Topic: Poor hygene control

I have just joined the forum so apologies if this topic has already been "done to death"
Recent reviews of both Thomson Dream and Grand Princess contain much more negative comment than other ships in their company's line and surely cannot blamed solely on "poor passenger practise" or "teething problems".
Within US waters there are frequent hygene checks by one of their national agencies, is there an authority within Europe which has similar responsibilities or is it a case of individual ports simply wanting to move the problem along the coastline to another jurisdiction.

QUOTE:

I have just joined the forum so apologies if this topic has already been "done to death"
Recent reviews of both Thomson Dream and Grand Princess contain much more negative comment than other ships in their company's line and surely cannot blamed solely on "poor passenger practise" or "teething problems".
Within US waters there are frequent hygene checks by one of their national agencies, is there an authority within Europe which has similar responsibilities or is it a case of individual ports simply wanting to move the problem along the coastline to another jurisdiction.

Yes if you check around the forum you will find that ships have been refused to be allowed to sail from UK ports

QUOTE:

Within US waters there are frequent hygiene checks by one of their national agencies.

Is there an authority within Europe which has similar responsibilities?
or is it a case of individual ports simply wanting to move the problem
along the coastline to another jurisdiction?

Makes you wonder, doesn't it! :D



So glad I live where I do, which means I get to cruise more US ships than UK/Euro ships.
Works for me!
.

Not sure about the rest of Europe but in the UK:
"Cruise ships undergo regular, unannounced inspections by UK port health authorities to help ensure they meet the statutory food safety and hygiene requirements".
So says the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website.

It's not just food safety and hygiene they check they also check the captain & crew's hours of work. Let's face it if they don't get enough rest you could be in big trouble. One of Silversea's ships was detained in Portsmouth not so long ago.

We are often ridiculed because of our obsession with health & safety here in the UK but in some cases it's necessary.

The more hygiene checks the better for me, it was a worry when we first went as there had been a spat of illnesses on a few ships.

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The more hygiene checks the better for me, it was a worry when we first went as there had been a spat of illnesses on a few ships.

I got back from IoTS on Saturday and was a bit surprised at the lack of use of the hand sanitisers. There was always someone on duty at the Windjammer and main dining room with a plastic bottle but they no longer have a member of staff supervising the sanitisers when you return to the ship from a trip.

Our cabin was immediately above one of the gangways and we watched literally dozens of people return from tenders to Villefranche and walk straight back onto the ship without using them. The same in port I'm afraid.

I don't know if we had any norovirus on board during that time but if we had then I think the passengers would be to blame for spreading it.
Liz

When we went on a three month world cruise on Aurora2009,we didn't have the virus on the ship,and we had passengers leaving and joining the ship throughout.Alsoa large amount of crew leaving and joining the ship,especially in Mumbia no Nora virus, and remember this ship left in January when this virus always seems to be at it's worst. so how did we avoid it?

QUOTE:

When we went on a three month world cruise on Aurora2009,we didn't have the virus on the ship,and we had passengers leaving and joining the ship throughout.Alsoa large amount of crew leaving and joining the ship,especially in Mumbia no Nora virus, and remember this ship left in January when this virus always seems to be at it's worst. so how did we avoid it?

Ditto, Aurora world cruise in 2008. Not a whisker of NV on board.

And I think as there are more frequent inspection is good. But not everything depends on the hygiene of the ship and the workers in it. Unfortunately we are happy or largely contribute to the environment in which dwell

Most of the outbreaks are caused by the passengers, I have seen so many people coming out of the toilet cubicles and not washing their hands, now I always say something and try to call them back to thoroughly wash their hands. Children and older people (70+ age group are the worst.