Virus outbreak on the Crown Princess. Sick passengers complaining

[Host Mike]

"Aboard Crown Princess, a total of 140 passengers (4.51% of 3,103) and 18 crew (1.54% of 1,168) have been affected by the illness.

The cruise line sent an “emergency notification” to passengers who are set to embark on those ships this weekend. saying their departure would be delayed by a Norovirus attack.

“It will be necessary for the ship to undergo a prolonged and additional disinfection in Port Everglades on Sunday,” the line said in it’s message to passengers, a copy of which was supplied to cbsmiami.com.

The line, which is owned by Doral-based Carnival Cruise Lines, said it would delay boarding passengers, and move the embarkation process from the port to the nearby Broward Convention Center."

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2012/02/03/two-south-florida-bound-princess-ships-hit-by-norovirus/

[Host Mike]

"Nearly 150 people were infected with the norovirus, a gastrointestinal illness.

Many of those passengers were upset with how they were treated after getting sick.

"It's unfortunate that people get sick, but they need to get their act together as far as management and treat people with dignity after they spent all this money," said Barbara Galoo.

"For a ship this size and the money, we pay thousands for a vacation of a lifetime, to be treated so insensitively, I feel they didn't have a heart," said another passenger.

Other passengers told Local 10 there really wasn't anything else the crew could do.

Those who are ill were isolated in their cabins until they are no longer contagious, and ship officials encouraged passengers to use the bathrooms in their cabins, rather than public facilities."

http://www.local10.com/news/Passengers-become-sick-on-2-Princess-cruise-ships/-/1717324/8595618/-/15hew72/-/index.html

[Host Mike]

"It's been a nightmare. We lost two full days of our cruise. We spend thousand and thousands of dollars for the cruise to have to spend it in our room (sick)," Palumbo said.

Another passenger, Karen True, said she believes she got sick after eating a fish dish with mayonaisse and cream cheese.

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Second-Cruise-Ship-Suffers-Norovirus-Oubreak-138705084.html

[Host Mike]

According to a statement from the cruise line, 364 of 3,103 passengers and 30 of 1,168 crew on the Crown Princess have fallen ill, and 81 of Ruby Princess' 3,133 passengers and nine of its 1,186 crewmembers have been affected.

http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/04/10318599-hundreds-of-cruise-passengers-hit-with-stomach-illness

[Fllady]

People have to realize trying to take care of that many people with Noro, is a very big job.  I had gotten it on QM2, and was quarantined in my room.  They came in twice a day to clean, and I had room service and someone was always checking on me to make sure I was comfortable.  Although being confined, is not that much fun, but its to keep it from spreading.  What if you got sick before the cruise and couldn't go, that is what insurance is for.  We always get the insurance, plus the umbrella coverage to cover "everything".  Like these people said its a cruise of a life time.  My TA told us to put in a claim for trip interruption, and was paid in full for  the three days I was confined.  And another thing, I wouldn't want to be that far away from a bathroom, this Noro can strike at any time and gives little to no warning when a attack is going to happen.  Just my opinion, but I can speak form experience.