IMPORTANT - Pearl - VIRUS

[Rebels82]

THIS IS SERIOUS and not just a reason to tell people to not come to terminal before 1:00.

 

Per cdc.gov - the Pearl has a serious virus on board - for those boarding 4/6 (which I am) the ENTIRE SHIP will be CLEANED UP AND DOWN and boarding will be delayed. The ship will arrive early with this week's passengers and get the passengers off early. There are a lot of details on this website.

[Georgie562]

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2015/april6_norwegian_pearl.htm

[mking8288]

Thanks for the update - the questions are what else happened to (or, did not) Washy Washy, Happy Happy and beyond that NCL is known for ?? Norovirus can happened anywhere, but the vigilance ... (never mind, bite my tongue)

 

Pulled the recent CDC inspection cards before we sailed & shared it among our Roll Call members as FYI. The Pearl did quite well with 95, whereas the BA we're on got just 91 an GA scored 92 - the Jewel and the Sky had a perfect score of 100.

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/InspectionSearch.aspx

 

Not good PR with Spring Break, and the recent wave of negative publicity with what's left of its media/public relations staff on a Friday ...

[Cruisercl]

More than likely someone brought it on board with them because they themselves have poor hygiene.

 

Not a HUGE number ~4.5% but enough to pay attention to; this stuff spreads easily unless there is impeccable hygiene/hand washing. With more kids on board at this time of year hand washing can be less than optimal.

 

Good for NCL to nip it in the bud so the next cruisers are safe........friendly reminder, everyone wash your hands, a lot!

 

Happy cruising all!!!

[kgymn]

What happened to "washy washy" is almost no hand sanitizers are effective against norovirus so instead of killing it, all it does is discourage people from washing their hands as often which IS effective. So pretty counterproductive for noro at least.

 

~Katy

[backsbanny]

this happens to a lot of ships on every cruise line.i am pretty sure that they will satinize the pearl really nicely and no problem will exist for you

[sfaaa]

Yes, they will since health inspector will come on board to check things out.

[backsbanny]

Yes, they will since health inspector will come on board to check things out.

 

yep

[cb at sea]

You can have GREAT hygiene, but still get noro...it's EVERYWHERE...and if you have kids, your odds are better than normal at getting it....schools, churches, hospitals, nursing homes, hotels...anywhere lots of people congregate are RIPE for norovirus!

 

Yes..you should wash your hands frequently and do NOT touch your face (eyes, nose and mouth are the entry points)...but this is a VERY contagious virus....if someone throws up and you walk past that, the "droplets" in the air can give it to you...

 

So don't think it's because folks are "dirty" or something...that's not the case.The virus can defeat your best attempts at cleanliness. You can be contagious BEFORE you even know you have it. THAT'S how it gets on the ship so easily! If you have it and are exhibiting symptoms, I guarantee you will NOT feel like traveling!

Edited April 4, 2015 by cb at sea

[crmc]

I wish cruise ships would install sinks at the buffet entrances in addition to having hand sanitizer. I much prefer washing my hands to using the sanitizer.

[TwizzlersAddict]

I wish cruise ships would install sinks at the buffet entrances in addition to having hand sanitizer.

 

Some do

 

http://www.cleveland.com/travel/index.ssf/2014/12/more_sinks_catchy_video_encour.html

[shapatack0]

I wish cruise ships would install sinks at the buffet entrances in addition to having hand sanitizer. I much prefer washing my hands to using the sanitizer.

 

The breakaway class ships have this. It's a great idea.

[gwsster]

What happened to "washy washy" is almost no hand sanitizers are effective against norovirus so instead of killing it, all it does is discourage people from washing their hands as often which IS effective. So pretty counterproductive for noro at least.

 

~Katy

 

Quite often people are exposed on the aircraft flying into the city they are sailing from. I try to avoid touching the handrails and other surfaces whenever possible. I feel for those that are ill on a vacation.

[mking8288]

The hand-wash sink with soap, dryer & towels is a great idea - saw it on the BA last year

 

 

Part of the problem is that we saw nobody, nobody using it - not even the crew members coming into/leaving that area - to set an example (both last year and this time around) Thankfully, nothing happened last week with our cruise, AFAIK - onset can take up to 3 days ...

Edited April 4, 2015 by mking8288

[elruth]

My 84 yr old husband and 75 yr old me will be on the Pearl sailing this coming Monday on April 6th. This makes me nervous but I guess it's good that the ship will be cleaned before we board. I think norovirus ( if that is what this is ) is caused by someone not washing hands after going to the bathroom. I know many are on spring break right now. This will be our 18th cruise and sure hope we don't get sick. I am most neurotic about washing hands but I just got over 3 weeks of a respiratory virus.

 

We were on the Getaway in January and the wash stations outside the buffet were great! They had huge sinks and you used soap and hot water to clean hands. Never had to touch any faucets.

[warriorking]

Basically had the same thing happen back in 2010 aboard the Jade on the Med. cruise from Barcelona, we were delayed from getting to our cabins till around 4:30 ...

No problems or illness was reported during the cruise afterwards...

Edited April 4, 2015 by warriorking

[kcwingwalker]

We are currently sailing on the Pearl and on our way back to Miami.

 

Things are not awful and crew seems to have everything in hand and doing their best to keep things under control.

 

I have not seen any passengers who are ill and have not heard any passengers complaining they are not feeling well. In other words this is very much a normal cruise for those who are not ill.

 

For those who have contracted the virus I hope they soon recover. At one point the Captain announced that approximately 30% of the passengers had been affected. The CDC says 4.37 which is more likely.

 

The Pearl is a wonderful ship with a terrific crew. For those of you boarding on the 6th I think all will be well. Just remember "Washy Washy"

[EyeSeaEwe]

My 84 yr old husband and 75 yr old me will be on the Pearl sailing this coming Monday on April 6th. This makes me nervous but I guess it's good that the ship will be cleaned before we board. I think norovirus ( if that is what this is ) is caused by someone not washing hands after going to the bathroom. I know many are on spring break right now. This will be our 18th cruise and sure hope we don't get sick. I am most neurotic about washing hands but I just got over 3 weeks of a respiratory virus.

 

We were on the Getaway in January and the wash stations outside the buffet were great! They had huge sinks and you used soap and hot water to clean hands. Never had to touch any faucets.

 

 

 

Your thoughts are wrong. Noro CAN be SPREAD as a result of poor sanitation habits but it is CAUSED by a lot of tihngs. Saying noro is CAUSED by not washing hands in the bathroom is way way WAY over simplifying things.

[EyeSeaEwe]

We are currently sailing on the Pearl and on our way back to Miami.

 

Things are not awful and crew seems to have everything in hand and doing their best to keep things under control.

 

I have not seen any passengers who are ill and have not heard any passengers complaining they are not feeling well. In other words this is very much a normal cruise for those who are not ill.

 

For those who have contracted the virus I hope they soon recover. At one point the Captain announced that approximately 30% of the passengers had been affected. The CDC says 4.37 which is more likely.

 

The Pearl is a wonderful ship with a terrific crew. For those of you boarding on the 6th I think all will be well. Just remember "Washy Washy"

 

 

FYI washy washy has ZERO impact on noro.

[abbyar]

We aren't sailing again until May, but my kids picked up what I think is norovirus (nasty stomach bug) this week at school. I hope everyone effected on the Pearl gets healthy quickly.

[abbyar]

And the gel sanitizers unfortunately don't Impact noro. So we wash in hot water for 25 seconds frequently and use virus killing wipes on hard surfaces (although noro can be transmitted through the air too).

[rbrugler]

We are booked on the Pearl in March, 2016. Should we cancel?

[triptolemus]

We are booked on the Pearl in March, 2016. Should we cancel?

 

That's a year away? Why would you cancel?

 

But, sure, yeah, go ahead and cancel. I would.

[Single Cruiser]

We are booked on the Pearl in March, 2016. Should we cancel?

 

I assume this was meant to be some sort of joke? I think nearly every cruise ship from the Cunards down to the Carnival's have had noro outbreaks in the past. So I'd avoid any future cruises! :eek:

[elruth]

Your thoughts are wrong. Noro CAN be SPREAD as a result of poor sanitation habits but it is CAUSED by a lot of tihngs. Saying noro is CAUSED by not washing hands in the bathroom is way way WAY over simplifying things.

 

My thoughts are not totally incorrect. I realize it can be spread by not washing hands but seriously, your use of boldface type is a bit "over the top ".

 

The virus is transmitted by fecally contaminated food or water, by person-to-person contact,[3] and via aerosolization of the virus and subsequent contamination of surfaces