Another Reason to Avoid Cruise Ships: Norovirus Outbreak
It's only February, and 2012 is already shaping up to be a bad year for Carnival cruise ships: the Costa Concordia disaster, random passenger death, and now an outbreak of norovirus on two Princess Cruise Lines ships in Florida.
A local CBS affiliate picked up the AP story, which has the total number of affected passengers and crew at over 200. Norovirus sounds a lot more serious than it is — although "vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain" aren't ideal when you're on vacation.
The Crown Princess returned from a seven-day cruise Saturday and was docked at Port Everglades. A total of 140 passengers and 18 crew members were affected by the illness.
The Ruby Princess will dock Sunday morning. Cruise officials say another 81 passengers and nine crew members were affected on that ship.
Whether or not these were isolated incidents, I plan on avoiding all cruise ships for the rest of the year — barring the 3D extravaganza of Titanic's April re-release. If you're looking for more colorful details on life aboard a norovirus-stricken cruise, NBC Miami has a few stomach-turning firsthand accounts.
Another passenger, Karen True, said she believes she got sick after eating a fish dish with mayonnaise and cream cheese.
Yeah, that has nothing to do with the actual symptoms of her sickness, but it's pretty nauseating right? Something about the combination of "fish," "mayonnaise," and "cream cheese" makes that norovirus feel earned.
