Complaint Review: Carnival Cruise Line - Miami Florida

AMERICAN CONSUMERS BEWARE! THIS IS MORE THAN JUST A RIP-OFF, THIS IS SANITATION MALPRACTICE ENDANGERING THE AMERICAN CONSUMERS!THE BIGGEST & THE MOST POPULAR CRUISE LINE IN THE WORLD, CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE [CCL] ARE EXPOSING THEIR MILLIONS OF PASSENGERS TO NOROVIRUS ILLNESS!

The Vessel Sanitation Program [VSP]under the authority of Center for Disease Control & Prevention[CDC] with

United States Public Health [USPH] inspectors released this information below

Updates of Gastrointestinal Illness among passengers and crew for international cruise linesCruise lines are required to report all cases of GI illness aboard cruise ships to CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP). Medical staff aboard cruise ships use clinical criteria to determine self-reported (by passengers and crew) cases of GI illness; disease reports from cruise ships do not require laboratory confirmation. VSP monitors the GI reports, and provides assistance to vessels with unusual cases or elevated levels of ill passengers and crew. VSP staff conduct investigations when an unusual GI illness pattern or characteristic is found.

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES AND ITS CORPORATE CRUISE SHIPS ARE HIGLIGHTED IN RED COLOR FOR SIGNIFICANCE:

2005 Cruise Line Ship Name Sailing Dates Causative Agent

Princess Cruise Line Sun Princess 5/9-5/16/2005

Norovirus

Princess Cruise Line Dawn Princess 4/29-5/14/2005

Norovirus

Holland America Cruise Line Veendam 3/5-3/12

Norovirus

Carnival Cruise Line Celebration 2/21-2/26 and

2/17-2/21

Norovirus

Holland America Cruise Line Ryndam 1/131/29

Norovirus

Princess Cruise Line Sun Princess 1/8-1/18

Norovirus

Holland America Cruise Line Veendam 1/3-1/15 and

1/15-1/29

Norovirus

2004 Cruise Line Ship Name Sailing Dates Causative Agent

Princess Cruise Line Coral Princess 12/28-1/07

Norovirus

Princess Cruise Line Golden Princess 12/12-12/19

Norovirus

Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Dream 12/5-12/12

Norovirus

Holland America Cruise Line Veendam 9/26-10/14

Unknown

Princess Cruise Line Sun Princess 9/6-9/13

Norovirus

Clipper Cruise Line Nantucket Clipper 8/3-8/11 Specimens not obtained

Princess Cruise Line Island Princess 5/29-6/5

Norovirus

Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Crown 5/2-5/9

Norovirus

Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Crown 4/17-5/2

Norovirus

Holland America Veendam 4/17-5/2

Norovirus

Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Crown 3/22-4/4

Norovirus

Cunard Cruise Line Queen Mary 2 2/23-3/6

Norovirus

Cunard Cruise Line Queen Elizabeth 2 2/17-3/1

Unknown

P & O Cruise Line Oriana 2/20-3/5

Norovirus

Carnival Cruise Lines Carnival Celebration 2/9-2/14

Norovirus

Holland America Ryndam 2/7-2/14

Norovirus

Princess Cruise Line Coral Princess 1/12-1/22

Norovirus

2003 Cruise Line Ship Name Sailing Dates Causative Agent

Holland America Volendam 12/21-12/28 Norovirus

Carnival Cruise Line Carnival Legend 11/21-11/29

Norovirus

Carnival Cruise Line Carnival Legend 11/13-11/21

Norovirus

Carnival Cruise Line Carnival Holiday 10/16-10/20

Norovirus

Carnival Cruise Line Carnival Holiday 10/11-10/16

Norovirus

Princess Cruise Line Regal Princess 8/18-9/2

Norovirus

Princess Cruise Line Star Princess 8/2-8/9 Norovirus

Princess Cruise Line Star Princess 7/26-8/2 Norovirus

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Rhapsody of the Seas 7/20-7/27 Specimens not obtained

Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Sky 5/17-5/24 Norovirus

Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Dream 3/16-3/31 Norovirus

Sun Cruises Sun Dream 2/17-2/24 Norovirus

Princess Cruises Sun Princess 1/25-2/9

Norovirus

Carnival Cruise Line Carnival Spirit 1/27-2/4

Norovirus

Cunard Cruise Line Queen Elizabeth 2 1/5-1/18 Norovirus

Norwegian Cruise Line Norway 12/28/2002-1/5

Norovirus

2002

Cruise Line Ship Name Sailing Dates Causative Agent

Carnival Cruise Line Carnival Conquest 12/8-12/15

Norovirus

P & O Cruise Line Oceana 11/29-12/12

Norovirus

Carnival Cruise Line Fascination 11/30-12/2

Norovirus

Holland America Line Amsterdam 11/11-11/21

Norovirus

Holland America Line Amsterdam 10/1-10/22 Norovirus

Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Sun 9/28-10/5 Norovirus

Holland America Line Ryndam 7/25-8/1

Norovirus

Princess Cruises Ocean Princess 5/25-6/1

Norovirus

Holland America Line Ryndam 4/7-4/24 Norovirus

Carnival Cruise Line Carnival Pride March Norovirus

NOROVIRUS DEFINITION BY CDC:

Noroviruses are a group of viruses (previously known as Norwalk-like viruses) that can affect the stomach and intestines. These viruses can cause people to have gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and the large intestines. Gastroenteritis is sometimes called a calicivirus infection or food poisoning, even though it may not always be related to food.

Norovirus is sometimes called the stomach flu, although it is not related to the flu (a common respiratory illness cause by the influenza virus).

Symptoms caused by noroviruses

Common symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping

Less common symptoms: low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, nausea, and tiredness

This illness often begins suddenly, and the infected person may feel very sick. Normally the illness lasts about 1 to 2 days. Children often vomit more than adults.

WHERE NOROVIRUS ARE FOUND:

Noroviruses are found in the stool or vomit of infected people and on infected surfaces that have been touched by ill people. Outbreaks occur more often where there are more people in a small area, such as nursing homes, restaurants, catered events, and cruise ships.

SPREAD OF NOROVIRUS ACCORDING TO CDC:

How noroviruses are spread

People can become infected with the virus by:

Eating food or drinking liquids infected with noroviruses

Touching surfaces or objects infected with noroviruses and then touching own mouth, nose, or eyes

Having person-to-person contact (with a norovirus-infected person) by

o being present while someone is vomiting

o sharing food or eating from the same utensils

o caring for a sick person

o shaking hands

As a CREW, we have been religiously informed of Norovirus illness on board by the CCL Environmental Officer, this are held during sanitation meeting once a crew embark the ship. However, as I have personally experienced, this are all formality meetings, no more than just common words being preached by management personnel proof? Every meeting conducted, there is an equivalent testing as to insure that the crew were properly informed, the Environmental Officer would say that this is required by Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] and that copies of this test would be submitted to the EPA of which Carnival Cruise Line is in PROBATIONARY STATUS for delinquently changing Official Manifest of disposing waste. The ANSWER to the TEST however is being given right away making the test useless and a mere formality.

One major concern is the FOOD HANDLING. As an Assistant Stateroom Steward, mainly our job is cleaning, handling disinfectants, chemicals, at any given point we are told, during the SANITATION meetings that CLEANERS must NOT be involved in Food Handling & Food preparation wherein the subject of Norovirus comes in.

As a cleaner, the job requires to clean more than 30 comfort rooms, clean ashtrays, clean-up vomits, collect & dispose garbages.

As one of the Loyal Customer of Carnival Cruise Line & its corporate fleet of Cruise liners, would you mind if a CLEANER served food to you? After cleaning more than 30 toilets, 16 ashtrays, collect & dispose garbages and yes! Clean up some vomits along the way?

Truth is you didn't mind at all, because you didn't know, Carnival Cruise Line Management does not want you to know that the person serving you is a CLEANER who according to VSP Operations Manual 2005 final draft, to be FOMITES [means articles that convey infection to others because they have been contaminated by pathogenic organisms. Examples include handkerchief, drinking glass, door handle, clothing, and toys]

before serving food to you, you didn't know that the CLEANER actually contaminated the plates & utensils you are eating with, until probably you or your spouse, mother or father, brother or sister, child or children started feeling sick, nauseated, stomach cramps kick in, and started vomiting together with diarrhea problem.

YOU & YOUR FAMILY WERE EXPOSED TO NOROVIRUS without you knowing it, the sad part is when a family suffered this incident, the one infected no longer join the off-shore excursions with the rest of the group and because you are ashamed that others may know that your spouse or loved one is suffering from diarrhea, you'll simply tell your new-found friends that your significant other is not feeling well, a perfect excuse to avoid embarrassment. You wouldn't even ask for medicines from the ship's infirmary to avoid humiliation, but instead you'll purchased medications from outside the ship.

All of the highlighted entries above came from CDC, VSP and their medical staff confirming that Norovirus was indeed present in that particular ships of Carnival Cruise Line and its Corporate Cruise Liners. It's a vicious cycle of HIT & MISS as the unsuspecting guest/passengers are being exposed to this virus YEAR IN & YEAR OUT!

To the above table of vessels confirmed to have a breakout of Norovirus, isn't funny that the info didn't show what actions did the CDC/VSP have administered to the corresponding vessels? Was there a follow-up investigation done on the ship, to secure that this wouldn't occur again? See for yourself, on the year 2003 where the Carnival Legend was listed twice within the same period of time, was there any penalty or reprimand handed over to the ship for two [2] consecutive weeks of CODDLING Norovirus and to think that Carnival Legend was apparently NEW ship that time who's just been recently launched, below Carnival Legend is the Carnival Holiday who actually have two weeks of the same Norovirus.

Carnival Celebration in February 2004 had its Norovirus outbreak, a year after, 2005 on the same month had a Norovirus outbreak not just once but a two-week succession.

The CDC/VSP information with Norovirus on how it can spread are limited to only one thing, CONTAMINATION, contamination either by a person who had direct contact with human feces/stool or vomit or even clothing, handkerchief and toys.

The malpractice of Carnival Cruise Line [CCL] in line with the crew whose job description is of a cleaner who in turn are exposed to this bacteria of human feces/stool and vomits as it is his job to clean it, then later on asked by the CCL Management to prepare table, utensils and later on served food is simply UNACCEPTABLE.

The CDC in their website offers feedback report for any information that anybody could render and I did, but until this date, I don't see any action taken by the agency, as far as I am concerned.

I do have a question to raise for the CDC though, Why is it that every after the USPH Officers conducted an inspection to the vessel, the sous chef, maitre d along with the top brass & each department heads are enjoying a hearty meal together? I couldn't bear to think of the saying, Familiarity brings CONTEMPT!

My INTENTION is to INFORM the AMERICAN CONSUMERS & the PUBLIC of which Carnival Cruise Lines & its Corporate partners are getting their millions of dollars in sales & to CDC, VSP, USPH, Private & Public Organizations whose willing to investigate on this matter for the sake of truth and benefit of the AMERICAN CONSUMERS, I am willing to share my TESTIMONY, DOCUMENTS & VIDEO to show proof of this EXPOSE. Because I believed that the AMERICAN CONSUMERS deserved an HONEST, CLEAN & SANITIZED service from this huge cruise line companies and that they paid a good amount of money to enjoy their vacation and not to be exposed to some virus of sort. A Rip-off is an understatement for this malicious acts.

To Carnival Cruise Line I am more than willing for them to scrutinize my testimony, knowledge and my evidence of their FOOD HANDLING MALPRACTICE.

I am a crew of Carnival Cruise Line and this is my Expos,

Simon

manila, Florida
Philippines

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