Posted on 01/10/2019 11:27:34 AM PST by C19fan
Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas is returning to a Florida port a day early and giving passengers full refunds of their fare after 277 guests and crew members were hit with an outbreak of Norovirus as it sailed to Jamaica.
Cruise line spokesman Owen Torres told The Associated Press “we think the right thing to do is get everyone home early rather than have guests worry about their health.”
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
We have friends who are on A 2 week Caribbean cruise... no thanks.
We took a river cruise and there were 110 passengers, just right.
I’v never been on a ocean cruise and I never will.
They are also as good a vacation as I’ve ever had. 13 cruises under my belt and will keep going! NCL Breakaway was a great experience and just as big.
A shame. They are fantastic ways to vacation.
They should change the name to “Petri Dish of the Seas.”
I am waiting for the cruise ship story in which all the typical disasters have happened at the same time, to-wit:
1. Outbreak of norovirus
2. Looking for someone who fell overboard
3. Sailing through rough seas, with rooms and corridors
flooding.
4. Ship catches fire
5. Ship loses power
6. Ship attacked by pirates
You are not wrong. (worked on a RCCL cruise ship for 10 months as a musician) The entire issue, and it is both gross and yet minimal though the outcomes if negative are by no means trivial;
You become intimate with the bathroom/hygiene habits of those 8K (5K in my case) people and they all have to, or should, run their hands over the handrails going up and down the uber elegant grand staircases in the central atria and the various staircases elsewhere. They have to. (climb/descend the super elegant staircases AND use the handrails)
IF you go on such a cruise, simply wash your hands like a bad case of OCD every half hour and try not to rub your eyes, ever, without washing your hands.
“They are fantastic ways to vacation.”
Absolutely! We sail again in February.
Would rather go directly to a quiet, scenic, relaxing destination than trying to do the same on a boat with 3,000 other people.
it’s a really nice ship. Spent HOURS by the bar on the upper deck.
They are rabid about washing your hands, all the time, even as you enter the dining room.
I would rather stick my head in the oven than do anything in proximity to 3000 people.
“try not to rub your eyes, ever, without washing your hands.”
Or put your hands anywhere near your head, including nose and ears. Even hand washing sometimes isn’t enough when it comes to Norovirus. We take hydrogen peroxide wipes by Clorox when we cruise, and have only been able to fine them on Amazon.
It hit one cruise we were on, but was under control early on. Princess took extra measures, including no salt and pepper on the table, and no self-serve buffet, for a couple days. Fortunately, we escaped it, and there weren’t that many cases, anyhow. As with most things, there was a lot of exaggeration.
Take an ocean “Liner” not a petri ship. Sail somewhere and fly back.
I’ve been on a bunch of cruises and I got to say that those that are run by civilian companies beat the snot of of the military ones.
Absolutely right. And don’t forget all the folks handling the big spoons at the breakfast buffet... and eating hand to mouth. As a germaphobe, I stay far away from cruise shops. Ahoy!
We love cruising best bang for ones buck i hate driving and love to unpack once for the duration
You don’t cruise much do you ? The only ship built as an ocean liner in recent years is Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. both are petri dishs
I had norovirus a couple of years back. Wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
So how does your typical day go on your cruises?
All of that is correct. However, even if you don’t get the norovirus yourself, if thousands of your close shipboard companions get it, it will be a shi* show.
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