Skip to content
NOWCAST WESH 2 News Sunrise
Live Now
Advertisement

Cruise ship returns to Port Canaveral after nearly 500 passengers fall ill

Cruise ship returns to Port Canaveral after nearly 500 passengers fall ill
WEBVTT GEORGE: IT WAS IN THE BACK OF OUR MINDS, BUT WE WEREN’T TOO WORRIED ABOUT IT. ALEX: THAT WAS A SENTIMENT SHARED BY MANY WHO GOT OFF OF ROYAL CARIBBEAN’S OASIS OF THE SEAS CRUISE SHIP SATURDAY MORNING. DESPITE AN OUTBREAK OF NOROVIRUS THAT SICKENED NEARLY 500 OF THE OVER 8400 PEOPLE ON BOARD, PASSENGERS WE TALKED TO AT PORT CANAVERAL SAID THEIR TRIPS WERE VIRTUALLY UNAFFECTED. CARLEEN: WE DIDN’T SEE ANYBODY SICK. THEY DID SO MUCH CLEANING THAT WE DIDN’T GET SICK. WE’RE LUCKY. HADAS: -- ALEX: ACCORDING TO THOSE ON THE SHIP, THAT CARE INCLUDED OTHER PRECAUTIONS IN ADDITION TO THE VIGOROUS CLEANING INCLUDING REMINDING PASSENGERS TO WASH THEIR HANDS AND CONFINING THOSE SICK WITH THE NAUSEA, VOMITING, AND DIARRHEA CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VERY CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS TO THEIR CABINS. THE OUTBREAK ALSO KEPT THE SHIP FROM MAKING TWO OF ITS SCHEDULED STOPS. NADIA: ONLY BAD THING THAT HAPPENED IS THAT WE COULD NOT GET OFF IN JAMAICA OR MEXICO. THAT’S ABOUT IT. ALEX: ROYAL CARIBBEAN IS REFUNDING EVERYONE AND SAID THIS IN A LETTER TO PASSENGERS. "WE HOPED TO GIVE YOU AN AMAZ
Advertisement
Cruise ship returns to Port Canaveral after nearly 500 passengers fall ill
Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas has returned to Port Canaveral a day early. The cruise line is giving passengers full refunds of their fare after nearly 500 guests and crew members were hit with an outbreak of Norovirus as it sailed to Jamaica. Royal Caribbean told the Associated Press on Thursday that number of ill passengers had risen to 277, that number rose to nearly 500 on Friday."We didn't see anybody sick. They did so much cleaning that we didn't get sick. We're lucky," Carleen Prachar, a passenger, told WESH 2 News.Passengers took to social media on Wednesday, tweeting they were forced to stay onboard the cruise ship after docking in Falmouth, Jamaica, on Wednesday for what was supposed to be a day of excursions. "It wasn't that we were all affected, we were all told not to come here, we were everywhere in the ship. We went around everywhere, we enjoyed all the food, all the drinks, everything. They were taking very good care of us," passenger Sanya Asad Siddiqi said. "Only bad thing that happened is that we could not get off in Jamaica or Mexico, that's about it," Nadia Majid said.Cruise line spokesman Owen Torres told The Associated Press "we think the right thing to do is get everyone home early rather than have guests worry about their health." Torres says returning a day early gave the cruise line "more time to completely clean and sanitize the ship" before it sails again.Royal Caribbean sent a letter to passengers with the following statement: "We hoped to give you an amazing vacation and we are sorry we fell short."

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas has returned to Port Canaveral a day early.

The cruise line is giving passengers full refunds of their fare after nearly 500 guests and crew members were hit with an outbreak of Norovirus as it sailed to Jamaica.

Advertisement

Related Content

Royal Caribbean told the Associated Press on Thursday that number of ill passengers had risen to 277, that number rose to nearly 500 on Friday.

"We didn't see anybody sick. They did so much cleaning that we didn't get sick. We're lucky," Carleen Prachar, a passenger, told WESH 2 News.

Passengers took to social media on Wednesday, tweeting they were forced to stay onboard the cruise ship after docking in Falmouth, Jamaica, on Wednesday for what was supposed to be a day of excursions.

"It wasn't that we were all affected, we were all told not to come here, we were everywhere in the ship. We went around everywhere, we enjoyed all the food, all the drinks, everything. They were taking very good care of us," passenger Sanya Asad Siddiqi said.

"Only bad thing that happened is that we could not get off in Jamaica or Mexico, that's about it," Nadia Majid said.

Cruise line spokesman Owen Torres told The Associated Press "we think the right thing to do is get everyone home early rather than have guests worry about their health."

Torres says returning a day early gave the cruise line "more time to completely clean and sanitize the ship" before it sails again.

Royal Caribbean sent a letter to passengers with the following statement: "We hoped to give you an amazing vacation and we are sorry we fell short."