BOARDING of the mega liner Voyager of the Seas was thrown into chaos yesterday following an outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness thought to be norovirus.
Some 135 passengers already aboard the ship, which arrived from New Zealand on Thursday, were struck by the illness, along with eight staff, a spokeswoman confirmed, adding this was about 4 per cent of the ship’s guests.
“Those affected by the short-lived illness have responded well to over the counter medication administered on board the ship”‘ Royal Carribbean said in a statement late yesterday.
FoodWorld 
Unfortunately, many people do not experience symptoms of gastrointestinal viruses until a day or two after exposure. If 135 people came down with a sickness, thousands more were potentially exposed and could have shown signs later. Cruise ships pack many different people together in tight quarters, so any negligence in cleanliness or health standards could result in wide-scale sickness. Hopefully the ship was cleaned and disinfected thoroughly when the passengers disembarked and before any new people climbed aboard.