Norovirus and Disney?

[FastPasser.]

I was on board the Fantasy 12/2/23-12/9/23 when it sure looked like a noro outbreak.

We boarded the Fantasy after you got off. I got Covid and our little granddaughter came down with something and had to be quarantined for for two days.

 

[Annabry]

We boarded the Fantasy after you got off. I got Covid and our little granddaughter came down with something and had to be quarantined for for two days.

I'm so sorry that happened to you and your family! As much as I like cruising, it sure is a gamble. No shade to Carnival, but I went on my first and last Carnival cruise in July 2024, to be a good sport, with extended family. Well I got COVID, which I reported to the medical clinic to be a good citizen, and the medical follow through was atrocious. And while not related to Covid, the lack of hand washing and hand washing "enforcement" was non-existent on the Carnival ship. So while I know noro and COVID and all things germy can happen on any cruise line (and other vacations), I've decided I will only gamble with cruise vacations that fit my family's current preferences. And that is currently DCL.

 

[FastPasser.]

which I reported to the medical clinic to be a good citizen, and the medical follow through was atrocious.

IMO the medical staff on the Fantasy wasn’t that great either.

Ii never dawned on me that I could have Covid because all I had was a sore throat.

I went down to the medical center and told them what I had, they gave me throat lozenges.

They should have asked me a few questions, but they didn’t. It wasn’t until I got home and although I didn’t have any symptoms except for a sore throat, I decided to self test. I was positive with Covid.

So I was able to walk around the Fantasy for two days with Covid. I think as a precaution they should have tested me and possibly quarantined me. Good for me that they didn’t.

 

[Carohs]

What I've noticed is passengers are much more likely to wash their hands when going to Cabanas compared to other lines. This is due to placement of the hand wash stations and staff reminding you. They do have washy washy staff on other lines but I tend to see them largely ignored. Not that the little wipes help much, but they are distributed to every person at dinner. This is something I don't see elsewhere either.

 

[Lucien Franciosa]

Anytime you get groups of potential germ pots together there will be illness. Period. No cleaning protocols outsize of hazmat suits can be totally effective. So yes DCL has its share of disease outbreaks.

My wife and I have been on five DCL cruises and have come home completely healthy each time (well perhaps not my liver). My wife and her sister went on one carnival cruise and both came down with norovirus. Conclusion? Nothing. It's anecdotal evidence. i.e. not reliable when applied to larger populations.

The question is are some conditions better than others so the likelihood of catching something is less? Yes. The size of the germ pool will contribute (bigger is worse), the length of exposure time (cruise) will contribute (longer is worse), the time of year (winter is worse), and perhaps the age stratification (kids tend to carry more germs than adults). And yes, finally, some cleaning protocols and enforcement are better that others. No doubt there are other parameters, but you get the idea, specifics matter

As has been mentioned, the CDC publishes useful data and on it DCL fares well. But, is this only because fewer ships means fewer listings over 3%? To answer that you need to normalize the data by number of cruises, size of the cruises, etc, and that's more than I care to do, but you can bet the cruise lines do it.

And so has US News and they wrote an article based on statistics about the 5 cleanest cruise lines in 2025

https://travel.usnews.com/features/top-cleanest-cruise-lines

And yes DCL makes the list! Interestingly enough, all five are considered premium cruise lines.

Perhaps quality does count.

 

[Dug720]

They do have washy washy staff on other lines but I tend to see them largely ignored.

IMHO probably because they are acting the fool in stupid costumes and hats and inane little jingles and treating everyone like children. Be polite and adult about it and I'm much more likely to actually listen to you rather than simply washing because it's the right thing to do (which I absolutely do).

 

[SL6827]

Anytime you get groups of potential germ pots together there will be illness. Period. No cleaning protocols outsize of hazmat suits can be totally effective. So yes DCL has its share of disease outbreaks.

My wife and I have been on five DCL cruises and have come home completely healthy each time (well perhaps not my liver). My wife and her sister went on one carnival cruise and both came down with norovirus. Conclusion? Nothing. It's anecdotal evidence. i.e. not reliable when applied to larger populations.

The question is are some conditions better than others so the likelihood of catching something is less? Yes. The size of the germ pool will contribute (bigger is worse), the length of exposure time (cruise) will contribute (longer is worse), the time of year (winter is worse), and perhaps the age stratification (kids tend to carry more germs than adults). And yes, finally, some cleaning protocols and enforcement are better that others. No doubt there are other parameters, but you get the idea, specifics matter

As has been mentioned, the CDC publishes useful data and on it DCL fares well. But, is this only because fewer ships means fewer listings over 3%? To answer that you need to normalize the data by number of cruises, size of the cruises, etc, and that's more than I care to do, but you can bet the cruise lines do it.

And so has US News and they wrote an article based on statistics about the 5 cleanest cruise lines in 2025

https://travel.usnews.com/features/top-cleanest-cruise-lines

And yes DCL makes the list! Interestingly enough, all five are considered premium cruise lines.

Perhaps quality does count.

I think quality is a factor.

 

[SL6827]

I have really wanted to try Celebrity cruises. I wonder how comparable in price they are to other lines?

 

[Dug720]

I have really wanted to try Celebrity cruises. I wonder how comparable in price they are to other lines?

Generally less than Disney - unless you're talking suites. But it depends on ship and itinerary. Their website is really easy to use.

 

[SL6827]

Generally less than Disney - unless you're talking suites. But it depends on ship and itinerary. Their website is really easy to use.

I'll check it out.

 

[Mango7100]

I have really wanted to try Celebrity cruises. I wonder how comparable in price they are to other lines?

We did a 7 day Caribbean on Beyond (one of the newer Apex class ships) in July and it was 6800 for 2 kids and 1 adult in a infinite veranda including wi fi on two devices, 2 specialty dinners, and premium drink package for 2 adults. We just booked the Beyond for July again this year for 7 days to CocoCay and Western Caribbean and it was 4100 for the three of us in an infinite veranda (have not gotten any drink package or wi fi yet).

 

[ThatCubT]

I got incredibly poorly on a P&O cruise from Southampton to Norway back in December. The buffet is what I blame - or rather the way people acted at it. Not washing their hands, picking their noses, wiping noses on their hands and then touching the buffet utensils etc. Made me feel sick before I became sick and chesty.

I'd be surprised if DCL don't have noro ever - thousands of people together with some not keeping clean etc is breeding grounds for an outbreak.

 

[Becx N Gav]

I have done 7 cruises and have been fine but out of 9 or 10 long haul flights (travelling to the US from the UK) I have caught something on most of them! This was before I had a kid so my exposure outside of the flight was low, it's really just down to chance and environment! My son is a germ-fest but I don't catch what he has much, so my immunity must have improved!
All you can do is lessen your chances by maintaining good self hygiene and if you're very worried about airborne viruses or bacteria then wear a mask!