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Regatta and Noro - Happening to often


redshine
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We have just read that the latest cruise was again hit with the noro virus

We departed in Hawaii from the March 29th cruise and onboard there was a very, very large amount of people struck with the virus.

The crew would not say anything to the passengers but when we departed they had posted signs on all the cabins that reported the virus

We were on deck 7 and more than half of the cabins had signs.

The ship would not let new passengers on board till they did a mass clean-up

Why is Regatta having so many issues?

We have a cruise planned on Regatta but I think we are going to cancel due to all her problems

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There has been no mention of noro. Gastrointestinal distress.

That seems to be the way they say it these days since they do not want to call it Noro. Most times the same thing.

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They've been calling on US ports, if it's noro and over 3% then they have to disclose it.

 

Yes to the CDC but, not necessarily to the passengers or general public. Also, they truly might not know until the required tests to determine what exactly the problem is. And, the CDC sight is fully available to the general public to determine what the disease was but, not before the cruise is over.

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We just got off in SF. We had stopped in Mexico when the notice of sickness was issued. MEXICO DON"T DRINK THE WATER DON'T EAT THE FOOD!!!!20 people out of 700. The crew was absolutely professional and worked so hard to make us feel safe. I am more upset about missing the ports without replacements. I take a cruise to have a moving hotel, not to just be on the sea. It's was not torture to be wined and dined BUT instead of another day at sea we should have found a replacement port.

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I take a cruise to have a moving hotel, not to just be on the sea. It's was not torture to be wined and dined BUT instead of another day at sea we should have found a replacement port.

seriously

they cannot just pull up to a port & dock like going on a road trip where you miss the exit so you hit the next town for a hotel :rolleyes:

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I was on this cruise and in talking with people affected, it seems the gastro problems were related to food and drink on shore. In Guatemala I observed quite a few people drinking margaritas with ice, and in Costa Rica prepared drinks were offered along with a snack of french fries. I believe that people on O tours might have thought that as long as it was an O tour, food and drink were safe. The warning about taking care in Mexico came too late.

 

 

No matter what the cause, O reacted as if it were Noro, and put sanitary measures in place. The Captain and the CD informed us several times that those affected (and their companion in the cabin) were in isolation. It was a long 2 or 3 days for those directly affected. It was certainly strange to go for dinner and find only a sea of bare linen covered tables. The crew had a lot of extra work, and got a good start at least on sanitizing the cabins during the 5 hours we waited to debark after clearing our cabins. Inconvenient, sure, but no quibbles with the steps O took to keep us safe.

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We have been on several cruises on various Oceania ships in which cases of “gastrointestinal distress” better known as gastroenteritis, have been declared, usually after ports of call known for questionable food handling practices. These cases often occur after Indian ports and land trips to the Taj Mahal, stops in Lima, China, Malaysia, Philippines and some Central American countries. It may seem that Oceania has a high occurrence of these incidents, but we cruise Oceania for these more exotic ports. These are not cases of Noro, but of people eating or drinking contaminated water or food ashore. Oceania puts out warnings at each suspect port to not drink water if not from a sealed bottle, eat only hot, cooked foods, avoid ice, etc.

 

Noro occurs when sick people board the ship and pass the virus along to other passengers. It usually occurs in the winter in Caribbean ports or in first world countries. It is a sign of poor hygiene among passengers, not a poorly maintained ship.

 

As globetrotter said above, Oceania clamps down on ways the illness is transmitted, using the same hygiene practices until no new cases occur. It may very inconvenient for us as passengers, but much harder for the crew.

 

 

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We have been on several cruises on various Oceania ships in which cases of “gastrointestinal distress” better known as gastroenteritis, have been declared, usually after ports of call known for questionable food handling practices. These cases often occur after Indian ports and land trips to the Taj Mahal, stops in Lima, China, Malaysia, Philippines and some Central American countries. It may seem that Oceania has a high occurrence of these incidents, but we cruise Oceania for these more exotic ports. These are not cases of Noro, but of people eating or drinking contaminated water or food ashore. Oceania puts out warnings at each suspect port to not drink water if not from a sealed bottle, eat only hot, cooked foods, avoid ice, etc.

 

Noro occurs when sick people board the ship and pass the virus along to other passengers. It usually occurs in the winter in Caribbean ports or in first world countries. It is a sign of poor hygiene among passengers, not a poorly maintained ship.

 

As globetrotter said above, Oceania clamps down on ways the illness is transmitted, using the same hygiene practices until no new cases occur. It may very inconvenient for us as passengers, but much harder for the crew.

 

 

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Interesting comments.

What are the poor hygiene practices that you referred to, or have observed among Oceania PAXs? How can Oceania PAXs who good hygience practices protect themselves from those kind of PAXs with poor hygiene practices?

Would you call out PAXs if you observed poor hygiene practices ?

With the exception of deserts, I noticed that in the Terrace Cafe food is served to PAXs by food servers instead of PXs self service.

Edited by Kingofcool1947
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Interesting comments.

What are the poor hygiene practices among Oceania PAXs that you have observed? How can Oceania PAXs with good hygience practices protect themselves from those with poor hygiene practices?

Would you call these kind of PAXs out if you observed poor hygience practices ?

 

 

 

I have observed women walked straight out of the bathroom without washing their hands. Unfortunately I have lacked the courage to call them out.

 

You can protect yourself by good hand washing, using the provided tissues to open the door, using the provided hand sanitizer before eating. I also wash my hands after touching the handrails or touching any public services after I get back to the room or begin any project.

 

On shore I use the hand sanitizers provided by Oceania and take my bottled water with me. We are not afraid to eat local food. We have eaten street food on many occasions in Mexico, Asia and Southeast Asia, but only food immediately cooked for us. We ate pho on a corner in Saigon while sitting in kid sized plastic chairs, satay cooked on a hibachi on the street in Indonesia, sardines freshly grilled in Turkey and Lisbon. We’ve had delicious meals in Manila, Bangkok, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Costa Rica and many other cities in hole in the walls recommended by local guides or visitors. We have been fortunate not to have become ill with GI distress. I have also eaten at meals provided by Whole Foods in California which made me very sick for a day. So third world does not necessarily mean unsafe for eating.

 

 

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I witnessed a man outright refuse to sanitize his hands while staff were at sanitizing stations after the code red had been declared.

 

During the code red tables are sanitized after use in Terrace Cafe and a card placed on it stating when it will be available for next passenger...5 minutes for sanitizer to work. I witnessed a man sit down with a group and take a pen out of his pocket and change the time. When we questioned him he laughed and said a few minutes wouldn’t hurt.

 

I have heard women leave the washroom without washing their hands.

 

I believe illness is absolutely spread by passengers with the mentality that it won’t happen to them.

 

 

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I know this may sound frivolous, but use the hand sanitizers and don't touch the handrails. On some of the Celebrity ships I've been on there were stewards in the public loos and self opening doors, but the basic rule is avoid touching potentially contaminated areas, and if you have to,

sanitise as soon as you can.

 

It's basic common sense, don't depend on others to be equally responsible

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Poor hygiene practices observed:

 

 

 

Use of hands to self serve in terrace

 

Putting food back

 

Refusing to use hand sanitizer

 

Failure to cover cough/sneeze

 

 

 

In addition my husband observed two men who used the urinals at same time as him, zip their pants and walk out. No hand washing! 🤢

 

Mo

 

 

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In addition my husband observed two men who used the urinals at same time as him, zip their pants and walk out. No hand washing!

 

Mo

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Much as I agree that this is disgusting and hate to write this, I was just reading where urine, being sterile, is a terrible transmitter for Noro.

flucover.jpg

 

Back to hating on those irresponsible sneezers :D

Edited by StanandJim
punctuation correction
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Noro iris can be passed by sick people by touching contaminated surfaces and by coming in contact with either vomit or any feces. While I advocate hand washing, properly bathed healthy men men are not going to contact Noro virus by merely touching their earlobe, neck, or penis. Hand washing is always a good thing, but the risk of virus contact is overwhelming higher by touching the door handle than touching their male parts!

 

As a healthy male, I rarely us the elevators aboard ship . When walking and taking the stairs, I never touch a handrail, but still us the sanitizers where available.

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I witnessed a man outright refuse to sanitize his hands while staff were at sanitizing stations after the code red had been declared.

 

During the code red tables are sanitized after use in Terrace Cafe and a card placed on it stating when it will be available for next passenger...5 minutes for sanitizer to work. I witnessed a man sit down with a group and take a pen out of his pocket and change the time. When we questioned him he laughed and said a few minutes wouldn’t hurt.

 

I have heard women leave the washroom without washing their hands.

 

I believe illness is absolutely spread by passengers with the mentality that it won’t happen to them.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

In addition my husband observed two men who used the urinals at same time as him, zip their pants and walk out. No hand washing!

 

Mo

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Those are some nasty behaviors.

Question:

Is that poor hygiene prevalent in all demographics, cultures, and ethnic groups?

Or, do you find poor hygiene specific to certain groups?

And are also poor hygiene found even in upscale luxery ships like Oceania with supposedly more educated and sophiscsted clientele?

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Please use the hand sanitisers.

Even if you don't care whether or not your hands are clean, you'll at least have the satisfaction of your fellow shipmates thinking you're concocting an evil, dastardly plan.

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Those are some nasty behaviors.

Question:

Is that poor hygiene prevalent in all demographics, cultures, and ethnic groups?

Or, do you find poor hygiene specific to certain groups?

And are also poor hygiene found even in upscale luxery ships like Oceania with supposedly more educated and sophiscsted clientele?

 

It probably happens everywhere. DH observed it on one of the mass market lines.

As to food on shore, I got sick in first world countries from minor gastro stress to serious food poisoning, however never on cruises or cruise stops where I am super careful with water, ice, salads, unpeeled fruit; I wash hands with soap and use disinfectant hand wipes instead of gel on shore.

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Don’t forget the differences between bacteria and virus! Different beasts with different treatments and different methodologies of spreading. Noro is a virus and can’t be treated with anti bacterial methods and treatments.

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Please use the hand sanitisers.

Even if you don't care whether or not your hands are clean, you'll at least have the satisfaction of your fellow shipmates thinking you're concocting an evil, dastardly plan.

The Purell hand sanitizer they use on the ships doesn't actually protect against Noro. Maybe the false sense of security is what causes it to spread?

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The Purell hand sanitizer they use on the ships doesn't actually protect against Noro. Maybe the false sense of security is what causes it to spread?

 

Do you have proof of that? I've read that they use a special formulation, VF71 or something like that that does have some efficacy on noro. Even if it doesn't it will protect against others.

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