Slight Gadtro Outbreak on Riviera

[DOJO466]

As long time criusers and a microbiologist we are very proactive on cruise ship hygiene. Given Riviera's recent two outbreaks I came well prepared - Clorox wipes, Lysol spray ,N95 masks, and nitrile gloves. Wife and I deconed the stateroom first hour on board. On day one of the cruise during embarkation I was concerned on lack of hand sanitation emphasis by crew. I immediately went to the front desk reception manager identified myself as professional microbiologist and emphasized the need to step up the game game on staff dispensing sanitizer at the various food venues. No one addressed my concern . So we are now into day 7 with another GI infection outbreak . So far Noro has not been confirmef, but some passengers are ill with a GI bug. Exact number not confirmed. Day 7 is first I've seen on hand rail and wall sanitation. The ship demographic is very advanced geriatric which is the potential root cause with lack of good bathroom hygiene. Staff seems short and morale low from over work last two outbreaks. Officers are stealth no where to be seen. We are Celebrity regulars and have never seen this lack of attention. Last time for Oceania seems NCL Holdings has taken effect on sub-standard protocols. It's NCL no surprise. Last time for us.

I am onboard right now. Our rails and walls on deck 7 were steamed on day2.everything was sparkling on the ship. Crew has been at every food venue imploring that you use the sanitizer. I have not seen low morale with staff, in fact I have found them more pleasant than some of our previous cruises, yes they are back to cleaning everything and working very hard. I can not see how O can handle this any better than they have. No I don't like all the stickiness on tables, chairs, elevator, but it is what it is

We are missing a port today due to seas so 2 sea days in a row. For those boarding on Sunday be assured that the ship is the cleanest it has ever been. It has not been confirmed as Noro.

[janecambridge]

Could these outbreaks on all ships,not just Oceania,be from contaminated food,e.g.shellfish from contaminated waters? Fruit and vegetables handled by so many before being loaded on board? Is there anyone doing a check on what ports the ships whose passengers suffer gastro problems,use? Is there a link?

Just wondering as it seems to be a lot about blaming sick people on embarkation..but below decks could have something to do with it...

[warburg]

Greetings from South Beach, where Spring Break is in full swing. Noro virus is not a new problem. It or viruses like it have been around for years. With universal access to information transmission, we just know everything immediately today.

 

We board Riviera on April 11th Miami/Barcelona. With nine sea days, cuts in service would definitely be unpleasant. Our hope is that the sanitation situation is under control. It is impossible to guarantee that nobody ill will board a ship. In all our years of cruising, we never encountered Noro, or learned about it if it did happened. Once, while docked at Brunei, a passenger was removed by helicopter from an upper balcony. That was the first time we learned there was such a serious problem on board. Those were the days.

 

Mary

Edited March 10, 2016 by warburg

[pthjudy]

Greetings from South Beach, where Spring Break is in full swing. Noro virus is not a new problem. It or viruses like it have been around for years. With universal access to information transmission, we just know everything immediately today.

 

We board Riviera on April 11th Miami/Barcelona. With nine sea days, cuts in service would definitely be unpleasant. Our hope is that the sanitation situation is under control. It is impossible to guarantee that nobody ill will board a ship. In all our years of cruising, we never encountered Noro, or learned about it if it did happened. Once, while docked at Brunei, a passenger was removed by helicopter from an upper balcony. That was the first time we learned there was such a serious problem on board. Those were the days.

 

Mary

We too board Riviera on April 11. I have been anxiously reading the "noro scoreboard" with lows due to the shortened cruise, highs during Heather's cruise, and now possible lows once again. I got my Amazon order of high octane wipes, found rubber gloves, and just today bought Shop Rite Imodium. I agree about the too much (and sometimes inaccurate) information. We too have never gotten noro (colds and coughs though) on 35 previous cruises. I think we all need to keep this in perspective, be prepared, don't obsess, and remind ourselves that we can get sick anywhere at any time. However, unlike previous posters, I do want as much information as can be provided. This forum has been invaluable and I don't want posters to be intimidated.

[PortlandroseWL]

We were on the Feb 22-March 3 cruise on Riviera. We had arrived in Miami a few days early and were at the marina and were surprised to see our ship in port as it wasn't expected until Sunday. I googled Oceania Riviera and found that they were experiencing a noro virus outbreak and had returned to port 2 days early. We were able to follow the outbreak for the next few days through the CDC - here's the link for our cruise - http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2016/february12_oceania_riviera.htm

Right now there is no official outbreak, but if you're worried about future cruises, the Center for Disease Control website is great. Get answers to all your questions about what it is, how it's treated, when it has to be reported and the history of outbreaks.

 

If it helps, though we experience three days of hyper-cleaning on the ship, we had a wonderful cruise. Great crew and staff. It was our first Oceania cruise, and though I know we missed out on some of the elegance the first few days, I'd rather be healthy!

[kitty9]

Sanitizing continues in full swing. They aren't putting out the bread/roll baskets in the restaurant and you can't grab your own butter and other items that you were able to before.

 

One weird thing they're doing is spraying the sticky sanitizer onto upholstered chairs, which is causing stains on slacks and making it look like you messed yourself. There's got to be a better way to do this.

[Lrob]

The enhanced protocols could mean that Oceania is being extremely cautious, or that some cases of noro are suspected. I do believe, given current events, that ship health officers should confirm for passengers if there are any noro cases. The extra cleaning apparently is hard to miss so they should provide information as to why it is being done.

 

I wonder how long the crew can endure the frequent extra cleaning duties.

 

Hope those on board keep updated. Thanks for the reports.

[Iamthesea]

They did that on our cruise. Here is a photo of the lounge between the GDR and the casino one day during the lunch hour. No one could use it because they had cleaned every surface and it was all wet.

 

 

Looking back at that photo, I had forgotten how beautiful the ship really was, but boy...have you ever seen anyone over the age of 50 try to get in and out of those black chairs?

Edited March 11, 2016 by Iamthesea

[Wren3]

Thank you for the updates. Boarding on Sunday and I really appreciate the information being shared on this subject. I should bring something to sit on so my dresses don't get stained from the sanitizing solution on the chairs :)

[Wren3]

Sanitizing continues in full swing. They aren't putting out the bread/roll baskets in the restaurant and you can't grab your own butter and other items that you were able to before.

 

One weird thing they're doing is spraying the sticky sanitizer onto upholstered chairs, which is causing stains on slacks and making it look like you messed yourself. There's got to be a better way to do this.

 

Thanks Kitty, if you know, are they sanitizing the staterooms with the sticky solution?

How has the sanitizing affected the GDR and Specialty restaurants? Have they removed the linens from the dining tables to make room for the sanitizing solutions?

[eroller]

It's great that Oceania is taking all the proactive steps to keep the ship healthy, and this is very much appreciated.

 

This being said, I'm a little disappointed my first Oceania cruise (along with my husband) may not have the greatest first impression when we board this Sunday. I've been raving to my husband (who is not big on cruises to begin with) about how much he will love Oceania and what a great new ship RIVIERA is. If everything is soaked with sticky cleaning solution and tables are barren with no place settings I'm guessing he will not be very impressed. Although he has cruised a lot, he has never experienced a ship in such a condition before. I've avoided telling him about anything going on with the ship as I don't want to spoil anything, but I may be forced to. :(

 

I booked this cruise as a honeymoon surprise for him. We got married last month on DISNEY DREAM on our 20th anniversary. I can just hear him saying "what kind of plague ship did you book me on!" UGH.

Edited March 11, 2016 by eroller

[Wren3]

It's great that Oceania is taking all the proactive steps to keep the ship healthy, and this is very much appreciated.

 

This being said, I'm a little disappointed my first Oceania cruise (along with my husband) may not have the greatest first impression when we board this Sunday. I've been raving to my husband (who is not big on cruises to begin with) about how much he will love Oceania and what a great new ship RIVIERA is. If everything is soaked with sticky cleaning solution and tables are barren with no place settings I'm guessing he will not be very impressed. Although he has cruised a lot, he has never experienced a ship in such a condition before. I've avoided telling him about anything going on with the ship as I don't want to spoil anything, but I may be forced to. :(

 

I booked this cruise as a honeymoon surprise for him. We got married last month on DISNEY DREAM on our 20th anniversary. I can just hear him saying "what kind of plague ship did you book me on!" UGH.

 

Congratulations eroller on your recent marriage. I sincerely hope that your Oceania first impressions will be all you hoped for. I too am concerned with how the ship will be when we board on Sunday. I am trying to remain positive but I did forewarn my spouse that it may not be what we are used to with Oceania and things may be stressful with the sticky solution on the surfaces and the services being curtailed.

Edited March 11, 2016 by Wren3

[eroller]

Congratulations eroller on your recent marriage. I sincerely hope that your Oceania first impressions will be all you hoped for. I too am concerned with how the ship will be when we board on Sunday. I am trying to remain positive but I did forewarn my spouse that it may not be what we are used to with Oceania and things may be stressful with the sticky solution on the surfaces and the services being curtailed.

 

 

Thanks so much! It's great to finally be married after all these years. I enjoyed the experience much more than I thought I would, and Disney did an awesome job. No detail left to chance which is typical of Disney.

 

I might have to break down and warn my husband so he is somewhat prepared as to what to expect. I hate to give him any ammunition though as he would much rather be flying to London or Paris compared to cruising. He is less forgiving about these things than I am.

 

We will definitely make the best of it and plan to have a fantastic time! I just hope no one gets sick on the current cruise or our cruise. That is the most important thing.

[MVPinBoynton]

Thanks for keeping us aware of the status Kitty. We board in 9 days on March 20, so we are most interested. We are expecting a wonderful cruise even if there are some extra sanitation steps, since we enjoy the Riviera so much. Hopefully the issue is more related to rich food and/or people that just get seasick if there is any motion.

[LHT28]

it is too bad there is not a product that can be sprayed on the fabrics that dry quickly so people are not having to sit in damp sticky chairs

 

I know on our HAL cruise I would see the wait staff in the Lido wipe tables with a bucket of what looked like dirty water & a cloth

I found out is was a bleach solution ...did not seem to leave a sticky situation behind ..it dried quickly so once it was cleaned within a minute or so it was ready for the next diners

[kitty9]

They are using the sticky solution in the cabins, but they spray and wipe down----they don't leave it soaking wet on the surfaces. When you go to Waves, when someone leaves a table no one can sit at that table for a minimum of five minutes after it's been sanitized

[Iamthesea]

I wonder why they changed the procedure for the staterooms? It's a good thing, though. ;)

 

It's great that Oceania is taking all the proactive steps to keep the ship healthy, and this is very much appreciated.

 

This being said, I'm a little disappointed my first Oceania cruise (along with my husband) may not have the greatest first impression when we board this Sunday. I've been raving to my husband (who is not big on cruises to begin with) about how much he will love Oceania and what a great new ship RIVIERA is. If everything is soaked with sticky cleaning solution and tables are barren with no place settings I'm guessing he will not be very impressed. Although he has cruised a lot, he has never experienced a ship in such a condition before. I've avoided telling him about anything going on with the ship as I don't want to spoil anything, but I may be forced to. :(

 

I booked this cruise as a honeymoon surprise for him. We got married last month on DISNEY DREAM on our 20th anniversary. I can just hear him saying "what kind of plague ship did you book me on!" UGH.

 

He is less forgiving about these things than I am.

 

This sounds just like DH. Although, sailing on Oceania was his baby. ;) He was so excited! I hated to tell him, before we boarded, that things may not be what he was expecting after reading all the brochures.

[gofish]

On Riveria now ,long time Celebrity cruiser also.

All is good. they are asking all to do hands at all restaurants but Celebrity does the same.

Twelve people with us and everyone happy with Oceania.

Crew are cheerful. No inconvenience with their sanitation actions.

Don't know how many reported sick but we can't get speciality reservations so not a lot of sick people.

Salt and pepper on tables. I watched the boards before and was concerned but am here now and I think their problems are solved.

We do like Riveria and will probably return some day.

[eroller]

On Riveria now ,long time Celebrity cruiser also.

 

All is good. they are asking all to do hands at all restaurants but Celebrity does the same.

 

Twelve people with us and everyone happy with Oceania.

 

Crew are cheerful. No inconvenience with their sanitation actions.

 

Don't know how many reported sick but we can't get speciality reservations so not a lot of sick people.

 

Salt and pepper on tables. I watched the boards before and was concerned but am here now and I think their problems are solved.

 

We do like Riveria and will probably return some day.

 

 

Great to hear! Thanks so much for the update and enjoy your last couple days onboard.

[RJB]

Interesting comments, but does anyone know what the situation is on Riviera now. Has the GI or Noro or whatever it was been cleared up? A lot of us would like to know especially those who will board in a few days.

[Iamthesea]

gofish IS on the ship now and says all is good. Having S&P on the table is a sure sign that things are under control. :)

[RJB]

gofish IS on the ship now and says all is good. Having S&P on the table is a sure sign that things are under control. :)

Great news. Probably was not noro at all. People do get sick all the time and mostly it is not any of there things to worry us.

[Iamthesea]

The flu is also an issue right now. :(

[eroller]

One of my buddies who is a travel agent was supposed to have lunch and a tour on the ship tomorrow. Oceania canceled it because of the Noro and apparently lots of cleaning will be done when the ship docks. I haven't received any notification of delayed boarding for tomorrow. Also not sure how bad the Noro got on the current cruise but bad enough that Oceania canceled a travel agent function and plans more cleaning. Unfortunately I'm not feeling as excited as I usually am before a cruise.

[LHT28]

One of my buddies who is a travel agent was supposed to have lunch and a tour on the ship tomorrow. Oceania canceled it because of the Noro and apparently lots of cleaning will be done when the ship docks. I haven't received any notification of delayed boarding for tomorrow. Also not sure how bad the Noro got on the current cruise but bad enough that Oceania canceled a travel agent function and plans more cleaning. Unfortunately I'm not feeling as excited as I usually am before a cruise.

I thought I read a post from Kitty9 that they were out of code red

Maybe they think the TA's are bringing it on the ship

They seem to have TA lunches every docking in Miami

try not to stress out about it ...not easy to do under the circumstances