Events by P&O

Source: Cruise Junkie dot Com

Events at Sea by P&O Cruises

The events listed have been reported in the public domain or to cruisejunkie by passengers or crew members onboard. The list is by no means comprehensive. For that reason it is necessary to be cautious in drawing conclusions from the potentially limited data. Keep in mind that some companies may be more transparent than others about things that go wrong; conversely, some companies may be better at concealing events and thereby project an appearance that is inaccurate. With that said, the following list is still interesting, as are the patterns seen viewed separately by ship.

Date	Ship	2012	Incident
January 7	Adonia	BBC reports workers at a Cornish shipyard have been given four days to complete emergency repairs on the ship. The Southampton-based Adonia is due to arrive at Falmouth Docks over the weekend but needs to sail next Friday on a an 87-night world cruise on 13 January. One of the directors for A&P Falmouth, Peter Childs, said it would be a 24-hour-a-day job to complete the work. Though the ship is the newest in the P&O fleet, it was built in 2001 as Renaissance Cruises' R8. After Renaissance ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy in late 2001, the vessel was seized by creditors and laid up in Marseille, France. In 2003, the vessel re-entered operation, this time as the sole cruise ship in Swan Hellenic's fleet. The vessel was named Minerva II. On 7 April 2007, the Minerva II completed her final voyage with Swan Hellenic and was transferred by the parent company, Carnival Corporation & plc, to Princess Cruises. She was renamed Royal Princess and entered into service for Princess in April 2007. On 18 June 2009, fire broke out in her engine room, disabling the ship, while on a 12-day Holy Land voyage and just left Port Said, Egypt. She waited to dock in Port Said for an assessment of the damage. On 9 December 2009, it was announced that Royal Princess was to transfer to the P&O Cruises fleet. The ship entered service with the company on 21 May 2011, and was renamed Adonia.	Emergency repairs
Date	Ship	2011	Incident
October 28	Ventura	USA Today reports several UK news outlets today are reporting on a dramatic rescue of a man who plunged off a cruise ship in the Atlantic. The London Evening Standard says passengers on the ship were roused out of sleep before sunrise this morning by emergency horns and the launch of lifeboats as crew members searched for the unnamed person, who was pulled out of the ocean alive. The news outlet says the man was spotted by passengers. "It has all been very dramatic," one passenger on the ship told the Evening Standard. "It was pitch black. This guy is so, so lucky." There's no word on how the man went overboard or whether he was a passenger or a member of the ship's crew. The ship is on a 15-night voyage to the Caribbean out of Southampton, England. See also the Daily Echo.	Person overboard / rescued
September 30	Aurora	The Portland Press Herald reports the cruise ship arrived in Portland (UK) at 9 a.m. Thursday and planned to leave at 6 p.m. that same day. But "electrical problems" stopped it from departing, according to passengers and city officials. The ship had planned to leave at 5 p.m. Friday, however it wasn't until 8:45PM before the ship was cleared to sail. The Harbormaster confirmed electrical issues caused the delay, but said he didn't have further details about the problem. Aurora officials didn't immediately respond to a message for comment.	Electrical problems - Delayed departure
June 7	Arcadia	The Telegraph reports a group of 2,000 elderly British cruise ship passengers docked at Los Angeles for a short stop-off during a five-star cruise around America it was, in the words of one of them, more like arriving at Guantanamo Bay. During their £10,000, two-and-a-half month “Alaska Adventure” tour from the Arctic to the Caribbean, the passengers on the luxury P&O liner Arcadia had become more than accustomed to passing US immigration with little formality. By the time they docked at Los Angeles on May 26, for a one-day visit it was their 10th stop on US soil. But when a handful of them questioned whether the lengthy security checks at the port were strictly necessary for a group of largely elderly travellers officials were not amused. Although they had already been given advance clearance for multiple entries to the country during their trip, all 2,000 passengers were made to go through full security checks in a process which took seven hours to complete. The fingerprints of both hands were taken as well as retina scans and a detailed check of the passport as well as questioning as to their background. Passengers claim that the extra checks were carried out in “revenge” for what had been a minor spat over allegedly overzealous security. They complain that they were “herded like animals” and made to stand for hours in temperatures up to 80F with no food or water or access to lavatories. Some are said to have passed out in the heat while others were left confused and bewildered. When one lady asked in desperation whether she could use a bathroom, one immigration official is said to have replied: “Do it over the side, we won’t mind.” To compound the situation, the officials' computer broke down and further delays resulted. The immigration delays forced P&O to extend the stay in LA by a day forcing it to cancel a later stop-off at Roatan, Honduras.	Customs and immigration nightmare
June 2	Oriana	Media in Norway reports the ship has a sizeable dent in the stern after bashing into a solid stone quay at her last port of call, Kristiansand in Norway The vessel was leaving harbour at about 5.30 on Wednesday evening when the incident happened. A water pipe and an optical cable on the quay were damaged and the ship's stern was stoved in (see pics with news article). The ship proceeded on its voyage to Southampton after it was inspected and cleared.	Collision with pier
dd/mm/yy	Ship	2010	Incident
30.12.10	Aurora	Associated Press reports police in St. Maarten say cruise ship crew member from India has been shot in an attempted robbery. His wounds are not life threatening. The attack occurred on Wednesday near two brothels in the former Dutch Caribbean colony. The man told reporters at the hospital that he was walking from one brothel to another to look for a friend when an armed man approached him and demanded his money. He said he told the robber to take his money when the man suddenly shot him and fled with nothing. A search is on for the suspect.	Crew shot ashore
21.9.10	Arcadia	BBC reports a coroners inquest heard that A 22-year-old junior waiter working on board the cruise hanged himself after being caught stealing tips from a restaurant. Sumith Gawas, from Collem, Goa, in India, killed himself in his cabin on the P&O Cruise ship Arcadia while it was docked in Southampton. Mr Gawas was caught emptying the tips box by his colleagues in a self-service restaurant on 16 July this year. Deputy Southampton Coroner Gordon Denson recorded a verdict of suicide. The coroner said the shame of the theft had clearly led to him taking his life.	Crew member suicide
24.8.10	Artemis	The Western Telegraph reports the ship, which was scheduled to visit Milford Haven (Wales) tomorrow will be unable to make the call due to weather conditions. It was to be the first P&O cruise liner to visit the port and the first time the company had docked in any Welsh Port.	Skipped port call
7.8.10	Oriana	From a passenger: On 5 August the ship was delayed 4 hours sailing away from Dubrovnik as the computers operating the steering system crashed. This resulted in a mid day rather than early morning arrival in Venice. On 7th August there was a small fire aboard one of the tender ships carrying passengers to and from Split. No report of damage or casualties.	Delayed departure/ arrival
8.5.10	Artemis	The Daily Mail reports passengers on a Mediterranean cruise are 'in revolt' after engine problems caused them to miss out on several stops of their voyage. The itinerary originally included ten ports in six countries, featuring Barcelona, Cannes, Rome, Naples, Athens, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Majorca, Valencia, and Gibraltar during a 20-night journey. But technical difficulties forced the ship to abandon the original itinerary and instead call at Rome, Cannes, Barcelona and Palma, Majorca. Passengers have been left furious by the unscheduled changes to the itinerary and have now set up a committee to represent the 1,200 passengers in urgent talks over the disruption of the holiday cruise. One passenger said: 'People are extremely angry and it is not stretching the point too far to say they are in revolt over the way this cruise has been handled. 'Before we left Southampton we received a letter from P&O Cruises advising us we would be missing out Valencia and each passenger would receive £150 to spend on board during the voyage. 'Then, while we were at sea, the bombshell was dropped that due to continuing problems with the ship's fourth engine we would now not be calling at Naples or Gibraltar. 'Some people have paid £2,000 each for this cruise, others made arrangements to meet friends at ports we are not now visiting, and the advertised itinerary has been drastically changed. 'According to a letter we received in our cabins from the captain we will each be receiving a refund of £200 when we are back home.' The P&O Cruises' spokesman said the company has now doubled each passenger's on-board credit from £150 to £300. In a brief statement the company said: 'Due to a technical issue Artemis is operating at reduced speed therefore it has been necessary to make changes to the current itinerary. The ship returns to Southampton on May 16. See April 7 below for a similar incident.	Engine problems - missed ports
10.4.10	Aurora & Arcadia	The Daily Mail reports passengers on both ships have been told to keep their cabin lights off and not venture out onto the promenade deck between the hours of 6.30pm and 7am while sailing through the Gulf of Aden. Despite the blackout, they were permitted to leave their cabins. The policy comes in the wake of increased concern about threat from Somali pirates in the area.	Lights out
7.4.10	Artemis	A poster at Cruises.co.uk writes, We have just returned from a Caribbean cruise on Saturday which had to leave out St Barts Island, but gave us £150 spending extra spending money each due to an engine problem. The ship needed the time in getting back to Southamton. Good cruise - old but very good ship and a good size with 1200 guests and easy to meet people.	Engine problems - missed port
dd/mm/yy	Ship	2010	Incident
18.9.09	Aurora	From a passenger: Aurora suffered a loose starboard anchor during Atlantic crossing, night of Sept 3rd/4th, requiring ship to stop and haul it back up into its housing and securing. On the same cruise, while leaving New York berth, Sept. 8th, no. 2 bow thruster burned out, causing loss of power with tugs required to return ship to berth. Failed thruster was isolated by ships staff (1 of 3). Lloyds assessor inspected and allowed ship to continue to Newport RI, 5 hours late. During homeward voyage the final port of St John's was missed due to high winds in the area south of Newfoundland. Aurora encountered force 12 winds for a time. Note: 4 of 17 planned port calls to St. John's, Newfoundland have been cancelled this year, ostensibly because of weather conditions (Eurodam August 22, Auror September 18, Crown Princess September 20, Norwegian Jewel September 26).	Mechanical problems - missed port
28.3.09	Aurora	The Daily Telegraph reports passengers have staged a revolt after visiting only two ports in 22 days. This is in the aftermath of problems reports below on March 3. A protest group – dubbed the Aurora Committee – is now threatening legal action to compensate for the cruise, which some passengers had saved for 20 years to afford.	Passenger revolt
3.3.09	Aurora	From a passenger: We broke down - 4 hours after leaving Sydney the Captain announced there was a major problem with the port propulsion system (the Port Shaft Thrust Bearing that has gone). We can only do 13/14 knots and will miss Wellington and Napier, instead heading straight for Auckland. Instead of 2 days it will take 4 to get there. Experts are flying to Auckland as the repairs cannot be done at sea. There's a general downturn in the atmosphere... big difference in comparison to yesterday leaving Sydney after having 2 amazing weeks in Australia. Some staff on board are already aware that we are staying in port for at least 2 days. Possibly longer. No need for a dry dock or anything as the bearing can be replaced internally.	Propulsion problems -- Delayed
15.1.09	Oceania	Holiday Insiders reports police are investigating how a male passenger died during a planned scuba diving trip during the ship's stop in Tortola. The company said “Onboard sales of that particular excursion have been suspended pending an investigation. The dive was for PADI certified and experienced divers only and was operated in full cooperation with PADI best practice and procedures.	Death on shore excursion
11.1.09	Ventura	The Sunday Times (London) reports on a holiday cruise, ending in Barbados, that has been described by some as a cruise from hell. The article states: "Cruising etiquette went overboard with the new breed of cut-price passengers, who tried to reserve sun beds all day by draping towels over them and allegedly sent their underage children to the ship’s 12 bars to stock up on alcohol. A brawl between two families from Manchester apparently broke out over who was drinking the better champagne. Children threw food at stewards and abused the ship’s officers when asked to stop. Even the captain was booed when he tried to count down to midnight on New Year’s Eve. And bad weather meant the ship missed three of the six islands on its itinerary. Instead, it made an unscheduled stop at St. Vincent to put ashore two youths (and their guardian) who were behaving badly.	Cruise from hell
4.1.09	Arcadia	Cruising Talk reports that the ship dad an extended stay in Barcelona due to a mechanical problem during the current cruise. One report said it was the pods and another her stand-by generator. Her call at Vigo was cancelled and passengers have received £100.00 in compensation. She is due to arrive in Southampton about 06.00 hrs on the 5th January 2009 and expected to sail for Palma at 17.00 hrs. UPDATE: The ship arrived in Southampton early, however its departure was delayed. This Is Hampshire reports that a problem had developed with the vessel's emergency electrical back-up system forcing the ship to stay in port. The spare parts are being flown to Southampton from Italy. P&O Cruises says, "The situation is still being assessed but it is hoped that the ship will leave later today."	Engine problems
dd/mm/yy	Ship	2008	Incident
19.10.08	Arcadia	BBC reports that seven people were arrested in an early morning drug raid on board the P&O cruise liner Arcadia in Southampton. Four of those arrested had a total of approximately 30 kilos of cocaine strapped to their bodies. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigators and UK Border Agency officers seized the drugs, which have an estimated street value of £1.2m. The seven - from Birmingham and Manchester - are in custody and investigations are ongoing. None of those held is a crew member, a statement issued by HMRC said.	Drug bust
21.9.08	Ventura	From a passenger: Captain announced that due to forecast force 4 to 5 winds tomorrow, the berth assigned at Livorno will not be safe for the ship to dock. Alternative arrangements have been made for anchorage at La Spezia, 40 miles further north. Tours will be rescheduled or cancelled.	Itinerary change
8.8.08	Acadia	It has been reported that the ships is currently running slow due to a propulsion unit failure. The cruises that are affected are J817, J818, J820, J821 and J822Y. Passengers booked on these cruises are being notified of all itinerary changes that are necessary. Repairs will be undertaken during her scheduled drydock refit in November 2008.	Propulsion problems
7.7.08	Aurora	From a passenger: The captain has just announced that due to problems with one of the propulsion units the ship will be 12 hours late arriving at Reykjavik. The port call at the next Icelandic, Akureyri has been cancelled and pax will be given further info regarding future ports after the unit has been inspected by experts who are being flown to Iceland to try and sort out the problem. The ship is at present sailing out from Nuuk in Greenland at around 16 knots and expects to be in Reykjavik by 8pm Thursday. UPDATE July 12: The problem has been solved by the experts flown out to us. We are now running on both engines.We will be missing our stop at Alesund (Norway) but due to popular demand Akureyri has been reinstated. As a goodwill gesture P & O has given a £100 per person credit to cabin accounts.	Propulsion problems
7.7.08	Arcadia	It has been reported that the ship is experiencing engine problems and running slower than normal. Port arrival times have been altered but no ports have been dropped.	Engine problems
27.5.08	Ventura	The 3,000-passenger ship was turned away from La Rochelle after striking port authority employees blockaded the road in and out of the port. A scheduled call in Brest May 28 was also disrupted by shipyard workers who formed picket lines and burned tyres and wooden palettes on all routes out of the port and into town.	Canceled port call
11.3.08	Artemis	The ship left Southampton for the Caribbean on March 10 but was forced to detour to Falmouth for repairs after suffering damage to the anchor stowage area on the bow in stormy weather. The damage does not affect safety but repairs were needed before the ship headed across the Atlantic. The ship should be ready to leave Falmouth March 12.	Storm damage
28.1.08	Oceana	A passenger was gunned down after docking on Venezuela’s paradise island of Margarita aboard the ship. According to The Sun, the 53 year old man was buying a cold drink as his wife popped into a shop when the mugger thrust a pistol in his chest and demanded his cherished £10,000 Rolex watch. He ignored him, turned away – and was shot. As he collapsed with blood pouring from his wound, the gunman fired two more bullets which narrowly missed him. The attacker then pistol-whipped him around the head before grabbing the 18-carat gold watch. Amazingly, the bullet had missed the man’s heart by millimetres and passed straight through his body with only minor damage. He returned to the ship after a hospital visit and continued on the cruise (although he refused to leave the ship the remainder of the 14 day cruise).	Passenger shot on shore
4.1.08	Oriana	A passenger writes that after departing Madeira for Southampton on the homeward journey the ship experienced a force 10 storm wich lasted for at least 12 hours. It was difficult to remain in bed during the night due to the pitching and rolling. On comparing notes with other passengers in the morning (walking wounded) many experienced cuts and bruises - but the main thing that emerged was how terriyfying the whole experience had been and people were amazed how a ship the size of the Oriana had been so badly buffetted. Bizzarely, when we received the 'captain's log' of the journey on the final day of the cruise there was absolutely no mention of the force 10, nor about the fact that we had a loss of all electrics (no engines, toilets, lifts, etc) for about an hour mid Atlantic when we just drifted, on the outward journey. The ship was on a 21 day cruise from/to London which crossed the Atlantic to BVI and returned from Barbados via Madeira.	Extremely high seas
dd/mm/yy	Ship	2007	Incident
13.11.07	Artemis	A passenger on board the ship contacted the BBC to say the vessel was not allowed to land passengers in Tripoli on Tuesday morning for a planned day trip. A P&O spokeswoman said the vessel was heading to its next destination, Malta, earlier than scheduled. Cruise passengers and others have been denied entry into the country since November 11, even if they have valid visas.	Cancelled port call
12.11.07	Aurora	A British newspaper reports that a 30 year old Indian waiter has been jailed for sexual assault of a 14 year old girl on a Mediterranean cruise. The court heard how the waiter, who befriended the girl while serving her family's table in the dining room, had persuaded the girl to follow him while she was waiting for a friend outside the restaurant one evening. He led her around the ship to a toilet cubicle, locked the door and sexually assaulted her. He was sentenced to 15 months.	Child sexual assault
30.9.07	Oceana	A 67 year old woman died after going missing overboard on a 2 night cruise from Southampton to Zeebrugge return. Her husband reports that she was last seen at 5:45 AM; police were notified at 7AM. The ship was approaching Southampton when she went missing -- he body was recovered at Thrne Channel in the Solent near Cowes (Isle of Wight).	Person overboard -- Body recovered
13.8.07	Oriana	Whilst in Corfu the ship's crew carried out an exercise that involved lowering a ships tender with 5 crew members onboard. When winching the tender back up, the lifting eye broke and the tender swung down breaking the other eye and plunged into the water. One crew member was rushed to hospital with severe crush injuries (spleen etc.) and 3 others were treated in the ship's medical centre. Efforts to lift the striken tender back on to the bow of the Oriana failed so it was in Corfu.	Crew accident
7.5.07	Oceana	Controversy is brewing in the UK over the ship's rescue on May 3 of even Algerians from a small boat off the Balearic Islands. Despite the rescue, one man died; six suvivors were landed at Southampton where the ship ended its cruise, though it had an intermediate stop at Gibraltar. The British Home Office said people rescued at sea should be disembarked at the nearest place of safety (in this case Gibraltar). The men's eligibility for admission to the UK is being considered in line with immigration rules. See BBC News online for more.	Rescue controversy
29.3.07	Aurora	A Japanese man snuck onboard for a free one-week voyage before being caught in Hawaii, police said Thursday. Osamu Ikegame, 40, said he could not stop himself when he saw the Aurora docked in Yokohama and climbed a 2.5-metre (eight-foot) fence at the harbour, according to police. He then successfully blended in with passengers and boarded the round-the-world cruise on March 20, said a spokesman for harbour police in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. The free ride ended in Hawaii after the cruise operator found out he had no ticket. So much for ship security!!!	Security Breach
5.3.07	Aurora	The ship said it would likely cancel future calls at Nha Trang (Vietnam) because the 50 m high ship was not permitted to pass through the the Vinpearl cable car system (which had a 49 m limit). Nha Trang authorities said the requirement aimed to guarantee safety for ships and the cable car system, which only began operation last month. The ship, instead, was forced to dock outside the port and to transfer passengers to oter ships before they could disembark. The ship fears its passengers would face difficulty as a result of the required transfer.	Port dropped?
13.1.07	Artemis	Currently half way through her 80 night African & Asian Odyssey cruise, the ship has canceled today's call at Laem Chabang (for Bangkok) in Thailand, ‘following advice received from our security services relating to the security situation in Bangkok.’In place of the Laem Chabang calls and ‘as a gesture of compensation’ stops at Singapore and Vung Tau (Phu My) have been extended to two days.	Cancelation for security
dd/mm/yy	Ship	2006	Incident
24.10.06	Arcadia	Encountered rough seas which caused several passengers being injured, at least one medevac from Ponta Delgado (Azores). Next port of call is Antigua on 29 October. Several passengers onboard with severe bruising from falls etc. October 25: Arcadia is having a bad day today too. The fire alarms are going off all the time. Captain is investigating the cause, as yet unknown..	High Seas / Injuries
1.4.06	Artemis (1)	The transatlantic crossing from Southampton to the Caribbean was, according to one passenger, had been the worst 9 days at sea thay had ever had. The Atlantic was rough - waves splashing up to top deck, gale force winds, and televisions flying everywhere. They said they were very scared. The ship wasn't able to get into port for the Azores due to the weather so today was their first day in port. The Gastro bug has also struck and only the dining room is open to everyone. Toilets and other rooms have been closed off.	Rough Seas
dd/mm/yy	Ship	2005	Incident
12.1.05	Aurora	Since limping back to port on Sunday at the end of the previous cruise the ship has remained in Southampton rather than embarking on its 103-day round-the-world cruise. Repairs were undertaken and there is hope the ship would depart by Tuesday of the following week. It departed on Wednesday but engine problems returned. The cruise was canceled.	Propulsion problems Cancelation
dd/mm/yy	Ship	2004	Incident
28.1.04	Oceana (2)	The U.S. Coast Guard ordered the ship out of St. Thomas harbour on Tuesday morning after it failed to provide a list of names and citizenship of its 2870 passengers and crew. Tenders filled with passengers were sent back to the ship. The ship continued to its next port: Antigua	Cancelled port call
dd/mm/yy	Ship	2003 and earlier	Incident
25.9.03	Oceana	Nine passengers' hair turned green after using the onboard swimming pool. The cause is not known, but as a "gesture of goodwill, the passengers were referred to the ship's beauty salon for corrective treatment.
12.3.03	Oriana	While crossing the North Pacific an auxilliary engine failed, causing the other three engines to stop. Ship drifted for two hours and proceeded at reduced speed after it was restored. Arrived in San Francisco two days later only slightly later than scheduled.	Engine failure
28.9.00	Oriana	The ship was hit by a 40 foot wave which smashed through six cabins as she sailed from Southampton to New York. Passengers wand crew were hit by flying class, but none seriously injured. Arrival in New York will be delayed. See: Report on the Investigation of Wave Damage to the Passenger Cruise Ship Oriana in the North Atlantic Ocean on 28 September 2000, Marine Accident Investigation Branch Report 36/2002	Weather
2.5.00	Aurora	The ship had to return to Southampton one day into her mainden voyage and abandon a two week Mediterranean cruise. The problem was an overheating propeller bearing.	Engine problems - Cancelation
24.4.98	Victoria (3)	A 77 year old British man was reported missing by his wife. The man has been seen at 11 PM when the couple went to bed byrt was not there when she awoke at 6AM.	Missing

(1) Artemis: ex-Royal Princess
(2) Oceana: ex-Ocean Princess
(3) Victoria: ex-Klugshom (Swedish Aermica Line), ex-Sea Princess (Princess); now sails as Mona Lisa (Holiday Kreuzfarten)

Illness Outbreaks at Sea by P&O

Date	Ship	2011
December 30	Aurora P&O Cruises	The Daily Echo reports around 25 passengers were showing symptoms of norovirus last night. Sick passengers are being told to isolate themselves in their rooms while a “comprehensive” disinfection programme is rolled out on the ship, which set sail from Southampton last week. Yesterday the vessel was on a day call in Tenerife ahead of the next leg of its 15-day voyage – a cruise to Gran Canaria. Aurora is due to return to Southampton on January 4.
dd/mm/yy	Ship	2010
2.4.10	Oceana	The Southern Daily Echo reports 120 passengers who were struck down with a vomiting bug while on board a Southampton cruise ship, arrived back in the city this morning. Passengers reported contracting the norovirus bug while on a 14-night cruise around the Caribbean. Passengers were left furious after they discovered they had to pay for treatment on board. A spokesman for the cruise company said the fees should be reclaimed through travel insurance policies as they were no longer free on board following a change of policy. Despite the outbreak P&O said the ship was scheduled to leave on time for a two night cruise at 5pm today.
12.1.10	Aurora	Cruises.co.uk has a posting about an illness outbreak on the early stages of a world cruise. As stated, Already the buffet restaurant has been closed for four days and the Captains party has been postponed twice. It is unclear the extent of the illness.
dd/mm/yy	Ship	2009
16.6.09	Oriana	From a passenger: More cases of novovirus on oriana on cruise starting after previous cruise with 50 confirmed cases (see May 31 below). New passengers were not informed of outbreak before sailing on June 1st. When returned to Southampton on June 15th outbreak still ongoing.
31.5.09	Oriana	Posters at P&O Cruises Community indicate there is a norovirus outbreak on the current cruise. Passengers were first notified on Friday (May 29) -- one passenger writes: We have just sailed away from Madeira and the Captain has annouced it is with regret that we have a norovirus outbreak onboard. All usual emergency procedures are now in place, anyone else coming down with it to ring 999 switchboard and stay in cabin, no self service allowed, so waiters will serve our food by tongs from now on, and a reminder to wash hands for 20 seconds when using the loo etc. Another writes today: We have not been told how many people have noro onboard, but it is enough to put out emergency procedures onboard, so enough to declare publicly we have a problem. There were 2 new cases yesterday and 2 more today the Captain said in his announcement at 12.15pm , 1/2 hr ago. On June 1, a passenger says there were 50 confirmed cases.
dd/mm/yy	Ship	2008
27.12.08	Artemis	The ship reported 4 (0.69%) crew and 54 (4.80%) passengers had reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on a 14 day cruise ending today in New Orleans.
6.6.08	Ventura	The Telegraph in London reports "passengers on the £300million cruise ship Ventura have been struck down by an outbreak of the potentially lethal norovirus." The newspaper quotes a P&O spokesperson as saying, "There has been an increased incidence of a gastrointestinal illness among the passengers on Ventura over the last three days ... "Enhanced sanitation protocols have already been implemented to help minimize transmission to other passengers. The captain is regularly updating the passengers and crew on the situation. Unwell passengers are asked to comply with the doctor's instructions and isolate themselves in their stateroom until non-contagious. "They have been asked not to proceed ashore, and any shore excursion costs are refunded. Room service is provided to affected passengers and every effort is made to make them as comfortable as possible." The latest cruise left Southampton last Friday and is due to call next at Cannes in France and then Rome. It is due back in Britain June 13 after further visits to Corsica and Gibraltar.
9.4.08	Aurora	The Hong Kong Information Services Department reports that the Centre for Health Protection is following up on a British report concerning four cases of hepatitis-E infection involving four men on the world cruise which took place January 7 to March 28. The UK Health Protection Agency has been working with the cruise operator and port health authority to distribute health advice to all passengers. People who have been aboard the vessel should seek medical advice if they come down with hepatitis symptoms. Hepatitis-E is a viral infection highly endemic in Central and Southeast Asia, and North and West Africa, as well as Mexico. It is acquired by ingestion of contaminated food or water. Its incubation period ranges two weeks to two months. Symptoms include fever, malaise, anorexia, nausea, abdominal pain, dark urine and jaundice. UPDATE APRIL 30: The BBC reports the number reported coming down with Hepatitis E is now confirmed at 7.
26.2.08	Artemis	The ship reported 7 (1.22%) crew and 61 (5.57%) passengers had reported ill on an 18 day cruise ending in Fort Lauderdale today.
24.1.08	Arcadia	The ship reported 11 (1.24%) crew and 80 (4.16%) passengers had reported ill on a cruise ending today in New Orleans.
dd/mm/yy	Ship	2007 and earlier
22.9.07	Aurora	More than a dozen passengers were told not to disembark in Halifax while Canadian officials investigated a possible outbreak of Norovirus. Health Canada officials took tests of about 20 people suffering from acute gastroenteritis. There have been no subsequent updates.
26.10.06	Oriana	From a reader: The current 13 night Mediterranean cruise from Southampton to various ports and back to Southampton (October 19 - November 1) has been hit by the norovirus bug. This has been reported on the cruise connections website of P&O where passengers on the cruise have reported this, and I have friends on board and have spoken to them. All reports state that the crew have dealt with the outbreak in excellent fashion but various things like the buffets and BarBQ's have been curtailed.
1.4.06	Artemis	The transatlantic crossing from Southampton to the Caribbean was, according to one passenger, had been the worst 9 days at sea thay had ever had. The Atlantic was rough - waves splashing up to top deck, gale force winds, and televisions flying everywhere. They said they were very scared. The ship wasn't able to get into port for the Azores due to the weather so today was their first day in port. The Gastro bug has also struck and only the dining room is open to everyone. Toilets and other rooms have been closed off.
18.1.06	Oriana	There are reports of a norovirus outbreak on the current cruise which began January 8. The ship is embarked on a world cruise.
27.5.05	Oceana	According to the British media, about 200 passengers (10%) on the ship have reported being ill from norovirous. The ship left Southampton on a 17-night Mediterranean cruise on May 19 and returns June 5.
4.3.04	Oriana	The ship left Barbados February 20 and is due to arrive in New Orleans on March 5. As of March 3rd, the ship reported that 65 passengers and 9 crew members had reported illness likely caused by Norovirus
31.10.03	Aurora	Around 580 passengers and 28 crew infected with Norwalk-like virus on this cruise that begin in Southampton on October 20. The ship was refused permission to dock in Greece. It stopped in Gibraltar November 3rd. Cruise ended in Southampton November 6.
25.9.03	Oceana	95 passengers were struck by a minor gastro-intestinal illness during the voyage. The source is unknown.
10.12.02	Oceana	The ship was denied access to St. Maarten after it was reported that 269 passengers and 24 crew had contracted Norwalk-like virus. The two week cruise began November 29 at Fort Lauderdale. (Note: The ship received a score of 95 in its VSP inspection on the day the cruise began.)
20.2 - 14.3.01	Oriana	51 passengers (3.02%) and 36 crew members (4.42%) reported ill.