Norovirus and cruise ships

Before boarding the Eden on 16th December, there were news reports that a gastro outbreak was in full swing.

Being the hypochondriac I am, I sent a message to my friend who was aboard the ship working as a singer  (gorgeous Sydney based singer). I asked her if there was in fact a plague sweeping the decks. When she arrived back in Sydney, she sent me a message (the day of my departure) saying she had a wonderful time, but that Red Level was in fact declared.

Red level? I hadn't heard of that! In my heightened state of fancy, I imagined the Captain announcing "RED ALERT" a là  Jean-Luc Picard aboard the Starship Enterprise, complete with sirens blaring.

As usual, my imagination went overboard and I soon discovered Red Level indicated a higher level of sanitising and cleaning. Now, as I wrote in one of my first posts  I felt reassured the ship would be thoroughly cleaned before we got on. What I didn't realise was the limitations Red Level meant for crew and passengers alike.

The first time Red Level came to my attention once we boarded, was when we went to check in the kids at Kids Club. There were a pile of board games in the corner of the room and. knowing I had to try and coax my kids to stay, I pointed at these.

"Sorry Ma'am, the kids can't play those," the chipper young crew member said. "Red Level."

"Well that kinda sux," I said inaudibly. Then out loud, "When do you think Red Level will be lifted?"

"We hope in 48 hours!"

Great, my dreams of fobbing-off the kids for a few hours slowly dissolved. I walked out of HQ, kids in tow.

The next time was when I went to order a cocktail. I wanted to sit in the Salt Grill bar/lounge (I called it the Red Room) but went over to the Mix Bar to get a cocktail menu to peruse.

"Sorry Ma'am, I can't give you a menu, Red Level," the bartender said.

My brow furrowed, I wanted to study the cocktail menu intimately and memorise the ingredients of each yummy concoction.

"Ok, well make me something sweet and chocolatey and creamy," I asked

"Toblerone! Coming up." (This became my fav by far)

As the days progressed, I noticed the use of santiser become more visible. The first two days, there wasn't a crew member at the doorway of the pantry ensuring people use the gel. By Day 3, the presence of a staff member at every doorway of the Pantry was constant at every meal time.

This made me feel oddly reassured. I kept reinforcing to my kids NOT to put their fingers in their mouths, wash hands often and use sanitiser before eating. Also, I made sure our family only used our bathrooms in our cabins. I had brought aboard a packet of disinfectant wipes and wiped down the surfaces of the bathrooms and phones.

On Day 3, my eldest came down with a cold. Sore throat and stuffed sinuses. No fever, no vomiting, no runs. She stayed out of public areas just to make sure and I monitored her closely. It passed. Did I blame the ship? NO. She could have caught a cold at any time. On Day 4, my husband's eyelid swelled up. Yup, he got a stye. He hadn't had one for 30 years. Did I blame the ship? No. These things happen. I pulled out the Chlorsig from my trusty (packed) medicine bag and administered him some ointment.

I can't remember how many announcements there were by the Captain re: Norovirus, but it became quite clear by Cairns (Day 7 and 8) that there was a problem. After an eventful day on the Great Barrier Reef (wait till I recount THAT tale) we boarded only to be told that we wouldn't be sailing until the following day due to bad weather. As I walked around the ship, I noticed yellow tape cordoning off all public bars. The tape read CAUTION and I panicked. I asked the lovely staff and they told me they were taking the opportunity to do more thorough cleaning with most if the passengers at port. Okay, that makes sense.

As I've told you previously, I like to eavesdrop and lurk. The gangway was on my room deck level and I hung around listening to the security crew, pretending I was looking for phone reception. There was a flurry of activity, and security officers walking hurriedly. It was Day 8 and we were supposed to depart by about 4pm, but it was nearing that time and the security guys looked anxious. As I hung around I saw luggage just off the gangway and frenzied activity. I asked the security officer if they were waiting for more to come aboard. She curtly said "No, everyone is aboard." My interest piqued.

Within a space of 30 mins, we received two announcements from the Captain that indeed there had been further numbers of passengers who had come down with gastro and to continue to be extra vigilant. We set sail.

Later on, I found out (remember, I'm an investigative journalist) that the kerfuffle was in fact a passenger who had gastro and who refused to stay quarantined. She was escorted off The Eden at Cairns. Apparently she was angry, but I have no sympathy. Tough Titties. You don't play by the rules, you get kicked off.




 
Now, for all the passengers griping about Red Level, have a think about how it affects staff. Not only do their working hours INCREASE (all the extra cleaning) but, their life aboard is affected as well. One beautiful staff member, I called her "Pretty Eyes" was having a chat to me about how she misses her family and is not looking forward to Christmas. I invited her to join us at Christmas if she felt lonely. I know fraternising with passengers is against the rules, but it was just a gesture. What she told me next really upset me.

"We had planned to open a few crew rooms and have a Christmas party, but that won't happen because of Red Level. It's pretty sad as we are all away from our families. You see, during Red Level, no staff member is allowed in any public areas unless they are on duty."

Sad, right?

In the last few days, all I've read and heard in the papers and TV is hyper-sensationalised headlines "Floating Disaster" "Cruise ship stricken with gastro outbreak 'worse than a 1-star motel'. Seriously, GET A GRIP. As a print-journo veteran (and sub-editor responsible for writing headlines such as these) I've been rolling my eyes as these stories keep popping up. It's been all over TV, radio, internet and newspapers - there was even a news crew waiting when we disembarked. The ONLY vomit I saw was the spew gushing forth from my kids' mouths due to sea sickness. I am not saying there weren't cases and genuinely sick people, but 60 or so sick passengers out of 1500 ain't a disaster. Visit any primary school in Australia and you'll find more than 4% are gastro infested kids.

I know some passengers are seeking a refund and that's their prerogative. Everyone's experience was unique and I respect their decisions. From my perspective, the Norovirus 'outbreak' did not affect my family and I'm satisfied the crew did all they could to contain it.

One final thought, if people WASHED their hands after going to the crapper, then the virus would not be spread. Basic hygiene people! Also, for those who ignored quarantine, I solely blame YOU for spreading it further. Oh, and those passengers who came aboard already sick, you are also at fault.