Couple Suffer Gastric Illness On Board Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody Of The Seas Ship

A Bristol couple is taking legal action after their luxury cruise around the Mediterranean on board the Rhapsody of the Seas ship this summer was ruined by severe gastric illness.

Specialist International Personal Injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have been instructed to investigate the cause of the couple’s gastric illness symptoms including diarrhoea and vomiting on board the MS Rhapsody of the Seas cruise liner operated by Royal Caribbean.

Rachael Willcox, 46, and her husband David from Yate, travelled on the ship for 10 days at the start of August this year to celebrate Rachael’s mother’s birthday.

The holiday quickly took a turn for the worse, when towards the end of the break both Rachael and her husband started to experience symptoms of illness such as sickness, lethargy and diarrhoea.

David was so ill he was quarantined for two days in their cabin and sought medical attention onboard the ship where he was given an injection and medication.

The Rhapsody of the Seas ship can carry over 2,000 passengers and 700 crew and Rachael has told her legal team at Irwin Mitchell that they were aware of others who were unwell at the same time.

She said the ship felt dirty and that there appeared to be fewer cleaners than she has seen on other cruise ships she has travelled on.

Amandeep Dhillon, a Partner and expert international personal injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing them said:

Expert Opinion

“It’s worrying to hear of reports of illness aboard the Rhapsody of the Seas ship. Gastric illness can not only be very unpleasant at the time for the sufferer, but it can also cause longer term problems.

“There are strict guidelines for cruise ships to follow to prevent the spread of illness and we have been instructed to investigate the conditions at the time that Rachael and her husband were suffering.

“We would like to speak to anyone else who suffered similar issues on-board the Rhapsody of the Seas as they may be able to help with our investigations.” Amandeep Dhillon - Partner

Rachael, an accounts clerk, said: “I’ve been on 12 different cruises and usually there are cleaners all over the ship but I just didn’t seem to see many this time around and the ship felt really dirty with grease and grime on the buttons in the lift for example. 

“After David fell ill staff dropped food off at our room and we had to put the used cutlery and plates in a pink bag in the morning – it was really worrying as I saw a lot of these pink bags coming out of cabins across the ship.

“It broke my heart to see my husband so ill, he really wanted to see Montenegro and Croatia but he missed out on these ports of call due to his illness, these holidays are precious opportunities to spend quality time together and make lasting memories, however we just look back on this cruise with regret and disappointment.

“It’s not how you expect to spend a cruise that you paid so much money for, we were both very much looking forward to this cruise and desperately needed a break, we never thought we would fall ill and neither of us is back to 100 per cent yet.”

If you have fallen ill whilst on a cruise ship, our accident and illness abroad claims team could help you to secure compensation. See our Cruise Illness Claims page for more information.