Source: Cruise Junkie dot Com

Illness Outbreaks at Sea by Royal Caribbean International


By
Ship:
Adventure of the Seas (2001)
Grandeur of the Seas  (1996)
Monarch of the Seas (1991) Sovereign of the Seas (1988)
Brilliance of the Seas (2002)
Jewel of the Seas (2004)
Navigator of the Seas (2002) Splendor of the Seas (1996)
Empress of the Seas (1990)
Legend of the Seas (1995)
Nordic Empress of the Seas Vision of the Seas (1998)
Enchantment of the Seas (1997)
Liberty of the Seas (2007)
Radiance of the Seas (2001) Voyager of the Seas (1999)
Explorer of the Seas (2000)
Majesty of the Seas (1992) Rhapsody of the Seas  (1997)
Freedom of the Seas (2006)
Mariner of the Seas (2003) Serenade of the Seas (2003)


Click here for Events by Royal Caribbean International
Click here for Environmental Events and Fines by Royal Caribbean International (RCCL)
Click here to return to Events by ... Index Page



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.




dd/mm/yy
Ship
2007
13.12.07
Empress of the Seas A passenger reports there was an outbreak of gastrointstinal illness on the second day of sailing that ended today. Per the Captain, there were 140+ effected. Very high level of cleaning and passing out of hand wipes. I have no idea what % of the pax or crew was really involved. I was in lockdown for 2 days as 2 of 3 in my cabin had it. The ship was on a 12 day cruise of the Southern Caribbean.
1.6.07
Liberty of the Seas The ship reported that 10 of 1425 (0.75%) crew members and 172 of 3846 (4.47%) passengers had reported ill on a 7 day Caribbean cruise from Miami (26 May - 2 June).   Because of the illness outbreak, boarding begins at 6:00 pm tomorrow (rather than normal time) and ship departure will be at 10:00 pm Saturday evening following a complete CDC scrub down.  Reportedly, rmbarking passengers will be refunded $25 for lunch and 100% refund if they choose to cancel. UPDATE:  Local 6-TV in Orlando says a company statement puts the numbers at 200 passengers and 12 crew members.
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2006
10.12.06
Freedom of the Seas
The ship reported that 11 crew and 97 passengers had reported ill on the  3 - 10 December cruise from Miami.   The CDC recommended the ship not sail for 48 hours due to three consecutive voyages with a high number of illnesses.  The cruise scheduled for 10 December will depart 12 December with port calls at Montego Bay and Labadee.
3.12.06
Freedom of the Seas

The ship reported that 24 of 1402 (3.28%) crew and 338 of 3823 (8.84%) passengers had reported ill on the  26 November - 3 December cruise from Miami.   Symptons were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)
25.11.06
Serenade of the Seas

From a passenger: Ship left San Juan PR 18 November (Saturday) ... we received a letter that if we needed medical assistance because of a flu, cold or gastrointestinal illness, medical services would be complementary.  On Monday the Captain announced there were 55 cases of gastrointestinal illness.  My 10 year old son got it on Wednesday night and we were confined to the room until disembarkation 25 November.  On Thursday a nurse said they attended 80 people that day alone; the outbreak of norovirus affected around 135 people about 5% (and those are reported cases only).  Many passengers didn't report being ill when they learned they'd be confined to the room for 48 hours.  CDC Report:  3 of 848 crew (0.35%) and 101 of 2241 passengers (4.51%) reported ill.
12.11.06
Adventure of the Seas

From a passenger:  We just returned from a 7 night southern carribean cruise (Nov 5-12). Many reports of illness circulated among the passengers -- the shows were pretty empty and the deck was pretty empty as well. On the fifth or sixth day, passengers received a letter stating that an abnormally large number of passengers had become ill but they didn't think there would be any adverse effect on the cruise. There were multiple reports of passengers quarantined to their rooms. When we returned to the ship in St Maarten, the family in front of us were told to report directly to the medical facility. That night, our wait staff said the CDC was returning for a second visit during that cruise. Our stateroom attendant said she was with the ship for five years and had never seen so many stricken. There was no notification to the passengers of the severity of the outbreak.  The CDC subsequently reported that 1 of 1174 (0.08%) crew and 129 of 3260 (3.96%) passengers had reported ill with symptoms consistent with norovirus.
11.11.06
Serenade of the Seas

The ship reported that 9 of 854  (1.05%) crew and 68 of 2023 (3.36%) passengers had reported ill on the  29 October - 11 November cruise from San Diego (California) to San Juan (Puerto Rico).  Symptons were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus)
7.9.06
Radiance of the Seas The ship reported that 12 of 870  (1.37%) crew and 227 of 2131 (10.66%) passengers were ill.  The symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus).  The 7 day Alaska cruise  will end in Seward on September 9.
29.7.06
Mariner of the Seas

There was an outbreak of what appears to be norovirus.  328 of 3660 passengers (8.96%) and 6 of 1202 crew members (0.5%) reported illness.  The ship returns to Port Canaveral on Sunday from a seven day cruise in the Caribbean.  The ship's last outbreak was in January 2005.
30.4.06
Explorer of the Seas

On April 30, the ship reported that 15 of 1188 (1.26%) crew and 117 of 3292 (3.6%) passengers were ill.  The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.  The 7 day cruise arrived in Miami, from where it left on April 23.
16.4.06
Radiance of the Seas

Passengers returning from the April 9-16 cruise report there was a norovirus outbreak during the cruise.  A letter was received midweek from the captain saying there was an outbreak and there would be increased cleaning procedures.  The ship’s crew kicked into high gear. We were served buffet items by crew members instead of self serve.  I overheard a crew member being told by his supervisor to not shake hands with anyone.  Cleaning procedures were very obvious and frequent, even to the point that use of hand sanitizers were required before and after using the rosk climbing wall.
16.3.06
Grandeur of the Seas On March 16, the ship reported that 25 (3.32%) crew and 20 (0.85%) passengers were ill.  The ship was on a 5-day cruise from Tampa to Costa Maya and Cozumel.
11.3.06
Grandeur of the Seas

On March 8, 2006, RCI reported to the CDC that an elevated number of passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms that were consistent with acute gastroenteritis. The predominant symptom is diarrhea amd vomiting.  On March 11, the ship reported that 11 of 754 (1.46%) crew and 130 of 2263 (5.74%) passengers were ill.  The ship was on a 5-day cruise from Tampa to Costa Maya and Cozumel.  More than 100 passengers were confined in their rooms when the ship was in Cozumel because Mexican officials were afraid the virus would spread on land.
2.3.06
Explorer of the Seas

On February 28, 2006, RCI reported to the CDC  that an elevated number of Explorer of the Seas passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms consistent with acute gastroenteritis.  On March 4, the ship reported that 19 of 1184 (1.60%) crew were and 243 of 3252 (7.47%) passengers were ill. The predominant symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting.  The cruise began February 26 and ends March 5 in Miami.
From a passenger:  I just got off of that cruise. About 25 out of the 60 in our group was sick. There were also a lot more people sick than they stated. I was recovering waiting in the nurses station on Tuesday when they declared it an epidemic and that the ship was on red alert.  The last bit I had heard was that there were close to 400 cabins listed as under a 24 hour quarantine by Wednesday.  People we talked to had stopped reporting to the infirmary for fear of not being able to disembark on any of the islands when they were feeling better.
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2005
26.11.05
Splendor of the Seas The CDC has reported that 135 of 1609 passengers (8.48%) and 12 of 724 crew (1.65%) have reported ill with symptoms consistent with norovirus.  The 14 day cruise began in Barcelona and ended November 26 in Galveston.
2.7.05
Jewel of the Seas Passengers on the cruise ending today (June 20 - July 2) in Harwick (England) report more than 100 passengers became ill with diarrhea and vomiting.  One passenger says a staff person in the medical centre said that many of the crew had it and had had it on the previous cruise.  Another says her daughter's blood test indicated a bacterial source for the disease which suggests food or water contamination, though descriptions provided suggest the source of the outbreak was noro or similar virus.  It is unlikely that further information will be made available given that the ship is not required to contact or provide information to the Centers for Disease Control because it was operating outside the US.
23.5.05
Voyager of the Seas Several passengers (including postings at Cruise Critic) have said there was an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on the May 15th cruise.  Some passenger say the number affected exceeds 100, but officially this has not been designated an outbreak by the CDC which requires that at least 3% of passengers report ill (in Voyager's case, more than 100).  I have received e-mail saying there was also illness on the cruise beginning May 22.

Here are numbers provided by the CDC:  May 15 - 22:  45 pax, 14 crew reported ill; May 22 - 29: 85 pax and 14 crew.  These are less than 3%, but still substantial numbers.
27.1.05
Empress of the Seas The CDC reports that 68 of 1,544 passengers (4.4%) and 5 of 685 crew members (.7%) so far have reported  ill during the January 17 - 28 cruise based from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
22.1.05
Mariner of the Seas The ship is set to dock at Port Canaveral on January 23 at the end of a western Caribbean cruise.  276 of 3,465 passengers (7.9%) and 27 of 1,190 crew members (2.2%) were reportly sickened by Norwalk-like virus.
8.1.05 Enchantment of the Seas The ship returned to Port Everglades from a 5-day cruise on which 103 of 2,136 passengers (4.82%) and 8 of 756 crew (1.06%) reported illness from a Norwalk-like virus.
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2004
11.10.04
Serenade of the Seas Received from a reader re: 9/26 - 10/4 cruise:
On  10/4, the ship brought out sanitizing methods. thorough ship cleaning by crew, and hand sanitizers at the ships entrance and Windjammer cafe. It was personally reported from a relative of a crew member that several passengers had become ill with an intestinal virus and were quarantined for 72 hours.  We witnessed a few passengers that were missing from their assigned tables for a couple of nights.. In addition, the main pool was closed down for the last two days of the cruise after a passenger defecated and vomited in the pool.  Signs were posted around the pool that due to a fecal accident, the pool would be closed.  The Solarium pool was packed as a result. The Serenade was in port with the Veendam near the end of the cruise, so the above precautions could have been due to any contact a Serenade passenger may have had with a Veendam passenger.
14.6.04
Serenade of the Seas
On June 13, the ship reported that 71 passengers and 9 crew had reported illness consistent with norovirus.  The cruise ran from June 6 - 13, ending in Vancouver.
25.2.04

Brilliance of the Seas
The ship, on a ten day Caribbean cruise, reported that 78 passengers and 16 crew had reported gastrointestinal illness likely caused by Norovirus.
28.1.04
Empress of the Seas CDC reports that 71 (4.59%) passengers and 53 (0.73%) crew had reported being ill.
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2003
26.7.03
Rhapsody of the Seas
First reported that 63 passengers became ill with what appears to be Norwalk-like virus.  The number was revised to 72 by RCI, but passengers claim the numbers are much higher because people didn't report being ill given the quarantine policy.
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2002
27.12.92
Majesty of the Seas
Reported that 71 passengers and 10 crew were sickened by Norwalk-like virus on this four day Caribbean cruise.  37 passengers who chose to disembark a day early were taken from Key West to Miami.
16-23.12.02
Brilliance of the Seas
There were 42 cases of gastrointestinal illness reported during this cruise, however the true count according to Flagship Cruises was in the hundreds.  "It would appear as though hundreds did not report their illlness due to a rumor (via staff and crew) that if you reported your illness you would be confined and/or quarantined to your quarters."
18.11.02
Monarch of the Seas
Approximately 100 passengers and crew were reported to have contracted Norwalk-like virus during the previous cruise.
17.9.02
Radiance of the Seas
About 46 passengers (and seven crew) aboard a three day cruise from Vancouver to Seattle became violently ill with stomach and intestinal problems -- passengers onboard claimed many more got sick.  Some were outraged when the cruise line tried to bill them for medical expenses -- one passenger was billed $1073 for an IV drip.
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2001 and earlier
Nov.98
Vision of the Seas
CDC reports an illness outbreak ... no additional details.
Feb.98
Legend of the Seas
CDC reports an illness outbreak (Norwalk virus) ... no additional details.
Aug.94
Viking Serenade
CDC reports an illness outbreak (Shigella flexneri) ... more than 600 passengers and crew reported ill.