New Normal - what to pack

[insureman]

No disrespect to the original poster but I cringe whenever I see or hear the term "new normal". Just had to put that out there.

 

[Ikaikalani]

I always bring a reuseable (stainless steel) straw only because I hate paper straws. I am not worried about the safety of the cutlery. If you do bring your own cutlery bring a small bottle of dish detergent or soak a few small sponges (1 or 2 inches) in dish detergent and let them dry for a few days. You can then wet it when you need it and it soaps up. Also don't forget to take the cutlery with you when you leave the MDR. I have left my straw a few times.

That 'soak your sponge in detergent' hack is priceless!! Thanks for sharing it!!

 

[insureman]

People are talking about reusable straws but what about reusable cutlery. The washed state of table cutlery is sometimes less than perfect. Would it be weird to produce your own set of stainless steel or bamboo cutlery to use in the MDR?

If you are worrying about the cleanliness of the cutlery then you probably shouldn't be cruising at this point in time

 

[mmouse37]

That 'soak your sponge in detergent' hack is priceless!! Thanks for sharing it!!

You are so welcome!!! I got that tip from a post on this board years ago!!! I buy those thin sponges, cut them in 4 pieces, put some dish soap on them, let them dry for a few days and then pack them in a ziploc bag.



Amazon.com: Sold_By_Cheapnwork Reusable Cleaning Cellulose Sponge Cloths Absorbent Wipes Clean Kitchen Car Dish Eco-Friendly Dishcloth Hand Towel Auto - 1pack (5pcs) : Health & Household

 

[mullysisters]

While aerosol transmission of covid is an important route of transmission, it is not the only route, so the surface cleaning and other protocols still matter, especially in the particular environment of a cruise ship, where a infectious disease outbreak, once it starts, has the demonstrated potential to spread easily. Those measures also have the added benefit of significantly reducing the likelihood of there being a gastrointestinal disease outbreak, which would be problematic on its own, but would also confound the situation, since its symptoms can overlap with that of some of the symptoms of covid infection, making it challening to distinguish in the early stages. Makes everyone's lives much easier if it is less likely they're going to have norovirus show up too !

Since you are concerned in particular about cutlery, you may find it of benefit to read the following, which addresses the issue of commerical dishwashers and covid, as well as the NSF/ANSI standards for commercial food equipment [some consumer/home dishwashers also have a "sanitize" cycle that meets the NSF standard]; the articles are aimed at the commericial food industry/commercial kitchens:

"Can my dishwasher kill coronavirus" https://www.wasserstrom.com/blog/2020/06/02/can-my-dishwasher-kill-coronavirus/

"Sanitization & Clean Kitchens: Your Dishmachine & the Coronavirus" https://blog.hobartcorp.com/blog/sanitization-clean-kitchens-your-dishmachine-the-coronavirus

(from NSF) "Food equipment standards in a COVID-19 world" https://www.nafem.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/FE_Standards_COVID19_World.pdf

Per the Hobart article: "Sanitizing is defined as reducing the number of microorganisms to a safe level." And "Sanitization is a multi-step process that includes cleaning off food and scraps, rinsing to remove detergent and remaining soil, and applying a chemical sanitizing agent or reaching the minimum defined temperatures in the wash and rinse cycles. A commercial dishwasher automates these steps."

And a couple videos about dishwashing on board cruise ships:

From DCL, "Disney Cruise Line: Galley Steward"

"How to do Dish washing of Crew Mess dishes on Cruise Ship"

You will see a similar style of machine that is shown in the DCL video where they are loading plates; the machine in this video is a Hobart machine, which is the company who made one of the articles above. Just after 2:40 they show how they do cutlery. This may not be the exact model but is similar-looking; this video is a training video of it, probably way more info than you ever wanted to know:

Thank you for this great information. We are desperately looking forward to our cruise, as are so many! With Mom to be concerned about I think about these things.