100 ill on cruise is not a headline people like to read -- especially if they are fans of cruising. On March 8, My Fox 8 reported that Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas ship arrived back in Port Everglades, Florida after several of its passengers came down with the norovirus.
During the 11-day Caribbean cruise, 105 of the 1,991 guests and 3 of 772 crew members fell ill with a stomach virus. While this may not seem like a lot, a virus such as this is very contagious and spreads rapidly. Had the ship stayed out at sea, several more passengers would have likely fallen ill.
The 100 ill on the cruise responded well to medication according to the report. Guests were asked if they had experienced any gastrointestinal symptoms over the past few days and those who did were offered the chance to reschedule their trip if they felt uncomfortable. The ship did resume sailing on Friday.
"At Royal Caribbean International we have high health standards for all our guests and crew. During the sailing, we conduct enhanced cleaning onboard the ship, to help prevent the spread of the illness (sic)," the company said in a statement. Norovirus is very common on cruise ships and many passengers experience the unpleasantness (vomiting and diarrhea) each year.
A 100 ill on cruise headline isn't surprising but it definitely makes some people second guess taking a cruise for their next vacation.
© Effie Orfanides 2013
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