Explorer OTS Undergoes Deap Clean

Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas

Current Sailing Cut Short

Norovirus Outbreak

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has terminated the current 10-night voyage of the Explorer of the Seas two days early to allow the ship to undergo a "barrrier" cleaning at its homeport of Cape Liberty.  This follows several previous attempts to clean the ship in hopes of stopping the spreading of Norovirus, a gastrointestinal illness, that start affecting passengers and crew last week.  More than 500 people became ill.

Cruise Ships & Norovirus ...
Tis the Season

Norovirus is a very contagious virus that can infect anyone. You can get it from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed. This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and to throw up. 

Despite what the news media may lead you to believe, this isn't just a cruise ship issue.  We encourage you to read this entire article and refer to the links to be well informed.

CDC Featured Podcast

Dr. Aron Hall discusses six tips to help prevent the spread of norovirus. Listen To This Podcast (4:09)

Travel Pulse published a very informative article: 

Attention Media: Norovirus Isn't Just On Cruise Ships

Who is to Blame

The first inclination when you hear about an outbreak would be to blame the cruise line. Clearly, they have let you down - you expected a healthy cruise, and you got sick.  .

The cruise line is responsible - right?

The cruise line IS responsible  for cleaning the ship and providing the facilities for passengers and crew to maintain proper hygiene onboard the ship.   They do that - you'll notice signs posted in all the rest rooms and crew members pointing out sanitation machines, such as the one in the picture above posted outside the restaurant entrance.  

But, ladies and gentleman - I suspect that YOU share some BLAME.   Did you stop to wash your hands after using the bathroom?   Did you sanitize your hands every time you entered a restaurant onboard the ship.   Did you do so all but one time?   That one time would be enough to kick off this sort of outbreak.

On two recent cruises onboard Disney Dream and Carnival Sensation, we noticed the sanitizing materials and signs.  We also noticed many passengers disregarding the signs and avoiding the sanitizing of their hands before entering the restaurant.

Working together, the cruise lines and passengers could Prevent Norovirus!

USEFUL LINKS ABOUT NOROVIRUS

Facts About Noroviruses on Cruise Ships  -  gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses can be prevented

Wash hands often. Wash hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers and before eating or preparing food.  Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer along with hand washing.

Norovirus outbreaks, when they occur on a cruise ship, always make the news.  The truth is these outbreaks can occur anywhere there are groups of people in a small area such as nursing homes, restaurants, catered events, hotels, and cruise ships.

Vessel Sanitation Program - prevention and control of spread of gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses on cruise ships

Passengers to be Compensated

All Explorer of the Seas passengers will receive a 50 percent refund of their cruise fare, as well as an additional 50 percent future cruise credit. Passengers who were confined to their cabins by the illness also will receive a credit of one future cruise day for each day of confinement.

Royal Caribbean also will reimburse airline change fees and accommodations for passengers whose travel home was impacted by the ship's early return to port.

Fire Onboard Grandeur of the Seas

Grandeur of the Seas Fire     Courtesy Royal Caribbean

Current Cruise Terminated

Cruises Cancelled

Early Memorial Day morning, a fire broke out onboard Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas while it was sailing in the Bahamas.  The fire caused extensive damage to the aft mooring deck of the ship as you can see in this image courtesy of Royal Caribbean.

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the incident and the ship was diverted to Freeport in the Bahamas.   Passengers were awakened and instructed to go to their muster stations.   The fire broke around just before 3 AM and was completely extinguished around 5 AM.

Grandeur of the Seas was just refurbished last year.  You may recall that we were onboard the ship for a special Revitalization Debut last November  (search Grandeur of the Seas for articles)

We will continue to monitor this story and report any further developments.  

AP Image of Grandeur Of the Seas in Freeport after fire (click here) shows the extent of the damage.

Grandeur of the Seas Update May 29, 2013, 5:00 p.m.

Click this link for ongoing updates from Royal Caribbean

On Monday, May 27, Grandeur of the Seas experienced a fire in the mooring area in the aft of the ship. Unfortunately, due to the time needed to repair the damage caused by the fire, it is necessary to cancel Grandeur of the Seas' next six sailings. The ship is expected to return to service with the July 12 sailing. Grandeur of the Seas' cancelled sailings include: June 7, 2013 June 14 2013 June 21, 2013 June 28, 2013 July 5, 2013 We are deeply sorry for this unexpected development in our guests’ upcoming vacation. Royal Caribbean International will provide affected guests with a full refund of their voyage. For their convenience, all monies paid will automatically be processed back to the original form of payment within the next three weeks. Guests who are ready to rebook onto a future sailing, and prefer to reapply the funds prior to the refund process being completed, should do so prior to June 12. For guests or travel agents rebooking by June 12, please contact us at 888-824-0012. Otherwise, you may book at your convenience. Royal Caribbean International will also provide these guests with a future cruise certificate for 25% of the cruise fare paid. This certificate may be used for a future cruise on Royal Caribbean International. Guests that have booked with a travel professional should contact their original travel agent with any general questions related to the cancelled sailings. Guests who have booked directly with Royal Caribbean should contact us at 888-824-0012.

May 27, 2013, 8:00 p.m. EST

Grandeur of the Seas – Current Sailing Unfortunately, the damage caused by the fire on Grandeur of the Seas will require us to cancel the rest of the current sailing. We are currently working on making the necessary arrangements to return all guests to Baltimore, Maryland, tomorrow. Royal Caribbean International is deeply sorry for this unexpected development in our guests’ vacation. We understand that this may have been a very stressful time for them. And we also know that it has significantly impacted their vacation experience. We appreciate their patience and cooperation in dealing with this unfortunate situation. Grandeur of the Seas – May 31, 2013 Sailing Unfortunately, due to the time needed to repair the damage caused by the fire, it is necessary to cancel Grandeur of the Seas’ next voyage, which was scheduled to depart Baltimore, Maryland, on Friday, May 31. We are deeply sorry for this unexpected development in our guests’ upcoming vacation. A dedicated telephone hotline has been established for guests on these two sailings. Guests may call us at 1-888-824-0012 in the U.S. or +1-408-916-9000 internationally. We continue to assess the situation onboard Grandeur of the Seas and gather the necessary information in order to make a decision regarding future sailings. We encourage guests on future sailings of Grandeur of the Seas to monitor this website or our Twitter handle @RoyalCaribbean for an update on your voyage.

U.S. Coast Guard Response 

According the the USCG website:   The Coast Guard responded early Monday morning to a fire aboard the 917-foot cruise ship, Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas, 35 nautical miles northwest of West End, Bahamas. At approximately 3 a.m., Coast Guard Sector Miami received a report of a fire aboard a Bahamian-flagged cruise ship carrying 2,224 passengers and 796 crew en route to CoCoCay, Bahamas.

The fire began on the third deck of the aft mooring area of the ship and spread to the fourth deck crew lounge area. Around 5 a.m., the fire was reported to have been extinguished by the ship’s fire response crew.

Coast Guard Sector Miami issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast (UMIB) and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Cormorant, the Coast Guard Cutter Sitkinak, and the Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered to respond to the emergency. The Coast Guard also launched a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft and a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk to respond.

The cruise ship Carnival Sensation and a motor vessel from the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER), the Hagen, also diverted to stand by and assist if needed.

 The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are joining the flag state to begin conducting a joint investigation of the vessel to determine the cause of the fire.

Carnival Splendor Without Power After Engine Fire

Carnival Splendor  (Courtesy Carnival Cruise Line)

Carnival Splendor 

Dead in Water 

Off West Coast of Mexico

Following Engine Fire

Carnival Splendor was on the first leg of a seven-day Mexican Riviera cruise that departed  November  7th from Long Beach, California when a fire was detected in an aft engine.  The fire was  extinguished and fortunately there were no injuries to guests or crew.

The ordeal started at approximately 6 AM Monday with guests initially being notified at 6:30 AM to move from their cabins to the ship’s upper open deck areas.  According to a statement issued by Carnival, "At this time, guests have access to their cabins and are able to move about the ship. Bottled water and cold food items are being provided."

Monday was a scheduled day at sea.  The ship’s normal itinerary includes stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  The ship, which measures 113,000 gross registered tons and first entered service in July 2008, is carrying 3,299 guests and 1167 crew.

UNABLE TO RESTORE POWER

The ship has been operating on auxiliary generators following the fire and engineers have been unable to restore additional power to the vessel.  Consequently, without the additional power, several key hotel systems, including air conditioning, hot food service, flushing toilets and telephones are not available.  The ship’s crew is actively working to restore partial services.


As a result, the current voyage is being terminated.  Tugboats are currently en route to the ship which is located off the coast of Mexico, approximately 150 miles south of San Diego.  The tugs will tow the vessel to Ensenada, Mexico in an effort to get the guests home as quickly as possible.   The vessel’s command is in contact with the U.S. Coast Guard which has deployed aircraft and cutters to the cruise ship’s location.

CARNIVAL COMPENSATES PASSENGERS

Guests on the current voyage will be receiving a full refund along with reimbursement for transportation costs.  Additionally, they will receive a complimentary future cruise equal to the amount paid for this voyage.

“We know this has been an extremely trying situation for our guests and we sincerely thank them for their patience.  Conditions on board the ship are very challenging and we sincerely apologize for the discomfort and inconvenience our guests are currently enduring.  The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority and we are working to get our guests home as quickly as possible,” said Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines.

Contact information for family members: 1-888-290-5095 or 305-406-5534 


Source:  Carnival Splendor Update

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

The emergency response to the stricken ship includes two seagoing tugboats, contracted out of the port of Ensenada, Mexico, U.S. Coast Guard aircraft and ships, as well as U.S. and Mexican Navy vessels.  According to Cmdr. Greg Hicks, about 70,000 pounds of supplies, including bread, utensils, cups, milk, canned food and other items will be flown to the nearby USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier where they will be transferred to the cruise ship by helicopters.

The plan is for the tugboats along with a Coast Guard cutter, to escort the ship to the port of Ensenada where passengers will be unloaded.    This process is expected to begin mid-day Tuesday and take until 8 PM Wednesday night.  

The passengers will be transported by bus approximately 50 miles to San Diego where they will begin their journey home.   After unloading the passengers, the ship will then begin it's journey back to Long Beach, California, a process which is expected to take several days.   The plan was developed so that passengers didn't have to stay onboard any longer than necessary.


FINAL THOUGHTS 

Carnival Cruise Line, and all the cruise lines, take safety very seriously.   The crews are trained to handle emergency situations and passengers must participate in mandatory safety drills.   From our vantage point, it appears that the training paid off this week as this emergency situation unfolded.   The fact that there were no injuries to guests or crew is a testament to a safety plan carried out well.


The cruise industry as a whole has an excellent safety record.   Situations like this fire are rare, but when they occur, are trying for all involved.   It appears to us that Carnival Cruise Line responded well both to the actual emergency and to the aftermath and is doing everything they can to assist the guests.   


It is too early to tell the impact on future Carnival Splendor voyages.  We will bring you updates as we learn more.

 

Cruise West Undergoing Restructuring

New Bookings Suspended

Spirit of Oceanus Cruise Terminated

Cruise West announced the continuation of restructuring of the company.  Passengers on the Spirit of Oceanus' Voyage of the Great Explorers terminated their world cruise in Newfoundland, Canada.

A recorded message indicates that the cruise line has not been sold and that the call center is temporarily closed as the company restructures.

According to the line's press release, "Additional assets may be sold and other steps are being pursued towards a restructure. As part of this process, Cruise West has suspended accepting any new bookings." 

The statement indicated that some cruises will continue:


"The Spirit of Endeavour will sail from Seattle on the British Columbia Cruise and the Spirit of '98 from Portland, or along the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Cruise West will also complete cruises or land tours already underway in Alaska."

According to information on the Cruise West website, impacted guests who have not yet traveled on the Spirit of Oceanus world cruise should file a claim with their third-party insurance company, contact their credit card company, or if payment was made by check, contact info@cruisewest.com.

The statement indicated that executives would not take media calls at this time and will be releasing additional details in the future.   We will monitor this developing story and report any updates.

For more information, call the company's emergency number at 888-396-0280, email info@cruisewest.com or visit www.cruisewest.com.

Why 3rd-party Travel Insurance Important

This unfortunate situation, for passengers impacted by the terminated cruise, underscores the importance of purchasing third-party travel insurance at the time your cruise is booked.    Cruise line failures are rare, but when they occur, passengers can be stranded in remote parts of the world.  Fortunately, this cruise was terminated in one of the scheduled ports of call, perhaps minimizing the impact on the guests.  


About Cruise West

Cruise West offers small-ship experiences to guests.   We hope that they will be able to obtain the necessary funding to continue operations.  We wish them success in their restructuring efforts.    Stayed tuned for more information as it becomes available.