A short two-night domestic cruise from Southampton to Newcastle has been scrapped over lingering cases of a suspected gastro illness from a previous cruise.
Fred Olsen ship Balmoral returned to Southampton yesterday after a two-week cruise to Norway.
There were several norovirus-like cases among passengers.
The line said the ship will undergo a deep clean which it says would have caused a delay for the next departure.
Instead of operating an even shorter repositioning cruise to Newcastle, it will sail there empty so crew can spend more time disinfecting the ship.
“Sailing with no guests on board will enable this deep clean to be as effective as possible before new guests embark in Newcastle,” the cruise line said.
The ship is due to depart on Friday on another Northern Lights cruise to Norway.
The short repositioning cruise scheduled from Southampton to Newcastle made headlines as it worked out cheaper than taking a train or a flight.
