PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. — Hundreds of sick passengers on board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship are returning from their voyage a day early.
- Cruise ship returns a day early with sick passengers
- 475 passengers, crew members believed to have the norovirus
- Passengers sick on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas
The CDC is investigating how as many as 475 passengers and crew members became ill with what is believed to be norovirus.
The Oasis of the Seas arrived at Port Canaveral early Saturday morning.
When Royal Caribbean first announced the outbreak on the ship on Thursday, the company said about 277 people were affected. By Friday, the numbers jumped to nearly 500 passengers and crew members who came down with symptoms similar to the norovirus.
Those passengers were on a 7-day cruise with stops in Haiti, Jamaica, and Mexico.
It's not clear exactly why so many people on board contracted this illness. Right now, Royal Caribbean is referring to the outbreak as a gastrointestinal illness, which they believe is the norovirus.
CDC officials have taken samples from sick passengers for testing, and once passengers leave today, CDC officials will board the ship to investigate the outbreak and what caused it.
Passengers will get full refunds, the cruise line said.
Oasis of the Seas is one of Royal Caribbean's largest cruise ships. It can carry up to 6,780 guests, plus more than 2,000 crew members.
The CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program shows the ship scored a 93 of a possible 100 in its most recent inspection in August.
The CDC says acute gastrointestinal illnesses, such as the norovirus, are highly contagious but comparatively rare on cruises overall. The virus causes a person's stomach or intestines to become inflamed, with symptoms of stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. You can get the illnesses from an infected person, from contaminated food or water, or from touching contaminated surfaces.
The CDC offers these tips to avoid getting sick on a cruise:
