14 DAY TRIAL // Passengers from the Royal Caribbean Cruise had a terrible start to their experience as dozens of people fell ill with a suspected norovirus. Their four-day holiday trip with the Majesty of the Seas turned into a gastrointestinal battle and made many desire they hadn't embarked on the trip in the first place.
From the 2,581 guests on the ship, almost 66 fell ill and from the 844 crew members, two experienced symptoms connected to the virus, the statement released by the Royal Caribbean says. The norovirus is incredibly contagious and can infect any individual who comes across an infected person, contaminated surfaces, water or edibles.
Symptoms of the virus include severe gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, fever, headache and body aches, notes Daily Mail. The unlucky passengers who got infected with the suspected norovirus spent their time either in the bathroom or in bed and could not enjoy any part of their trip.
After the news spread, the cruise line publicly stated that their ships were properly cleaned in order to prevent such incidents and that this particular ship, Majesty of the Seas, had endured enhanced cleaning onboard during sailing and after arriving to Port Miami. The departure was actually delayed one hour just for the crew to properly finish the sanitation process.
The Majesty of the Seas returned to dock on Friday in Miami, Florida after a four-day trip that brought back several passengers who were victims to the virus outbreak. For their next scheduled trip, the staff is handing out letters to passengers asking about any recent gastrointestinal problems in order to avoid similar situations.
Because of the negative publicity they had to endure, the cruise line has issued a statement offering people the option to reschedule their trips if they are feeling uncomfortable with the recent events and believe they have reason to fear for their health state.