Royal Caribbean Cruiseliner Docks After Supposed Norovirus Outbreak

Vision of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Norovirus Outbreak

First a Carnival cruise ship was left disabled after an engine-room fire, leaving passengers to endure squalid condition for five days, and now a Royal Caribbean ship docked with over 100 people on board suffering from the norovirus. The cruise industry has seen better days.

Royal Caribbean International reported that 105 passengers aboard its Vision of the Sea cruiseliner fell ill with a stomach bug thought to be the norovirus, reports the San Francisco Gate. The ship had a total of 1,991 people on board and the sick represented 5.3%. That number also includes three of 772 crew members that got sick as well.

The sick were given over the counter medication and responded well to the treatment. The norovirus is a highly contagious that can cause severe diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain. The sickness will typicall run its course in a couple days, but a person can experience dehydrating from the loss of fluids.

Though the passengers are going to be okay, the outbreak caused a blow to the cruise industry. Royal Caribbean’s shares (RCL) fell by nearly 3%.

“At Royal Caribbean International we have high health standards for all our guests and crew,” company officials said in a statement. “During the sailing, we conduct enhanced cleaning onboard the ship, to help prevent the spread of the illness.”

The ship was thoroughly cleaned after it docked in Port Everglades, Florida on Friday morning and was scheduled to depart at 4:30 p.m. for its next journey.