Norovirus after the Dream. Would you sail again?

[emilymad]

I got off the Dream a week ago and came down with a stomach bug on the way home. All the symptoms point to Norovirus. A week later and I am still not 100% recovered.

We have another cruise booked on the Dream in February. We are past our final payment date but part of me wants to cancel anyway. We have a few days left until we would lose more than just our deposit.

Would you sail again so soon after getting sick? The thought of eating on the ship is extremely unappealing to me right now.

 

[Vijoge]

I contracted noro at work. I still went back.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I would certainly cruise again.

Curious though--was there an outbreak on that particular cruise? OR just you??

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I contracted noro at work. I still went back.

My daughter contracted noro at school. Then I got it from her. I still sent her back to school, and if she gets it again, I'll still be the one cleaning up after her. We've been on multiple cruises and never gotten noro from a cruise. I wouldn't hestitate to take another cruise even if I did pick up noro on one.

 

[Shanti]

I got off the Dream a week ago and came down with a stomach bug on the way home. All the symptoms point to Norovirus. A week later and I am still not 100% recovered.

We have another cruise booked on the Dream in February. We are past our final payment date but part of me wants to cancel anyway. We have a few days left until we would lose more than just our deposit.

Would you sail again so soon after getting sick? The thought of eating on the ship is extremely unappealing to me right now.

I'm so sorry this happened to you. The DCL ships are extremely clean, but they're not foolproof against the spread of illness. Even hospitals spread illness.

Yes, I would go back in February. The odds of it happening to you twice are extremely low. I've heard of only very few cases of noro on DCL, but naturally they do happen on occasion. I do recommend contacting them to let them know (& providing your stateroom number) for their own sanitation purposes. You might help some other guests that way.

I'm an elementary school teacher who is required to take an immune-suppressant medication for my auto-immune disorder, so I annually catch the kids' colds & stomach bugs. Not fun, & I try to minimize it via vigilant handwashing & Clorox wiping, but I know I will get sick occasionally anyway and there's no way I'd quit my job. I wouldn't let the small chance of illness keep me from cruising, either.

 

[Kiersten]

I totally would. When I worked in Yellowstone summer 2013 (Yellowstone has a program similar to Disney's CP), Noro was rampant. There were employees in my dorm who had it and tons of guests got sick too. They had to quarantine eveything. Germs are bound to spread around when you get a ton of people from everywhere together. I wouldn't let it stop me from having fun. I always catch a cold when I fly but I still get on an airplane! I would just take as many precautions as you can to prevent yourself from getting sick (vitamin c tablets, hand sanitizer, even medical masks if neccesary).

 

[OKW Lover]

I certainly would sail again.

 

[bumbershoot]

The thought of eating on the ship is extremely unappealing to me right now.

If it was noro you didn't get it from what you ate. You got it because you touched something with noro on it then put your hands to your mouth without washing them.

DS and I got noro at home. And it really put a spotlight on our atrocious hand-washing practices (we wash after the bathroom but not before eating) as well as our gross habits of fingernail gnawing. That combo is bound to cause a problem.

After that, we are both doing a lot better with our habits, and our chances of getting noro is lower.

The odds of it happening to you twice are extremely low.

Well that's not true. If the op continues to put unwashed hands to her mouth eventually she'll do so after touching a surface with noro and then she'll get it again.

But if she takes this as a lesson to change her habits, then it'll be lower.

 

[emilymad]

The difference is you have to return to school and work but you don't have to go on a cruise.

I wash my hands very frequently at home and when traveling. I always use the wipes they give you at every meal and I still got it. I guess I need to bring my own sanitizer to kill Noro both in my stateroom and before I eat anything. It seems like a lot of work for vacation.

I know that the actual food didn't make me sick but all of the restaurants seem very unappealing to me at the moment.

If the cruise was further away I wouldn't be thinking like this at all but I only have a few days before I slip even further into the penalty dates.

 

[lorimay]

We were on the Disney Ship outbreak back in 2002, the one that was reported all over the news. Our son came down with it right after we got home, it hasn't stopped us. That was our very first DCL cruise, we are now platinum CC members and thankfully have not had another issue with it since.

I say go for it and have a great time......Hope you're back yourself very soon.

 

[lanejudy]

First -- so sorry you aren't feeling well! It's the holidays, and you expected an awesome vacation and coming home excited to share the memories, and you feel like crud. No fun. I understand not wanting to think about the food and restaurants right now.

But you can contract norovirus anywhere -- places you "have" to go and places you choose to go: work, school, the grocery store, visiting a relative at a nursing home, the doctor's office, the mall, a sports event, a movie theater, a restaurant, theme parks, hotels, airports, etc. You could avoid returning to most of those places, but it's not the location or facility that "causes" norovirus so you would only be punishing yourself. I'd suggest waiting a week or two to fully recover from the bug you caught and get back into home life, then think about the fun you had on the cruise. If you still can't get past coming home ill, then you'll need to decide if the cancellation penalty is worth it. I wouldn't, but only you can decide what will give you peace of mind.

Feel better and I hope you enjoy your next cruise!

 

[disny_luvr]

Yes, I'd definitely sail on the Dream again and not think twice about it.

 

[rileyz]

4 people out of our party of 10 got noro at WDW in 2009. My daughter got noro from school this past October. It can happen anywhere, anytime.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

I completely understand. You were very ill and you associate your illness with where you contracted it. This same thing happened to me at a childrens' creative play place. I will not return. I hear you bc your association with it is so strong. If you feel like you won't enjoy yourself bc you will be stressing or imagining what may happen to you.... maybe put your cruise on hold for a possible future date. Or, you may want to purchase high quality probiotics (with at least 7 different strains NOT to be confused with the number of millions of living organisms [people confuse the two] you can inbox me for the name of a very high quality brand that has 32 strains) and begin taking them two weeks before and while on board AND understand not only putting your hands in your mouth, but rubbing your eyes or nose as well is a transmission route, maybe that will quell your fears? Make sure not to touch elevator buttons, hand rails, banisters, door handles, etc. Use a paper towel when turning faucets on and off in public restrooms (I think Disney is pretty good about having doors that push to open when leaving their restrooms so you can use your elbow). These are all normal precautions I take in public places bc I don't know if I can risk getting that ill again. I would say (no pun intended ) go with your gut. Your fears may make your trip miserable. So sorry you had to go through that.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I got off the Dream a week ago and came down with a stomach bug on the way home. All the symptoms point to Norovirus. A week later and I am still not 100% recovered.

We have another cruise booked on the Dream in February. We are past our final payment date but part of me wants to cancel anyway. We have a few days left until we would lose more than just our deposit.

Would you sail again so soon after getting sick? The thought of eating on the ship is extremely unappealing to me right now.

As many others have noted, you can get Noro anywhere. In fact, I was watching a mountain rescue show where they were looking for a lost hiker. When they found him, and got him to the doctor, they found he had contracted Noro - out there in the wilderness, all alone.

Me, personally, I'd take another cruise.

 

[lullwater]

After recovering from norovirus, most people have immunity to that particular type that lasts several months; so you shouldn't be at risk on the next cruise. Blood type can determine risk of infection; O type is more susceptible to infection while B and AB have a decreased risk and less severe symptoms.

 

[Shanti]

If the op continues to put unwashed hands to her mouth eventually she'll do so after touching a surface with noro and then she'll get it again.

But if she takes this as a lesson to change her habits, then it'll be lower.

I wouldn't blame the OP for her illness. Noro is extremely contagious and we all get sick at times.

 

[MickeyD]

I am sorry to hear you got sick. That is never fun--worse when on vacation. I understand your reticence to cruise again while still feeling the effects of this sickness. My whole family got sick on a trip to Kauai one year and there are a couple of us that think of Kauai and think of how bad we felt. It just seems to click that way. That said, I would encourage you to keep your cruise in Feb. it is the tail end of the flu season, but chances are less that noro can be onboard. Keep in mind that just washing hands sometimes isn't enough. I always carry disinfectant wipes and wipe down any surface I am coming in contact with on vacation. From airplane trays and arm rests, to door handles, remote controls, and faucet controls on the cruise/hotel. My husband rolls his eyes at me and says I am obsessive, but I think taking these precautions helps. I also beef up my immune system the week prior by taking airborne and avoiding sugar etc. (that one is hard). Hoping you get feeling better soon and that you will enjoy your second trip on the Dream.
Lisa

 

[dclpluto]

Of course that's like saying you had a car accident you will never drive again

You got a sexual disease you will never have sex again

You hurt your back lifting something heavy you will never lift anything heavy again.

And so on and so on.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Of course that's like saying you had a car accident you will never drive again

You got a sexual disease you will never have sex again

You hurt your back lifting something heavy you will never lift anything heavy again.
.
And so on and so on.

I completely disagree with the last two! For the second, hopefully you would be doing something prophylacticly! That's what a probiotic is for in this case, prophylactic measures (also zinc, apple cider vinegar). And I will absolutely never lift anything heavy again after I got a herniated disc. Plus, I think OP means so close in the future.... not never again. That's what her post is about