It’s entirely possible that Princess now holds the norovirus record. This weekend, the cruise line admitted the number of cases on two of its ships had grown to 499.
Saturday, the Crown Princess returned to Fort Lauderdale from the Caribbean with 12% of the people on board suffering from the disease — 364 passengers and 30 crew members.
Sunday, the Ruby Princess returned to the Florida port with 92 passengers and 13 crew members ill with norovirus.
These things can happen wherever people gather in large numbers but with 2,000 to 6,000 people sharing the same ventilation, hallways and eateries for a week or more, it seems to happen more on cruise ships than in schools or at conventions.
What’s more disturbing about this situation is the simultaneous infection on two ships from the same cruise line.
The Centers for Disease Control has had its investigators on both ships, which were cleaned and returned to service.
The message continues to be: Use the hand sanitizers all ships have, and wash your hands often.
Even then, there are no guarantees.
DAILY DEAL:
Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas
8 nights
April 19, 2012
Baltimore (return): King’s Wharf (Bermuda), Boston
Inside $659
www.royalcaribbean.com