According to a Cruise Hive reader who got in touch with us, the Star Princess was hit by a Gastro bug on the 15-day cruise to Hawaii, U.S. from Vancouver, Canada. The Gastro bug was not reported by the Centers for Disease Control which means less than 3% of passengers became sick during the voyage.
It is not clear how many passengers and crew became sick but a passenger who was onboard and cruising with his family and friends told us the gastrointestinal virus began spreading on the fourth day of the cruise. He told Cruise Hive “The outbreak was not contained in Hilo and nurses in the infirmary confirmed just under half the ship’s passengers and crew had come down with the virus.” He went on to say “The crew was viable missing and all services were affected from taking hours to get room service to those who were quarantined. .. to the closing of one of the main food buffets due to crew shortage.”
Our reader has said Princess cruises handled the situation badly and got overwhelmed by the amount of sick people. Apparently health officials boarded the ship when it docked in Hilo on May 5, and the ship’s crew activated procedures where extra cleaning and sanitizing was done. Some crew members were also seen at the local Wal-Mart stocking up with 4 full carts of disinfectants. Could this be due to the ship running low on its own stock?
When a cruise ship is hit gastrointestinal outbreak special procedures will be activated which also includes sick passengers being quarantined in their staterooms, extra cleaning in all public areas and a limit on public eating areas. There were long lines at the ship’s buffet but this is normal in these situations.
According to the passenger there was a “Code Red” status onboard and he also became sick, “my friend contacted the norovirus, and shortly after, his daughter contacted it as well. interestingly enough, while they were quarantined to the cabin we shared, I was not… and as the virus has up to 48 hour incubation period, we felt it was silly to let me roam about the ship all the while my ( small inside ) cabin was not cleaned and I came freely back and forth as I checked in on my friend and his child … bringing food and water etc. as the room service was over whelmed. Only to come down with the virus shortly after wards”
Gastrointestinal is usually known as Norovirus which can also be found on land. It’s common for cruise ships to be hit with the sickness which causes vomiting and diarrhea. The Star Princess was sailing a 14-day voyage to Hawaii which departed Vancouver, Canada on April 29. The 108,90 gross ton vessel can carry 2,590 passenger at double occupancy and over a 1,000 crew members.
Were you on this sailing? If so let us know in the comments below if you know anything.
