Post-Covid Buffets on Norwegian Ships

[CaptainWoody]

14 minutes ago, CarolinaMamma said:

I was a waitress in college. We sometimes had to refill the soap and paper towels in the bathrooms. The soap and paper towels in the men’s room almost never needed refilling. I asked my husband about this, and he confirmed that at work, many men exit the restroom without washing their hands. I am also a mom of two boys. So yeah, I am grossed out by shared serving utensils. 

What about shared elevator buttons and shared stair handrails?  What kind of place did your husband work at?  I spend decades at Megacorp and never observed this type of behavior.  

Edited June 9, 2021 by CaptainWoody

[CarolinaMamma]

1 minute ago, CaptainWoody said:

What about shared elevator buttons and shared stair handrails?  What kind of place did your husband work at?  I spend decades at Megacorp and never observed this type of behavior.  

My husband is an executive  at IBM.

 

And yes to the grossness of elevator buttons, handrails, and all the high-touch surfaces. Not so much for Covid, but Noro and the other fecal-oral bugs. Don’t want any of that ruining my vacation. 

[CaptainWoody]

Just now, CarolinaMamma said:

My husband is an executive  at IBM.

 

And yes to the grossness of elevator buttons, handrails, and all the high-touch surfaces. Not so much for Covid, but Noro and the other fecal-oral bugs. Don’t want any of that ruining my vacation. 

I don't disagree.  That's why a lot of us just use some hand sanitizer when we finally make it to our tables.  Even pulling a chair out to sit down will expose a person to those bugs that the last dining guest may have had on their hands.  Scary about IBM.  I always thought that all Megacorps were created equal.  Perhaps in the executive suite their time is just to valuable?  (jk)

[CarolinaMamma]

1 minute ago, CaptainWoody said:

I don't disagree.  That's why a lot of us just use some hand sanitizer when we finally make it to our tables.  Even pulling a chair out to sit down will expose a person to those bugs that the last dining guest may have had on their hands.  Scary about IBM.  I always thought that all Megacorps were created equal.  Perhaps in the executive suite their time is just to valuable?  (jk)

Yes, I definitely use the hand sanitizer. My main point is that I welcome the service by staff in the buffet. 

[mpdog42]

🍻

Edited June 9, 2021 by mpdog42
correct

[mpdog42]

12 hours ago, CaptainWoody said:

Thanks @Phil265  Since you called this guy out, I don't have to.  😎

For somebody who has been on CC for less than a month with almost 400 posts, you sure like to attack other people.....Im going to go with....Who is a keyboard warrior for 1000.. Alex

Edited June 9, 2021 by mpdog42
correct

[Laszlo]

15 hours ago, CaptainWoody said:

Really?  I'm sure it has happened, but I've never seen it (and I have spent a lot of time in the buffets).  What are these things that they pick up and sniff?  Hot dogs?  Slices of pizza?  Rice and vegatables?  Scrambled eggs?  I guess I would have to see that.  That said, I'm all for having staff serve the food but for entirely different reasons.  Have you ever been in a buffet line before somebody who literally takes two minutes to get a single spoonful of something onto their plate?  It gets painful at times.  Having staff slop in onto the plate in a matter of seconds will make the whole thing go much quicker.

Most of the above Lol, finger foods....... If you touch it, its yours

[CardFanDubG]

I would like to see the buffet be served by staff also. I'm sure that some of my former middle school science students remember a project done in class. They took cultures of places in the school looking for bacteria. One of the things they found was that the toilets were cleaner than the front door of the school. Grossed them out. Amazing the different types of bacteria they found. 

[roger001]

Live like that and soon you will have no immunity to anything.  This "don't touch anything" is a recent woke thing, highlighted by Covid of course.  The boy in the bubble.    

[JamieLogical]

11 minutes ago, roger001 said:

Live like that and soon you will have no immunity to anything.  This "don't touch anything" is a recent woke thing, highlighted by Covid of course.  The boy in the bubble.    

 

Recent? I am 42 years old and learned about hand hygiene and not touching dirty surfaces in elementary school. I've been opening bathroom doors with my sleeve or paper towel or the side of my hand my entire life. Hand sanitizer has been common and available on the market for at least all of my adulthood....

 

[DCGuy64]

I never use anything but my hands to open doors, etc. And I rarely get sick. I suspect I'm lucky, or have a robust immune system, or maybe it was all of those trips down to the farm where my dad grew up, where I was subjected to God knows how many bacteria and that supercharged my white blood cell count. Who knows? I sure feel grateful, though. My wife is uber-sensitive about hygiene and yet she's constantly sick. What gives? 🤷‍♂️

[Phil265]

40 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Recent? I am 42 years old and learned about hand hygiene and not touching dirty surfaces in elementary school. I've been opening bathroom doors with my sleeve or paper towel or the side of my hand my entire life. Hand sanitizer has been common and available on the market for at least all of my adulthood....

 

Sadly that is exactly the reason why we see an increase in allergies and food interolerance in the past 50 years. Your body only knows how to fight a pathogen when coming in contact with it. A sterile lifestyle is not necessarily a healthy one. 

[JamieLogical]

27 minutes ago, Phil265 said:

Sadly that is exactly the reason why we see an increase in allergies and food interolerance in the past 50 years. Your body only knows how to fight a pathogen when coming in contact with it. A sterile lifestyle is not necessarily a healthy one. 

 

Sterile lifestyle? Washing my hands after using the restroom and before eating, and not touching public restroom doors is living a "sterile lifestyle"?

 

I had no qualms about self-service buffets before this, but reading that washing hands after using the bathroom is "too extreme" for some people, I think I am now on board with no longer touching shared utensils in buffets!

Edited June 9, 2021 by JamieLogical

[Phil265]

23 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Sterile lifestyle? Washing my hands after using the restroom and before eating, and not touching public restroom doors is living a "sterile lifestyle"?

 

I had no qualms about self-service buffets before this, but reading that washing hands after using the bathroom is "too extreme" for some people, I think I am now on board with no longer touching shared utensils in buffets!

Maybe I should have put it in quotation marks. I meant a “sterile lifestyle“. Which includes not touching handrails, door knobs etc. and using hand sanitizer too often. Noone was talking about not washing your hands after using the bathroom. Where did I say anything about not washing hands?  There is a difference. 

[JamieLogical]

11 minutes ago, Phil265 said:

Maybe I should have put it in quotation marks. I meant a “sterile lifestyle“. Which includes not touching handrails, door knobs etc. and using hand sanitizer too often. Noone was talking about not washing your hands after using the bathroom. Where did I say anything about not washing hands?  There is a difference. 

 

Ah, you were responding to my post where I talked about washing my hands and not touching bathroom doors, so I didn't realize you were talking about more extensive measures. I don't even own hand sanitizer. And I definitely touch other doors and elevator buttons and hand rails and such. I just make sure to wash my hands before eating after doing so.

[caitlynambrai]

I personally will be a freak while on ship and during excursions about using hand sanitizer and washing my hands frequently because who the heck wants to take the chance of getting sick while on a cruise? Even with washing our hands, we are exposed to tons of germs daily. Our immune systems are fine. But I have no desire to go head-to-head with noro. 

[roger001]

I think it s good that the generation of my grandchildren (40 and below) have been taught to have concern about most of life.  In fact, here's a funny about that concern.  I bought a cheapo wheelbarrow yesterday, small inflatable tire.  Thought it was a bit underinflated.  Looked at the sidewall to get the recommended pressure.  Instead, saw a big warning, "inflating this tire can be very hazardous and only should be done by a professional".  I sure do not want to violate their concern for me, even though I have inflated tires for most of my 79 years.  I'm going to do the right thing.  I'm making an appointment today with our professional tire installation shop for my wheelbarrow.  And I'm going to elevate my concern for germs accordingly on cruises.  I'm woke.  

[ColeThornton]

13 minutes ago, caitlynambrai said:

I personally will be a freak while on ship and during excursions about using hand sanitizer and washing my hands frequently because who the heck wants to take the chance of getting sick while on a cruise? Even with washing our hands, we are exposed to tons of germs daily. Our immune systems are fine. But I have no desire to go head-to-head with noro. 

 

You do realize that Norovirus isn't just limited to ships, you can get it anywhere.    Land restaurants, day care facilities, gyms, malls, theaters, and on and on and on.....

[Oakman58]

I hope that by the time of my December cruise on the Bliss a heck of a lot more people will have been vaccinated here in the U.S. and in Mexico too.  I’ll be taking as many precautions as possible during my 7 day cruise including trying to limit the number of times the room steward comes into our cabin.  Disinfectant and sanitizer will be the rule of the day for me and my wife.

 

Covid is still screwing things up.  Just recently Italian newspapers reported the MSC Seaside had two passengers test positive for Covid and the ship was denied permission to dock in the country of Malta.  The ship disembarked the two sick passengers and their family members in Syracuse, Sicily.

 

It’s going to be very interesting to see how all of this plays out when the cruise industry starts up here in the U.S.

 

[caitlynambrai]

I'm not licking door knobs on land, either. But I had too many lectures referring to ships as Petri dishes to not be on my A game while on board. 

[JamieLogical]

7 minutes ago, Oakman58 said:

I hope that by the time of my December cruise on the Bliss a heck of a lot more people will have been vaccinated here in the U.S. and in Mexico too.  I’ll be taking as many precautions as possible during my 7 day cruise including trying to limit the number of times the room steward comes into our cabin.  Disinfectant and sanitizer will be the rule of the day for me and my wife.

 

Covid is still screwing things up.  Just recently Italian newspapers reported the MSC Seaside had two passengers test positive for Covid and the ship was denied permission to dock in the country of Malta.  The ship disembarked the two sick passengers and their family members in Syracuse, Sicily.

 

It’s going to be very interesting to see how all of this plays out when the cruise industry starts up here in the U.S.

 

 

I am grateful that NCL will still be requiring 100% vaccination for my upcoming sailings on 9/26 and 10/3. Currently, their vaccination requirement is set to expire on October 31, so may not be in effect for your December sailing. Good luck!

[Laszlo]

3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Recent? I am 42 years old and learned about hand hygiene and not touching dirty surfaces in elementary school. I've been opening bathroom doors with my sleeve or paper towel or the side of my hand my entire life. Hand sanitizer has been common and available on the market for at least all of my adulthood....

 

I'm 58 and learned the same as you. Sounds like a lot of people missed that class. I'm also the guy pumping gas with a disposable rubber glove

[GA Dave]

Another reason not to touch the common serving utensils.

 

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by GA Dave

[Laszlo]

5 hours ago, Phil265 said:

Sadly that is exactly the reason why we see an increase in allergies and food interolerance in the past 50 years. Your body only knows how to fight a pathogen when coming in contact with it. A sterile lifestyle is not necessarily a healthy one. 

Its the overuse of antibiotics in the 80's and 90's that have caused many issues

[Oakman58]

3 hours ago, Laszlo said:

I'm 58 and learned the same as you. Sounds like a lot of people missed that class. I'm also the guy pumping gas with a disposable rubber glove

 

I thought I was the only one pumping gas that way.  Actually I use disposable food service gloves.