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Third time not the charm for cruise passengers
Charleston, SC, started its first year-round cruising season in a sickly way, literally: Norovirus was blamed for hundreds of passengers becoming ill with an intestinal bug for the third straight Celebrity Cruise trip from that city.
"It’s sort of infamous for sticking around," said Dr. J. Michael Kilby, a Medical University of South Carolina professor who said the virus spreads easily in a closed environment like a ship.
"A whole slew of people can be sick in 48 hours because it has a short incubation period," he said. The good news is that most people recover in a day or so.
Passengers had high praise for the crew.
“They just couldn’t have done more. They had clear plastic over all the food at the buffet line. At every doorway they had wipes or sprays,” said one passenger.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the cause of the outbreak on the latest cruise has not yet been determined, but passengers reported symptoms including diarrhea and vomiting.
The norovirus can spread quickly in closed quarters with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps.
Celebrity Cruises spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said the line was bringing 50 additional crew members to Charleston to help clean and a local company will steam the carpets in all staterooms and public areas.
Celebrity Cruises is owned by Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
By David Wilkening
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