Caribbean Princess cruise ship turned back to US after more than 300 catch bug causing vomiting & diarrhea
A CRUISE ship was forced to turn back to the U.S. after more than 300 passengers and crew on board caught a nasty stomach bug causing vomiting and diarrhea.
The Princess Cruises' Caribbean Princess Ship left the U.S. on Feb 2 — and after more than a week at sea, was forced to turn back to the U.S. early when it was denied entry to the .
The cruise's early return comes after it was denied entry to Trinidad and Tobago by the Government of Barbados due to the on board, according to a statement from the .
Princess Cruises said in a statement to The Sun that the ship, which was on a 14-day cruise in the Caribbean, is now on its way back to the Port of Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.
The Caribbean Princess ship is scheduled to dock at 7 a.m. on Thursday, three days ahead of its previous Feb. 16 return.
A total of 299 passengers and 22 crew members of the 4,196 people on board got sick with a gastrointestinal bug, causing vomiting and diarrhea.
Princess Cruises said the cruise has “curtailed its voyage out of an abundance of caution due to guests reporting symptoms due to a mild gastrointestinal illness,” in a statement to The Sun.
The ship will undergo a “super sanitation cleaning” when it reaches the port, according to a statement from the .
It is unknown what exactly caused the stomach bug on board the ship, but stool specimens from sick passengers and crew are being collected for testing, the CDC said.
“Those individuals are being treated by the onboard medical team, and there are no cases of coronavirus identified among guests or crew,” Princess Cruises said in a statement.
Guests on board will receive a 50 percent refund on their cruise, plus 50 percent off a future cruise, Princess Cruises.
The ship will resume its next trip on-schedule, and depart from Port Everglades for another trip to the Caribbean.
The stomach bug comes amid a quarantine of 3,600 passengers and crew on board a cruise ship off the coast of Japan in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak on board.
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A total of 136 passengers, including 24 Americans, have been infected with the virus on board the Diamond Princess.
Passengers are stuck on board the ship as it sits in the Yokohama harbour until at least Feb. 19, as part of a 14-day quarantine protocol.
It’s believed the outbreak stemmed from one passenger who left the boar in Hong Kong.
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