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Illness Onboard Boudicca Cruise Ship

05/01/2010

Hundreds of passengers on a luxury cruise ship have been struck down with norovirus after three different cruises suffered outbreaks in three weeks.

The ship's owners, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, said the 28,000-ton Boudicca has been deep-cleaned twice to eradicate the sickness-inducing bug, but 519 people still caught the virus during December holidays.

Problems started during a 12-day Canary Island cruise, when 180 of the ship's 800 passengers fell victim to the bug before the Boudicca returned to Portsmouth on December 18.

Before setting off on a four-day trip to Amsterdam later that day, owners said the ship was deep cleaned and virus-free, yet about 50 of the 827 travellers began showing symptoms.

On December 22 it returned again to Portsmouth, underwent another deep cleaning, and set off on a third cruise to Madeira with 795 passengers abroad.

The firm was forced to bring the Boudicca back a day early after 289 more people were diagnosed with norovirus, and have said the ship will spend three days being intensively cleaned.

Packages cost around £10,155 for a 14-night Christmas cruise to Madeira and the Canaries staying in the ship's most expensive suite.

Passengers will be refunded for cutting the cruise short, along with £100 each for the inconvenience, but a company spokesman said compensation would not be offered for days lost to sickness.

Copyright © Press Association 2010

Our specialist travel law team has years of experience of handling cruise illness compensation claims. If you've been affected by this or any other cruise illness, contact us for free advice. 

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