Over 400 Contract Norovirus Aboard Royal Caribbean Ship

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on January 15, 2019

A voyage of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Oasis of the Seas ended earlier than expected after numerous passengers became extremely ill due to an outbreak of the norovirus. According to reports from a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean, out of the 6,823 passengers aboard the ship, more than 400 people (both passengers and crew) were affected by the virus within a few days after the ship departed from Port Canaveral on Sunday, January 6th.

Some of the passengers began displaying signs of sickness as early as Monday, and when the cruise ship reached Haiti on Tuesday these people were taken to a hospital aboard the island. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated case and the sickness began to spread. The ship left Haiti and continued its voyage, only to encounter increased symptoms from people who began to succumb to the extremely contagious illness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that the norovirus is a gastrointestinal illness in nature and that, at its worst, it can lead to persistent nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Many people aboard the ship stated that it felt like the stomach flu. When people beginning getting sick out in the ocean, they began to visit the doctor. Soon, the ship’s medical team was completely overrun with hundreds of sick passengers who were, according to reports, projectile vomiting throughout the entire medical facility.

The Oasis of the Seas crew made the decision to return back to Port Canaveral a day early, a decision that was met with universal relief. Immediately after the last passenger exited the vessel, crews wearing hazmat suits stepped aboard the ship to scrub every inch of it down.

Royal Caribbean has offered each of the passengers aboard, whether or not they became sick, a full refund of the price of their ticket. While this is certainly a decision that was met with appreciation, most of the people who were aboard the ship are just happy to be back on land, away from the projectile vomit and fears of disease contraction.

It is not known if any of the passengers or crew aboard the Oasis of the Seas is filing any charges against the Royal Caribbean company.

Sources:

• ‘Hundreds of people started to vomit’: Sick passengers disembark cruise ship

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.