Call Me Crazy

ITEM: Early this month, the Cruise Lines International Association reported that since Christmas, four passengers and one crew member jumped or fell off cruise ships. Media reports indicate that people rarely survive such an event and most bodies are never found. ITEM: Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas most recent cruise was shortened by two days when more than twenty percent of its passengers suffered an outbreak of a "gastrointestinal illness." The mayor of Bayonne, NJ, (it's home port) even ordered the city's health officer to be on hand during disembarkation "to protect Bayonne citizens." ITEM: Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess most recent cruise was shortened by one day when five percent of its passengers fell ill with a "gastrointestinal illness." Princess says that the early return was actually the result of a forecast for thick fog over the weekend that could close Houston's port. ITEM: The Center for Disease Control's Vessel Sanitation Program Division says the "norovirus" season typically runs from November through March and peaks in January. The CDC recorded nine outbreaks of illness such as norovirus aboard cruise ships in 2013. I was aboard two of those when the outbreaks occurred. The good news is that norovirus outbreaks are down from sixteen in 2012 and way down from more than thirty in 2006. For the uninitiated, norovirus is said to spread quickly when many people are confined to a small area. Cruise ships, along with hotels, schools and hospitals, are prime examples of places where many people are confined to a small area. So, in the face of bad weather and cold temperatures, I am going to stay in hotels and board cruise ships for the next two weeks. I will, however, actively avoid both schools and hospitals. My theory, and it is based on reported fact, is that the norovirus can be avoided in those small spaces if one washes one's hands thoroughly before and after both eating and using bathroom facilities. I shall wash my hands well and frequently. I also make it a point to avoid touching things that my fellow passengers are touching so that the virus does not get onto my hands in the first place. In any event, I am not worried nor am I the least bit hesitant about sailing for the next two weeks. Come along and see if my confidence is foolhardy.

Planned Dates

Feb 03, 2014 to Feb 07, 2014

Countries

3