RCCL Jewel of Seas cruise review Jan 15-22

JohnC wrote:

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 01:31:04 GMT, (Karen
Segboer) wrote:


JohnC wrote:



Things we didn't like about this cruise were..

1) The norwalk virus broke out on the Jewel last week.

Not really the ship's fault, now, was it?



Yes, I think it certainly was the ships fault, at least in a good
part.
Sanitary measures such as providing and strongly encouraging the use
of hand washing stations at all entrances to the buffet would be a
good start.

This would work only if people were watched to make sure they washed.
If they don't by now that they should wash before eating, most aren't
going to change the practice onboard a ship. It is NOT the fault of the
cruiselines if people don't wash.

On the Diamond Princess, there is a hand sanitizer at each entrance to
the buffet bars on the Lido deck. Since there are two buffet bars on
the Lido deck and two entrances to each, there are at least 4 hand
sanitizers in the Lido food serving area. However, I don't recall
seeing any at the entrances to the six formal dining rooms or at the
pizza and hamburger serving areas. Maybe it isn't necessary to have any
in those areas since there is little likelihood of someone touching
food that others might eat.

Also, in each of the public restrooms on the ship was a sign on the
wall encouraging all to wash their hands frequently for so many
seconds.

A question I have is whether a hand sanitizer or washing one's hands
will kill a virus on one's hands. I know that this will kill bacteria.

On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 06:57:30 -0500, Lee Lindquist wrote:

On 29 Jan 2005 02:10:06 -0800, wrote:

On the Diamond Princess, there is a hand sanitizer at each entrance to
the buffet bars on the Lido deck. Since there are two buffet bars on
the Lido deck and two entrances to each, there are at least 4 hand
sanitizers in the Lido food serving area. However, I don't recall

You know, it occurs to me that you'd want to use the sanitizers after
leaving the buffet, possibly as well as before.

What you are trying to avoid is picking up germs with your hands,
and somehow getting them into your eyes, nose or mouth.

You sanitize your hands -- you then go through the buffet, and
touch 10-20 serving spoons that have been handled by hundreds
of people.

Are your hands now clean enough to eat with?

The solution? Buffet gloves.

lol...it gives me images of Niles on the Frazier show wiping his hands
after shaking hands with someone....but after last week on the Jewel,
he might have something there... lol

John C.

"Grey Wolf" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 00:21:17 -0500, "Tom & Linda"
wrote:


"Grey Wolf" wrote in message
. ..


What is a hand sanitizer? Also, are you talking about once a virus
has broken out on a ship? or at all times to prevent the breakout of
a virus?



They are small electrically controlled alcohol solution spraying units.
Put
your hands under the spray jet, and you get a controlled amount of alcohol
solution to wipe your hands with. It gives you like about a 1cc squirt of
alcohol. Wipe your hand for 5 seconds and it all evaporates, leaving your
hands sanitized. The alcohol kills any germs on your hands.

Hi Tom,
Is it scented? I keep thinking of those lemon-scented moist
towelettes. I don't mind using them *after* I've eaten, but I do not
want to have lemon-smelly hands before I begin eating. I want to
smell my food, not my hands.


No scent. The smell of alcohol goes away in about 5 seconds. Long before
you get to the first buffet item in line.

It's like the alcohol swab a nurse uses before she give you an injection.
That smell lasts a few seconds and it's gone.

There is no smell like those packets of hand towelets. This is just
alcohol.

--Tom

wrote:

A question I have is whether a hand sanitizer
or washing one's hands will kill a virus on
one's hands. I know that this will kill bacteria.

Right, it will kill bacteria, but not a virus. And overuse will just
speed up the mutation process among the bacteria for getting a form
resistant to the sanitizer.

And isn't it amazing that they have to put signs in the bathrooms
telling people to wash their hands? You would think that people would
learn that lesson very early in life.

wrote:

A question I have is whether a hand sanitizer
or washing one's hands will kill a virus on
one's hands. I know that this will kill bacteria.

Right, it will kill bacteria, but not a virus. And overuse will just
speed up the mutation process among the bacteria for getting a form
resistant to the sanitizer.

And isn't it amazing that they have to put signs in the bathrooms
telling people to wash their hands? You would think that people would
learn that lesson very early in life.

On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 08:19:26 -0500, "Tom & Linda"
wrote:


No scent. The smell of alcohol goes away in about 5 seconds. Long before
you get to the first buffet item in line.

It's like the alcohol swab a nurse uses before she give you an injection.
That smell lasts a few seconds and it's gone.

There is no smell like those packets of hand towelets. This is just
alcohol.

--Tom


That's not so bad then! It still would make me feel like it's
something out of a hospital ward or something... but I guess I could
handle it.

Thanks for the info!

~David

Then the next question is if passengers use of hand sanitizers and
washing hands will only kill bacteria, then what measures can a ship
take to ward off the Norwalk virus? I know that some ships, such as the
Diamond Princess, require all passengers to fill out a form indicating
whether they have various symptoms such as diarrhea, upset stomachs,
etc. However, if a couple has paid $3,000 to $5,000 for the cruise,
$600-$1,000 (or more) for airline tickets, and $100 or so for a hotel
room the night before, how many of those with diarrhea and other not so
obvious illnesses do you think will indicate that on the forms they
complete? My guess is zero. I am convinced that ships have passengers
fill out those forms because cruise lines' lawyers suggested the forms
as a way to CYA.

On 29 Jan 2005 09:59:01 -0800, wrote:

Then the next question is if passengers use of hand sanitizers and
washing hands will only kill bacteria, then what measures can a ship
take to ward off the Norwalk virus? I know that some ships, such as the
Diamond Princess, require all passengers to fill out a form indicating
whether they have various symptoms such as diarrhea, upset stomachs,
etc. However, if a couple has paid $3,000 to $5,000 for the cruise,
$600-$1,000 (or more) for airline tickets, and $100 or so for a hotel
room the night before, how many of those with diarrhea and other not so
obvious illnesses do you think will indicate that on the forms they
complete? My guess is zero. I am convinced that ships have passengers
fill out those forms because cruise lines' lawyers suggested the forms
as a way to CYA.

Well, and what good does filling out the form do to the ship? If you
have enough boxes checked will they isolate you? Keep you from
getting on the ship? If someone was that sick, why would they even go
on the ship in the first place?

Personally, I can get an upset stomach or diarrhea over almost
anything. I have a finicky system, and it would not be unusual for me
(especially if I'm trying out a variety of foods) to have those
symptoms. Heck, sometimes even Captain Crunch does me in. So, if I
know that my body is just reacting to something I had for dinner the
night before, or breakfast that morning, I'm supposed to let the
cruise line know on the form? Are they going to single me out? Put
me on the "isolation" deck? LOL (That might not be such a bad thing,
especially on Easter or Holiday cruises, as long as they have a hot
tub on that deck!)

If I was vomiting, or had fevers, or consistent week-long upset
stomach/diarrhea... then that would make sense to fill out the form,
because even I would be worried. If it was that bad, I'd cancel the
cruise anyway, because something was obviously wrong. (Of course, my
gf would kill me... so which is better? Being sick, or being dead?)
:-)

I guess I'm just afraid that cruise lines doing the sanitation checks
are doing it because some people are over-reacting to the chances of
catching a bug. Of course, I've never had the Nolovirus. Maybe if I
came down with it, I'd have more respect for it. It's just that every
meal I have is a crap shoot whether I'll have a reaction to it or not.
It doesn't mean the food was spoiled, or that I contracted a virus.

I wonder how many other people that happens to, but because it
happened to them on a cruise ship, they think they were food poisoned
or contracted a virus? Or how many people's systems get shaken up due
to the slight vibration of being on water? Not enough for them to
notice right away, until they've had some food? Just enough to
disrupt their digestive system?

I know some folks who went on a Carnival cruise to Mexico, and she
said they had fun but 2 out of 4 of them (sharing one cabin) got sick
(diarrhea and upset stomach). She said that their trip was kind of
rocky, but she attributed the sickness to food-poisoning. It occurred
to me that maybe the motion had something to do with it, rather than
food poisoning?


~David

On 29 Jan 2005 09:59:01 -0800, wrote:

Then the next question is if passengers use of hand sanitizers and
washing hands will only kill bacteria, then what measures can a ship
take to ward off the Norwalk virus? I know that some ships, such as the
Diamond Princess, require all passengers to fill out a form indicating
whether they have various symptoms such as diarrhea, upset stomachs,
etc. However, if a couple has paid $3,000 to $5,000 for the cruise,
$600-$1,000 (or more) for airline tickets, and $100 or so for a hotel
room the night before, how many of those with diarrhea and other not so
obvious illnesses do you think will indicate that on the forms they
complete? My guess is zero. I am convinced that ships have passengers
fill out those forms because cruise lines' lawyers suggested the forms
as a way to CYA.

Well, and what good does filling out the form do to the ship? If you
have enough boxes checked will they isolate you? Keep you from
getting on the ship? If someone was that sick, why would they even go
on the ship in the first place?

Personally, I can get an upset stomach or diarrhea over almost
anything. I have a finicky system, and it would not be unusual for me
(especially if I'm trying out a variety of foods) to have those
symptoms. Heck, sometimes even Captain Crunch does me in. So, if I
know that my body is just reacting to something I had for dinner the
night before, or breakfast that morning, I'm supposed to let the
cruise line know on the form? Are they going to single me out? Put
me on the "isolation" deck? LOL (That might not be such a bad thing,
especially on Easter or Holiday cruises, as long as they have a hot
tub on that deck!)

If I was vomiting, or had fevers, or consistent week-long upset
stomach/diarrhea... then that would make sense to fill out the form,
because even I would be worried. If it was that bad, I'd cancel the
cruise anyway, because something was obviously wrong. (Of course, my
gf would kill me... so which is better? Being sick, or being dead?)
:-)

I guess I'm just afraid that cruise lines doing the sanitation checks
are doing it because some people are over-reacting to the chances of
catching a bug. Of course, I've never had the Nolovirus. Maybe if I
came down with it, I'd have more respect for it. It's just that every
meal I have is a crap shoot whether I'll have a reaction to it or not.
It doesn't mean the food was spoiled, or that I contracted a virus.

I wonder how many other people that happens to, but because it
happened to them on a cruise ship, they think they were food poisoned
or contracted a virus? Or how many people's systems get shaken up due
to the slight vibration of being on water? Not enough for them to
notice right away, until they've had some food? Just enough to
disrupt their digestive system?

I know some folks who went on a Carnival cruise to Mexico, and she
said they had fun but 2 out of 4 of them (sharing one cabin) got sick
(diarrhea and upset stomach). She said that their trip was kind of
rocky, but she attributed the sickness to food-poisoning. It occurred
to me that maybe the motion had something to do with it, rather than
food poisoning?


~David