Ally

M/s Funchal and M/s Black Prince have reported a percentage of their passengers are experiencing symptoms of gastro illness this week. Both ships will be totally cleansed once back in homeport and are undergoing en-route cleansing currently. Oassengers affected are being kept to their cabins as a precaution.

Ally

Celebrity Mercury has returned to port with another case of Norovirus reported onboard.

Ally

Pacific Sun sails on schedule
9/6/2006
Despite returning to Sydney this morning with 15 passengers still ill from an outbreak of norovirus, Pacific Sun sailed tonight as scheduled on a 12-night cruise to Vanuatu and New Caledonia.

A spokeswoman for P&O Cruises Australia said press and television reports about the gastrointestinal illness on board did not affect this evening’s departure. She said there were no cancellations and the ship left with 1,800 passengers.

‘All the cabins were occupied and there was, in fact, a wait-list,’ she said.

Ally

10th June 2006

A cruise liner carrying more than 100 passengers suffering from a winter vomiting bug has arrived back in dock at Leith.

The Black Prince set out last weekend on a seven-night cruise of the Norwegian fjords.

However, 126 cases of the Norovirus were confirmed on the Fred Olsen cruise liner.

Its next sailing will be delayed until Sunday so that the liner can be thoroughly disinfected.

'Person-to-person'

The virus causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea and usually affects sufferers for between 24 and 48 hours.

In a statement on Friday the cruise line firm said: "We can confirm there have been 126 cases of a Noro-type virus on the Black Prince.

"The company routinely carries out extensive cleansing programmes every day and immediately the first cases were reported it put into place an even more rigorous hygiene regime.

"The virus is highly contagious and is spread by person-to-person contact, and from fixtures such as furniture or handrails if recently touched by an infected person."

The company said passengers who were infected were confined to their cabins.

There have been a number of outbreaks of infection on cruise ships recently, including 63 cases on the MV Funchal, which set out from Dundee for a tour of Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands last week.

(BBC)

Ally

This statement from a passenger, and fan of Olsen, is quite an eye opener in regards to how seriously they consider hygene on board their ships...

"My wife and I are big fans of Fred Olsen cruises, having been on the Black Prince five times. Our last cruise was on 20 May, 2006 when a number of passengers were struck down by a similar virus, they were confined to their cabins for 48 hours which were then disinfected. It has always been my opinion, however, that the company take the whole issue of hygiene and passenger well being very seriously, as previous posters have stated as you board the ship or enter the restaurant you are given a hand cleansing rub. On a cruise last year a friend of mine who is a poor traveller was sick on the coach en-route between airport and cruise ship (Fred Olsen's Braemar). On arrival at the ship she was taken immediately to the ship's medical section where she had to undergo an examination before being allowed to have her holiday, that is how seriously they take their responsibilities.
John Hynds, Ayr" (BBC)

Elizanessie

There does seem to be an awful lot of this around this year.

Recently it was reported to have even affected folks on the Calmac Ferries up here in the North of Scotland/Islands.

Also, passengers on the 9th June sailing of the Van Gogh were offered refunds etc when it was discovered it was still affected by the recent virus outbreak which happened couple of weeks ago.