No Magic On The Disney Cruise

[joeyandangiesmom]

We were on that cruise. It was our 12th Disney cruise. We have never gotten sick nor did we become ill this trip.

DCL does their very very best to avoid the spread of germs/viruses..to the point where it does inconvenience other passengers ...I mean, who wants to stand in a line 20 deep to get a diet Coke


I'm sorry this happened to your family, but it could happen anywhere....school, daycare, on a ship...DCL does its best to eliviate the germs (ie..wipes BEFORE meals, signs in the bathrooms, etc) BUT, NOT ALL will partake!

My 70plus year old parents were with us (on deck 2...were you there??? the whole area smelled of vomit) and did not get ill)

You cannot blame the DCL....illness happens...DCL does its best to eliminate the spread....was it someone who chose not to stay in their room that spread it to you??? how could that be the fault of the DCL???? Travel insurance is always the best bet. My godmother broke her leg on the second day of her second cruise....medi-vacced out....TI paid for it all, TG!

I'm sorry your memories aren't magical...quite frankly, ours aren't either...between no self serve, vomit smelling hallways, etc but we are always thankful DCL cares enough to make the best attempt they can to stop the spread.......and we drove from Ohio to go on this cruise.

 

[Justthe8ofus]

I'm very sorry that you and your family were ill. BUT, I agree with most of what others have said. Norwalk is a common illness EVERYWHERE not just on cruise ships. The 2 times I have had it were not on cruise ships. I have been on 9 cruises and have never picked it up there. I did pick it up from my kids school and at Universal Studios. Two times in one year not fun!

As sad as it is for you and your family it is in no way DCL fault or responsiblity. Someone brought an illness onto a cruise ship and others got sick. It all comes down to life happens. I think it is very generous of DCL to offer the 15%. I hope you change your mine about cruising again.

 

[dalepool]

If it were me---- I would talk to an atty that specials in laws of the sea. You were required to stay in room. No food or drink brought in except by hospital staff. who knows how this spread ( I doubt if your family did as you got it after the out break). All Cruise lines know this is a very big issue. You need to be reimbursed for the days you could not use the facilities you paid for. Before you flame me -- please take a moment and think if it were you how would you like to be treated?

Don't give up---You will need to send a few registered letters and maybe have the atty send a letter after your 3 letter.

Please let us know.

Lastly I am so sorry that a beautiful vacation ended like it did.

 

[dolphingirl47]

If it were me---- I would talk to an atty that specials in laws of the sea. You were required to stay in room. No food or drink brought in except by hospital staff. who knows how this spread ( I doubt if your family did as you got it after the out break). All Cruise lines know this is a very big issue. You need to be reimbursed for the days you could not use the facilities you paid for. Before you flame me -- please take a moment and think if it were you how would you like to be treated?

Don't give up---You will need to send a few registered letters and maybe have the atty send a letter after your 3 letter.

Please let us know.

Lastly I am so sorry that a beautiful vacation ended like it did.

No flames here as I am a firm believer that everybody is entitled to his/her own opinions, but I have to respectfully disagree with you.

Was this DCLs fault? Heck no!
Did DCL everything to contain this outbreak? From what I read, absolutely

So why on earth should DCL have to pay compensation for something that is not their fault in the first place and that they did everything to contain.

If it would happen to us, yes, I would be disappointed, upset and even angry, but I would not dream trying to blame this on DCL.

Just to clarify, the anger would not be directed at DCL either just at myself if I had failed to either get travel insurance full stop or inadequate travel insurance. I have no problem for people in such a situation to claim of their insurance. This is the kind of scenario that travel insurance is for.

For those of you who think it would be perfectly OK to take legal action against DCL or getting an attorney involved to get compensation: What would your reaction be if somebody who attended a party at your house and picked up a virus from another guest tried to take legal action against you? I am sure most of you would say this is unfair. I am afraid this example is no different than picking up a virus on a cruise ship.

dolphingirl47

 

[joksten2000]

People get sick and don't report it because they don't want to be confined in there cabins. I was on a cruise and waiting in like for a hamburger and this woman in front of me was telling me how sick her kid was and she was in the pool. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Like they say, "we've come a long way baby". But is it the right way?

 

[JsMom2]

If it were me---- I would talk to an atty that specials in laws of the sea. You were required to stay in room. No food or drink brought in except by hospital staff. who knows how this spread ( I doubt if your family did as you got it after the out break). All Cruise lines know this is a very big issue. You need to be reimbursed for the days you could not use the facilities you paid for. Before you flame me -- please take a moment and think if it were you how would you like to be treated?

Don't give up---You will need to send a few registered letters and maybe have the atty send a letter after your 3 letter.

Please let us know.

Lastly I am so sorry that a beautiful vacation ended like it did.

As dolphingirl stated, it is natural to be angry when something like this happens. And of course it[s natural to want to blame someone. But the reality is that DCL did everything they could do to prevent, and then contain the spread of, a virus. It was not that the promised facilites were not available (which would be DCL's responsibility), the problem was that the family was too sick to use them.

On another site there was a family who had booked an NCL cruise and missed the ship because they got in an auto accident on the way to the port. The family expected NCL to reimburse the cost of the cruise.

My heart goes out to the OP who was trying to do something so wonderful for her family. But trying to get compensation from DCL through legal channels will only prolong the agony of this experience for the family.

 

[JsMom2]

People get sick and don't report it because they don't want to be confined in there cabins. I was on a cruise and waiting in like for a hamburger and this woman in front of me was telling me how sick her kid was and she was in the pool. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Like they say, "we've come a long way baby". But is it the right way?

When we were on the Crown Princess last month, I was sitting outside by the hot/dog hamburger restaurant by the pool. A young man walked up to get his hamburger when it was ready. However, before he picked up his plate, he reached into the back of his swim shorts and scratched his behind! He then picked up the plate with the same hand. Thank goodness he didn't touch the condiments with that hand - I was looking!

But it is SO important to wash your hands on a regular basis when you are traveling, or living in close conditions with others!

 

[DCL Repeaters]

If it were me---- I would talk to an atty that specials in laws of the sea. You were required to stay in room. No food or drink brought in except by hospital staff. who knows how this spread ( I doubt if your family did as you got it after the out break). All Cruise lines know this is a very big issue. You need to be reimbursed for the days you could not use the facilities you paid for. Before you flame me -- please take a moment and think if it were you how would you like to be treated?

Don't give up---You will need to send a few registered letters and maybe have the atty send a letter after your 3 letter.

Please let us know.

Lastly I am so sorry that a beautiful vacation ended like it did.

Sorry, but I disagree with you. It was not DCL's fault that an inconsiderate passenger came on board sick with a virus that spread like a wildfire. DCL was more than generous to offer a discount on a future cruise. It truly stinks to be sick and confined on a cruise ship. Several years ago I was confined to my stateroom for 72 hours for Noro type symptoms. Did I blame DCL? Of course not. Did I expect DCL to reimburse me for anything because I got sick? Of course not. Did I have travel insurance? Yep. Did I make a claim and get reimbursed for the time I was confined? Yes again. We too were on the WB repo and came down with the upper respiratory ailment that everyone has been talking about. A very large percentage of the ship was sick with this. Once again, it was a virus that moved quickly. Was it DCL's fault. Of course not.

 

[BelleEm2]

As many have already stated, this incident should not be blamed on DCL. To the OP: I'm very sorry that your vacation was ruined because of your illness, but putting DCL at fault for this is just like putting yourself at fault for having a weaker immune system than other passengers... completely nonsensical.

I have been on several cruises over the years, and on one, a relative came down with something that was going around and was quarantined to her room for 24 hours. During that time, Disney tried to make her as comfortable as possible (food, movies, special check-ups from the medical staff). She felt that she didn't entirely miss out on that day, because she was thoroughly taken care of (she was reimbursed for the day through travel insurance nonetheless). That's the Disney way of doing things, and I don't doubt that you were treated similarly. Plus the fact that, as you stated, the sanitary conditions of the ship were bumped up completely, and DCL maintained the 'outbreak' to 200 people out of 2000 CM's and guests. That's pretty remarkable. DCL did all they could do in this situation, the rest they had no control of, and they cannot take the blame for this. Sickness happens.

You should look into travel insurance for your next vacation (whether it be with DCL or not) because they would have probably been able to reimburse you for what Disney cannot. And you should take them up on that 15% off offer. It's very generous, considering the situation.

 

[munchkinsmom]

We were on that cruise....on deck 2...were you there??? the whole area smelled of vomit

We were on Deck 2 during this cruise as well (our second w/ DCL), but we didn't smell vomit or anything like that during the time we were there. It may have been in a different section of the ship. We also didn't get sick during the trip, thank goodness.

I'm so sorry that the OP and her family had a horrible time. I haven't read all the posts on this thread, so I don't know if the OP had trip insurance, but hopefully she did and filed a claim.

 

[Tarabra]

I am so sorry your family trip was ruined. That would be horrible. We've been on 8 cruises and have been fortunate enough not to get sick, although there have been a few times when I have gotten a terrible cold or possibly allergy and missed a port or two. I really think it's the spring blossoms or something.

I have to agree that it isn't DCL's fault. They do take every precaution to keep the people healthy. The illness can be passed from ship to ship at the ports, etc. Have you ever been to Carlos and Charlie's and seen everybody do a shot of tequila from the same bottle. Well, they actually pour it down their throats, but I've seen mouths touch the bottle. it could pass like that. Yes, I would definitely take advantage of the 15% off. I think they are being very generous with that offer.

 

[cats mom]

I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience.

I'm not sure you'll get very far trying to get compensation from DCL though.
It was a viral outbreak. As long as they followed proper procedures, and it sounds like they probably did, I don't see how they can be held responsible.


Hopefully you had good travel insurance.


I have to say I do understand not jumping on the 15% offer.
DH (and many, many other passengers) got food poisoning on a Carnival cruise. It took me 10+ years to talk him into cruising again, and we have yet to set foot on another Carnival ship.

 

[dalepool]

Please let me know if I have the wrong information.

It was only after the norwalk virus out beark that more stands were put into place with sanitizers to keep hands as bacteria free as possible.

It might be an advantage to the Cruise line to add a disclaimer to the reservation policies.

Oh, heavens I have been very sick before and did not blame anyone. That was not my thoughts here either --

There are some families that may not know how common this virus is on crusie ships. (I must it seems to be a growing virus on land to ).

There is no way I would think an accident caused while not on ship would be the responsibility of the the cruise line.

Best advice I can give anyone is Get Vacation Insurance. Please remember with that in mind there are different insurance packages so pikc according to your family --length of stay -- cost of trip and time of booking.

Also please remember there are rules of the Sea-- as it is not registered under united states flag you should look to see what rights are yours under the flag the ship sails under.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

So sorry this happened. I was sad reading how you'd anticipated a memorable family cruise (the surprise for you grandchildren especially.) Unfortunate, bad things DO happen, and no one wants to be a victim.

I hope someday that your family will be able to sail on another cruise, and have a wonderful time.

Priscilla

 

[Displaced CA Girl]

I feel your pain. I was on this cruise as well. I was the only one out of our party of 16 who felt the effects of the virus. Luckily it hit me only the last day and I was well enough to leave the ship and drive 6 hours the next day. This was discussed at length on a different thread shortly after our return. I'll attempt to post a link -
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1892937
Long story short, after many posts it seems that it was the norovirus. The ship that sailed to the same ports with us, Vision of the Seas, also had an out break. Someone reported that the illnesses had been traced back to a restaurant in Cabo, "Cabo Wabo". People ate there abd contracted the virus. They did not get sick until after the incubation period and spread it before being quarantined. I am so sorry you missed the majority of your dream vacation.

 

[brack]

I am so sorry that your TOAL (trip of a lifetime) was spoiled but like most of the posts I do not see how you can be angry at DCL.

 

[JsMom2]

Please let me know if I have the wrong information.

It was only after the norwalk virus out beark that more stands were put into place with sanitizers to keep hands as bacteria free as possible.

It did read that way in OP's post. But she is probably not aware that DCL is the only line that consistently has Hand Gel and Wipes available all over the ship. They even have a station right before you board the ship at the ports, where you are supposed to sanitize your hands. When we were on the Crown Princess they had hand gel available at some of the food outlets, but DCL has them everywhere. They even have handwipes at the self service drink station.

What DCL did after the outbreak was to disallow the guests to serve themselves at the buffets and drink stations, which was definitely a smart move.

 

[jenn&nelsonrego]

As I thought, my post about the illness (Norwalk Virus) aboard the ship was removed. It's title was "No Magic on the Disney Cruise" Reader's may not see this message either. I will see how fast this message is taken off.

I dont understand... I saw your OP just 2 minutes ago... and it is still there...

 

[Mickeyhugger]

I know that many of you or should I say most of you Disney Magic Cruisers had a wonderful time on the Disney Cruises and made wonderful life long memories. I planned our trip on the Magic July 13 -20 over a year ago. I wrapped up the paperwork in a large box at Christmas and presented it to my Daughter, Son-In-Law and my 3 grandchildren. Everyone was thrilled that my husband and I could make this happen for them. We saved our money, asked for gifts of money for the trip on birthdays etc., as it got closer to the date I even had to sell my new car (the old one is an SUV and on one wanted to buy it) to raise the money. We came to the port a day early as to rest up for the trip the next day. We woke up so excited and when the children saw the ship for the first time -- well that was magical. To make a long story short, on Wed the 16th with hours of each other we (except the men) we came down with a terrible virus. The doctor at the clinic said it was the Norwalk Virus and that about 200 were ill. There were people on IV's etc. Even the nurse got sick. The staff began to wear gloves and only they could serve any type of food and drink. They were handing out hand wipes everywhere we went, even holding open the bathroom doors for folks. We received a letter of that we were quarentined to our rooms (2 adjoining) for 48 hours. They didn't need to send another notice as we remained ill up to the day we left the ship and a few days after we got home. We sought our on family doctors and mine told me that I might have to go to the hospital and get and IV if I did not improve. Now this is the real upsetting fact, we we disembarked our luggage porter asked us "what happened on that ship?" He told us that they called a special meeting in the a.m. and told the staff "that a few kids" got sick and they were to wear gloves when handling our luggage. I told the porter the real truth. I contacted the Disney Cruise Lines (no person you can talk to and you must send an email or letter). I did both and had a registered letter sent. I requested that my money be refunded. The representative called me to say,"I have your letter and email, the doctor's report and your travel agents letter, but unfortunately we are unable to assist you with any type of refund" However, she then offered me 15% off our next trip with Disney. To quote my granddaughters, "Meme we never want to take a cruise again." Now that was my magical memory for my family, being so ill with vomiting, diarehha, horrible stomach pains, saddness, lots of crying by all. We missed the magical dinners, most of the magical shows etc. On top of this, the representative accused me of lying. She told me that what happend with the porter, "did not ever happen." A COVERUP PERHAPS! I have contacted the Center for Disease Control to inform them of what happened. It was so scarey to my family to see customers boarding the ship - the same ship we were on just hours before with our illness. I pity the family that were put into our state rooms. No warning!! I believe it will take a death of ill person aboard the ship before Disney will do anything about this. I'm just asking for part of my money to be returned as we did have 2 nice days before we got sick. One of my granddaughter's magical memories was when she threw up all over the dinner table that Wed night.
Were any of you on this cruise and ill. I saw many of you ill. You may not get a chance to read this as I am sure they DCL will remove it once they see this message. I will never again be able to afford to take my family on such a dream trip at the cost of over $10,000. I am a Sad Grandmother. Patricia Branham

Just curious...what did the CDC have to say?

Rob

 

[BabyFavorite]

I just wanted to say that I'm VERY sorry you went through all of this and that your vacation of a lifetime was ruined. That was my biggest fear prior to the trip, so I can only imagine your extreme disappointment.

My sympathies to you!