Royal Caribbean Strikes Again: 230 people aboard a cruise ship Mariner of the Seas

First it was Royal Caribbean passenger, Elizabeth Kay Galeana, reported missing. Now nearly 230 cruise ship passengers are reported ill aboard Royal Caribbeans cruise ship, the Mariner of the Seas.

Nearly 230 people aboard a cruise ship fell ill with a gastrointestinal illness during a weeklong Caribbean voyage, the cruise line said Saturday.

The illness, believed to be a norovirus brought onto the Mariner of the Seas by a passenger, struck 221 of the ship’s 3,660 passengers and six of its 1,202 crew members, said Royal Caribbean spokesman Michael Sheehan.

This is the second time an outbreak of the norovirus has been reported  aboard the Mariner of the Seas this year.

This is the second outbreak aboard the Mariner of the Seas this year. In January, the ship reported a norovirus that sickened 276 passengers and 27 crew members.

Noroviruses affect about 23 million Americans annually, and 16 incidents of the illness have been reported on cruise ships so far this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

(Orlando Sentinel)