Regulars will know that I’ve been keeping up with the ship build of the MSC Euribia because we plan to be on her next fall. This week she finally had her official naming ceremony in Copenhagen with godmother, Sofia Loren present. The Euribia will begin sailings in Northern Europe this month with seven-night cruises from Germany and Denmark to the Norwegian Fjords, including Geiranger fjord, Ålesund, and Flaam.
Carnival is changing things up and going against tradition by appointing Late Night Talk Show veteran, Jay Leno as their first ever Godfather to one of its ships, the Carnival Venezia. He will be in New York on June 14th to help usher the ship into service. Carnival President Christine Duffy said that “having a godfather would be both fun and appropriate,” and that they knew Leno would be the perfect choice. He will perform a special comedy show exclusively for Carnival’s event guests at the ceremony. Leno said that he was “excited to have [his] very own cruise ship, although [he thinks he will] need a bigger garage!”
Cruises to the Bahamas are going to start costing more. In a plan to substantially raise revenue from cruisers, The Government of the Bahamas is proposing departure tax hikes for cruise passengers along with two new tax levies. And when I say substantially, I mean it. The proposed hikes will raise yearly revenues from $50 million to $145 million! The current departure tax is $18 per passenger and will be raised to $23. The bill also creates a $5 tourism environment tax and a $2 tourism enhancement tax on cruisers arriving or departing the Bahamas which will bring cruiser costs up to $30 per person. These changes are likely to go into effect next month for those traveling to Freeport and Nassau. I’m unsure how cruise lines will deal with the additional costs on all those cruises already booked. Will they pass that onto cruisers or eat the cost? I imagine they will have to absorb that cost on cruises that have already been booked, especially those that are paid in full already.
Norwegian announced it is cancelling even more cruises on the Epic. If you will remember, it wasn’t that long ago they announced the cancellation of an entire season of European cruises due to moving the ship to Port Canaveral this winter for Caribbean cruises. Now they are cancelling three cruises in 2025 due to refurbishment. Guests originally scheduled for sailings on April 15th, 26th and May 5th will be given a full refund and a 10% future cruise credit.
According to the CDC, a Celebrity cruise was struck with almost 200 cases of Norovirus last month. There have been several shipboard outbreaks of Norovirus this year, and anytime this happens it spurs on lots of discussion on hygiene. Well… POOR hygiene since Norovirus is transmitted through the fecal matter of those infected. Which means it is often spread by those who don’t wash their hands, and specifically before going to the buffet then touching utensils that are used by everyone else. And while I think that if you were only going to wash your hands once when getting food at the buffet you’d be safer doing so AFTER going through the buffet but BEFORE eating, that won’t prevent you from spreading any sickness to others, it just protects you. What I think really needs to be done is for cruise lines to have sanitizer either at every table, or at the very least stations scattered around the dining area. A lot of stations! According the CDC, hand sanitizer doesn’t work well against Norovirus, but it has to be better than touching tainted utensils and doing nothing. My recommendation is to get your food, find a table, then go back and wash your hands before grabbing your silverware and eating. Or maybe skip the buffet altogether like I usually do.
I have long had issues with other people’s germs. In fact, my insistence on having wipes at work is the only reason we had a large enough supply on hand to pass them around to everyone when covid hit. Ever since I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, I have been very careful about washing hands and wiping communal surfaces, which is why I didn’t need to change my habits like many others during those first months of covid panic. Even before my diagnosis, I developed a very specific process of washing my hands in public restrooms. It is based on something I don’t think many people think about or take into consideration. And that is…When people go to wash their hands in public restrooms, at least ones that aren’t automated, they use their dirty hands to turn on the water faucet, then they wash their hands and recontaminate their hands by turning off the water. And now you don’t just have YOUR germs on your hands but the bathroom germs of everyone who has touched those faucets. This is why I get a paper towel FIRST, tuck it under my arm while I wash my hands, then use the paper towel to turn off the faucet as well as to get more paper towels if the dispenser isn’t automatic. After I wash my hands in a pubic restroom, I touch nothing in that bathroom! NOTHING! And people should take the same precautions when getting food on a ship buffet. Really any buffet. It is all fine to wash your hands before getting your food, but we all know that not everyone else has done so. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not worried about my own germs. I am worried about Peter who didn’t wash his hands after using the restroom and then touched all the serving utensils at the buffet. Now I’ve touched them, and then I’m going to go eat? Nope. Washing your hands before going to the buffet is for everyone else. Washing your hands before eating after going through the buffet is for YOU! This is why I keep travel sanitizer and wipes with me. And it is why I think cruise ships should have sanitizer at every table. It is also one more reason why I don’t like eating at the buffet on a cruise ship!
What about you? Are you super careful about germs on a cruise ship? Have you ever gotten sick while on vacation? Drop a comment below. The sickest I have ever been was while on a beach vacation, and I can only imagine how much worse it would be if you were sick on a cruise ship. Wash your hands everyone!
Cruising From The Ozarks 