Gastro outbreak turns luxury cruise into a floating ordeal
More than 90 passengers and crew members of the Royal Caribbean ship in the Gulf of Mexico contracted a stomach illness. Everyone complained of diarrhea or vomiting.
A Caribbean cruise is the dream of many tourists. Turquoise water and a host of interesting places along the route entice many. Staying on the cruise ship is also an attraction in itself. You can stay on board the whole time and never get bored.
Unfortunately for the passengers of one of the recent cruises, the dream vacation turned into a nightmare.
A nightmare Caribbean cruise
The ship departed from Tampa, Florida, on Saturday, February 1, for a seven-day cruise of the Western Caribbean, planning to visit ports in Mexico, Honduras, and Belize.
On Tuesday, February 4, just three days into the trip, it was announced that 89 passengers had fallen ill, which is approximately 4% of the 2,164 tourists traveling on the cruise ship, as well as two crew members.
The sick passengers complained of severe gastrointestinal problems. Royal Caribbean disinfected the ship, collected stool samples for testing, and isolated the sick.
The ship returned to Tampa on Saturday, February 8, according to Cruisemapper.com. The highly contagious virus causing vomiting and diarrhea is usually the cause of stomach illnesses on cruise ships. It’s not yet known what specifically caused the illness on the "Radiance of the Seas".
A similar incident occurred in October last year, when more than 180 people fell ill with a stomach illness on a Royal Caribbean ship traveling through Canada. Then, 180 of the 2,172 passengers on the "Radiance of the Seas" and three crew members reported symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache, and muscle pain.
Source: The Independent
