Autumn Colours Cruise - September 2006 - QE2

[Kindlychap]

There are some melodramatic reports in one of the British Sunday newspapers of the "Holiday from Hell" nature as a "mystery bug" hit.

 

Could those who were on board comment? Cunard say about seventeen were ill, and that was about normal and well within limits - in other words that there was nothing out of the ordinary.

[Oslo Dutch]

I think this story applies to the Athena cruise by travelscope. The ship experienced hurricane winds on both TA's which delayed the shipwhich caused them to skip ports. Somebody died as a reuslt from falling from stairs

 

And a bit of bad internal organisation delayed clearance in Boston

 

I would expect a bit of choppy weather sailing the north Atlantic this time of the year. When I was on the QE2 December 2002 the whole ship cheered when bad weather was announced :D

[Kindlychap]

The report specifically mentioned QE2 and referred to illness not accident.

 

My wife noticed it - given that we're due on in a week!

[Oslo Dutch]

So another Noro Virus outbreak again. We've had it last year on the Norwegian Fjord cruise. Fortunately I was not affected but heard of many sick people.

These things happening all the time especially in an confined space like a ship.

 

I am curious while we never heard of it before and now it seems to happen a lot. Apart that the press seem to have a taste for these stories, people are getting a short fuse, getting unreasonable and want to be compensated for everything they don't like. (and therefor inform the press)

While I worked on Princess way back in the eighties it was never an issue. Apart from one occasion when some fellow crew members had dinner in an obscure place in Acapulco called the Rat Cage. Those were off work with food poisoning for a couple of days

 

So next weekend it's going to be cleaning foam in your hands when you enter the dining room, washing your hands all the time, avoid touching handrails etc., no buffet food (Who wants to when you can eat in the Queens Gril l;)) and only using your own stateroom toilet. And have some drinks in the bar to kill off germs ;-)

[Anteeta]

The report specifically mentioned QE2 and referred to illness not accident.

 

My wife noticed it - given that we're due on in a week!

 

I've scoured (albeit not literally!) the Sunday Times and can find no reference. A google trawl hasn't added anything new. When we travel on QE2 next month, in addition to our normal routine ie washing hands as one might expect, we're going to take a couple of bottles of alcohol wash (as used in hospitals) just to make extra sure. It's convenient and easy and may help keep us norvo free.

 

I'm fairly confident that sensible hygiene will ensure you and your good lady won't succumb to unwelcome bugs. Just be particularly aware of all potential hand to mouth contacts, including touching door handles, tables and the like. You should be OK and most of all, I hope you both have a wonderful time. It's a trip we'd like to do, so I look forward to your reports when you get back.

[rjms74]

Well I was onboard for the Autumn Colours cruise which arrived back in the UK this past Tuesday & it's the first I've heard of people being ill!!!! It can happen on any ship of course but I must admit wherever you eat or go on QE2 even getting on & off the ship you are encouraged to use the sanitizer foam a lot!!

 

I was in the Queens Grill and even there I used it upon entering the restaurant for all meals!!! Some guests declined too which I found strange!!! I also had friends in the Caronia & other Grills and I heard nothing about anyone being ill & not even from the crew (although I guess they would not want to be broadcast this esp. if only a few people were affected).

 

I will be writing a review of my cruise later this week.

 

Kind Regards,

 

 

RJMS74

[Navaleye]

The story was in either the Sunday Express or Mail on Sunday.

[pnhmrk]

The story was in either the Sunday Express or Mail on Sunday.

 

I can't see anything on their websites:confused:

[Decebal]

So another Noro Virus outbreak again. So next weekend it's going to be cleaning foam in your hands when you enter the dining room, washing your hands all the time, avoid touching handrails etc., no buffet food (Who wants to when you can eat in the Queens Gril l;)) and only using your own stateroom toilet. And have some drinks in the bar to kill off germs ;-)

 

Hi Oslo, that brings up a question I always had about the Noro Virus. Say you are very careful and always clean your hands, can you catch the virus from a crew member that touches the food, the forks, the plates, etc.? How do you catch the virus if you arrive at the table disinfect your hands and thewn start having dinner by reaching for the bread?

Thanks.

[Oslo Dutch]

I suppose you can get it by conterminated food too but you can at least be carefull enough by taking precation measures. However I do believe the crew is aware of this and does almost to avoid contermination

 

Forgive me for saying this but sometimes I believe a lot of fellow pax have not got high standard ot hygiene. I can remember after last year's cruise I was still washing my hands a lot couple of weeks after having disembarked ;)

[travel-to-go]

Or maybe they ate spinach from the US! Or Canadian or British Mad Cow Beef, or... any of a thousand things. Tonight I saw where they are pulling some lettuce due to the same strand of E Coli.

 

On our last cruise, the first night, there was a large round table next to us. As always, Marc and I entered late. Our dinner companions were scintillating and we did not notice what was going on at first. I glanced up and saw someone coming in who looked like Carol Burnett's washerwoman, carrying a bucket and rags. Well, I thought it rather tacky to be traipsing through the dining room like that while people were eating, but.. whatever. Next thing we knew, there were all sorts of people rushing around the table next to us, cordoning it off with yellow caution tape and a fellow in a hazmat suit (complete with mask- Yeah- that gave me the warm fuzzies!) came rushing around sanitizing the table, all linens removed, and sanitized to bare table. (This fellow reminded me of a Halloween cruise once, where two people came dressed as the Intel folks!)

 

It seems one of the gents at the next table had suffered a bout of the mal De Mer (it was rough the first night out) and had thrown up at dinner. Cunard wasn't taking any chances!

 

As for not washing with the sanitizer? I have just come from my stateroom, usually touched nothing. (Maybe an elevator button with one finger) and I see no need to put alcohol on my hands in addition. As it is, I am allergic to soap, and although the French Milled soap on board is an indulgence I really shouldn't take, I am tired of bringing my soap substitute on board. A little won't bother me. I am starting to realize a week of it, and I generally suffer when I get home. I may have to go back to carrying my own, which is a hassle.

 

I suspect norovirus is no more prevalent now than previously. It just gets more press, plus, a century ago, folks just figured getting sick came with being at sea! Although I will say that in some respects our overreliance on antibiotics has bred super germs and making all kinds of antimicrobial products has probably lessened our resistance. If we are exposed to small, mostly harmless doses of certain microbes or germs, our bodies develop defenses. When we are too protected from everyday germs, we often don't. Hence when we are exposed we get REALLY sick.

 

Then again,

I could be totally wrong!

 

Karie,

who is not a doctor, nor have I ever played one on TV!

[pnhmrk]

I do believe the crew is aware of this and does almost to avoid contermination

 

The last time we were onboard the guy at the top of the gangway, dishing out the disinfectant, had a cold. He'd put the bottle down to sneeze into his hands and then pick the bottle up again. Although he might have stopped passengers inadvertently bringing any nasty diseases onboard, I'm sure that he encouraged the spread of his cold!

[Norfolk Brit]

The story was in either the Sunday Express or Mail on Sunday.

 

It was in the Mail on Sunday, from memory a fairly small piece near the front (can I find the wretched thing?..........). The bit I recall had an interview with a chap who complained rather bitterly that he had caught it and been incarcerated in his cabin for days with no visitations from staff, who contacted him by telephone. Seemed like a good idea to me........:)

 

Mary

[cunardqueen]

On the med trip in 04 there was an outbreak onboard QE2, some people ,were confined to the cabins and had room service and free laundry, other selfish people ignored the confine to cabin and were walking about the ship, l know this because the cabin opposite mine he was in the latter camp.

Guess with a ship full of some 2700 persons people will get sick.

But lm always surprised just how many people dont use the hand sanitisers!

cheers Myles