Norovirus Strikes Princess & Royal Caribbean Lines; 400 Passengers & Crew Affected
Three ships report onboard outbreaks within 48 hours

Posted Sunday, February 5, 2012

 


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As if the cruise line industry, and Carnival Cruise Line in particular, hasn't already been deal a severe blow by the Costa Concordia accident, this weekend's news doesn't help things. Reports that two Princess Cruise Line ships (a subsidiary of Carnival) the Crown Princess and Ruby Princess have been affected by an outbreak of Norovirus onboard.

The Crown Princess arrived at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday with 140 passengers and 18 crew members were affected by the virus. The vessel underwent a complete disinfection and is now underway again. The Ruby Princess docked in Port Everglades on Sunday with 81 passengers and nine crew members ill from the virus, which causes stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

The virus has affected other cruise lines in other parts of the country, leading to theories that there is a widespread outbreak. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, "About 200 passengers aboard a cruise ship docked in New Orleans contracted norovirus Saturday, causing a delay in the ship's departure from the city ... According to WDSU.com, 20 of the 200 affected passengers on the Royal Caribbean line's Voyager of the Seas were quarantined in the port as a result of their illness. The ship's departure was delayed at least two hours Saturday evening as cleaning crews sanitized the Voyager of the Seas."

Cruise lines are required to report all cases of illness to the CDC, and a "special report" is created when numbers reach 2 percent of a ship's total onboard population. Illness has affected more than 9 percent on the Crown Princess, about 2 percent on the Ruby Princess, and about 6 percent of the Voyager of the Seas.