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CNN Live Sunday

Interview With Glenn Turner

Aired December 15, 2002 - 17:25   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A rocky seas for passengers of another Caribbean cruise. The Conquest returned to New Orleans today; 229 passengers got sick during the ship's seven-day cruise. Carnival Cruise Lines is working with the Centers for Disease Control to figure out what happened. Here is what one passenger had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAMMI BOWMAN, SICK PASSENGER: We left the Cayman Islands and I got violently sick. I was vomiting, the diarrhea. We went down to the infirmary. They gave me medication and a shot. And then quarantined me to my room. Room service wouldn't help us at all. All they served was sandwiches. On the list they told us to eat was 7-Up and white rice. You call room service, they would not accommodate us. I could not get the cabin steward to come in and clean my room or bring me fresh towels, because -- I mean, it was like we had leprosy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In recent months, several cruise lines have been hit by what's been called the Norwalk-like virus. Another of the passengers of the Conquest happens to be Glenn Turner, and he's home now and he joins us on the telephone. Glenn, how are you feeling right now?

GLENN TURNER, CONQUEST PASSENGER: I feel very good right now.

WHITFIELD: OK. At what point in your trip did you start feeling a little queasy?

TURNER: About 4:00 Wednesday morning. I got -- I began to feel knots in my stomach and very queasy. And then I began to get sick.

WHITFIELD: You were traveling with your wife, correct? Was she feeling sick as well?

TURNER: My wife got sick, starting on Sunday night. Early Monday morning.

WHITFIELD: So when you all started to feel your stomach was a bit upset, and you weren't feeling good, did you immediately start thinking that this might be a bit more serious than just your ordinary upset stomach?

TURNER: Well, at first with my wife's sickness, we never reported hers. But then Wednesday, when I got sick, or Tuesday night, they had warned us that there could possibly be the virus on the boat.

WHITFIELD: Did you hear other people on the boat talking about feeling ill?

TURNER: Not before I did. And like I say, when I got sick Wednesday morning, around 4:30, my wife called the infirmary, and we went down to the infirmary, and we filled out the papers and she gave me some medicine and everything. And said between 24 and 48 hours we would feel better.

WHITFIELD: And what did the medical technicians at the infirmary tell you? Did they inform you that you were among many who weren't feeling well on this trip?

TURNER: No, ma'am, not at this time. I was -- at 4:30, 5:00 in the morning, I was the only one in the infirmary.

WHITFIELD: Did you feel like they addressed your issue quickly, you know, with brevity? Do you think that they gave you the right kind of aid? We just heard from one woman as we rolled that soundbite a bit earlier who had a lot of complaints about the treatment. How about for you all?

TURNER: My treatment must have been a little different, because I did get the notice under my door about that I'd have to be cleared before we got into Cozumel (ph), that we would have to be cleared by the medical -- Mexican medical official. But the infirmary called me Wednesday morning -- or Thursday morning, 24 hours later, and I said that I felt better, and that I had eaten something around 12:00, 1:00 that morning, you know.

WHITFIELD: All right, Glenn, I'm glad that you and your wife are starting to feel better and it was nothing life-threatening. But quickly, is this the last time you get on a cruise ship or do you think you'd still do it?

TURNER: I would do it today, again.

WHITFIELD: All right.

TURNER: I don't -- I tell everybody right now, if you got the tickets, go. The amount of the people that you're talking about is 4, 5 percent of the total amount of people on the boat.

WHITFIELD: All right, Glenn Turner, thank you very much for joining us. And glad you're feeling better and you've made it back safely. Thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired December 15, 2002 - 17:25   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A rocky seas for passengers of another Caribbean cruise. The Conquest returned to New Orleans today; 229 passengers got sick during the ship's seven-day cruise. Carnival Cruise Lines is working with the Centers for Disease Control to figure out what happened. Here is what one passenger had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAMMI BOWMAN, SICK PASSENGER: We left the Cayman Islands and I got violently sick. I was vomiting, the diarrhea. We went down to the infirmary. They gave me medication and a shot. And then quarantined me to my room. Room service wouldn't help us at all. All they served was sandwiches. On the list they told us to eat was 7-Up and white rice. You call room service, they would not accommodate us. I could not get the cabin steward to come in and clean my room or bring me fresh towels, because -- I mean, it was like we had leprosy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In recent months, several cruise lines have been hit by what's been called the Norwalk-like virus. Another of the passengers of the Conquest happens to be Glenn Turner, and he's home now and he joins us on the telephone. Glenn, how are you feeling right now?

GLENN TURNER, CONQUEST PASSENGER: I feel very good right now.

WHITFIELD: OK. At what point in your trip did you start feeling a little queasy?

TURNER: About 4:00 Wednesday morning. I got -- I began to feel knots in my stomach and very queasy. And then I began to get sick.

WHITFIELD: You were traveling with your wife, correct? Was she feeling sick as well?

TURNER: My wife got sick, starting on Sunday night. Early Monday morning.

WHITFIELD: So when you all started to feel your stomach was a bit upset, and you weren't feeling good, did you immediately start thinking that this might be a bit more serious than just your ordinary upset stomach?

TURNER: Well, at first with my wife's sickness, we never reported hers. But then Wednesday, when I got sick, or Tuesday night, they had warned us that there could possibly be the virus on the boat.

WHITFIELD: Did you hear other people on the boat talking about feeling ill?

TURNER: Not before I did. And like I say, when I got sick Wednesday morning, around 4:30, my wife called the infirmary, and we went down to the infirmary, and we filled out the papers and she gave me some medicine and everything. And said between 24 and 48 hours we would feel better.

WHITFIELD: And what did the medical technicians at the infirmary tell you? Did they inform you that you were among many who weren't feeling well on this trip?

TURNER: No, ma'am, not at this time. I was -- at 4:30, 5:00 in the morning, I was the only one in the infirmary.

WHITFIELD: Did you feel like they addressed your issue quickly, you know, with brevity? Do you think that they gave you the right kind of aid? We just heard from one woman as we rolled that soundbite a bit earlier who had a lot of complaints about the treatment. How about for you all?

TURNER: My treatment must have been a little different, because I did get the notice under my door about that I'd have to be cleared before we got into Cozumel (ph), that we would have to be cleared by the medical -- Mexican medical official. But the infirmary called me Wednesday morning -- or Thursday morning, 24 hours later, and I said that I felt better, and that I had eaten something around 12:00, 1:00 that morning, you know.

WHITFIELD: All right, Glenn, I'm glad that you and your wife are starting to feel better and it was nothing life-threatening. But quickly, is this the last time you get on a cruise ship or do you think you'd still do it?

TURNER: I would do it today, again.

WHITFIELD: All right.

TURNER: I don't -- I tell everybody right now, if you got the tickets, go. The amount of the people that you're talking about is 4, 5 percent of the total amount of people on the boat.

WHITFIELD: All right, Glenn Turner, thank you very much for joining us. And glad you're feeling better and you've made it back safely. Thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com