A norovirus outbreak onboard Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess prompted the line to cut short a seven-day cruise by two days, so the 3,000-passenger ship can undergo an extensive sanitation in Fort Lauderdale.
It is the second consecutive Crown Princess cruise to be affected by the virus. The ship last week returned on schedule to Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 4 and underwent sanitization before passengers boarded.
According to a statement from Princess: "In consultation with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which has informed us that there are widespread outbreaks of norovirus occurring in the U.S., it was agreed that the best course of action to stop the spread of the illness is for the ship to undergo a two-day extensive sanitization. To accomplish this, Crown Princess is now returning to Fort Lauderdale where the cruise will end on Feb. 9. The ship was scheduled to return on Feb. 11."
Princess said it will refund all fares and arrange home travel for passengers. It also will provide hotel accommodations for passengers if necessary, and it is offering all guests a 25% future cruise credit.
Princess said that the Crown Princess departed Feb. 4 on its scheduled Southern Caribbean cruise after a “comprehensive disinfection of all cabins and public areas, which was overseen by the CDC together with our public health, medical and onboard departments.”
On the current sailing, 114 passengers and 59 crew have reported the gastrointestinal illness. On the previous cruise, 364 passengers and 30 crew were affected, the line said.
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