Noro on Marina

[wcc19]

I'm surprised that no one has posted so far about the noro outbreak on the current Marina cruise.  We are definitely in the midst of it right now.

[LHT28]

maybe they are too sick to report

[clo]

18 minutes ago, wcc19 said:

I'm surprised that no one has posted so far about the noro outbreak on the current Marina cruise.  We are definitely in the midst of it right now.

What would there be to post about? Except sorry about that. Did they actually announce that it is noro or are there 'just' a lot of people sick with a 'bug'?

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, wcc19 said:

I'm surprised that no one has posted so far about the noro outbreak on the current Marina cruise.  We are definitely in the midst of it right now.

Stop typing and go wash your hands 👀

[schmerl]

4 hours ago, wcc19 said:

I'm surprised that no one has posted so far about the noro outbreak on the current Marina cruise.  We are definitely in the midst of it right now.

 

So you are on the ship now? Are you ill as well?

[Trevor Fountain]

4 hours ago, LHT28 said:

 

 

4 hours ago, wcc19 said:

I'm surprised that no one has posted so far about the noro outbreak on the current Marina cruise.  We are definitely in the midst of it right now.

Marina cruisers are too classy to mention such sensationalism. These things happen.

But congrats on being the first with the breaking news.

Edited November 19, 2019 by Trevor Fountain

[Rob the Cruiser]

38 minutes ago, Trevor Fountain said:

 

Marina cruisers are too classy to mention such sensationalism. These things happen.

But congrats on being the first with the breaking news.

 

It wasn't sensationalism when noro crippled Marina on our Miami - Tahiti cruise two years ago. It was agony. There was nothing classy about it.

 

These things happen? Sure, discard reality as being trivial. 

 

No big deal that the specialty restaurants, library, self-serve laundry were closed. GDR - paper menus that were discarded after one use, paper plates, paper table "cloth", salt and pepper in little paper packets. Continual public service announcement reminding passengers "wash your hands and sing 'happy birthday' twice". No big deal that Marina was silent for almost a week before announcing "we don't know what it is but it's not noro". 

 

Oh well, these things happen.

 

[Tansy Mews]

5 hours ago, clo said:

Did they actually announce that it is noro or are there 'just' a lot of people sick with a 'bug'?

 

Just wondering. Are there precautions by the ship being taken? When I was on with noro, they printed fresh menu for each person in the GDR, wrapped plastic around the serving stations, took away the salt and pepper shakers, etc. Propped open the doors of the public toilets, etc. 

 

Use your knuckle on elevator keys!

[Vertygo]

38 minutes ago, Tansy Mews said:

 

Use your knuckle on elevator keys!

 

Better yet, use an elbow.

 

[LHT28]

If anything is going around  you can be sure they are cleaning everything

Too bad some pax will not stay in their cabins when they are ill

 

Remember a few years back when they had to take people's room keys off them & put tape on their cabin doors to be certain they were not out & about

It is not  a fun thing to get  that is for sure

[clo]

30 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Remember a few years back when they had to take people's room keys off them & put tape on their cabin doors to be certain they were not out & about

 

When I read that I wanted to have my mind blown but considering....  Well, maybe not.  There's a lot of arrogance.

[Sopwith]

We were on the Marina this past March when there was a Noro outbreak.  Aside from all the “stuff” mentioned above, the Concierge Lounge, for which we paid a handsome premium, was essentially shut down for 12 of the 18 days we were aboard.

 

The crew invoked their protocol and did what they needed to do. I can’t criticize them at all. Afterwards, however, I wanted to have some contact with O to discuss what happened and what we paid for and didn’t get.  The answer I expected was “Sorry, but that’s life,” but at least I wanted to talk to someone in person.

 

After multiple attempts I gave up.  I was stonewalled.  Utterly ignored. They didn’t even have the courtesy to talk to me, which actually did more harm to the relationship than the on-board experience.  For the sake of a ten minute phone call O lost a repeat client.

 

I hope your experience is better.

 

(By the way, when one ship has two outbreaks in less than a year, and apparently three in two years, one has to start asking what’s going on with this ship.)

Edited November 19, 2019 by Sopwith

[LHT28]

The ship is not the problem  it is  the pax 

 

[wcc19]

Yes I'm on the ship.  No I'm not sick.  Yes they have initiated all of the infection protocols, which significantly diminish the cruise experience.

[LHT28]

6 minutes ago, wcc19 said:

Yes I'm on the ship.  No I'm not sick.  Yes they have initiated all of the infection protocols, which significantly diminish the cruise experience.

they should make all those sick people get off the ship & stop ruining the cruise  for others 🙄

[Trevor Fountain]

6 hours ago, Rob the Cruiser said:

 

It wasn't sensationalism when noro crippled Marina on our Miami - Tahiti cruise two years ago. It was agony. There was nothing classy about it.

 

These things happen? Sure, discard reality as being trivial. 

 

No big deal that the specialty restaurants, library, self-serve laundry were closed. GDR - paper menus that were discarded after one use, paper plates, paper table "cloth", salt and pepper in little paper packets. Continual public service announcement reminding passengers "wash your hands and sing 'happy birthday' twice". No big deal that Marina was silent for almost a week before announcing "we don't know what it is but it's not noro". 

 

Oh well, these things happen.

 

How awful. No you are right, I shouldn't trivialize such matters. Can't imagine what I'd have done if I had no library to go to, and as for one use paper plates, a paper tablecloth and salt and pepper in little paper packets, omg, that's only one step up from eating in a MacDonalds.

However I'm sure being asked to sing happy birthday twice would have thrown me over the edge.

Btw, were many passengers sick? Just you don't seem to mention that. If their were everything else you mention seems a bit, well trivial.

[njhorseman]

6 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Remember a few years back when they had to take people's room keys off them & put tape on their cabin doors to be certain they were not out & about

Taking quarantined passengers' room keys is standard. Tape on the cabin door is not, and I'm having trouble believing that it happened because when you're quarantined meals are delivered to your cabin by room service, so the cabin door is opened and closed six times a day to deliver meals and pick up the used tray and implements. Your cabin steward may also come in and out .

[njhorseman]

4 hours ago, Sopwith said:

After multiple attempts I gave up.  I was stonewalled.  Utterly ignored. They didn’t even have the courtesy to talk to me, which actually did more harm to the relationship than the on-board experience.  For the sake of a ten minute phone call O lost a repeat client.

Our experience was similar. Everyone from the general manager to the corporate office stonewalled every attempt to discuss the situation on our cruise. We haven't taken an Oceania cruise since for that reason. We almost certainly would have taken more Oceania cruises by now as there's a lot to like about this cruise line.

Edited November 19, 2019 by njhorseman

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

Taking quarantined passengers' room keys is standard. Tape on the cabin door is not, and I'm having trouble believing that it happened because when you're quarantined meals are delivered to your cabin by room service, so the cabin door is opened and closed six times a day to deliver meals and pick up the used tray and implements. Your cabin steward may also come in and out .

The tape can be easily replaced from the outside by the service people after the service is completed but cannot be replaced from inside by the passenger after leaving the cabin and returning  😊

[wcc19]

We often see crew with masks and full plastic aprons delivering meals, presumably to the infected cabins.

[Rob the Cruiser]

5 hours ago, Trevor Fountain said:

How awful. No you are right, I shouldn't trivialize such matters. Can't imagine what I'd have done if I had no library to go to, and as for one use paper plates, a paper tablecloth and salt and pepper in little paper packets, omg, that's only one step up from eating in a MacDonalds.

However I'm sure being asked to sing happy birthday twice would have thrown me over the edge.

Btw, were many passengers sick? Just you don't seem to mention that. If their were everything else you mention seems a bit, well trivial.

 

I was difficult to know how many people were sick, but it was a significant number. Some of the crew were required to pull double shifts at times. The CD disappeared after about 10 days into the 36 day cruise. When he returned he wasn't the perky person he had been before. GDR was understaffed for several days. Several acquaintances we met were sick for a while. One spouse/partner would recover, then the other one would become sick. We were fortunate that we didn't get the worst of it but the thought of dining was the last thing on our minds. 

 

 

 

Edited November 19, 2019 by Rob the Cruiser

[wcc19]

I'm comparing the protocols on this cruise to our previous experience with the great noro cruise on the Riviera a few years ago. 

The one that I'm really stymied with is this- when you go for a meal in any dining room on the ship you sit down at a table that is completely empty. Just the table cloth.  Then they slowly bring out plates, glasses, cutlery etc.

What possible reason could there be for this in infection control? If anybody can think of any reason for that...  it's truly inexplicable to me. And yes, it is part of the protocol.

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, Paulchili said:

The tape can be easily replaced from the outside by the service people after the service is completed but cannot be replaced from inside by the passenger after leaving the cabin and returning  😊

Obviously it can be replaced but is it really practical to do it on a ship with numerous cabins quarantined? I don't think so. The only time I've seen tape is on public areas as pictured a few posts ago, or on cabins that were being sanitized after the cruise was over.

Edited November 19, 2019 by njhorseman

[njhorseman]

28 minutes ago, wcc19 said:

What possible reason could there be for this in infection control? If anybody can think of any reason for that...  it's truly inexplicable to me.

i suspect to prevent others from touching the glasses, plates and utensils you'll be using.

[Glenndale]

8 hours ago, Sopwith said:

We were on the Marina this past March when there was a Noro outbreak.  Aside from all the “stuff” mentioned above, the Concierge Lounge, for which we paid a handsome premium, was essentially shut down for 12 of the 18 days we were aboard.

 

The crew invoked their protocol and did what they needed to do. I can’t criticize them at all. Afterwards, however, I wanted to have some contact with O to discuss what happened and what we paid for and didn’t get.  The answer I expected was “Sorry, but that’s life,” but at least I wanted to talk to someone in person.

 

After multiple attempts I gave up.  I was stonewalled.  Utterly ignored. They didn’t even have the courtesy to talk to me, which actually did more harm to the relationship than the on-board experience.  For the sake of a ten minute phone call O lost a repeat client.

 

I hope your experience is better.

 

(By the way, when one ship has two outbreaks in less than a year, and apparently three in two years, one has to start asking what’s going on with this ship.)

 

4 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Our experience was similar. Everyone from the general manager to the corporate office stonewalled every attempt to discuss the situation on our cruise. We haven't taken an Oceania cruise since for that reason. We almost certainly would have taken more Oceania cruises by now as there's a lot to like about this cruise line.

Just interested as to what you felt discussion would have achieved?

It sounds as if the ship's crew were doing their utmost to contain the virus.

I've been on ships when there have been Noro/GI outbreaks and yes it can be inconveniencing but apart from taking the utmost precautions yourself what did you think a talk with the GM/Corporate would have achieved?

Did you expect to be compensated for something outside of their control?