Princess Cruises Hit with Norovirus

The Crown Princess, which is operated by Princes Cruises under the Carnival Corporation umbrella, has returned to Port Everglades two days early due to a norovirus outbreak, which attacks the gastrointestinal system. The outbreak is the second one to happen on this ship in a week, and this time almost 60 crew and 114 passengers were reported ill.

Princess Cruises said the new norovirus outbreak caused the Crown Princess to return to port on Thursday morning for an extensive two-day cleaning. The enhanced disinfection of the vessel in Fort Lauderdale will include additional cleaning crew being brought on board to assist with a thorough sanitizing of all public areas and surfaces. This includes door handles, railings, soft furnishings and carpets, and pretty much everything else on the ship. The staterooms will undergo multiple cleanings before the rooms are put together with fresh towels and linens on Saturday morning, just before the next guests arrive for the next cruise.

Princess Cruises also says that they will be refunding cruise fares, paying for flight change fees, arranging flights home, providing hotel accommodation where necessary and offering 25% off a future cruise. The Crown Princess is due to set sail for its next cruise on February 11 and will leave as scheduled.

The Crown Princess had just gone through a special cleaning last weekend after 30 crew and 364 guests were hit with the virus. Many of the people who were sick had to be confined to their rooms as they suffered the bouts of diarrhea and vomiting its causes – as did the passengers in this latest outbreak. However, the Crown Princess isn’t the only cruise ship that has been hit with the norovius.

Aslo last weekend, it was reported that the Ruby Princess (also operated by Princess Cruises) returned to port on Sunday as scheduled with an outbreak of the virus. On this ship, 13 crew and 90 passengers were reportedly affected, said spokeswoman Julie Benson. Additionally, the Voyager of the Seas, which is operated by Royal Caribbean International, left the Port of New Orleans late on Saturday due to the norovirus, said spokesman Chris Bonura. Although it was reported about 200 passengers were affected, the details were never confirmed.

The norovirus is passed by contact with people who have been infected or the items they have touched – human waste and food in buffets – and it’s the most common cause of gastroenteritis in the US. The norovirus has been a struggle for cruise ships, as it spreads easily when a lot of people gather in a concentrated area. Most cruise ships have hand sanitizer stations on board and regularly encourage passengers to use them. Despite this, the illness can spread even if the environment is clean.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) keeps an online database of outbreaks on cruise vessels participating in its programme. These are available online when the outbreaks happen on cruises between three and 21 days long, when 3% or more of the crew or passengers are reported suffering from symptoms, and when the ships are carrying 100 or more guests. The organisation estimates that over 20 million cases of acute gastroenteritis are caused by the norovirus every year.

To keep the norovirus from spreading, the CDC advises that people carefully wash their hands with soap and water. Surfaces that have been or may have been contaminated have to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected to keep the virus from spreading further.