Cruise Ship Outbreak: 600 Passengers On Royal Caribbean Sickened Possibly By Norovirus; Trip Cut Short

Royal Caribbean will cut the “Explorer of the Seas” 10-day trip short, after hundreds of passengers and crew members were sickened with a gastrointestinal illness. A report posted online by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 577 of the ship's 3,050 passengers, and 49 of 1,165 crew members, reported symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea during the voyage. The CDC said Monday the cause of the sickness was unknown but that an environmental safety officer and an epidemiologist boarded the ship on Sunday in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to determine the cause of the outbreak and the proper response.

"New reports of illness have decreased day-over-day, and many guests are again up and about. Nevertheless, the disruptions caused by the early wave of illness means that we were unable to deliver the vacation our guests were expecting," the cruise line said in a statement. "After consultation between our medical team and representatives of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we think the right thing to do is to bring our guests home early, and use the extra time to sanitize the ship even more thoroughly," the company added.

Royal Caribbean also said its doctors suspected norovirus was behind the outbreak, which, according to the CDC, is a very contagious virus that causes the stomach or intestines to become inflamed, leading to stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. Norovirus usually begins suddenly and lasts one to three days. Most people recover without treatment, but some require rehydration with liquids or intravenous fluids.

Royal Caribbean said once the ship returns to port Wednesday, two days before the voyage was supposed to end, it would be sanitized and the company assured future passengers that they need not worry. They added that they were "taking several steps" to compensate passengers for the shortened trip. It also sought to assure customers scheduled for the ship's next voyage that "all possible measures will have been taken to prevent further problems."