Hand-washing sinks accompany sing-along at sea: 'Wash your hands!'

Cruisers on Quantum—and other new ships like Regal Princess—can lather up with soap and water before visiting the buffet.

This fulfills the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vessel Sanitation Program hand-washing sink requirement for all ships with keels laid after October 2011. The requirement is related to buffets, where a hand-washing sink must be provided for every 100 seats.

'On Quantum we have more than one hand-washing sink per 100 seats. As usual, we went above and beyond the VSP requirements,' a Royal Caribbean spokeswoman said. The attractively designed hand-washing areas flank the entrance to the Windjammer Marketplace.

Otherwise, before entering the buffet or other food service areas, cruisers can use hand sanitizer from automatic dispensers with encouragement from strategically positioned crew members. This, of course, is nothing new on cruise ships.

The 'Wash Your Hands' video, though, goes above and beyond. It's aired at muster stations following the passenger lifeboat drill as a 'whimsical, fun way to remind guests,' according to Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, evp operations for Royal Caribbean International. This is particularly important on sailings from Bayonne, N.J., she added, because stomach bugs tend to be more prevalent during cold weather.

Recognizing that people are on vacation, Royal Caribbean designed the video to be entertaining—and it is. Sometimes passengers clap or sing along.

Lutoff-Perlo credited Rob Zeiger, vp global chief communications officer, and his team, for developing 'Wash Your Hands,' working with the Michigan-based agency M. Sieden and Associates.