You know, I had the opportunity of working for a wonderfully, large hotel. Well, one weekend, I volunteered to help Housekeeping with a very large group. This was the first time I ever changed bedding and cleaned the bathrooms in the hotel. I had a full time housekeeper giving me instructions. I was completely agast when she put the glasses and glass coffee pot into the bathroom sink to wash them, then wrapped the glasses in clear plastic for the next occupents of the room. I just wonder how the dishes are washed on shipboard? The dishes in the individual cabins? From my helping out in the hotel, I would suggest placing dishwashers to sanitize and wash in hot water those dishes that may have germs of many kinds. I was totally grossed out by even thinking of washing glasses in a dirty hand sink in a bathroom. How are the glasses cleaned onboard?

Buffets are the problem, many hands touching the food you will eat. People are not clean, they have horrible personal hygenie. This is a closed space, which I am sure are not cleaned properly either.

I won't eat at any buffet resturaunt for this reason, you are asking for trouble. Law states employees must wash their hands before working with food, but what about that guy who just wiped his butt in the bathroom and didn't wash his hands afterword, or picked his nose while doing his thing?. He's touching your food utensiels at a buffet, then you are putting your food in your mouth.

I sailed on time on the Mercury....It is a lously dirty ship run by a incompent cruse line! I HATE Celebrity lines the WORST line in the world.

I have been on many many many cruses but only on Celegrity once and that was one too many!

Rick-1099442 . . . I wonder if you were on the Mercury out of San Diego in April 2006. We followed a cruise that had hundreds ill. The crew sprayed straight bleach ALL OVER THE SHIP TO INCLUDE STATEROOMS BUT NOT THE MAIN DINING ROOMS. Our clothes were ruined by the bleach, the breathing was especially bad and worse for asthmatics and others with breathing problems. The discount on another cruise coupon was good for one year. How many people can take a second cruise in one year unless you are retired. The Celebrity staff was frazzled, explanations poor, communication non-existent. We totally believed the Mercury was jinxed! The teak was falling off the walls, the elevator floors had standing bleach. We did, a year later, take another Celebrity ship and they moved us to a suite and did try to accommodate us but the memory of the 11-days on the Mercury are still there.

I think we should put the cruise line industry under the authority of the FDC. That way, the next time any one person on any boat anywhere gets sick, they'll recall the whole fleet.

The norovirus has also been a problem for some hotels.  I've never been on a cruise but have had the norovirus a few times.  I would not wish that experience on my worst enemy. 

You know the industrial hand sanitizer that is alcohol based and smells like mint?  Many Vegas hotels/casinos have them available outside the restaurants and near the cashier windows (money is a notorious carrier of germs).  It is available in a travel-size spray bottle.  Now, I carry this with me whenever I travel and spray my hands after touching anything. 

I also take a travel sized can of Lysol and spray everything in my room. Doorknobs, light switches and remote controls are also infested with germs. The toilets are cleaner because they get cleaned. Who thinks to clean the remote control?  Oh, and the inside of the dresser drawers.  Where do you think the previous occupants threw their dirty clothes (including socks and underwear)? Yuck.

These mega-ships are giant sardine cans, with a far too high density of people. I have given up on them and stick to the river cruises and Windstar variety. Granted, the smaller ships may still be densely packed, but the chances of getting the bug from 140 people is much smaller than from 3,000 bodies.

Wash your friggin' hands!!

How many times do you see some cretin leave a bathroom stall after pinching a loaf and walk right out the door bypassing the soap and water?

Cruise ships are nothing but 900' floating Greyhound buses with mediocre buffet foods, closet sized bedrooms and way too many people showing how foolish and obnoxious they can be.

I'm booked for a cruise on the Carnival Fantasy in April....after reading these post's...maybe I need to cancel.

Have been on four cruises for 4 consecutive years. There is hand sanitizer everywhere on the Princess ship. Before getting back on ship, before you pick up anything at the buffet line, near the food available by the pool etc. Used it every time I passed. never was sick. Some people don't use it, even while right in front of them.They need that stuff at airports... Some people are filthy pigs...

The last cruise we were on had a norovirus outbreak the 3rd day out. I believe it was poor sanitation among the crew and the fact some of the crew had transferred in from other ships caused the outbreak. In any case, wash your hands in soap and water while singing the whole length of the tune "Happy birthday to Me". This kept us out of sick bay.

Disney cruise lines NEVER have this issue. I have to say the reason is obvious. There are crew members posted at the entrance of evey food line with sanitizing wipes. They are there as you disembark and when you reboard. Not to mention the cleanliness overall of the food handeling and public restrooms. Again, you won't find one incident of Disney passengers getting sick OR of falling off of a ship.

The winter has been especially rough this year.  It's colder, which leads to more people having compromised immune systems and getting the flu and other viruses.  A cruise ship with 3,000 passengers and 1,500 crew is an ideal way to spread these viruses.  If you are on a cruise ship, check to see if the staff are wiping down handrails and doorknobs in the passageways and stairwells often (several times a day).  That is a good indicator of how seriously they take the problem on any ship. 

OK People...if we don't start washing up, staying clean, USING OUR MANNERS,FOR GOD'S SAKE!!, they're going to have to start publishing the names on cruise ships, planes, other modes open to the public. WHERE WILL THAT STOP??! I don't nessesarily want THAT, but I'll gladly accept it if it saves more contagiens.

They should put all of those floating septic systems in drydock. Our oceans would be so much the better for it.

I've been on more than 20 cruises. The worst thing is that many people, in a rush to enter the dining rooms etc. bypass the sanitizers. Most of the public bathrooms do not have sanitizers at the door and I wonder if antibacterial soap is used. Has anyone ever seen a sanitizer in the casino,shops, food courts and theaters? As far as the buffets, Two sanitizers at the entrance for 1000 passengers is useless. Good luck. Just watch many people picking up food with their hands. To really control the norovirus problem the cruise lines must be more vigilant.

I had the Norovirus two weeks ago. It only lasted 6 hours. However, my sister had it the weekend before and she was sick for 3 days. The cruise ships are not the only sick enviornment. The Norovirus is spreading rapidly in work environments and the schools but the news media is not reporting it.

This note to Phlan: You are SO WRONG saying "when it dries it dies". Many viruses and bacteria remain vital after it dries. Hepatitis can remain in a dry state for up to a week and still infect you. The common cold virus can remain on a dry surface for hours and still infect you. How ironic when you stop to wash your hands after using the bathroom but you touch the door knob to open the door after someone who didn't wash their hands touched the knob before you. Whatever was on the knob is now on your hands. Then you touch your mouth, hands or eyes...Bingo...you're infected!

There is nothing worse then your holiday being spoilt by getting The Bug. The Fred Olsen Boudicca has been a victim to this bug again according to www.cruises.co.uk, they are probably the worse hit cruise line, it seems that nearly all of their ships have got managed to get norovirus onboard, I wish they would take precautions during the sailing rather then once the outbreak has happened.

"Hand-washing is one of the best ways to protect against the virus. Even better, use some kind of alcohol based cleanser."

Bad advice. Alcohol based sanitizers are totally ineffective against the norovirus. Thorough hand washing is the only line of defense.

We have taken a dozen cruises and, knock on wood, have never gotten sick. We NEVER use the public restrooms, never eat at the buffet, wash our hands constantly, will not use the public hot tub, nor the spa. We constantly send our glasses in our stateroom to be washed. We try to avoid touching the handrails on the stairs and try to avoid packing ourselves into an elevator.

We did once take a Celebrity cruise and will never do that again. Our preference is Holland America. They seem to pay more attention to cleaning and general maintenance. If I see filth or grime out in public, I can only imagine what is there that I don't see.

Maybe the reason is, WE DRINK LOTS OF WINE!

what was life like on the MAYFLOWER back in the day? when people are so compulsive about sanitizers are they being part of the problem for producing the next generation of SUPER bugs?

soap and water. good manners. thank the LORD for good health and a cast iron constitution if you have one. how do people build up their own IMMUNE SYSTEM to fight of the intruders?

maybe it's time to have an immediate result swab test before anyone can board the ship. if the are sick, don't let them on.