CRUISE FROM HELL: 300 passengers QUARANTINED in CABINS after gastroenteritis outbreak

A DREAM Mediterranean cruise descended into a holiday from hell for hundreds of passengers after an outbreak of gastroenteritis swept through the ship and infected guests were quarantined in their cabins.

Carnival launches its biggest ever luxury cruise ship AIDAnova

Some 300 people aboard the AIDA Cruises vessel fell ill from the virus leaving the ship’s two doctors completely overwhelmed, Madrid-based newspaper El Mundo reports.

The firm was forced to hire extra medical personnel as passengers suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea complained of an eight-hour wait before receiving help.

Doctors ordered infected passengers to stay in their cabins to avoid spreading the virus as staff delivered bread and water to those who were sick, according to El Mundo.

The cruise ship, which boasts 12 restaurants, 14 bars and cafes and even a casino, set sail from Palma de Mallorca on September 22.

The voyage was scheduled to visit the ‘pearls of the Mediterranean’, with stops in Corsica, Rome, Florence and Barcelona.

But the AIDA Cruise ship returned to Palma on September 29 - earlier than planned - where guests were reportedly shuttled to a farm on the outskirts of the city and told to wait for their flight home.

Some refused to stay and booked seats on the first plane back to Germany.

A passenger said the problems began after passengers began vomiting on an organised excursion during one of the cruise’s scheduled stops.

AIDA cruise ship

Hundreds of passengers reportedly fell ill on an AIDA cruise in the Mediterranean (Image: GETTY STOCK IMAGE)

AIDA cruise ship in Palma

The ship departed Palma in Mallorca but was forced to return to port early after the outbreak (Image: GETTY STOCK IMAGE)

El Mundo reports that buses used for the trip were forced to stop several times for guests to be sick.

And according to the passenger, the bug quickly spread once the passengers returned to the ship.

They said the onboard medical assistance was not prepared to handle such a large outbreak and people were forced to queue for three hours to request help before waiting a further five hours before finally being seen by a doctor.

After infected guests were diagnosed, they were reportedly told to stay in their cabins and avoid contact with passengers who were not sick.

AIDA cruise ship cabin

Passengers were told to stay in their cabins to avoid infecting other guests (Image: GETTY STOCK IMAGE)

Meanwhile, staff distributed leaflets tips on how to avoid falling ill throughout the ship.

El Mundo reports AIDA Cruises has released a brief statement confirming there was an outbreak of gastroenteritis.

The bug commonly causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, but because it is spread through a virus, antibiotics do not work.

The gastroenteritis on the Mediterranean cruise is the second to hit AIDA vessels in a matter of weeks.

AIDA cruises

AIDA operates a fleet of 11 cruise ships (Image: GETTY STOCK IMAGE)

In the early hours of September 20, the AIDAperla docked in Rotterdam with 70 passengers suffering from Norovirus symptoms, according to cruise tracking site CruiseMapper.

Dutch emergency services treated those infected onboard the vessel.

Express.co.uk has contacted AIDA Cruises for comment.

Additional reporting by Maria Ortega.

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