Two cruises return to S. Florida with at least 200 sickened, possibly by norovirus

By Robert Nolin
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted December 11 2006

For the third time in two months Sunday, luxury cruise ships sailed into South Florida ports
bearing sick passengers.

More than 100 passengers and crew arrived in Port Everglades on Princess Cruise's Sun Princess
showing symptoms of norovirus, a gastrointestinal illness that resembles stomach flu. And 99
passengers and 11 crew members came down with the virus on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the
Seas -- for the second time in a week, said officials with the Miami-based cruise line and
federal regulators.

Freedom of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, was held over at the Port of Miami for
additional cleaning under the direction of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two
additional doctors and 45 more cleaning staff will board the ship for its next Caribbean
voyage, now scheduled to begin Tuesday.

The CDC issued a no-sail recommendation for Freedom of the Seas, spokesman Curtis Allen said
Sunday night. "It's fairly rare that we issue a no-sail recommendation," he said. "It's been
several years."

On Dec. 3, the same cruise ship returned to Miami with nearly 400 people ailing from the same
symptoms after a seven-day cruise.

On the Sun Princess, the latest outbreak struck 97 of 2,013 passengers as well as six crew
members after the vessel returned from a 10-day Caribbean cruise. Spokeswoman Julie Benson of
the Santa Clarita, Calif.-based cruise line said those stricken were complaining of stomach
illnesses such as diarrhea, cramps and vomiting.

Although not yet confirmed, the illness is expected to be norovirus, Benson said. The highly
contagious condition quickly spreads aboard ships through human contact, contaminated food or
liquid, or by touching an infected surface and transferring the virus to the mouth.

The Sun Princess underwent extensive cleaning Sunday, Benson said. The ship departed at 5:30
p.m. Sunday, port officials said.

Benson calculated the stricken passengers at almost 5 percent of the ship's total roster. "This
was not a serious one," she said.

On Nov. 19, Carnival Cruise Line's Liberty pulled into Port Everglades after a 16-day cruise in
which 534 of 2,804 passengers complained of an intestinal virus. Of the 1,186-member crew, 142
were treated for the sickness.

Staff researcher Barbara Hijek and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Robert Nolin can be reached at rnolin@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4525.