WebmasterPete
Grand Administrator
- Joined
- Jun 1, 1997
I have, along with most of you, been reading the posts here recently about events surrounding Disney's handling of the Norwalk Virus. In specific, a situation where a quarantine was ordered. As many of you know, that thread was locked because the amount of speculation was reaching a point where it was no longer constructive, just rumors and gossip with no real basis in fact. I took it upon myself to contact DCL yesterday (at a very high level) and get direct information from them on how these situations are handled.
1) At no time has a cabin steward ever affected the quarantine of a passenger on the ship. They don't have that authority. If a guest is quarantined, it is done by the ships Doctor, and ONLY by the ships Doctor, and done on a case by case basis. The ship does not have the labratory facilities on board to test for Norwalk, therefore, the Doctor must make an educated decision based on the guests symptoms to determine if the person might be at risk. If the Doctor feels the person might have Norwalk, he will quarantine the guest. This is done for the safety and comfort of the other 3599 people on board each sailing. This virus is spread by direct contact, and the only way to help contain it once the ship is at sea is to issue a quarantine. This is standard practice in the cruise industry.
I also know that Disney goes to great length to make the passenger in question as comfortable as possible. The general impression given here is that a person is imprisoned and no longer treated as a guest. I'm sure there are some guests who feel they should not be quarantined, even if they have the virus. If you were on that cruise, and you knew someone had Norwalk, and refused to honor the quarantine, how would you feel? I've seen groups of people become mob-like on crusie ships when someone doesn't show up to customs in order for the ship to clear. I can't imagine the general reaction to knowing someone was contagious and refused to stay in their stateroom.
2. These types of issues happen on cruise ships all the time, the only difference is, this outbreak made it into the news cycle. Last year a far worse and much more contagious illness broke out on the Alaskan itinerary, with thousands getting sick, and it hardly merited a mention in the news. The only reason we're even hearing about this is because Holland America (the first line to be affected) did such an awful job at taking care of their guests. No one, not even Disney's staunchest critic, could accuse Disney of not doing everything in their power to control this.
Believe me when I say that I'm usually at the front of the line to smack DCL in the side of the head when it screws up. I've never held back my comments. As a matter of fact, when I had repeatedly negative experiences on the 3 and 4 day itineraries a few years back, I was very close to no longer selling those itineraries through Dreams Unlimited. I was very vocal about the service, and the quality of the food, and I have been very vocal about other issues. In this instance, piling on Disney as though it were the Cruise equivalent of Trent Lott is simply unfair. They have done a magnificent job under the most trying of circumstances. They have pulled the ship out of service, loosing millions of dollars in the process, offered refunds, discounts and a host of other options to keep their guests happy (something many of the other cruise lines are NOT doing). They have worked in great tandem with the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, and even the Orlando media, which usually loves to stick it to Disney, was praising how well they've handled this.
While it certainly possible that Disney can, and will, make mistakes, I ask that we reserve our comments on this issue to facts. Not third party here-say, innuendo or rumors. Let 4nana tell us what happened. The speculation and rumor was degrading into gossip, and it was simply unfair. If Disney was screwing this up, I'd say "Have at 'em", but they are not, and in this instance, I will insist on fairness, and comments based on fact, not conjecture.
Pete
1) At no time has a cabin steward ever affected the quarantine of a passenger on the ship. They don't have that authority. If a guest is quarantined, it is done by the ships Doctor, and ONLY by the ships Doctor, and done on a case by case basis. The ship does not have the labratory facilities on board to test for Norwalk, therefore, the Doctor must make an educated decision based on the guests symptoms to determine if the person might be at risk. If the Doctor feels the person might have Norwalk, he will quarantine the guest. This is done for the safety and comfort of the other 3599 people on board each sailing. This virus is spread by direct contact, and the only way to help contain it once the ship is at sea is to issue a quarantine. This is standard practice in the cruise industry.
I also know that Disney goes to great length to make the passenger in question as comfortable as possible. The general impression given here is that a person is imprisoned and no longer treated as a guest. I'm sure there are some guests who feel they should not be quarantined, even if they have the virus. If you were on that cruise, and you knew someone had Norwalk, and refused to honor the quarantine, how would you feel? I've seen groups of people become mob-like on crusie ships when someone doesn't show up to customs in order for the ship to clear. I can't imagine the general reaction to knowing someone was contagious and refused to stay in their stateroom.
2. These types of issues happen on cruise ships all the time, the only difference is, this outbreak made it into the news cycle. Last year a far worse and much more contagious illness broke out on the Alaskan itinerary, with thousands getting sick, and it hardly merited a mention in the news. The only reason we're even hearing about this is because Holland America (the first line to be affected) did such an awful job at taking care of their guests. No one, not even Disney's staunchest critic, could accuse Disney of not doing everything in their power to control this.
Believe me when I say that I'm usually at the front of the line to smack DCL in the side of the head when it screws up. I've never held back my comments. As a matter of fact, when I had repeatedly negative experiences on the 3 and 4 day itineraries a few years back, I was very close to no longer selling those itineraries through Dreams Unlimited. I was very vocal about the service, and the quality of the food, and I have been very vocal about other issues. In this instance, piling on Disney as though it were the Cruise equivalent of Trent Lott is simply unfair. They have done a magnificent job under the most trying of circumstances. They have pulled the ship out of service, loosing millions of dollars in the process, offered refunds, discounts and a host of other options to keep their guests happy (something many of the other cruise lines are NOT doing). They have worked in great tandem with the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, and even the Orlando media, which usually loves to stick it to Disney, was praising how well they've handled this.
While it certainly possible that Disney can, and will, make mistakes, I ask that we reserve our comments on this issue to facts. Not third party here-say, innuendo or rumors. Let 4nana tell us what happened. The speculation and rumor was degrading into gossip, and it was simply unfair. If Disney was screwing this up, I'd say "Have at 'em", but they are not, and in this instance, I will insist on fairness, and comments based on fact, not conjecture.
Pete
