The recent news about illness regarding the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas and Princess' Caribbean Princess has raised questions with some travelers. The main question seems to be, 'is cruising safe?' The answer in short is yes!
First, consider the population of passengers and crew onboard. Some of the larger ship populations are the size of small cities, in some cases, larger than some towns. Unlike being at home after a day at the mall or at a major event, this population is in constant close contact with one and another. Virus, cold and flu germs are unknowingly being carried into public spaces, especially during the winter. No matter how clean your home, workplace or school, someone in the family is bound to pick up a bug and bring it home. A cruise ship, airline or vacation resort is no different.
So many times when one flies long distances, 3 days later that crummy cold feeling arises. We tend to over look that and chalk it up to jet lag. Likewise when traveling to a foreign destination getting a stomach bug is blamed as food poisoning, but may well be a virus contracted before or during travel.
Since the first outbreaks of what was once named the Norwalk Virus around 2002, new cleaning protocols have prevented entire ships from becoming ill. Also the outbreaks of Norovirus have greatly lessened. According to the CDC, since cruise ships adopted the Vessel Sanitation Program, shipboard illnesses have waned. This program calls for ships to be inspected at least twice yearly and they can also be inspected without prior notice. If they do not pass inspection they have between four to six weeks to meet the standards.
I spoke recently with one of my clients who cruised on a ship when a virus was detected. He was so pleased to tell me how well the crew dealt with the salutation and curbed the spread of the disease. He mentioned sanitation stations where hand sanitizer was readily available, constant cleaning of the ship and food being handled by staff wearing gloves and other protective garments. No passenger was permitted to serve themselves at the buffets.
Royal Caribbean International deserves high marks for the action they took to guard the well being of their passengers and crew. The Explorer of the Seas has a capacity (guests and crew) of 3840. Of that, 700 people, twenty percent, had taken ill to varying degrees on the ship. According to exit reports from passengers, they found Royal Caribbean did all they could to keep the population of ill guests and crew quarantined from the well population. Additionally, most said they would cruise again and were happy with the compensation from the cruise line due to the shortened itinerary.
According to CLIA, Cruise Lines International Association, 21.3 million people cruised worldwide in 2013. The CDC reported 7 Norovirus events in the same year affecting 1,238 people. This is less than one percent of the cruise population. Additionally they reported the CDC tracked about 20 million cases of the same virus on land in the US during a one year period.
Of course no one likes to become ill when traveling. There are precautions you can take if you are concerned about being exposed. Be sure to stock up on your vitamins.You may also want to bring a few items from home to curb side effects from the virus. Ginger products work well to settle one's stomach along with other over-the-counter remedies. Always speak to your doctor first.
If you are curious about the grade the ships have before planning your next cruise, check with the CDC's Green Sheet Report. This document will reveal the name of the ship, date inspected and their score. Any ship scoring under 85 be cleaned again and inspected within 6 weeks.
So, pack your bags and head for the pier. Bon Voyage
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