"Ah yes, I remember, I had the lasagna."
Posted on 11/16/2006 5:59:03 AM PST by Sam's Army
More than 700 passengers aboard a trans-Atlantic cruise fell ill with flu-like symptoms, cruise line officials said.
The outbreak, believed to be norovirus, struck 556 guests and 154 crew aboard Carnival Cruise Line's Liberty as of Tuesday, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the cruise line. The Miami-based company said the ship is carrying 2,804 paying passengers and 1,166 crew.
The ship departed Nov. 3 from Rome and is scheduled to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday.
Officials believe the outbreak is under control because less passengers are reporting symptoms. Nobody has been removed from the ship, Carnival said.
"It appears the interventions are starting to work," said David Forney, with the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Within 24 hours of sailing, they had a lot of people sick. It has tapered off considerably over the past couple days."
Three environmental health specialists were expected to board the ship when it docked in St. Maarten on Thursday, Forney said. The specialists will oversee the cleaning operation and try to determine the cause of the outbreak.
"It's impossible for now to say what the source is," Forney said.
The ship was scheduled to set sail again Sunday, but Carnival pushed the departure day back to next Tuesday so the crew has extra time to disinfect the ship, Carnival officials said.
The Liberty, which had its maiden voyage in July 2005, is one of the world's largest cruise ships, with 13 passenger decks and space for 2,974 travelers.
Great...everytime I think about taking my first cruise one of these stories pop up......I'm doomed
What was their old pitch line? If you could see us now.....
Don't eat the spinach!!
I may be paranoid in my thinking but 2 incidents like this faises a flag. Check guest list against religeous affiliations aka Muslimes. They may be doing test runs on curise ships due to their isolation to see how how effective bioweps could be.
Hey, look at the bright side - the crew didn't abandon ship this time.
Taking a cruise sounds fun. You can get really sick or disappear or you can fall overboard. They should use this in a new ad.
You are paranoid. Novovirus isn't uncommon when you have a lot of people living in a confined space.
Ping
And all this happens to, what, some 0.0003 percent of the people who take cruises?
Don't get in your car today! I'll bet lots of people will have car accidents. Of course, you can't stay home either, think of all those home accidents.
Think I'd rather be cruising.
They couldn't. Someone ( ;-D ) drilled holes in the bottom of the lifeboats.
nobody thinks about all the people that touch those ladles in the buffet lines. Make sure you clean your hands before and after going to the buffet.
Oh, I was just kind of joking. There seems to be a new horror cruise story in the media all the time anymore.
LOL. Been on a cruise, lately? ;)
Don't forget that whole Bermuda Triangle thing...
Hey, I almost forgot that!
Nah, you're not doomed, lol.
Close quarters and buffet lines are the problem. A room with a balcony provides fresh air and just use a napkin to handle the serving utensiles at the buffet or carry one of those hand sanitizers and use it often.
Nope. Not for 10 years or so.
Yes, they seemed to max out right about the beginning of June...just before I was taking my first cruise. LOL!
Seriously though, if you observe reasonable handwashing procedures and don't get falling over drunk, a cruise can be a very good time!
I'm so very tired of the media making mountains out of molehills.
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