MIAMI, Fla. (WFLA) — A Royal Caribbean cruise ship carrying nearly 100 people sick with norovirus docked in Florida on Thursday.
The Serenade of the Seas docked at PortMiami after a nearly two-week journey from San Diego.
The norovirus outbreak on the ship was first reported to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program on Sunday, Sept. 28.
The CDC’s recent report reveals that 94 out of 1,874 passengers, or 5%, reported falling ill during the trip. The illness also impacted four out of 883 crew members, accounting for 0.5%. The majority of those affected experienced symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting.
NBC affiliate WTVJ spoke with some of the passengers as they were leaving the ship Thursday.
One traveler, Margie, mentioned she realized something was amiss when she “started feeling really funny” in her stomach, although her symptoms were short-lived.
“It only lasted like 36-48 hours,” Margie said. “It was all good because they gave you free room service, and they took good care of you.”
Other passengers observed heightened hygiene protocols, with meals being served to them rather than using self-serve stations, and restrictions on accessing plates, silverware, and condiments.
“When I say cleaning, they started on the bottom and worked to the top and then you would see them coming down again. All over, everywhere,” commented Leslie Nilsen.
The majority of passengers were relatively unaffected. But it wasn’t smooth sailing for everyone.
Passenger Bob Pettit said, “I’m 87 years old, I’ve never been this sick in my life.”
As passengers disembarked on Thursday, crew members embarked on a comprehensive sanitation of the vessel. The ship was scheduled to set sail later that day to Panama for a seven-day cruise.
