Smoke-free ship lacks customers

02/01/2004

NEW YORK - Carnival is ending its smoke-free cruises aboard the Paradise.

The 2,052-passenger ship has operated since its introduction in 1998 as a smoke-free vessel, cruising from Miami to the Caribbean with a zero tolerance for cigars and cigarettes among both passengers and crew.

But there were not enough takers to keep the idea going. Carnival had a hard time booking groups aboard the ship, and as a result the Paradise will lose its smoke-free status in September, when it is redeployed to California for cruises from Long Beach to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico.

"We've never understood why it was not successful ... We should've been sailing full," Carnival spokesman Tim Gallagher told the Miami Herald.

If the idea of a smokeless cruise appeals to you, you can still take one of the Paradise's final excursions from Miami, from now through mid-September. The ship leaves Miami on Sundays for one-week trips to various Caribbean destinations. Call 1-800-227-6482 or go to www.carnival.com.

Carnival to Reposition 'Fun Ship' Paradise to Long Beach to Operate Three- and Four-Day Baja Cruises in Oct. 2004

2,052-Passenger SuperLiner to Become West Coast's Newest Short Cruise Option

MIAMI, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Cruise Lines' 2,052-passenger "Fun Ship" Paradise will begin year-round three- and four-day cruises from Long Beach, Calif., in Sept. 20, 2004, becoming the newest cruise ship to ever operate short cruises from the West Coast.

The Paradise assumes this route from the 2,052-passenger Ecstasy, which will be repositioned to Galveston to launch four- and five-day Mexico cruises in Oct. 2004.

"We are very enthused to introduce the Paradise to the West Coast market on three- and four-day Baja cruises," said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president and CEO. "This is a truly elegant, beautifully appointed vessel offering a wide variety of on-board facilities and features, along with stunning interiors that pay homage to the world's most famous ocean liners. The Paradise certainly represents an enticing option for consumers seeking an affordable, quality cruise vacation option from the West Coast."

Dickinson indicated that the Paradise, which has operated since its introduction in 1998 as a smoke-free vessel, will no longer retain that designation. "When we analyzed our redeployment strategy, the Paradise, based on its size and attributes, was the obvious choice to offer a fresh new short cruise alternative from California. And, with only one ship operating that program, we could not limit it to non-smokers," he said.

No matter what the antis claim, the one thing they can't change is the free market effect. Carnival are fortunate to have the option of catering to the demands of a free market. Increasingly pubs and bars are being denied that opportunity as a result of nanny-like smoking by-laws. Copnsequently, the pub and bar industry is being driven to its knees.

Barry F.McKay
General Manager
Pub and Bar Coalition of Canada (PUBCO)
Ottawa
1-866-314-2176

Celebrity Cruises Inc.
1050 Caribbean Way
Miami, FL 33132
celebrity.com

Celebrity Escape.
Cruises exclusively for adult guests.
Every now and then, grown-ups need a little getaway of their own, and what better way to truly relax than on a Celebrity Escape cruise - where all of the guests are over the age of 21. It's for parents who need a vacation from parenting, and for guests who like to cruise without children on board.

OVER 200 PASSENGERS ILL ON ANOTHER CRUISE SHIP, NORWALK-LIKE VIRUS SUSPECTED
December 15, 2002
CP Wire
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Carnival Cruise Lines was cited as saying that more than
200 guests on the cruise ship Carnival Conquest reported symptoms of a
gastrointestinal illness on a voyage that ended Sunday.
The company said it was treating the illness as a Norwalk-like virus, the
same type of illness that has sickened hundreds of passengers on other
cruise ships in recent months.
The Conquest had left New Orleans on Dec. 8 with 3,160 passengers.

I read the news article on Carnival.  It sounds like the passengers were infected with the same thing that I caught in Puerto Vallarta several years ago. 
 
We were staying at the Playa de Oro and went to the resort's beach party.  The resort had hired many outside unemployed people from town for the evening, not the regular hotel staff.  I ate fresh fruit at the party.  I developed all the same symptoms, learned later that I had lost seven pounds in three days.  It was like I was being wrung out from my middle--I couldn't even keep water down, but I didn't want to ruin the vacation.  I was so weak when we finally got home that my mother had to take my samples to our local hospital.  I was told I had contracted Trichinosis from some food server who hadn't washed their hands.  I was almost hospitalized for dehydration.  The irony was that my doctor prescribed 500 gm Ampicillin, and we had bunches of the antibiotic in our suitcases (purchased in Mexico, over the counter) the whole time I was sick.
 
It sounds like Carnival used local help at some party and the guests were infected.  Carnival is receiving poetic justice.  They tried to create an image showing excess concern about their passengers' health, while they should have exerted more concern in screening their food handlers in advance or become more observant their employees state of health.

INSIDE EDITION INVESTIGATES SANITARY CONDITIONS AND TESTS FOR ILLNESS-CAUSING
MICROORGANISMS ON A LUXURY CRUISE LINER

Prompted by recent outbreaks of Norwalk Virus on cruise ships, which have sickened thousands of travelers, Inside Edition boarded one of the afflicted ships, Carnival Cruise Lines' Fascination, to evaluate sanitary conditions onboard. Inside Edition sailed in December 2002, just ten days after more than 200 passengers and crewmembers were stricken, to observe sanitary procedures first hand and test for potentially illness causing bacteria. On a report scheduled to air today, Thursday, January 30, Inside Edition’s Senior Investigative Correspondent, Matt Meagher reports that passengers were not given information about the previous outbreak nor warned about procedures to avoid exposure to the virus.

David Nash Ph.D., founder of the American Food Safety Institute, accompanied Inside Edition aboard the ship. He was at first, very impressed. The kitchen seemed spotless and the Fascination's crew worked hard to keep the ship clean. But Dr. Nash was disturbed by a number of things Inside Edition observed on board, burgers not served hot, a stateroom vanity with visible dirt, and a curly black hair in a dessert. Bartenders repeatedly handled barware and drink ingredients with bare hands, some soap dispensers in public bathrooms were empty, and Nash says there was mold on an ice dispenser. “You don't have to look so hard to see some pretty unsanitary conditions,” Nash concluded.

Inside Edition also employed the services of an independent testing facility, HML Laboratories in Indiana, to test for illness-causing microorganisms. Inside Edition collected and tested 18 food samples, 2 water samples and one food contact surface. The findings: out of the 21 samples, two tested positive for a strain of Staphylococcus aureus that can cause food poisoning. Four tested positive for E. coli, and three for fecal streptococcus. The report however takes note of the fact that the water samples were satisfactory and all samples were free of Salmonella and Listeria, which also can cause food poisoning.

The Fascination passed its last official sanitation inspection by the Centers for Disease Control in July 2002. But Inside Edition learned the CDC inspections are done in port, sometimes with no passengers on board. Nash believes inspections should always take place at sea, when ships are filled with passengers. Nash says what Inside Edition found is worse than he would expect from many restaurants and adds a cruise ship, where people are in close contact for an extended period of time, should be held to a much higher standard

Carnival officials said that the temperatures recorded by Dr. Nash are not violations of U.S. sanitation or food codes. Carnival also questioned Dr. Nash’s expertise on cruise ship sanitation. The company told Inside Edition, “Food handling and sanitation is strictly and effectively monitored by the CDC” and said its fleet has “a positive CDC record and our ships provide one of the cleanest and most sanitary vacations environments available.” The company also said the inspections are so intensive and detailed few restaurants would be able to pass them.

http://dir.yahoo.com/

Diarrhea
Olestra
Annual deaths from diarrhea illnesses is in the millions.
Cholera
E. coli
Hepatitis
Listeria
noroviruses
rotaviruses
Salmonellosis
SARS

Cruise ships hosted at least 23 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness during 2002.

Timeline

1981 Interview with Steven Spielberg: "[Harrison] Ford developed dysentery in the blistering 130 degree heat of Tunisia, where the cast and crew had to fan their mouths constantly to keep out flies looking for shade (one crawled into chief villain Paul Freeman's mouth during a crucial scene). Too weak to swing his whip, Indy was slated for a three and a half page fight when Ford had a better idea. 'We had Indy pull out his revolver and dispatch the dude,' says Spielberg of the film's funniest scene."

26 Dec 1995 In a medical study entitled "Measurement of Selected Fecal Parameters in Subjects Consuming Increasing Levels Of Olestra," the Food and Drug Administration concludes that there is a "need to have a clear, informative label on all olestra-containing products."

1996 The Food and Drug Administration allows Procter & Gamble to use the fat substitute Olestra in its food products, as long as they bear a warning about diarrhea and stomach cramps.

May 2002 A norovirus afflicts 100 people at a London hospital.
23 Nov 2002 The Magic, a Disney Cruise ship, begins a week-long decontamination process designed to rid it of the highly-contagious Norwalk virus.

30 Nov 2002 The Magic, a Disney Cruise ship, docks in Port Canaveral, Florida after 218 of the vessel's 3,400 passengers and crew were afflicted with the highly-contagious Norwalk virus.

2 Dec 2002 A Carnival Cruise ship docks in Miami. 190 of the vessel's 2,428 passengers and 4 of 900+ crewmen were afflicted with a highly-contagious norovirus.

1 Aug 2003 The Food and Drug Administration drops the requirement that products containing Olestra bear a warning about diarrhea and stomach cramps.

2 Sep 2003 A Princess Cruise ship docks in New York. 301 of the vessel's 1,528 passengers and 45 of 679 crewmen were afflicted with a highly-contagious norovirus.

16 Oct 2003 A Carnival Cruise ship docks in New Orleans, unleashing 79 of 1,670 passengers and 41 of 660 crewmen afflicted with a stomach virus during a trip to Mexico.

3 Nov 2003 Spain closes its border with Gibraltar after a Princess Cruise ship disembarks there. 400 of the vessel's 1,800 passengers were afflicted with a highly-contagious norovirus.

Jan 17, 2003
Quote:
Health Inspectors Find Roaches Aboard QE2
 
MIAMI (Reuters) - U.S. health inspectors found cockroaches and other sanitary shortcomings aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2 and have given the celebrated cruise ship a failing grade for overall sanitation.

Carrying out a routine examination unrelated to the outbreaks of stomach flu and other gastrointestinal illnesses that have dogged cruise ships, the inspectors said in a recently published report they also found mold, poor food-service practices and shabby kitchen equipment aboard the flagship of the Cunard Line.

"Several nymph and adult cockroaches were observed crawling on the deck beneath the equipment locker ... in the Princess Britannia kitchen," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control inspectors said.

The inspectors, writing in a report on their Jan. 3 visit to the 34-year-old ship stopped in nearby Fort Lauderdale, also said they found mold or mold residue in ice makers in a pantry and in two shipboard bars.

Other shortcomings on the 1,504-passenger QE2 that yielded a very rare failing grade of 85 on a 100-point scale were corrosion and holes in older stoves, heavily damaged serving trays and improperly operating dishwashing machines.

The inspectors also found standing water near ventilation system outlets blamed on rotted equipment, faulty storage of butter and uncooked meat and vegetables, and unsanitary handling of flatware. 

For the last few years, cruising has become a popular middle class vacation activity.The recent outbreaks of intestinal flus of unrelated ships, has given me reason to rethink cruising as an option, And now this! My girlfriend came back from a cruise on one of the Celebrity ships last week. She had been sick as a dog, as were a number of other passengers.

What is your "take" on this? Has the economy, causing the cruise lines to offer bargain fares, become slipshod in their maintenance of the ships? Or do you think that thaere might be some less benign reason for the rash of illnesses on cruise ships lately?

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