Nora virus on Constellation June 15th sailing

[KappaLady]

I try to keep up with news from the CDC for various reasons but especially when planning a trip. The CDC conducts at least two inspections of most cruise ships every year. If violations are found, the ship does have time to correct the issue and submit corrective paperwork to raise its inspection score. Inspections are graded on a 100-point scale, and cover eight areas-- medical facilities, potable water systems, swimming pools and whirlpool spas, galleys and dining rooms, child activity centers, hotel accommodations, ventilation systems, and common areas of the ship. Scores of 85 and below are failing scores. Here are the latest inspection scores. Keep in mind, just because a ship shows a high score, there may have been violations that were corrected to raise the score; you will have to click on the ship for the list of violations. I hope this helps someone! https://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/InspectionGreenSheetRpt.aspx

[Trevor Fountain]

Just read the report on Carnival Legend. That's the first and last I'm reading, else I might never cruise again.

[villauk]

I try to keep up with news from the CDC for various reasons but especially when planning a trip. The CDC conducts at least two inspections of most cruise ships every year. If violations are found, the ship does have time to correct the issue and submit corrective paperwork to raise its inspection score. Inspections are graded on a 100-point scale, and cover eight areas-- medical facilities, potable water systems, swimming pools and whirlpool spas, galleys and dining rooms, child activity centers, hotel accommodations, ventilation systems, and common areas of the ship. Scores of 85 and below are failing scores. Here are the latest inspection scores. Keep in mind, just because a ship shows a high score, there may have been violations that were corrected to raise the score; you will have to click on the ship for the list of violations. I hope this helps someone! https://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/InspectionGreenSheetRpt.aspx

 

Remember it's only outbreaks on ships including a US port that need to be reported. From their website:

 

Which Cruise Ships Are in Our Jurisdiction?

 

Cruise ships under our jurisdiction:

• carry 13 or more passengers, and
  
• have a foreign itinerary with U.S. ports.
  

And

VSP conducts outbreak investigations on ships sailing in the United States or within 15 days of arriving to a U.S. port.

 

Connie is presently in Europe ;).

[Sailingkidswine]

Norovirus is highly contagious as it can live on surfaces for weeks, is resilient to ordinary cleaners and one only needs to ingest a few micro particles. For those reasons, areas with large numbers of people have the most outbreaks. Hand washing, keeping hands away from your face, and making an effort not to touch railings/doorknobs/etc will help to minimize your exposure.

[gold1953]

Noro is not a senior illness. Yes it runs through institutions and seniors live in them . Also schools.. It spreads easily so if an infected person touches the elevator button , and you touch next then your hands go to you face .. well you MIGHT get it .

The infected person just has to pull out a chair to sit to eat and you put your hand on the same chair back then eat and your hands touch your food or mouth you can get it

Some people never get it.

I can't blame Celebrity. People lie on the health form so they won't get left behind after booking the cruise and travelling to get there!! People with symptoms keep quiet.. so they can have freedom to go where ever they want on the ship . Maybe a person picks up the bug in a port.. or leave it in a port. Happened here in Halifax . Cruisers who knew they had it went in a small eaterie and 3 days later it had to shut down as the employees were sick ( fact confirmed)

Just think .. one has it and touches one hand rail or elevator button .. how many touch the same surface before it gets cleaned ?? So it spreads.. fast .. Until one goes to the doctor and reports it many can catch it . None of this is the fault of Celebrity

Sit at the buffet and watch people at tables.. How many do you see licking fingers or picking teeth . Then they go back for more food and touch the very utensil that you will use to get your food ... oops . Virus just spread . Some will get sick. Not Celebrity's fault

[CruisingUS]

It isn't a senior disease, but being a senior in a senior center and etc. are a risk factor (also infants in daycare centers too...but I don't think I see many kids on celebrity esp when compared to the overwhelming majority of seniors).

[cb at sea]

Norovirus isn't caused by the ship..it's brought onboard by the passengers /crews.

[Jsum]

Norovirus isn't caused by the ship..it's brought onboard by the passengers /crews.

I never said or meant to imply that it was 'caused by the ship' or by Celebrity...I did say that in my opinion, on my cruise (which was not my first), that I felt the ship was not as clean as all the previous cruises I had been on. Putting this post out there to see if there are other that got sick and if this happens often

Thanks!

[TeeRick]

I can't find any posts about this, maybe I missed them? Anyone else get sick while on this cruise? My daughter and I both got it and I must say I won't be returning to this ship. The customer service is terrible (except a few who were exceptional). The overall feel was that there weren't enough employees for the amount of passengers and they were all pretty grumpy. Tables were always dirty, lounge chairs always had used towels on them and the ship itself needs some TLC!

 

Sorry to hear about the Norovirus outbreak on Constellation during your cruise. We were on the previous cruise (June 5-15) and nobody was sick to my knowledge. I do agree with your comments on the employees on ship - posted in my review of our cruise. They seem to be understaffed.

[upwarduk]

----but I had a bad feeling from the beginning, it was just an older ship and things didn't feel clean and well maintained.

But the ship had just come out of Dry Dock!!

 

I took this photo in Marseille 24.05.17 when she was in dry dock.

 

[Jsum]

But the ship had just come out of Dry Dock!!

 

I took this photo in Marseille 24.05.17

 

They changed a few restaurants and updated the suites, everything else is the same, they didn't udpate the entire ship. The carpet on our deck was gross, it needs some work desperately, it's old

[Jsum]

Sorry to hear about the Norovirus outbreak on Constellation during your cruise. We were on the previous cruise (June 5-15) and nobody was sick to my knowledge. I do agree with your comments on the employees on ship - posted in my review of our cruise. They seem to be understaffed.

Good to hear that it might have just been our cruise!

[richsea]

I guess dirty is in the eye of the beholder. Constellation received a score of 99 on her last cdc inspection in April.

[dkjretired]

Here's a link to a small report on the events at sea web site. Don't know how accurate the number is.

 

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html

[Jsum]

I guess dirty is in the eye of the beholder. Constellation received a score of 99 on her last cdc inspection in April.

I agree! When I spend that amount of money to take my family of 4 on a cruise (paying for 2 adjoining rooms with balconies), I don't want to see dirty carpet, torn curtains, scuffed walls or have a bathroom that smells so bad for the first 3 days (our room attendant spent 3 days cleaning and pouring chemicals down the drain to make it usable) that my kids have to use our bathroom. We might just have different opinions of clean.

[Brutis]

I can't find any posts about this, maybe I missed them? Anyone else get sick while on this cruise? My daughter and I both got it and I must say I won't be returning to this ship. The customer service is terrible (except a few who were exceptional). The overall feel was that there weren't enough employees for the amount of passengers and they were all pretty grumpy. Tables were always dirty, lounge chairs always had used towels on them and the ship itself needs some TLC!

 

I was on this cruise and was one of the first to contract this. In my opinion I felt the crew did a fantastic job keeping up with it considering the circumstances. There were over 350 sick people with an additional 50+ in crew members being quarantined to their quarters as well. I have come across this on one previous cruise (out of 12)where the cruise line tried to cover it up instead of reporting. I would not blame the ship as it was probably brought on board but someone who did NOT wash their hands properly. As for the ship being dirty, I did not find this to be the case. The tables were cloudy looking due to the cleaning agent they were using and they were down staff when it came to the Oceanview cafe. Everyone was trying to pitch in and help as I even had the entertainment staff pouring my coffee for me. My room steward came in while I was sick and disinfected the entire room. The ship is a little older and not as 'glitzy' as some of the newer ships but that is reflected in the price you pay. As for the grumpiness of the staff, I will say I did notice that a bit. My complaint was medical. As I said, I was one of the first (and only one) down there and it was an empty room. The nurse actually said "great, so the Captain puts out an announcement and now everyone feels they need to come down now when they have had all day". Not very compassionate nor professional in my opinion.

Will I sail Celebrity again? Absolutely, as they were quick to contain this outbreak.

Will I sail Constellation again? Absolutely! The price point for European sailings is fantastic as compared to other lines and with the credit for being quarantined (not many mentioning this) I am putting it towards another sailing in 2018

[SPacificbound]

We were on three Constellation consecutive cruises, June 5, June 15, and June 24, all in the same cabin.

 

Neither of us got sick.

 

Having been on the cruises before and after I cannot complain about anything from that first cruise that caused illness in cruise two. Obviously some people had to have brought it on, a bird didn't fly through and cause it, but there is no way to know who, where, and when.

 

I heard people projecting their guesstimates of how many were sick, but all that is just guessing and rumor mongering.

 

As has been said a million times or so, wash hands-wash hands-wash hands. Even after having washed your hands go ahead and take the gel also. Even after all of that, eat with the utensils supplied. It is nauseating to see people plow through the first plate with their hands, and then go for plate two, handle the serving items filling up plate two, and guess who is handling the serving spoon then?

 

My two year old DGGD eats with a fork, so I'm pretty sure most people can do it.

 

The ship was not a "dirty ship". Does it need a face lift, yes it does.

 

Plumbing also seemed to be a problem in several cabin areas we would pass through.

[delondin]

I was on the Noro cruise but luckily avoided the bug. I carry my own antiviral and use it religiously after getting the bug a few years ago on a different cruise line - in fact it made me OCD.

 

I was impressed with the cleaning after the outbreak on the 15th June cruise. Menus were removed and any paper items, i.e. Future cruise sheets etc were taken away. They removed the wooden chairs at the top deck burger bar for spraying and replaced them with plastic ones.

 

The drinking glasses in the cabin were taken away on the last day of the cruise and replaced with paper cups and all cushions, magazines etc were removed from the cabin. The new robes that usually appear in the wardrobe on the last night were not put there.

 

When we were disembarking there were several cabins with hazmat staff doing a thorough clean - I presume the cabins where passengers had the bug. Also luggage from passengers with the bug was wrapped in a plastic film and separate area at the collection point. They also delayed embarkation of the next set of passengers in order to do a thorough clean.

 

I was surprised that they asked ill passengers to go to the medical centre because surely they would be spreading it en route. When it happened to me a few years ago the doctor came to my cabin.

 

The staff were obviously overstretched due to the bug but in our experience they were all very good.

[Fish Lover]

 

Age is a factor as those who living in nursing homes or those related facilities can be carriers. If you have a lot of people who are carriers spread the virus to a bunch of others, then by simple probability the chance of an outbreak is higher. Also the elderly are less likely to mount an immune response, causing more to get infected.

 

First, not that many people who reside in nursing homes go cruising. Age of the passenger base is NOT going to create a higher risk, if it were than Celebrity would experience higher rates than many of the other lines and that simply isn't true. Further, the likelihood of spread is far greater on cruises with a higher number of children (who are less likely to observe good hygiene. Ships do not have a virus, people do.

 

Also, aren't you the same person who said you wouldn't visit the caves in Bermuda because of the risk of disease? If you are germophobic, I pass no judgment, but cruising may not be your best option for traveling. A ship is a contained environment that is never empty and has a high rate of passenger turnover.

[Fish Lover]

They changed a few restaurants and updated the suites, everything else is the same, they didn't udpate the entire ship. The carpet on our deck was gross, it needs some work desperately, it's old

 

Old and worn does not equal dirty and germy.

I'm sorry you were ill, but it really isn't about the ship...it's about the people.

[Orator]

 

First, not that many people who reside in nursing homes go cruising. Age of the passenger base is NOT going to create a higher risk, if it were than Celebrity would experience higher rates than many of the other lines and that simply isn't true. Further, the likelihood of spread is far greater on cruises with a higher number of children (who are less likely to observe good hygiene. Ships do not have a virus, people do.

 

Also, aren't you the same person who said you wouldn't visit the caves in Bermuda because of the risk of disease? If you are germophobic, I pass no judgment, but cruising may not be your best option for traveling. A ship is a contained environment that is never empty and has a high rate of passenger turnover.

 

The post quoted as Orator is not Orator! Must be a glich in the system that has happened before. See post 5 for the original source.

[CruisingUS]

 

First, not that many people who reside in nursing homes go cruising. Age of the passenger base is NOT going to create a higher risk, if it were than Celebrity would experience higher rates than many of the other lines and that simply isn't true. Further, the likelihood of spread is far greater on cruises with a higher number of children (who are less likely to observe good hygiene. Ships do not have a virus, people do.

 

Also, aren't you the same person who said you wouldn't visit the caves in Bermuda because of the risk of disease? If you are germophobic, I pass no judgment, but cruising may not be your best option for traveling. A ship is a contained environment that is never empty and has a high rate of passenger turnover.

 

Fact - Cruises, Daycare centers, and senior centers (both traditional and those with day programs) are all hot beds for Noro. Classic risk factors. Why are we disputing this fact?

 

 

I simply expect Celebrity to have an older population and less kids. They aren't CCL or disney. Hence my initial comment. Yes children who attend day care centers are a risk factor, but I expect that to be less of an issue since this is Celebrity. Since that is not likely given the population, it is more likely that someone is a carrier from having senior citizens who frequent senior citizen facilities, which there are a wide variety of. You don't have to be severely disabled to go to one. As I have said, there are a lot of day programs where people have a lot of function. Have you actually been to them recently? They have a lot going on.

 

 

As for being a germophobe...noro is self limiting and won't kill me as long as I stay hydrated (not hard to do with room service)

 

 

But rabies can kill me.

 

 

Hence why I avoid caves. Not worth it for me. Feel free to go if you choose. I don't judge you for going, but why are you judging me? IDK if the cruise ship or the island have rabies shots. And even if they do, IDK if they are expired or have been stored properly. Why does how I will spend my vacation bother you? :rolleyes:

[CruisingUS]

Oh, and age does play a role too. Immunosenescence is a real thing. Your body cannot mount such a great immune response when you age.

 

It's not the biggest risk factor (cruising, day care centers for the old and young are), but it does play a role in how you mount an immune response to Noro.

[jules815]

my husband never got sick and neither did my other daughter

 

I had Noro in 2012 on a Carnival ship. I was really sick. My husband never got it, which surprised me. Horrible experience. And I'm a wash-your-hands and do everything you're supposed to do type of person. I think I might have gotten it from the breakfast buffet at the hotel pre-cruise, but you just never know.

[dkjretired]

 

The post quoted as Orator is not Orator! Must be a glich in the system that has happened before. See post 5 for the original source.

 

Yes, I had the same thing happen a couple of weeks ago, quoted me with something I never said.