Disney cruise cancelled after passengers fall ill
Entertainment giants Disney has cancelled a trip by their cruise ship Magic after dozens of people contracted a flu-like stomach illness – the vessel’s second voyage in a row where passengers fell ill.
Instead of embarking on a week-long Caribbean cruise this weekend, the Magic will remain docked in Port Canaveral in Florida, USA, while crews clean “every surface throughout the ship that a guest would come in contact with”, said Disney Cruise Lines spokeswoman Marilyn Waters.
The Magic was in Cozumel, Mexico, yesterday with about 2,400 passengers and 950 crew members. Of those, 104 passengers and 19 crew fell ill, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
The ship was disinfected as recently as last Saturday, after 275 people got sick on its last seven-day voyage.
A CDC test confirmed on Tuesday that those passengers had the Norwalk virus, a common ailment that can cause diarrhoea, stomach pain and vomiting for up to two days. The CDC said the virus probably passed from person-to-person aboard the cruises.
Disney has contacted most of the 2,400 people scheduled for this Saturday’s trip and offered them a full refund and 50% off a future cruise, said Disney Cruise Line president Matt Ouimet.
Magic was the third US-based cruise ship pulled from service this year because of passengers falling ill.
