FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Holland America Line has scrubbed Scrabble
tiles and baked poker chips in an attempt to sanitize the Amsterdam
and rid it of a Norwalk-like virus that has plagued recent
sailings.
But even discarding playing cards after each use hasn't stopped
the gastrointestinal bug, which has popped up on the ship's last
four voyages.
After nearly 75 passengers and crew on a Nov. 11 cruise
exhibited symptoms of the Norwalk virus -- which include diarrhea,
fever and vomiting -- HAL officials decided to cancel a 10-day
Caribbean voyage that would have departed from Fort Lauderdale on
Nov. 21. The next scheduled voyage is Dec. 1.
HAL's battle with the virus has been widely publicized, but
other ships, including Princess' Ocean Princess, Celebrity's
Constellation, Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas and Norwegian
Cruise Line's Norwegian Sun also have struggled with
gastrointestinal illnesses this year.
The virus, which has primarily been encountered in Alaska and
the Pacific Northwest, now is surfacing in the Caribbean.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which
monitors the cruise lines' sanitary records, cannot explain why
it's showing up this year -- or why the Amsterdam hasn't been able
shake it.
"It's unusual, period," said David Forney, the director of the
CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program. "We don't know why. Our only
hypothesis is that there's a lot more Norwalk in the general
population."
Cruise lines said they work closely with the CDC whenever
gastrointestinal illnesses surface. Forney said that each ship
returning to a U.S. port must inform the CDC of any stricken
guests, even if there's just one.
Forney said one or two illnesses per trip is the norm.
Both HAL and the CDC said the illness was brought on board and
is not due to unsanitary ship procedures. Still, HAL said it waived
its infirmary fees in an attempt to get sick patients to visit the
clinic.
On the Amsterdam cruise, HAL was offering passengers who
disembarked early with the virus a refund, a cruise credit and
travel expenses paid.