Noro on Riviera again

[kazu]

It is my nature to be positive, look for the silver lining and hope for the best, but it would do me well to stop reading this thread since I board Riviera on Monday and my husband and I are literally praying at this point that the Noro virus will be eradicated and no one brings it with them. To read so much negativity about Oceania and the way they have handled this evidently ongoing problem is beyond troubling; I'm literally dreading this cruise.

 

 

 

Anyone who has ever read any of my reviews or posts knows that I don't mince words and I'm no cheerleader for anyone. I have been cheering Oceania simply because I've never had anything but fantastic experience with them in our past 4 cruises since 2013. But reading all this has me very worried.

 

 

 

Yesterday we had an offer of a 75% refund to downgrade from our PH cabin to a Concierge Class. I have no idea why. I didn't take it, but I was tempted to ask how much they'd give us to not go at all.

 

 

 

I will have internet onboard and assuming we have a signal, I will post to let everyone know what (if anything) is happening. I'm going to hope it's so normal and fabulous that I don't even bother. If you don't see me, it's good news. For all of us on this cruise and all those booked in the weeks to come, fingers crossed.

 

 

 

For all those who were on this cruise, I confess I can't imagine how horrifying it was ... even if you didn't get sick. Welcome home.

 

 

Good luck on your cruise Heather.

 

Hopefully all is good for you. We were offered a significant discount to drop our Ph and hind sight being what it is, I wish we had taken it, but hopefully your cruise is much better than ours was.

 

Bon Voyage :)

[kazu]

 

I haven't visited the O blog since I left the November sick ship and cancelled my May O cruise. But a CC friend and fellow November Riviera passenger told me about the recent outbreak. Yes, Noro can happen anywhere. I have been a victim of it myself. It is HOW O has been handling it that is the issue. Our November cruise was a nightmare-- only due to the way O handled (or rather did NOT handle) everything. Can't believe how snarky so many posters have been. Until you have lived it on the sailing being discussed, you will not fully understand. I can't believe FDR is OK with what has been going on. .

 

 

Totally agree

 

 

- as to FDR, I think he is a thing of the past and no longer cares, sadly or is just too busy. I don't think that O is his baby anymore. I did email him by the way.

Edited February 21, 2016 by kazu

[gigianne]

Keeping my fingers crossed that those boarding this coming week will have a wonderful cruise and that the Noro that has been plaguing the Riviera - on our cruise in November/December and on this latest/shortened cruise will not ruin anyone's vacation. Bon Voyage!

Edited February 21, 2016 by gigianne

[Travelcat2]

Totally agree

 

 

- as to FDR, I think he is a thing of the past and no longer cares, sadly or is just too busy. I don't think that O is his baby anymore. I did email him by the way.

 

FDR will always care and Oceania is his baby. However, the person to be writing to is the President of Oceania rather than the CEO of Regent, NCL and Oceania (although I doubt if there is anything that could be done other than what is being done). It sounds like the crew on Oceania are disinfecting every possible surface of the ship.

 

I guess that my patience for this thread is less than normal because the loss of Don Horner makes this thread seem quite unimportant. Some passengers have been sick which could happen anywhere - some passengers have been inconvenienced -- but, thankfully, all of you reading this have survived the cruise. Try putting things into perspective!!!!!

[RJB]

[ATTACH]377418[/ATTACH]

 

Looks like you are headed to Miami at a pretty good speed (22 knots) and fairly close. I hope disembarkation goes smoothly and so sorry this cruise was essentially ruined. Try to enjoy a couple days in Miami.

Not a chance. We sat at the dock in Miami for about 2 hours before they started to let us off and that did not go well. The crew at the gangway had no clue what they were doing and some people just pushed their way off without swiping their cards and I don"t blame them. They treated us like cattle and some just got fed up. We are home now and happy about it. Could have stayed at hotel in Miami on O but no thanks. Will give more thoughts about the cruise tomorrow. :(:(:(

[HeatherInFlorida]

................

 

I guess that my patience for this thread is less than normal because the loss of Don Horner makes this thread seem quite unimportant. Some passengers have been sick which could happen anywhere - some passengers have been inconvenienced -- but, thankfully, all of you reading this have survived the cruise. Try putting things into perspective!!!!!

 

Beautifully said.

[RJB]

This is directed to those currently on board Riviera. What is happening with all the crew. Do they have to also leave the ship? Thank you.

 

:confused:

I believe they are staying to help clean the ship. Fully expect it to sail on Monday and they are needed for that cruise. O would have to put them in hotels also.

[Mura]

FDR will always care and Oceania is his baby. However, the person to be writing to is the President of Oceania rather than the CEO of Regent, NCL and Oceania (although I doubt if there is anything that could be done other than what is being done). It sounds like the crew on Oceania are disinfecting every possible surface of the ship.

 

I guess that my patience for this thread is less than normal because the loss of Don Horner makes this thread seem quite unimportant. Some passengers have been sick which could happen anywhere - some passengers have been inconvenienced -- but, thankfully, all of you reading this have survived the cruise. Try putting things into perspective!!!!!

 

 

+1 TC ...

 

Mura

[LHT28]

I believe they are staying to help clean the ship. Fully expect it to sail on Monday and they are needed for that cruise. O would have to put them in hotels also.

 

I think the crew need a break as well :eek:

 

Let the professional cleaners come aboard

[CruiserPK]

I'm writing from our hotel in Miami, excited to be headed to the airport this morning. As someone posted, the norovirus can happen on any ship, but, how the cruise ship handles the situation is a true test of the management at the head office and onboard the ship. In this case, both were reactive instead of proactive and the senior staff onboard were practically invisible. A passenger who happened to be a retired director of the CDC in Canada had a lot to say about the disease, chemicals being used on ship and the opportunities for passengers still to be infected once off the ship. Suffice it to say, we were sent off the ship none the wiser thanks to O, but most thankful for the guidance to leave our luggage in the garage and to clean everything with Lysol. Staff at our hotel in Miami thought the ship had mechanical problems so who knows which hotels (there are many) could now have a norovirus outbreak in Miami.

 

My biggest concern is the chemicals that we were exposed to constantly. These were harsh chemicals that were on as many surfaces as the poor working people chould get to. For example, a member in the gym saw me wiping down a mat prior to use. He said that I didn't need too, that the chemical he had used was 10 times stronger than the Lysol wipes provided. I was concerned there might be pregnant crew members aboard and expressed this thought to one of the staff. Unfortunately there was one who was put in isolation due to stomach pain and hopefully she and her baby survive this horrible situation.

 

I would never knowingly board a cruise ship that had a history of norovirus after this fiasco of a trip. We are very thankful neither of us have gotten the sick, but will remain diligent for the next few days. I really hope CDC keeps this ship in Miami for a week for a top to bottom thorough cleaning. Clearly there are problems that need to be addressed.

[rhohea]

I think the crew need a break as well :eek:

 

Let the professional cleaners come aboard

 

I agree with you Lyn. I feel for all the crew. How can they be expected to be all smiles & work 12-14+ hour days. Put up with the hot weather. Had their Vacations cut short (again). Insignia fire then this. ;) Anyone would be despondent & it must be hard to hide it "all the time". I struggle to understand how their bodies cope at times.

[yarmyob]

As has been said many times on this thread, until you have been through this situation personally it is difficult to describe or understand.

 

We boarded Riviera on 2/12 based on representations by O that they had taken extra precautions to fully sanitize the vessel and eradicate the infection. They cut corners, rolled the dice by going forward with the cruise and came up craps! Within 2 days the ship had surpassed the 3% threshold where CDC reporting is required. This was announced by the captain to the passengers.

 

A few days later as we were preparing to disembark in San Juan, the captain announced that the incidence rate "had subsided." So we began to feel a bit more hopeful. In actuality, the rate of infection continued to grow with the last reported level of 119 passengers and 3 crew. More stunningly than anything is that there were virtually no communications to passengers from ship management. When a passenger has to find information on a CDC website, even the cheerleaders would have to acknowledge that there is a real problem.

 

Lessons learned:

1. the processes required to clean a ship infected with norovirus are completely incompatible with a cruise experience for passengers.

2. Never board a vessel that has reported norovirus, no matter what the cruise line promises, until they have had several clean sailings.

 

Word to the wise ... To those scheduled to board on 2/23 I hope you do not experience what we went through.

 

More than anything, our hearts go out to the working crew aboard Riviera. They worked tirelessly to fight the infection and also carry out their normal work duties. They interacted with passengers as best as they could in the circumstances and were the best ambassadors for the cruise line. As for the ship's management, I have never observed a more gutless pack of fools. They remained behind closed doors for the duration of the cruise imploring us over the broadcast system to just wash our hands. A classic case study in how not to face a crisis.

[muchty]

Thank you Heather, we were indeed on the previous cruise. the numbers I provided were what was known to us at the time. Many more must have been reported toward the end of the cruise.

I of course agree to look forward to a trip then take ill is no joke and wish all those well in recovery.

Without harping on I and others witnessed many instances of passengers not taking care which if frustrating for other passengers must be infuriating for the hardworking staff.

On our key west stop as we returned to the ship we overheard a conversation where security were explaining painfully patiently to a passenger that he had been quarintined and was not allowed TO GO OFF THE SHIP!! And must return to his room. The passenger continued to argue it was his wife who was ill not him!

Kinda makes it a never ending situation. Then unpleasant for all.

[muchty]

I keep seeing FDR mentioned. Forgive my ignorance as I don't know a lot of the abbreviations.

Can someone explain who or what FDR stands for?

Thanks

[hypercafe]

It stands for Frank Del Rio. He was the founder of Oceania cruise line and is now president of the parent company NCLH.

[HeatherInFlorida]

............

 

Lessons learned:

1. the processes required to clean a ship infected with norovirus are completely incompatible with a cruise experience for passengers.

2. Never board a vessel that has reported norovirus, no matter what the cruise line promises, until they have had several clean sailings.

 

Word to the wise ... To those scheduled to board on 2/23 I hope you do not experience what we went through.

........

 

Interesting "lessons learned", but easier said than done. When you have booked and paid for a cruise and learn 7 or 8 days before embarkation that Noro is onboard, do you cancel? Do you simply toss the thousands of $$$ you have spent? Perhaps some would, but not many.

 

I completely sympathize with anyone who had to deal with what was obviously a miserable cruise for them and it's easy to Monday morning quarterback. I may be doing the same thing in a week or so, but I sure hope not. We board tomorrow (2/22 as far as I know...not 2/23) and will hope that the extra cleaning they are doing since last night will do the trick.

 

Frankly, I think at this point we have a better chance of avoiding Noro on Riviera than most any ship heading out to sea right now.

[RJB]

Interesting "lessons learned", but easier said than done. When you have booked and paid for a cruise and learn 7 or 8 days before embarkation that Noro is onboard, do you cancel? Do you simply toss the thousands of $$$ you have spent? Perhaps some would, but not many.

 

I completely sympathize with anyone who had to deal with what was obviously a miserable cruise for them and it's easy to Monday morning quarterback. I may be doing the same thing in a week or so, but I sure hope not. We board tomorrow (2/22 as far as I know...not 2/23) and will hope that the extra cleaning they are doing since last night will do the trick.

 

Frankly, I think at this point we have a better chance of avoiding Noro on Riviera than most any ship heading out to sea right now.

That's what we thought on 2/11 when we got the e mail from O delaying boarding. We were told all the right things but they did not happen. Little did we know that we were boarding a sick ship. We were lucky and did not get sick and ad a pretty good time for the first 5 days and then it went downhill as you know. Hope this new cleaning works and you have a great time. They have to get this solved for you and us, as we are going back aboard in July.

[MVPinBoynton]

A

 

Lessons learned:

1. the processes required to clean a ship infected with norovirus are completely incompatible with a cruise experience for passengers.

2. Never board a vessel that has reported norovirus, no matter what the cruise line promises, until they have had several clean sailings.

 

 

I can certainly appreciate how you feel after such a miserable cruise experience; but I think that never boarding a vessel that has just come off a noro outbreak is a bit extreme. We have been on three cruises that were just after outbreaks, 2 on Celebrity and one on Azamara. Whatever steps they took were most effective and there were no issues on any of the cruises. Whatever has been going on with the Riviera is certainly the exception in the industry. I certainly hope for those boarding tomorrow and future cruises that O has figured out the problems and fixed them. Especially, since we are boarding in 4 weeks.

Edited February 21, 2016 by MVPinBoynton

[luvtravelms]

We are boarding tomorrow as well. There has been some talk on this board of delayed boarding. We have heard nothing from Oceania or our TA. Does anyone have updated information on this?

[RJB]

We are boarding tomorrow as well. There has been some talk on this board of delayed boarding. We have heard nothing from Oceania or our TA. Does anyone have updated information on this?

Heard that on board the ship yesterday before we left, but can not confirm it. Hope all is well and you have a great safe trip. :):):)

[LHT28]

What happened to the sick people onboard were they just let loose to spread the joy in Miami or where ever???

 

Lysol wipes make you feel better but will not kill noro

 

yes I have been struck down with this virus ..it is not fun

[LHT28]

We are boarding tomorrow as well. There has been some talk on this board of delayed boarding. We have heard nothing from Oceania or our TA. Does anyone have updated information on this?

 

It was also posted on your roll call that the boarding will be delayed

I would contact your TA today or early tomorrow

[LHT28]

It stands for Frank Del Rio. He was the founder of Oceania cruise line and is now president of the parent company NCLH.

I guess people have forgotten that Jason Montague is president and chief operating officer for Prestige Cruise Holdings, Inc (Oceania & Regent )

They just like to blame FDR for everything

[pthjudy]

We will be boarding Riviera in April. Reading posts about medical center costs and quarantine, I have a few questions:

1. Is visiting the medical center for an illness that really has to run its course really a good suggestion?

2. If I get sick, will my husband be quarantined?

3. How long is the quarantine period?

I am hoping that by mid April Riviera will be healthy once again. I foresee major problems if it isn't, because our cruise is a transatlantic with most days at sea. Some of the excitement and anticipation of sailing on Riviera again has been lessened. Hearing how the Oceania management (not the ship's staff) has handled this crisis is very disappointing to say the least!

[LHT28]

We will be boarding Riviera in April. Reading posts about medical center costs and quarantine, I have a few questions:

1. Is visiting the medical center for an illness that really has to run its course really a good suggestion? if you have NORO then yes you should at least tell them

2. If I get sick, will my husband be quarantined? if it is contagious like NORO YES he should be a cold NO

3. How long is the quarantine period? usually for NORO 48 hrs after your last BM

I am hoping that by mid April Riviera will be healthy once again. I foresee major problems if it isn't, because our cruise is a transatlantic with most days at sea. Some of the excitement and anticipation of sailing on Riviera again has been lessened. Hearing how the Oceania management (not the ship's staff) has handled this crisis is very disappointing to say the least!

 

People that have NORO or other contagious should stay in their cabins along with their cabinmates you may also be a carrier

This is how the virus gets out of hand

 

YMMV