Norovirus Outbreak Ends Royal Caribbean Cruise (2019)

Editorial Summary

Doug Parker of Cruise Radio reports on the Royal Caribbean ship Oasis of the Seas, which was forced to return to Port Canaveral early due to a norovirus outbreak. The seven night Western Caribbean cruise began on January 6, 2019, and initially proceeded to Labadie without issue. However, guests began falling ill on Tuesday evening. By Wednesday, officials in Falmouth, Jamaica, prevented passengers from disembarking due to the widespread sickness. Royal Caribbean confirmed that 167 cases of gastrointestinal illness were reported, affecting approximately 2 percent of the guests and crew. To manage the situation, the cruise line decided to skip Cozumel and return to Florida a day early for thorough cleaning. The company also issued a full refund to all passengers on board, regardless of whether they became ill. Parker notes that while norovirus is common on land, the confined space of a ship accelerates its spread. He concludes by offering hygiene advice to avoid the virus and mentions that the ship is scheduled to undergo deep cleaning before its next sailing on January 13.

Written by TripBacon from this video's transcript.