Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas – one of the largest cruise ships in the world – has suffered an outbreak of Norovirus which has struck more than 100 passengers aboard the ship as it arrived in Jamaica on Wednesday. The ship departed Port Canaveral in Florida on Sunday.
Passengers aboard the vessel took to social media to talk about the illness and report that guests were kept aboard the ship for hours after it docked at Falmouth port on the northern side of Jamaica. The ship was on a seven-night cruise through the Caribbean.
“As of today, 167 cases of gastrointestinal illness have been reported since Sunday, representing two per cent of the nearly 9,000 guests and crew on board,” said Owen Torres, a spokesman for Royal Caribbean said in a statement late Wednesday.
He did not immediately confirm whether a quarantine of the vessel took place.
“Those affected by the short-lived illness are being treated by our ship’s medical team with over-the-counter medication. Meanwhile, we are bringing additional medical staff on board and we’re engaging in intensive sanitary procedures to minimize the risk of any further issues,” Torres said.
Passengers complained that those on the ship were not allowed off and that guests remained on board for several hours before finally leaving for the next destination, Cozumel.
At this point the ship is based at Port Canaveral but is expected to begin sailing out of the Bayonne, New Jersey in May.
Tags: royal caribbean cruises
