The Vision of the Seas had to turn back from its 11-day cruise after passengers basically started puking all over the place.
The Royal Caribbean ship docked at Port Everglades on Friday morning after a number of passengers as well as crew members showed symptoms of what the company is calling a spread of norovirus (i.e., The Runs).
Norovirus is basically a short-lived gastrointestinal illness that is usually transmitted person to person, through the air, and, most notably, when food or water is fecally contaminated.
So when the passengers say cruise food is shit, they're speaking quite literally.
Royal Caribbean said in a statement that of the 1,991 passengers on the Vision of the Seas, only 105 of them reported being ill. Of 772 crew members, only three were reported sick.
Those affected were given over-the-counter meds and are said to be fine.
Officials also say they did an extensive cleaning and sanitation on the ship as well as the cruise terminal since it arrived at Port Everglades.
This might put a bit of a dent on the company's new tipping guidelines, though.
Royal Caribbean released the following statement regarding the issue:
"Vision of the Seas experienced an elevated number of persons with a gastrointestinal illness on its last sailing. Over the course of that sailing, 105 of 1,991 guests and 3 of 772 crew members experienced the illness, thought to be norovirus. Those affected by the short-lived illness have responded well to over-the-counter medication being administered onboard the ship.At Royal Caribbean International we have high health standards for all our guests and crew. During the sailing, we conduct enhanced cleaning onboard the ship, to help prevent the spread of the illness. Additionally, when Vision of the Seas arrived to Port Everglades, Florida, today, we conducted an extensive and thorough sanitizing onboard the ship and within the cruise terminal, to help prevent any illness from affecting the subsequent sailing.
Also, all guests received a letter at boarding that asks if they have experienced any gastrointestinal symptoms within the last three days. Similarly, if guests are uncomfortable taking their cruise, for reasons related to personal health or otherwise, our staff assisted them in rescheduling their sailing for another time.
According to health experts, each year as many as 300 million people worldwide are affected by Norovirus. Only the common cold is more prevalent.
Vision of the Seas is sailing a 10-night Caribbean itinerary that includes port calls to Tortola, British Virgin Islands; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Fort de France, Martinique; St. John's, Antigua; and Basseterre, St. Kitts."
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