Food Poisoning on Majesty

[mediaase]

We recently sailed on Majesty as it was the 4th Royal Caribbean ship we've been on. We love Royal, but the food quality & service in the MDR on Majesty was way below what we've normally experienced. The last night of our 4 night cruise, my son ordered a strip steak cooked medium. It came out more on the medium-rare side, but he went ahead and ate it anyway. I was a bit concerned about it simply because the quality of the food had been sub-par all week. About 8 hours later, my son wakes up moaning saying his stomach hurt and then he immediately got violently sick over and over for about 10 minutes. I'll spare the rest of the details, but he woke up fine the next morning and none of us were sick at all before or after that.

 

We then hopped on Allure of the Seas a few days later and the difference in food quality was astonishing. We ate many of the same dishes and there simply wasn't any comparison...it tasted fresher, better, etc. And nobody got sick! woohoo It was the Royal Caribbean experience we've grown to love and enjoy.

 

I share that simply to suggest not eating steak on a ship cooked less than medium. I'm sure the majority of the time it's fine, but I'll never take a chance with it ever again.

[gadaboutgal]

Gosh, terrible luck that your son got sick. Did you take him to the infirmary? Could have been the norovirus? Symptoms are the same.

We are on Majesty this week and find the food the same as all the other RCCL ships we've sailed. Our dining room service has been as outstanding as always. Hope you have much better experiences on future cruises.

[IsanTom]

Sorry for your experience!

[Newby58]

Not food poisoning per say. Symptoms usually last a week or more and are very severe. Both ends! Not to say the food didn't cause your son's symptoms however, there may have been other causes.

[Newby58]

Sorry this happened.

[Clarea]

We were on Majesty last week thought the MDR food was fine. I did not see any significant difference in the MDR food quality from several other Royal ships we've been on lately.

Edited June 17, 2016 by clarea

[cruzinlady1947]

This happened to me many years ago on the Explorer. There was never any mention of Noro virus at that point in time. Never even heard of it on any ship. Anyway, I don't even remember what I had to eat, but shortly after I ate, I started getting really sick in my stomach and went to bed to rest. I was really afraid I would end up in the hospital. We were docked in San Juan until about 11 pm. I just toughed it out and in the middle of the night, I vomited violently, just once and felt fine and could finally get some sleep.

 

I felt fine the next day and discovered too, that I was not the only one this happened to. Not even sure it was reported. I thought it was something I ate, because my husband didn't get sick. I guess I will never know, but it was a short illness. Now, I know to report it, especially if it lasts for a longer amount of time.

 

Sorry this happened to your son. It was an awful experience and wouldn't wish it on anyone. Just glad it was short lived.....

 

 

Gwen :)

[bigque]

I had a similar experience on Enchantment last year. We were at dinner in the MDR and I really started feeling queasy and sick. I kept sitting there at the table and when the food came I couldn't eat any of it. We were at a table with two friends on the cruise with us and another family of four so I excused myself and told everyone I was going to my room to lay down. As my wife & I got outside the MDR I had to go straight to the restroom there and threw up very violently. I finally made it back to the room and laid down but still not feeling well. Our wait staff in the MDR was very concerned so they call the infirmary and the doctor called the room to check on me and then had me to come down.

 

I went to the infirmary and I told the doctor what I had ate during the day because I though it might have been something I ate in the Windjammer for lunch. He examined me which was no cost but wanted to run some more extensive test that would have cost some money. I can remember how much but I remember it would have been quite a bit. I declined and had to sign a form saying that I was declining any further treatment. Turns out that it was just some type of stomach virus, but no food poisoning or Noro Virus. This happened on the first day into Nassau and I couldn't eat anything the next day at Coco Cay or the food I ordered in Chops that night. The next time I ate a meal was on the drive home to North Carolina after the cruise.

[Newby58]

Oh my, sounds horrid.

[leisuretraveler223]

Not food poisoning per say. Symptoms usually last a week or more and are very severe.

 

There are a variety of pathogens that cause food poisoning. To be violently ill 8-10 hours later is quite common. Symptoms usually last several hours to a day or two. Food poisoning virtually never lasts a week.

[Newby58]

Not true. Sorry.

[Newby58]

The OP's son was sick for 10 mins!

[Newby58]

There are a variety of pathogens that cause food poisoning. To be violently ill 8-10 hours later is quite common. Symptoms usually last several hours to a day or two. Food poisoning virtually never lasts a week.

 

 

I won't argue with you. You obviously know more than me. I stand corrected ????

[TAMUPhD]

We recently sailed on Majesty as it was the 4th Royal Caribbean ship we've been on. We love Royal, but the food quality & service in the MDR on Majesty was way below what we've normally experienced. The last night of our 4 night cruise, my son ordered a strip steak cooked medium. It came out more on the medium-rare side, but he went ahead and ate it anyway. I was a bit concerned about it simply because the quality of the food had been sub-par all week. About 8 hours later, my son wakes up moaning saying his stomach hurt and then he immediately got violently sick over and over for about 10 minutes. I'll spare the rest of the details, but he woke up fine the next morning and none of us were sick at all before or after that.

 

We then hopped on Allure of the Seas a few days later and the difference in food quality was astonishing. We ate many of the same dishes and there simply wasn't any comparison...it tasted fresher, better, etc. And nobody got sick! woohoo It was the Royal Caribbean experience we've grown to love and enjoy.

 

I share that simply to suggest not eating steak on a ship cooked less than medium. I'm sure the majority of the time it's fine, but I'll never take a chance with it ever again.

 

It was most likely not the strip steak. It is virtually impossible for any food borne pathogen to enter into solid cuts of meat (invade the muscle) such as a steak. Given that it was cooked to medium rare, any harmful bacteria on the surface of the steak would have been killed. If it was food poisoning, it would have been from another source.

[Thetrail]

We recently sailed on Majesty as it was the 4th Royal Caribbean ship we've been on. We love Royal, but the food quality & service in the MDR on Majesty was way below what we've normally experienced. The last night of our 4 night cruise, my son ordered a strip steak cooked medium. It came out more on the medium-rare side, but he went ahead and ate it anyway. I was a bit concerned about it simply because the quality of the food had been sub-par all week. About 8 hours later, my son wakes up moaning saying his stomach hurt and then he immediately got violently sick over and over for about 10 minutes. I'll spare the rest of the details, but he woke up fine the next morning and none of us were sick at all before or after that.

 

We then hopped on Allure of the Seas a few days later and the difference in food quality was astonishing. We ate many of the same dishes and there simply wasn't any comparison...it tasted fresher, better, etc. And nobody got sick! woohoo It was the Royal Caribbean experience we've grown to love and enjoy.

 

I share that simply to suggest not eating steak on a ship cooked less than medium. I'm sure the majority of the time it's fine, but I'll never take a chance with it ever again.

Really! It wasn't food poisoning!.....:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[ryano]

Really! It wasn't food poisoning!.....:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

Are you a Dr? Were you there to diagnose the OPs son? What qualifications, medical degrees and experience do you have to make such a statement?

Edited June 17, 2016 by ryano

[TAMUPhD]

Are you a Dr? Were you there to diagnose the OPs son? What qualifications do you have to make such a statement?

 

When one ingests a food borne pathogen, your body gears up to flush the system. This typically lasts for several hours once the organism is detected by the body. It takes a while for the immune response to shut down which is why one will go through several series of vomitting and/or diarrhea over several hours to several days depending on the organism and the level of that organism that is ingested.

Edited June 17, 2016 by TAMUPhD
Misspelled word

[ptf2009]

There are a variety of pathogens that cause food poisoning. To be violently ill 8-10 hours later is quite common. Symptoms usually last several hours to a day or two. Food poisoning virtually never lasts a week.

 

Totally agree...food poisoning only lasts hours...as in once you get all the bad stuff out of you! And for a poster to suggest that it may been norovirus? Is he kidding? Norovirus will last much longer.

 

So sorry for your son's experience...not a pleasant experience, but how fortunate that you had the experience of going on another cruise a few days later! Lucky you!!!

[Jestocost]

It was most likely not the strip steak. It is virtually impossible for any food borne pathogen to enter into solid cuts of meat (invade the muscle) such as a steak. Given that it was cooked to medium rare, any harmful bacteria on the surface of the steak would have been killed. If it was food poisoning, it would have been from another source.

 

This. Cooking ground beef to a higher internal temperature is necessary to ensure that any pathogens that have been mixed into the meat as the surfaces and interior parts are ground together. That doesn't happen with a steak, however, so medium rare or even rare steaks don't present a risk. I guess it's entirely possible that something else could be "wrong" with a piece of meat that could cause the symptoms described but it would not have to do with the internal temperature of the steak.

[leisuretraveler223]

Really! It wasn't food poisoning!.....:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

Really! I have little doubt it was. Most likely Staph, Bacillus Cereus or C perfringens. E coli is the only likely culprit that would last a week (in particular E coli o157:H7, which has been implicated in undercooked GROUND beef, but not solid cuts).

 

Most likely was from a sauce or side. Staph in particular can partially contaminate. As such, thirty people can eat a casserole or other mixed dish, but only one will get sick. It doesn't "spread" through the dish.

 

Most staph food poisoning results in a violent but brief illness that is actually shorter in younger patients, because it takes less time to flush out a smaller system. So one protracted bout of vomiting and diarrhea can clean a kid out. Then they're wiped out with a fragile gi tract for a couple hours. But unless they try and eat too much too soon, they won't likely get sick again.

[ChipLondon]

Interesting point.....err was the Op ? :eek:

 

 

Are you a Dr? Were you there to diagnose the OPs son? What qualifications, medical degrees and experience do you have to make such a statement?

[ChipLondon]

If it was a few days later, I trust you indicated the previous sickness on the health question form ?

 

Hope the short sickness did not effect the enjoyment of your cruise on such a fantastic ship, we would love to hear about the more positive aspects of your vacation as well.

 

 

 

..........We then hopped on Allure of the Seas a few days later ...............

[birdylady]

As I have had the misfortune to have food poisoning 4 times ( I wouldn't wish it once on my worst enemy), I can attest, personally that I never have gotten over it in 10 minutes and felt fine the next day. And although everyone's metabolism works a bit differently, I know in my case, I can practically time it to 6 hours after ingestion.

 

Whatever the case for the OP's son's reaction, I'm just thankful for his sake that it was only 10 minutes and he was well the next day.

 

Erika

[ScottC4746]

We recently sailed on Majesty as it was the 4th Royal Caribbean ship we've been on. We love Royal, but the food quality & service in the MDR on Majesty was way below what we've normally experienced. The last night of our 4 night cruise, my son ordered a strip steak cooked medium. It came out more on the medium-rare side, but he went ahead and ate it anyway. I was a bit concerned about it simply because the quality of the food had been sub-par all week. About 8 hours later, my son wakes up moaning saying his stomach hurt and then he immediately got violently sick over and over for about 10 minutes. I'll spare the rest of the details, but he woke up fine the next morning and none of us were sick at all before or after that.

 

We then hopped on Allure of the Seas a few days later and the difference in food quality was astonishing. We ate many of the same dishes and there simply wasn't any comparison...it tasted fresher, better, etc. And nobody got sick! woohoo It was the Royal Caribbean experience we've grown to love and enjoy.

 

I share that simply to suggest not eating steak on a ship cooked less than medium. I'm sure the majority of the time it's fine, but I'll never take a chance with it ever again.

 

Having been certified in food safety I can assure you most of the time a medium rare is fine, however it could have been cross contaminated in the kitchen or your son might have picked up a virus from touching surfaces around the ship and timing was bad. Anytime you are sick like that on a cruise ship, you should immediately avail yourself of the infirmary. They might not have been able to make the steak better, but they could have relieved your son's illness. Based on the symptoms and duration I feel safe to say it might have been a virus he picked up for it to be that fast. He was lucky. They last time I had food poisoning in Vegas it lasted 3 days.

[sjb317]

The symptoms & duration of what we call "food poisoning" depends on the organism involved. I experienced this on our Celebrity cruise and I'm pretty sure I can pinpoint the source of infection to mayonnaise at the pool grill. About an hour after eating a small battle started waging in my stomach that became progressively worse the rest of the day. By about 7pm, I knew I needed to get out of the theater and barely made it back to our cabin. Spent the next 8 hours violently vomiting:eek: but was ok after that. Not much of an appetite for the last 3 days of our cruise but felt ok, nice thing was I came home from cruise about 5lbs lighter!:D

 

Interestingly, when I was out walking around the upper deck the day before, I had noticed they had left the metal condiment containers sitting on the counter when the grill closed, which was unusual. My husband told me after I became sick that he thought the mayo looked a little funny when he put it on my sandwich but he didn't think anything of it.:rolleyes:

 

Could not eat mayo for a long time after!:D

 

Sherri:)