Passengers on board two different Florida-bound cruise ships have been hit by a fast spreading norovirus, The Miami Herald reports.
The gastrointestinal sickness struck two Princess Cruise Lines ships, the Ruby Princess and the Crown Princess, both en route to Fort Lauderdale.
Ahead of the liners next departures this weekend, the cruise companies sent out an “emergency notification” to passengers notifying them that their trip will be delayed due to 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 its message to passengers, The Miami Herald reports.
Aboard Crown Princess, a total of 140 passengers and 18 crew have been affected by the illness. A total of 81 passengers and nine crew have been affected by the illness aboard Ruby Princess, according to Karen Candy, manager of media relations for Princess, in an e-mailed statement Friday afternoon, The Miami Herald reports.
“The ship continues to undergo the highest level of sanitation to stop the spread of illness, and a comprehensive disinfection of the ship’s public areas and all passenger cabins will occur during turnaround this Sunday using additional cleaning crew who will be brought aboard. As a result, passenger embarkation will be delayed until 2 p.m.”
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