Outbreaks of serious illness on Cruise ships in 2009

Several outbreaks of serious illness were reported on board cruise ships in 2009. Common cruise ship illnesses included Norovirus, food poisoning and gastroenteritis, and hundreds of passengers went on to claim compensation for ruined holidays and medical expenses.


The following outbreaks of cruise ship illness were reported in 2009:
December 29th: The Boudicca, Fred Olsen Cruises


This cruise onboard the Boudicca was affected by a gastroenteritis type virus which affected 289 people. Fred Olsen tried to reassure passengers that 3-day deep clean of the vessel would take place before the next cruise to the Canary Islands which was due to depart on 6th January, 2010.


December 22nd: The Boudicca, Fred Olsen Cruises


The BBC reported that 50 passengers were taken ill with Norovirus onboard the Boudicca, during a four day mini-cruise from Portsmouth to Zeebrugge and Amsterdam which departed on December 18th.


December 18th: The Boudicca, Fred Olsen Cruises


The Portsmouth News reported that up to 300 passengers were believed to have been struck down by Norovirus and diarrhoea on the Boudicca cruise which left Portsmouth on the 6th December. Bound for Madeira, La Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lisbon, illness broke out four days into the cruise and 180 passengers and crew became sick.


November 5th: Independence of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International


Several passengers on the Independence of the Seas cruise reported outbreaks of food poisoning on board the cruise ship. One couple were struck down just two days before the end of their holiday, with severe diarrhoea, fever and headaches, and they were later confirmed to have contracted campylobacter, which is a common form of food poisoning.


October 30th: Norwegian Spirit, Norwegian Cruise Line


Nine crew members and 73 passengers were taken ill onboard the Norwegian Spirit with gastrointestinal illness during a 16-day cruise which ended on November 8th in New Orleans.


October 22nd: Noordam, Holland America Line


The Noordam sailed into Gibraltar with food poisoning onboard, and a number of tour guides and taxi drivers refused to take the passengers, after word of the gastroenteritis outbreak reached them. Nineteen crew and 159 passengers were reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on the 15 day cruise which ended on November 1st in Fort Lauderdale.


October 18th: Boudicca, Fred Olsen Cruises


According to reports, 16 passengers onboard the Boudicca were confined to their cabins after the ship was hit by an outbreak of Norovirus. A total of 57 passengers were reported ill with gastroenteritis-like symptoms and the ship´s doctor was also confined to his cabin after contracting the contagious bug. The ship was on a 21-night cruise of the Adriatic which departed Portsmouth on October 5th.


September 9th: Balmoral, Fred Olsen Cruises


Approximately 100 passengers were struck down with Norovirus onboard the Balmoral Cruise Ship. The cruise arrived in Dover a day early so it could undergo a deep clean before a 12 day cruise to the Baltic.
July 31st: Voyager of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International
It was reported that 10% of the crew onboard the Voyager of the Seas were struck down with the H1N1 Virus and 70 more crew members showed signs of the disease. Members of the crew and passengers were isolated when they came down with flu like symptoms, and one passenger was found to have swine flu. When the ship docked at Marseille, local authorities initially barred passengers from going ashore, but the majority of passengers were given permission to disembark after a doctor visited the ship.


July 23rd: Thompson Spirit, Thomson Cruises


Hundreds of passengers were struck down with Norovirus onboard the Thompson Spirit, according to newspaper reports. The vomiting bug swept through the ship in early May, and a large number of people were confined to their cabins.
July 6th: Marco Polo, Transocean Cruises


The Daily Mail reported that 380 people (340 passengers and 40 crew members) were taken ill on the Marco Polo Cruise Ship out of a total of 1,079 people onboard. Five people had to be taken to hospital and the cruise had to terminate early because of the illness. A previous outbreak on the same ship took place during a cruise to Iceland, and the ship´s master faced possible legal action as the illness outbreak was not reported.


June 16th: Diamond Princess, Princess Cruises


According to news reports, Norovirus onboard the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship caused several people to be confined to their cabins for fear of spreading the virus.


June 16th: Oriana, P&O Cruises


Passengers reported Norovirus onboard the Oriana after a previous cruise saw 50 confirmed cases. New passengers were not informed of previous outbreak before sailing on June 1st. The outbreak was still reported to be ongoing on June 15th when the ship returned to Southampton.


June 13th: Millennium, Celebrity Cruises


Several passengers reported sickness onboard the Millenium during the cruise from Seward AK to Vancouver BC and Norovirus outbreak. At least 20 passengers contracted the virus according to passenger reports.


May 31st: Oriana, P&O Cruises


Passengers reported a Norovirus outbreak on the Oriana, after the Captain confirmed the illness. Fifty cases of Norovirus were reported.
May 30th: Amsterdam, Holland America Line


The Amsterdam reported that 109 crew members and passengers had reported suffering with gastroenteritis during a 7 day cruise.


May 27th: Coral Princess, Princess Cruises


A gastrointestinal illness struck down passengers and crew onboard the Coral Princess cruise ship. Up to 128 crew members became ill.


May 20th: Sea Princess, Princess Cruises


A newspaper reported a Norovirus outbreak on a cruise ending in Montego Bay. The captain announced the Norovirus outbreak on the day the cruise was due to end, and one couple had to be moved from the ship to a hotel in Montego Bay. Ten more couples were later removed from the ship to stay at the same hotel and Princess Cruises confirmed the Norovirus outbreak.


May 6th: Island Princess, Princess Cruises


A total of 107 crew and passengers were confirmed by the Island Princess to be suffering gastrointestinal illness on the 14 day cruise ending on May 7th.
April 29th: Carnival Liberty, Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Liberty reported 215 passengers and crew were struck down with gastrointestinal illness on a 7 day cruise ending in Miami on April 25th.


April 23rd: Amsterdam, Holland America Line


The Amsterdam reported 160 passengers and crew became ill with gastroenteritis on a 22 day Panama Canal Cruise ending in Vancouver on April 24th. The cause of the illness was Cyclospora cayetanensis.


April 12th: Freedom of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International


A passenger reported that over 100 passengers were confined to their cabins onboard the Freedom of the Seas between March 29th and April 5th after an outbreak of Norovirus.


March 24th: Westerdam, Holland America Line


A passenger reported gastroenteritis and food poisoning onboard the Westerdam during a cruise between March 15th and March 22nd, 2009. The captain confirmed there were some cases of sickness among crew and passengers.


March 19th: Queen Mary 2, Cunard Line


Passengers reported an outbreak of Norovirus onboard the QM2 during a world cruise.


March 12th: Mercury, Celebrity Cruises



Gastrointestinal illness was reported on the 16 day circle cruise to Hawaii and San Diego onboard the Mercury, and 119 passengers and crew were struck down.


March 2nd: Azamara Quest, Azamara Cruises



A passenger reported that no other passengers boarded from the Hong Kong to Beijing leg of the cruise as the ship was cleaned top to bottom after an outbreak of Norovirus.


February 27th: Oosterdam, Holland America Line


Gastrointestinal illness struck down 120 passengers and crew during the cruise which ended in San Diego.


February 15th: Zaandam, Holland America Line


A passenger reported that during a cruise on the Zaandam between San Diego and Hawaii, which began on February 5th, several passengers suffered diarrhoea and vomiting, and many were isolated in their rooms. Ninety-five passengers and crew were taken ill and the cruise ended in San Diego on February 20th.


February 11th: Coral Princess, Princess Cruises


Over 270 passengers and crew were taken ill onboard the Coral Princess with gastrointestinal illness during a 10 day Caribbean/Panama cruise.


February 6th: Balmoral, Fred Olsen Cruises


Reports found that 230 people were taken ill onboard the Balmoral, during an 18 day cruse of the Canary Islands and West Africa, when an outbreak of Norovirus occurred. Fifty passengers were confined to their cabins and the vessel was refused entry to the Cape Verde Islands.


January 26th: The Sinfonia, MSC Cruises


Reports showed that 46 passengers became ill with gastroenteritis onboard the Sinfonia, which was sailing between Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires. The outbreak was reported on January 8th.


January 19th: Tahitian Princess, Princess Cruises


The Captain of the Tahitian Princess announced that there had been an outbreak of Norwalk Virus onboard the cruise ship and that a number of people had been confined to their cabins. It was reported that 86 people were taken ill with the Norwalk Virus.

January 9th: Orchestra, MSC Cruises


Passengers reported an outbreak of an influenza-type illness that affected hundreds of passengers onboard the Orchestra Cruise Ship.

January 9th: Maasdam, Holland America Line


Passengers reported an outbreak of a gastrointestinal virus on the January 2nd-9th sailing, and more than 60 passengers were said to need treatment.


January 9th: Mercury, Celebrity Cruises


Over 150 passengers were struck down with gastrointestinal illness onboard the Mercury during its 14-day Panama Canal Cruise between San Diego and Fort Lauderdale, between January 3rd and 17th.


If you have suffered illness onboard a cruise ship during the past two years, you can claim compensation for your illness, loss of enjoyment of your holiday and medical expenses. Farnworth Rose Personal Injury Solicitors are experts in travel law and we specialise in holiday accident and illness compensation claims. We work on a no win no fee basis and you keep 100% of the compensation. Contact us for a free assessment of your claim on 080001 54321 or fill in the online claim form.