Login | Register | Subscribe to the GG RSS Feed

Cruise Ship or Floating Petri Dish?

1
2
3
4
5
GG Staff | 02/26/2008 - 10:16 | 3 comments

Mexican cruise succumbs to Norovirus

Six days into a cruise from San Diego to Mexico's Pacific Coast, more than 100 passengers on Holland America's Ryndam fell sick to the highly contagious norovirus. And we're not talking about the flu.

Norovirus causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and lasts 24-48 hours. Enough of a description to give you a mental image of what being on that ship must have been like?

Cruise Ship or Germ Trap?Cruise Ship or Germ Trap?As the virus gained momentum, passengers were asked to stay in their cabins and were compensated $100 a day for their troubles. The ship, which was carrying 1,226 passengers and 556 crew members visited several ports in Mexico's Sea of Cortez after leaving San Diego Feb. 15.

We're assuming passengers were invited to disembark and enjoy the ports, spend their money, spread their germs...

Norovirus on cruise ships isn't new, but this is the 4th suspected outbreak on the Ryndam since last year. After a thorough cleaning and disinfection, the Ryndam left San Diego again late yesterday for another 10-day cruise on Mexico's Pacific coast.

Holland America offered a refund to all 1,340 passengers if they were nervous about boarding a ship that was so recently infected.

Only one smart couple took their money and ran.

Would you board a ship that just experienced an outbreak of norovirus?

Related Stories

Airline Food’s Scary Side Effects
Antigua Beach Escape
Caribbean Island Vacations - Pretrip Planning
Orient Beach - St. Martin/St. Maarten
6 Reasons to Visit St. Lucia with Your Girlfriends
Waiting for Adventure to Find You?

Rate This Post

Average: 2 (1 vote)

Bookmark This Post

  • Delicious
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Magnoliacom
  • Newsvine
  • Furl
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Yahoo
  • Technorati

Comments

I caught the norovirus on a

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 02/29/2008 - 00:56.
I caught the norovirus on a ship that had been 'disinfected' in Miami last year. I don't recall ever being so sick. It was awful. So, no I would NEVER get on a ship that had a recent history of norovirus. It appears to be a very difficult virus to get rid of and I bet it is still lurking on the Ryndam.

Having worked in the food

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/26/2008 - 16:04.
Having worked in the food industry for many years.. trust me you are more likely to get sick at your favorite restaurant then on a cruise ship.. the difference being.. you all live/eat toghether for 7+days.. you eat in a restaurant and all go home and suffer by yourselves..

This is the stomach flu and

Submitted by thisworldtraveler (not verified) on Tue, 02/26/2008 - 15:18.
This is the stomach flu and it happens everywhere. You stand an equal chance of getting it at the restaurant or hotel of your choice. The only difference is that the people who get sick from it aren't all in the same place at the same time when they get sick.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Copy the characters (respecting upper/lower case) from the image.
Register

Membership is free and with it you can set up a profile, vote on stories and post your opinions.

Already a member?
Login
Not a member? Join!
Register

Most Recent Comments

  • On Flying the Online Skies for the Best Travel Advice, Hotel Santa Barbara said "Thanks for giving us such great information constantly. It is awesome to have such a great travel resource like you!"

  • On Surviving a Hurricane While Traveling, HSB said "I am a little concerned about this situation, as we are traveling to Florida in October and boarding a cruise to the Bahamas. I'll be bookmarking this page!"

  • On Surviving a Hurricane While Traveling, Julia Rosien said "Thanks for visiting Lisa and for such great advice! Hope that Earl doesn't linger and cause any trouble. Good luck! Julia"

  • On Surviving a Hurricane While Traveling, Lisa S. said "Growing up in good ole NC, I have survived my share of storms. Actually, where I sit currently (on a barrier island) has been under water many times. Staying on an island is scary. We leave if it is over a CAT 1. The most important thing for us is to fill our gas tanks at the first inkling that there may be a storm. Water, medicines, non perishable food, they're all really important. Honestly, if it is a big storm, alcohol later serves as pay for work. We stock up on EVERYTHING. We start eating out of the freezer days before (like we did tonight, getting ready for Earl). You don't want much to go bad. Then we tie up all the trash cans, secure grills, and hold on for dear life :)"

  • On American Tourist Kidnappings on the Rise in Mexico, Roger said "Better not to drive if you can travel by bus. Buses are not apt to be targets like cars with US plates that also can be stolen. The buses in Mexico are very comfortable like flying in a plane they often have movies and it is safer.Plan your trip and don't travel alone especially if you are female.Women traveling alone are a target Good luck and stay alert."