Celebrity Mercury May Be Victim of Land-Based Virus

With three norovirus outbreaks in 2010 already, it’s easy to conclude the Celebrity Mercury is jinxed. However, a closer look at South Carolina, and Charleston, in particular, shows the ship may well be as much a victim as any of the passengers hit by the gastrointestinal bug.

Furthermore, none of the travel agents Travel Market Report spoke with said they planned to stop selling the ship. They also said their clients who sailed the itineraries struck by the illness had nothing but good things to say about how the crew and cruise line handled the situation.

Kathy C. Bustos, of Bustos Travel Service has had a number of clients on the Mercury on the past three sailings. While most have not gotten sick, a few did, she said.

“My clients have told me that the ship staff has been more than helpful and accommodating to them,” she said. “Ninety-nine percent are happy with Celebrity.”

Bustos added that so far no one has cancelled their Celebrity Mercury booking.

“Up to this point, people were not very concerned, but I do think they are becoming more concerned as this continues to plague this ship,” she said.

Rusty Pickett, ECC of Charleston-based Shellback Cruises has had no cancellations; his last booking for the Celebrity Mercury, so far this year, is sailing on the current departure.

Nancy F. Yoffe, ECC, owner of a South Carolina Cruise Planners, has had one client cancel so far.

Virus Coming From Charleston?

“From what I understand, South Carolina is experiencing an epidemic of norovirus,” Yoffe told Travel Market Report.

While “epidemic” may be an exaggeration, a spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Health did confirm that the state has seen “a tremendous upswing” in norovirus outbreaks. However, he stressed that there have been increasing numbers of outbreaks all over the country.

“This is an upward trend that has been seen nationwide over the past few months,” he said. “So, it’s not just a Charleston thing. It’s not just a South Carolina thing. It’s a United States thing.”

Yet, a quick (unscientific) Internet search by Travel Market Report of other port cities, including Baltimore and Boston, did not turn up any health alerts regarding norovirus, while an Internet search for Charleston immediately returned a S.C. Department of Health norovirus notice.

Bustos, whose Bustos Travel Service is located in Charleston, told TMR the city has seen norovirus outbreaks in assisted living facilities and schools.

“I do think that the virus has been taken aboard the ship by passengers,” she said.

Pickett agreed, as his own wife became ill with the norovirus on Celebrity Mercury’s most recent voyage within four hours of boarding the cruise – too short an amount of time for her to have been infected onboard.

When asked about the relationship between the increased outbreaks in South Carolina and the Celebrity Mercury’s three outbreaks, Ricardo R. Beato, M.S., health communications specialist for the CDC told Travel Market Report: “Those are interesting observations. However, it’s difficult to speculate why this particular ship has experienced several outbreaks.”

He added the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program worked closely with the cruise ship and Celebrity Cruises to address the most recent outbreak.

Pickett’s First Hand Account

“We are at sea, heading home. We were supposed to be in Tortola. The cruise is being cut short by a day due to the fact that several hundred folks have come down with this very temporary but debilitating (and confining – due to cruise line quarantine policies) illness.  The ship will again spend a full 24 hours being disinfecting.

My wife may have been the first case on board. About two hours after dinner (we had been on board for only about four hours due to the late embarkation) the symptoms appeared with full fury. We called the medical folks and quickly agreed that she would stay in the cabin for 24 hours after the symptoms went away. It’s virtually impossible for her to have contracted it on board – not enough time. We were given hand sanitizer twice during the boarding process. She must have picked it up during the last minute frenzy of preparations.

The Medical staff couldn’t have been better. Quick to respond, and friendly, they provided some informational paperwork, CDC forms to fill out and necessary medication. The crew has been frantic in their efforts to control the illness. Literally gallons of hand sanitizer are being dispensed. You can not walk into any public venue, shop or dining area without getting squirted.  There is no more self-service of food or drink – everything is dispensed by the crew – even salt, pepper and sugar.  Crew members are disinfecting every surface, horizontal or vertical, continuously. Industrial strength sprayers are everywhere, spraying carpets, and large surfaces during times when passengers aren’t present.  Even the dinner menus are wiped down between first and second seating. But to no avail.

As time progresses, more and more “do not disturb” signs are being posted in our passageway, and CDC forms can be spotted on cabin door mailboxes. Empty chairs are more and more visible in the dining room. Hand washing announcements are becoming the norm – from the Cruise Director, from the Maitre D’ during dinner and even from the Captain.

On the sixth night of the cruise, our table of four finally dined together for the first time – yes, one of our good friends and cruise mates (from upstate South Carolina) got it too.

The illness has been the talk of the town.  By mid cruise, it was impossible to go somewhere and not hear a conversation about adventures of getting sick – how you felt, what you ate, how long you were quarantined, how many of your group had fallen ill. 

And still the crew is relentless. The Captain gives updates about how the number of cases is declining. Dining room chairs are again starting to fill. But momentum has already taken hold. The level of the illness, akin to the Mercury’s first cruise of the season in which more than 350 people were sickened, is approaching. Time to go home and try again.

As president and CEO Dan Hanrahan stated in the letter about the itinerary change placed in our cabin, “I hope all the information in this letter helps you understand the importance we at Celebrity Cruises place on the health and safety of every one of our guests and crew members.  Like you, we want to ensure that everyone’s cruise is a fun, relaxing and healthy experience.  This is why we are taking these additional measures.”

The crew is clearly exhausted and frustrated, but remains cheerful.  The cruise passengers are not complaining. We know nature can be so cruel and unforgiving.”