Boarding a Cruise Ship During a Norovirus Outbreak

Introduction:  Our Panama Canal Cruise on Oceania Sirena

How to Save Money on an Oceania Cruises Sailing

Oceania Cruises Fleet Explained

Delta First Class Review Atlanta (ATL) to Panama City (PTY)

Westin Playa Bonita Panama Pre-Cruise Hotel Review

Panama Canal Marriott Bonvoy Hotel Options Ranked

Panama Canal New Cruise Terminal Still a Work in Progress

Boarding a Cruise Ship During a Norovirus Outbreak

Oceania Cruises Sirena Vista Suite 6003 Review

What Does Oceania Cruises’ Country Club Casual Dress Code Really Mean?

Oceania Cruises Wine and Spirits Tasting Experiences

What to Expect on a Panama Canal Full Transit

Oceania Cruises Sirena Dining Review

Great Stirrup Cay, Oceania Cruises Private Island???

What Happens When Oceania Cruises Skips a Port Due to Weather?

The Pros and Cons of Sailing on Oceania’s Smallest R-Class Ships

Size Matters, Why We Prefer Oceania Cruises Larger Ships

Introduction

As we mentioned in our last post Panama Canal New Cruise Terminal Still a Work in Progress, we knew that there was likely a Norovirus outbreak on board.  In this post – Boarding a Cruise Ship During a Norovirus Outbreak, we’ll provide as much useful information as possible based on our experience.  Our suspicion began when we were notified the preceding day that our boarding would be delayed for operational reasons.  All suspicions were confirmed during the check-in process where the Oceania Cruises representatives were upfront about additional cleaning taking placed because some passengers had become unwell during the cruise just ending.  We asked about crew members and were told that there had not been any problems with the crew.  This seemed a bit unlikely, but I hope it was true.  We didn’t see any signs of sick or “missing” crew.

For those wanting more information on Norovirus, here’s a link to the Center For Disease Control’s Norovirus Fact Sheet.

Embarkation

It was immediately apparent as we boarded the ship that they were doing an extra deep cleaning.  Buttons and handles were a bit sticky with disinfectant, all personnel not loading baggage seemed to be in hallways wiping down EVERYTHING.  We even saw use of fog machines to spray down corridors, stairwells, etc.

In our cabin as we began to unpack some of the drawers were still a bit wet from being very recently wiped down.  The suite had no other indication that things were different other than the absence of the cashmere lap blanket that’s typically located in the wardrobes of every cabin on board.  Many passengers probably wouldn’t have noticed it’s absence, but upon it’s return it was placed on the bed one evening before bed.

On Board Experience

The first night on board it was announced by the cruise director over the ship’s public address system that there would be no theater show that evening, but one would be put on the following evening.  No explanation was given for the lack of show.

We had dinner in the Grand Dining Room (MDR) the first night and noticed that the tables were not pre-set.  Paper menus were distributed per guest and thrown out after orders were placed.  The sommeliers serving the dining room were not proffering wine lists as is the custom in the restaurants.  No explanations were given for the differences in service.  These same protocols continued for the next several days.

The next day at lunch, it was the same service.

For comparison purposes, here’s a standard menu from later in the cruise.

The Grand Dining Room’s “leather-like” binding returned after the end of the Code Red Level 2 Protocols.

That evening the Daily Currents were distributed and included the following notice.

“Due to an increased number of gastral intestinal cases onboard, the office has made the decision to place the ship into a level of sanitation known as Code Red Level 2.  This means that unfortunately we have to take some extreme precautions in order to protect the health and safety of all guests and crew.  These precautions may seem extreme, but it is solely for the benefit of the health of all onboard.  At this time, any events that cause large gatherings have to be adjusted and cancelled until such a time that we reach a level below the guidelines.  We ask that all our guests try to stay out of public areas as much as possible, until further notice, and sanitize your hands at every given opportunity around the ship when walking around.  Please wash your hands as often as possible with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds each time.  You will notice a very increased level of sanitation around the ship and we ask you to help us with this as well.  The directive comes straight from our home office and we take your health as our top priority.  We apologize for the inconvenience and hope that you understand.”

The next day we had Afternoon Tea.  Traditionally this is served in Horizons; however, this has was relocated to Terrace Cafe (buffet restaurant) for the first day.  Service was not the typical white tablecloth experience with the dessert trolleys and the full set of porcelain.  Again, no explanation was provided.  Here are photos of the Terrace Cafe version followed by the typical service in Horizons later in the cruise.

Another interesting element of the protocol was no salt or pepper shakers on tables and then in the casual dining venues no ketchup or mustard on the tables.  Again protocol photo followed by normal service.

Ship Buzz

There’s always buzz on a small ship and particularly on Oceania ships where a huge percentage of the passengers are frequent guests.  Well it only took us a few hours to strike up a conversation with cruisers who were on a back-to-back cruise and were carrying over from the prior cruise when the Gastrointestinal issues began.  They let us know that it wasn’t a huge number of people that had gotten sick; however, those that were impacted were typically cabin-bound for at least four days.  The big gripe from these cruisers and others that we encountered throughout the sailing was that they appreciated the protocols, but thought that it was a bit “hypocritical” in their opinions that the casinos remained open while performances in the theater were cancelled.  That the bars remained open, while afternoon tea was cancelled.  That the shops never closed, but activities were cancelled.  It was their take that all revenue generating activities continued unaltered, while included activities were scaled back or cancelled.

One example that impacted me right away was that the library was closed on embarkation.  I like to read on vacation and prefer a good old fashioned book.  In order to pack somewhat lightly I typically bring one book and borrow another as soon as I board the ship.  I prioritize reading the borrowed book first then return to my own book when I finish.  Well, the library was closed for the first several days of our cruise keeping me from picking up a book.  Not a major sacrifice, but one of the rituals I have on an Oceania Cruises sailing.

We spoke to a number of crew members to find out if they had been impacted.  They universally said that they didn’t know any crew members that had gotten ill.  This seems unlikely, but that was what we were told.

End of Code Red Level 2

One ritual we have is to wake up and turn on the TV to watch the cruise’s morning show.  Carson our cruise director was quite direct and one morning he announced that we should congratulate ourselves for our good hygiene and hand washing because we had been cleared to resume normal operations.

It wasn’t clear to us whether the all-clear was a result of fewer reported cases and trips to the medical facility or if the ship was monitoring waste water for viral load.  Perhaps it’s a combination of the two.  Our experience was that we didn’t hear of anyone coming down with Norovirus during our sailing.  We ourselves were pleasantly well during the entire cruise.  We haven’t always been that fortunate with one or both of us frequently catching a minor cold during the course of a sailing.

So what changed?  As touched upon previously all dining service went back to normal.  While shows had been re-introduced some other things we had come to expect hadn’t taken place.  The first of these was the Oceania Club party that took place near the end of the cruise.  This is one of the events that we enjoy most on a sailing as it includes crew anniversaries, milestones of Oceania Club members, stats on the number of nations represented by passengers, and more.  Typically this happens on the first sea day during our previous sailings.

Final Thoughts

When we figured out that we would be boarding a cruise ship that had a Norovirus outbreak we had all of the obvious concerns.  The reality is that for someone who had never been on an Oceania Cruise previously most of the changes would have been imperceptible.  If we had been on the previous cruise when the outbreak started I think that it would have been a much different (worse) experience as they had even more sea days and even more cancelled activities.  That concludes our Boarding a Cruise Ship During a Norovirus Outbreak post.  I’ll leave you with one more thing.  Please, please, please wash your hands!!! – Michael