Nearly 100 people aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship set for a week-long western cruise experienced unpleasant gastrointestinal illness symptoms.
The Radiance of the Seas departed from Tampa, Florida, on Saturday for its seven-day voyage, but just three days in a viral outbreak was reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vessel sanitation program.
Eighty-nine passengers and two crew members were among those who experienced nasty symptoms, including diarrhea and vomiting.
At this time, the CDC says the cause is unknown.
The world’s second-largest cruise operator has since claimed protective ‘measures have been implemented onboard’ the sprawling vessel.
‘Enhanced measures have been implemented onboard in an abundance of caution to protect the health and comfort of all our guests and crew,’ a spokesperson for the line’s parent company, Royal Caribbean Group, told USAToday in a statement.
The CDC echoed the billion-dollar cruise company’s statement.
‘Ill passengers and crew were isolated from others,’ the CDC said, and ‘increased cleaning and disinfection procedures’ were implemented.
Nearly 100 people aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, set for a week-long western cruise, experienced unpleasant gastrointestinal illness symptoms on Saturday
Cruise ships must report gastrointestinal illnesses to the CDC, the agency also noted.
‘Cases reported are totals for the entire voyage,’ the CDC’s website states. ‘It does not mean all people are sick at the same time, such as when they arrive or leave a port or ship.’
While Norovirus is ‘often a cause of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships,’ the CDC has said determining the cause ‘can take time.’
Stool specimens from affected passengers were collected to aid in the investigation, Fox Business reported.
The Caribbean voyage included several stops including two in Mexico, one in Honduras and one in Belize, according to cruise tracking website CruiseMapper.
The Radiance of the Seas is almost 24 years old and which underwent improvements during a 2011 dry dock, according to Royal Caribbean’s website.
The massive vessel can hold 2,143 guests under double-occupancy conditions and up to 894 international crew members.
A similar viral outbreak occurred back in September when a mysterious gastrointestinal virus caused 180 passengers onboard and three staff to suffer distressing symptoms.
Those onboard the very same Radiance of the Seas boat reported experiencing diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and muscle aches, this time while on a Alaskan voyage.
The sickness plagued those onboard the September 20 to 27 trip, according to the CDC.
Just over eight percent of the 2,172 passengers onboard fell sick, equating to 180, while three crew members of the 894 staff onboard also reported falling ill.
Radiance of the Seas is an almost 24-year-old ship which underwent improvements during a 2011 dry dock, according to Royal Caribbean’s website
Due to the outbreak, crew members raised the alarm with passengers encouraged to report cases and to engage in good hand hygiene.
Other steps included an increase in cleaning and disinfection in order to help contain it.
In a statement, Royal Caribbean said: ‘The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority.
‘To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public health guidelines.’
This September outbreak marked the second of 2024 aboard the Radiance of the Seas vessel, after nearly 70 people came down with norovirus in April.
