Quick note from Breakaway for people with asthma ... at 3 AM

[cardes]

Denatravels did Breakaway still have special lunch buffets on sea days in Moderno...Indian Mediterranean and German. Thank you

 

 

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[triptolemus]

Just wondering....if a poster comments on feeling ill due to the sewage smell reported on many ships....is that slander?

 

 

No. Slander is a false spoken statement which results in damage to reputation.

[denatravels]

Denatravels did Breakaway still have special lunch buffets on sea days in Moderno...Indian Mediterranean and German. Thank you

 

 

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Yes. Med first. Then Indian, and last day German.

 

 

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[Crusin6]

No. Slander is a false spoken statement which results in damage to reputation.

 

 

So it's false if one says they smell smoke in le bistro just because someone else said they didn't smell it?

 

 

It's false if one pax feels the air was stagnant and another doesn't?

 

It's false if on deck 8 for example in cabin xyz the pax says they smelled sewage but the cabin down the hall didn't?

 

 

By your account then every single negative comment here is slander....if someone disagrees with that comment?

 

 

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[cardes]

Yes. Med first. Then Indian, and last day German.

 

 

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Thank you so much. My husband enjoyed them so much when we were in BA in October and I'm ready to plan another real soon.

 

 

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[luvtheships]

No. Slander is a false spoken statement which results in damage to reputation.

 

 

It's not false if it causes an issue to a pax

 

 

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[triptolemus]

It's not false if it causes an issue to a pax

 

 

Thought you were a thinker.

 

Slander is spoken... not posted.

[FreestyleNovice]

Seriously?

 

-pic-

 

Give me a break. IF that photo is real, the ship is obviously experiencing a serious mechanical malfunction or fire. For the article to depict that as normal operation destroys any journalistic credibility.

 

I've seen that research mentioned in other articles on other threads, and I will agree with the CLIA people that the "research" as presented provides much to be desired. While none of the articles are anywhere near scientific level presentations, none of them link to published data from this study, either. There is no mention of what constitutes "natural fresh air surroundings", nor is there mention of when samples were taken and what the atmospheric conditions were. Since this was "studied" on one ship at one time, I believe the "researchers" waited for just the right conditions: high humidity, a following wind, and as noted the ship was "leaving port", so they most likely waited until the engines were sequentially starting up, and giving the black poof that all diesel engines do until the turbocharger spins up.

 

They state that "4 out of 5 ships were not equipped with exhaust gas cleaning systems", when in fact, no ship, anywhere is required to have a scrubber. (And cruise ships make up about 2% of world shipping. There are certain areas of the world called "Emission Control Areas" (ECA's), where emissions are more tightly controlled than the rest of the world. When in these ECA's, ships must either use a scrubber, or burn low sulfur diesel fuel. So, even a ship like the NCL Pride of America, which spends 100% of its time within the US ECA, would not be required to install scrubbers, if it were to burn the more expensive diesel fuel (though they have installed scrubbers on POA).

 

All marine diesel engines, must meet international standards for exhaust emissions since 2008, with incremental improvements required in the years since. These standards, as well as the standards imposed in the ECA's are international law, formulated by representatives of all the maritime nations of the world, and approved by all these governments. Especially the ECA's, like the EU's one for emissions control when in port, and the North Sea and Baltic region ECA's, were initiated and ratified by the affected nations. Trying to blame the cruise lines, when the governments of the "affected" people have not decided to use the mechanisms in place to impose stricter controls, is ridiculous.

 

While the Breakaway does in fact have scrubbers, they are not in use when the ship is outside the US ECA.

 

As triptolemus says, the photo in the article shows a ship with either a boiler fire, or an engine with a stuck fuel pump. That is not even a normal engine start exhaust plume.

 

 

Just presenting the research, I too feel it's a bit short sighted but the soot that sometimes lands on deck might be somewhat bothering to a person with asthma..

 

Agreeing on the MSC ship pic, never saw something like that.

[MCAT48]

I've stayed at many older and newer hotels where I've gotten sick from the air conditioning/heating unit is what I believe it to be. But have never felt so bad on a cruise ship that I can remember. I hope your little one feels better soon now that they are off the ship!!

 

 

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[spidybabe]

Hope your son is doing well. Nothing worse than when a parent watches their child suffering and feeling ill- especially with breathing issues. Sounds like you did all you could, and something on the ship was his trigger

Safe sailing

 

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[apietros]

I've stayed at many older and newer hotels where I've gotten sick from the air conditioning/heating unit is what I believe it to be. But have never felt so bad on a cruise ship that I can remember. I hope your little one feels better soon now that they are off the ship!!

 

 

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Thank you! He is much better now at home. Watching the Bruins game earlier like his usual self [emoji2]

 

Please no fighting on the post - that was not my intention.

 

 

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[apietros]

Hope your son is doing well. Nothing worse than when a parent watches their child suffering and feeling ill- especially with breathing issues. Sounds like you did all you could, and something on the ship was his trigger

Safe sailing

 

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Thank you

 

 

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[sjbdtz]

To the op: while my suggestion will not go over well with posters....if it were me I would do something to bring Ncl's attention to your plight

 

 

There isn't much you can do but you can remove the dsc

 

 

 

 

You win for worst post of the thread.

 

What an inane idea. Hey, 1 person in my party of 4 got sick, quick...let me stiff 1,100 crew members.

 

 

And no, I do not believe that what PokerPro says is accurate. I believe the crew are the ones who suffer, not the corporation.

 

Why? Because there is NO way the corporation allows any random customer to simply decide whether or not to pay X% of the fare. If it was a corporate charge, whether for staff, or otherwise, it would be fixed and mandatory.

 

 

So the one thing you SHOULDN'T do, is remove the DSC in a case like this.

 

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

[schildiams]

Normally, once I am at sea all my allergies tend to disappear with the sea air. At times they can be so bad that my nose is totally stuffed up, I have trouble breathing and I have been know to wheeze. However, after day one, they seem to disappear.

 

This past winter, starting in October and lasting through mid-February, I suffered with bronchitis and a horrible sinus infection which cause me to have congestion in my sinus area, nose and clogged ears. I was totally miserable and could not even sleep in my bed due to constantly coughing. Sitting up with pillows behind me was the only way I could get any sleep! Was this connected with my sailing on the Gem that returned to NYC on October 1st? Don't really know.

 

In May, I will be sailing on the BA to Bermuda. I am really hoping after hearing about the poor air quality/circulation due to smoke moving thru the ship that I do not have any issues on the ship.

 

MARAPRINCE

 

 

That's what many in our group suffered from after the BA holiday cruise. I think it was related to our cruise b/c so many were coughing during the trip.

[denatravels]

Most of the passengers on the holiday breakaway cruise developed hacking coughs. It was bad. Had never seen so much illness on a cruise before.

 

 

I realized when I commented that you were talking about a prior trip-- I flew to California from NYC over the holidays. What you failed to acknowledge in your post was that EVERYONE was coughing. It was in NYC. It was in California. It was all over the airports-- that wasn't limited to your cruise. The illness wasn't caused by the breakaway-- people brought it on, and it spread. Just like on planes, offices, schools, churches, etc.

 

 

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[MaryZ]

it's quite possible it was reactive airway, brought on by the cleaning solutions and or smoke on the BA. You should have him tested for reactive airway. It will at least give you knowledge of what it is and how you can deal with it. The only thing that helps that, is to get out of the area that is causing it.

We do love that ship, but every time we sail on her, I land up with a horrific cough. The combination of the cigarette smoke and whatever they spray in the air tightens my throat.

 

When a child is asthmatic, any kind of odor can set it off. Thank goodness you packed all is medication. My son growing up was asthmatic, bronchial asthma so we never traveled without all is "equipment". My grandson is the same.

I would not sail on the BA with my grandson for that reason.

 

I'm happy to hear on your way home, he is feeling better. What a relief that must be for you all. You have my sympathy. I know exactly the fear you feel as a parent when you child can't breathe.

[tel2]

Hi!

 

To those who are commenting on smoking, the OP was staying in the Haven and said they really did not venture out, so that was not likely the problem.

 

A personal experience. I have asthma and hadnt had a full blown attack in probably more than 2 years. Got onto Epic, on which I had sailed previously with no problem, got to our 2 bedroom suite, and immediately had severe breathing issues, which culminated in full blown asthma attacks. It was bizarre. Fortunately, our butler informed us, probably against policy, that the folks in the cabin the prior week had been ill and quarantined, and that they had "sanitized" the cabin prior to changeover. I went to medical (and, by the way, the wheezing stopped after I was out of the room for 15 minutes at medical) and the doc very nicely came up to our suite with me, witnessed the wheezing within minutes of walking in the room and agreed that it very likely was the disinfectant they use when noro is suspected. With the doc, we contacted the hotel director and concierge, and fortunately for us, there was an empty 2 bedroom suite that they had intentionally not booked because there was a problem with the shower in the 2nd bathroom, which we did not need since there were only two of us. They moved us within an hour, and I was fine for the rest of the cruise...

 

 

Terry

[luvtheships]

Hi!

 

To those who are commenting on smoking, the OP was staying in the Haven and said they really did not venture out, so that was not likely the problem.

 

A personal experience. I have asthma and hadnt had a full blown attack in probably more than 2 years. Got onto Epic, on which I had sailed previously with no problem, got to our 2 bedroom suite, and immediately had severe breathing issues, which culminated in full blown asthma attacks. It was bizarre. Fortunately, our butler informed us, probably against policy, that the folks in the cabin the prior week had been ill and quarantined, and that they had "sanitized" the cabin prior to changeover. I went to medical (and, by the way, the wheezing stopped after I was out of the room for 15 minutes at medical) and the doc very nicely came up to our suite with me, witnessed the wheezing within minutes of walking in the room and agreed that it very likely was the disinfectant they use when noro is suspected. With the doc, we contacted the hotel director and concierge, and fortunately for us, there was an empty 2 bedroom suite that they had intentionally not booked because there was a problem with the shower in the 2nd bathroom, which we did not need since there were only two of us. They moved us within an hour, and I was fine for the rest of the cruise...

 

 

Terry

 

 

This not good at all

 

Considering the meteoric rise in asthma cases and adding to that the real possibility of noro or just plain sick pax in the cabin before you and there is a real issue here

 

It doesn't have to be noro to require a deep clean either

 

Case in point....on the gem June 2013 my friends developmentally disabled dd ate so much food one night ( yes it's a symptom of her issues) that at 2am she puked and had diarrhea all over their cabin

 

Crew was marvelous of course and disinfected and cleaned immediately

 

Just saying this because they more than likely used the same chemicals as a noro deep clean so even if a ship is not infested with noro previous cruise.....a cabin may well have still required a deep clean

 

 

 

 

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[Sotermarler]

There is a lot of good info here. My DS has allergy asthma and we are going on the BA in October.

We had no issues last year on the Jade, but you never know.

It would never had occurred to me that it might be the cleaners or to go to the ship Dr since I bring all his meds. Mostly good discussion, thanks!

 

 

 

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[Maraprince]

Years ago we had residual smoking odors on 2 different cruise lines in our cabins. As soon as you walked into the cabin, the stale smoke odor hit you right in the face. Solution: take the bedspread out, wash it and return it the next day.

 

Second time, it was the fabric shower curtain in our mini suite that absolutely reeked of smoke. Same solution, take the shower curtain out and replace it with a brand new one.

 

In both cases, this happened upon boarding the ship and we notified the cabin steward and Housekeeping right away and asked what could be done. We didn't even want to stay in the cabin. But in both cases, no other cabins were available. Happy to say the solutions worked and the rest of the cruise was great.

 

As it was stated on this thread, report the problem as soon as possible and get the appropriate person to come to the cabin so that he/she can observe it first hand.

 

MARAPRINCE

[amydandrea]

This may not be relevant but on my cruise on BA a week ago I noticed that the stewards were cleaning one day with this heavy smelling green cleaner that had a strong smell. I wondered if that was because someone was ill , it was not used in every cabin. Whatever is in that gallon sized bottle that is green and smells someone minty/ medicinal was noticeably stronger .

 

 

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[tel2]

There is a lot of good info here. My DS has allergy asthma and we are going on the BA in October.

We had no issues last year on the Jade, but you never know.

It would never had occurred to me that it might be the cleaners or to go to the ship Dr since I bring all his meds. Mostly good discussion, thanks!

 

 

 

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It wouldnt have occurred to me to go to doc either if I had meds with me. But it had been so long since I had an issue, I didnt have prednisone or any kind of inhaler. And I knew I couldnt stay there all week.

 

I only developed asthma after I quit smoking -- I know, odd, but my doc says I built up a tolerance when I smoked, and when I quit exposing my lungs to the assault of smoking, the tolerance disappeared. But even being in a smoky area for a short time doesnt usually set off symptoms, so I was pretty sure that it was something in the room.

 

By the way, they didnt charge me for the doc visit..,...

[luvtheships]

This may not be relevant but on my cruise on BA a week ago I noticed that the stewards were cleaning one day with this heavy smelling green cleaner that had a strong smell. I wondered if that was because someone was ill , it was not used in every cabin. Whatever is in that gallon sized bottle that is green and smells someone minty/ medicinal was noticeably stronger .

 

 

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If it's simple green that's great stuff and even though it's environmentally friendly it's a very strong smell

 

 

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[MJSailors]

To the OP-

It is good news that your son is feeling better now that you are home.

I am asthmatic, I take daily inhalers and I have used emergency inhalers and courses of Prednisone to control severe attacks in the past.

I can well understand how your son felt on the cruise and your concern over what was happening to him.

I think previous posters have recognized possible triggers in your cabin.

Flowers,especially lilies,can cause me to react as well as disinfectant cleaners and strong perfumes.

The possibility of mold or mildew in the cabin could well have triggered his asthmatic attacks

I am also wondering if your cabin may have been located near a smoking area or near air ducts servicing a smoking area. Perhaps some traces of smoke may have infiltrated your cabin.

My DH and I have sailed on the BA twice.

We avoid the casino,the center area on decks 6,7,8, Spice H2O, the smoking cage area on one of the top decks and the outside of Maltings on the Waterfront because of the smoke in those places.

You.were wise to bring all the medications that

your son needed.

It may have been a good idea to see the ship's doctor ,though, at least to document your son's situation and to.also find out if other passengers were having asthmatic difficulties.

I am sure that you will be consulting your son's pediatrician now that you.are.home.

Perhaps his own doctor may give you some explanation as to why your son had the attacks on the ship.

[luvtheships]

To the OP-

It is good news that your son is feeling better now that you are home.

I am asthmatic, I take daily inhalers and I have used emergency inhalers and courses of Prednisone to control severe attacks in the past.

I can well understand how your son felt on the cruise and your concern over what was happening to him.

I think previous posters have recognized possible triggers in your cabin.

Flowers,especially lilies,can cause me to react as well as disinfectant cleaners and strong perfumes.

The possibility of mold or mildew in the cabin could well have triggered his asthmatic attacks

I am also wondering if your cabin may have been located near a smoking area or near air ducts servicing a smoking area. Perhaps some traces of smoke may have infiltrated your cabin.

My DH and I have sailed on the BA twice.

We avoid the casino,the center area on decks 6,7,8, Spice H2O, the smoking cage area on one of the top decks and the outside of Maltings on the Waterfront because of the smoke in those places.

You.were wise to bring all the medications that

your son needed.

It may have been a good idea to see the ship's doctor ,though, at least to document your son's situation and to.also find out if other passengers were having asthmatic difficulties.

I am sure that you will be consulting your son's pediatrician now that you.are.home.

Perhaps his own doctor may give you some explanation as to why your son had the attacks on the ship.

 

 

I agree with you 100% and avoid those areas as well

 

The only problem is they are great areas especially 6/7/8 and h2o !!!!!!!

 

It's not right that they must be "avoided". Pax have the right to not go to certain areas on any ship but to be forced to avoid those areas for health reasons is just ridiculous and I don't understand why ncl allows so many smoking areas in the nicer areas and places that are frequented by all

 

Spice is especially disturbing that they allow smoking there even if on one side.

 

Bottom line is smoking is proven to be a hazard healthwise and fire wise so why ncl allows it in so many very nice places on the ba is odd

 

Ncl if you are listening....we don't take the free ubp because we don't drink that much....but we do drink....so you lost out on perhaps $250 plus the 18% on us because we couldn't use several venues and the atrium bar was too crowded

 

For cruisers like us ncl it's better for YOU if we pay out of pocket for our drinks than if we just paid the 18% and took the free perk

 

But on the ba we rarely had a drink indoors because of crowding and or smoke and rarely had a drink outdoors because of smoke in spice and crowding elsewhere.

 

Oh well your loss

 

 

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