Hundreds of Royal Caribbean cruise holidaymakers struck down with stomach bug – with FOUR-HOUR queues to see doctor
Over 300 passengers on the Independence of the Seas contracted Norovirus with some claiming the ship ran out of medical supplies.
A STOMACH bug has struck down over 300 passengers on board a Royal Caribbean cruise liner sailing in the Atlantic.
The Independence of the Seas set sail from Florida, USA, on Monday bound for Haiti and Jamaica with more than 5,500 people aboard.
The company said 332 guests had caught Norovirus during the voyage with reports of four-hour long queues to see the doctor.
The ship had departed from Port Everglades on a five-night journey.
Have you been struck down by the stomach bug on board the Independence of the Seas? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368.
A spokesman for Royal Caribbean said they had deployed sanitation experts who would bring in "enhanced sanitary procedures" that would "minimize the risk of a recurrence".
Cleaners could be seen wearing masks a
nd protective clothing as they cleaned out cabins.
The company had initially said 220 people were ill but passengers claimed the actual figure was higher as not all those affected sought medical help.
Tracy Flores, one of the passengers, said her son was struck down by the stomach bng.
"It was just terrifying - just the amount of people that were coming in at the same time with vomiting and diarrhea and just looked ghastly." she said.
People being treated by the ship's doctor also claimed that the ship's medical bay was ill-equipped to deal with such an outbreak.
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Passenger Marsha Homuska said: "We went down to the medical facility and waited over an hour for help.
"They started running out of water and basic supplies."
The company said the ship would "undergo special additional cleaning procedures before it departs on its next cruise".
Company spokesperson Owen Torres said: "We encouraged our guests and crew to wash their hands often, which health experts recommend as the best defense against stomach viruses, which each year affect as many as 300 million people worldwide."
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