Just Back from 11/23 Magic

[Lizziemom]

Got home about 10PM last night. We had a great trip. No one got sick in our party, and we never met anyone who got sick. I think the media blew this way out of proportion.

My family and friends were very worried about us, we found out when we got home but on the ship it was a normal cruise.

We didn't bother to call from the ship because it was no big deal to us. We didn't know that the media, both TV and newspapers were all over this story. It goes to show you that even what you read in the newpapers may not be the reality of the people living the story they are writing about.

After reading the stories this morning, I will remember to take news coverage with a grain of salt.

Any questions about the cruise, fire away.

Lizzie

 

[Hans Solo]

Was the 24hr drinking station on deck 9 still open during your cruise?

 

[tbuot]

The drink station was open during the Thanksgiving cruise.

 

[tgiving cruisers]

Was also on 11/23 cruise. Do the math. Why do you think the 11/23 cruise was not cancelled, but the 11/30 sailing was?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

The 11/23 cruise was a premium priced sailing, the 11/30 one was value priced. Their concern was not for the passengers, but for the anemic Disney Stock Price.

And, like our Dining Room Server pointed out, they are trying to clean the sick ship before the big $$ Xmas and New Years cruises.

I don't think Disney was treated unfairly by the media. I wish a camera crew had met me at the pier.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

tgiving cruiser, you have posted several times about what you percieved as issues on your cruise but so far I haven't seen any specific details. The originator of this post obviously does not feel the same way. If there are specific problems please post and let us know what they were.
You are certainly entitiled to your views and we really do want to hear both sides of the situation but we need to hear specific facts of what occured and what you saw as the problems.

 

[ncligs]

Originally posted by tgiving cruisers
Was also on 11/23 cruise. Do the math. Why do you think the 11/23 cruise was not cancelled, but the 11/30 sailing was?
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

The 11/23 cruise was a premium priced sailing, the 11/30 one was value priced. Their concern was not for the passengers, but for the anemic Disney Stock Price.

And, like our Dining Room Server pointed out, they are trying to clean the sick ship before the big $$ Xmas and New Years cruises.

It does give you something to think about.

 

[Michelle]

I think the 11/23 cruise sailed because they wanted to see if the sanitation efforts on the 11/16 cruise and the port cleaning were enough to control the outbreak! If they had cancelled the 11/23 cruise plenty of people would have been outraged.

They cancelled the 11/30 cruise on 11/27 when it became evident that the sanitation efforts had not been enough to stop the virus. They also did it THREE DAYS prior to the 11/30 cruise, to give them time to notify everyone. The situation was still unfolding on the 11/16 cruise and if they had cancelled the 11/23 cruise at the last minute it would have been chaotic.

Lizzie, I'm so glad you had a great cruise, thanks for letting us know!

 

[Lizziemom]

I for one am VERY happy my cruise on 11/23 was not cancelled. Do the math, 200 out of 3000 people on the ship got sick. that is about 7%. We have more people out on a given day in our local school.

This was our 6th cruise, 2nd with Disney, and I did not see any effect to the quality of the cruise. One thing I did do was wash my hands quite often during the day and before meals.

We had the best server by far of any cruise we have been on. His name is Boris from Bulgaria. Hope some of you future cruises have the pleasure of meeting him and seing his magic tricks.

Tgiving cruiser what are you so mad about? Did you or some of your party get sick? If you got sick, how long did it last? Heard one women as we were boarding the bus say that her son vomited for about 2 hours and then was fine. Don't know if he had the Norwalk Virus or something else.

Please let us know what is bothering you.

Lizzie

 

[tstobb]

Originally posted by tgiving cruisers
Was also on 11/23 cruise. Do the math. Why do you think the 11/23 cruise was not cancelled, but the 11/30 sailing was?
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
The 11/23 cruise was a premium priced sailing, the 11/30 one was value priced. Their concern was not for the passengers, but for the anemic Disney Stock Price.
And, like our Dining Room Server pointed out, they are trying to clean the sick ship before the big $$ Xmas and New Years cruises.
I don't think Disney was treated unfairly by the media. I wish a camera crew had met me at the pier.

Please post what specific problems you encountered. I do need clarification on one point - were you offered the opt out that the other cruisers were before your trip? If it was that much of a concern to you at that point ( http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=2688959#post2688959 ), why didn't you take the offer?
You went on the trip expecting problems & you found what you were looking for. Please let us know the specifics so we can be more objective and believe me when I say I CAN be objective when it come to Disney!

 

[AnnMorin]

Why are you so angry tgiving cruisers? So many people were devestated when the 11/30 was cancelled. THAT is why disney did not cancel the 11/23 they had hoped their sanitation efforts were successful and did not want to dissapoint so many cruisers. One thanksgiving cruise is a drop in the bucket financially compared to a ruined reputation.
Anyone who was uncomfortable had the choice to not go. I bet given that same choice most of the 11/30's would have still gone.
What specifically are you complaining about anyhow?

 

[ThreeCircles]

I too have just returned from the Thanksgiving cruise aboard the Disney Magic and, as usual, have nothing but praise for DCL! I greatly enjoyed every minute of my vacation and wouldn't trade a second of it for anything!

As for the sickness, I don't blame Disney at all! They did everything they could to keep the passengers, crew, and Magic clean and safe throughout the voyage. To blame the Walt Disney Company or crew for an outbreak of a common sickness that millions of people get every year is not only ridiculous but more than a little biased in my opinion.

If I had to blame anyone, I could only point to the passengers themselves. To put this in perspective, let me provide a few examples...

At the Castaway Club reception they had a very nice ice sculpture in Rockin Bar "D". As I sat and watched the party I couldn't help but notice four or five children around this sculpture. What were they doing? Believe it or not, they were wiping their hands all over the ice and then licking their hands and repeating the process. Now, they were kids but where were the parents?! I mean come on! WATCH your kids!

I also noticed MANY adults using the restrooms and then leaving without washing their hands.

I kept hand sanitizer with me and used it liberally throughout the cruise. I noticed few others doing the same.

All of this leads me to believe that the sickness spread mainly due to the passengers themselves. If everyone onboard had practiced heightened hygiene practices, I doubt more than a few, if any, would have become ill.

 

[taswira]

ThreeCircles - I have seen kids do that to the ice sculpture at <I>every</I> Castaway Club reception I have attended. Often I saw the parents just look on and smile and take pictures! And yes, I see MANY people leave the restroom without washing their hands. YUK! But the most disgusting thing I ever saw onboard was children LICKING the spouts at the 24 Hour Drink Station! Again, WHERE were the parents?

When we go out in the world with other vacationers, we take our chances. All we can do is try to stay clean ourselves and keep a careful watch on what those people around us are doing.

 

[ppiew]

Maybe EVERY cruise ship should install lavatories on gangway prior to security and boarding. Make EVERY passenger wash thoroughly until a 'bell' sounded!! Wouldn't that be an eye opener!!!

 

[Karel]

I've been reading all the posts about the 11/23 cruise and I hope that everyone who got sick feels better soon! I was thinking about tgiving cruisers post about how they didn't cancel the 11/23 cruise because DCL would lose the holiday money and thought about the crew. If the ship sits idle, does the crew earn any money? Think about, I know that tips make up a majority of their wages, so I'm sure that they are not happy about having a 'vacation'. And I have to agree with others that Disney was probably hoping that previous sanity measures would take care of the problem.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

Karel... I have seen nothing public about what Disney is doing with the crew. We don't really know if they are making up some of the lost tip income.

 

[Michelle]

The crew is cleaning the ship, along with about 200 extra helpers.

I'm sure they are earning their wages and I know I'll do what I can on the 12/7 cruise to help make up for any lost tip income.

 

[Laura24]

Originally posted by taswira
ThreeCircles - I have seen kids do that to the ice sculpture at <I>every</I> Castaway Club reception I have attended. Often I saw the parents just look on and smile and take pictures! And yes, I see MANY people leave the restroom without washing their hands. YUK! But the most disgusting thing I ever saw onboard was children LICKING the spouts at the 24 Hour Drink Station! Again, WHERE were the parents?

When we go out in the world with other vacationers, we take our chances. All we can do is try to stay clean ourselves and keep a careful watch on what those people around us are doing.

Well now here is another thought to the mention of the 24hr. drink stations....how about those *awful* refillable mugs that you know do not get sanitized (let alone just washed)after each use? I can not understand the concept of carrying those mugs around and reusing them. I can't imagine the GERMS those things carry around in them. Sorry, but it is a major pet peeve of mine. Were these banned during the last two cruises.?

 

[Wishing on a star]

Hey, as a souvenier, the mug sounds great. But, hey wouldn't a drink card for the refills be a lot more sanitary for refills, AND easier to keep with you all over the ship instead of ALWAYS having that mug in your hand. (either that, or just when you decide you need a drink, darn, you had thought maybe you wouldn't need to carry that mug with you that time, and you left it in your stateroom!

 

[taswira]

Laura24 - I'm sure someone else will answer about whether the refillable mugs were banned on the recent cruise. One would hope, but I doubt it.

I carry my mug but, not being a soda lover, I refill it with coffee or iced tea at the drink station. I have always been VERY careful to keep the mug from coming into contact with the spout, and I put a napkin on the back side of it when refilling. For cold drinks I use a straw so my mouth isn't on the mug. I guess I am overly cautious, but that caution will continue and probably <I>increase</I>.

 

[Buckaroo's Dad]

Disney was probably hoping that previous sanity measures would take care of the problem.

I concur! A cruise - just like a mind - is a terrible thing to waste...