The Facts about Norovirus and Cruising

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After months of planning and anticipation, the last thing anyone wants is to get sick while on vacation – especially when that sickness is one of the gastrointestinal variety. One common topic often worries potential cruisers: norovirus. This concern made headlines once again in January 2019 when nearly 500 people became sick while on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, forcing the ship to return to Port Canaveral early. But, is it really unsafe to cruise for fear of falling ill? Is the correlation between cruising and gastrointestinal outbreaks a fair one? The answer may surprise you.

 

Norovirus is highly contagious. It’s easily transmissible from person to person and can be contracted by either eating or drinking contaminated food or water, or by coming in contact with a contaminated surface. This stands true on land or at sea. But why does it seem we often hear about the outbreaks, and associate them, with cruise ships?

 

The simple answer is, because of the stringent health safety requirements placed upon cruise lines, incidents on ships are tracked swiftly and reported much more quickly than they would be on land. With today’s cruise ships holding thousands of passengers and crew, it can be like a floating city, with residents and workers in fairly close quarters for days at a time. Passengers disembark and re-board in each port of call, raising the possibility of bringing an illness onboard. 

 

The proof is in the pudding, however. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that 73 million passengers and 28 million crew members sailed from 2008-2014, and a mere 0.18% of travelers and 0.15% of staff reported symptoms of norovirus. When correlated with the statistics borne out on land each year, it boils down to this:

• You have a 1 in 15 chance of contracting norovirus each year.
• You have a 1 in 5,500 chance of becoming ill from norovirus during a shipboard outbreak.

 

Strict federal guidelines are placed upon all cruise ships that call upon U.S. ports, including two rigorous inspections per year. In addition, cruise lines work with the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program to study and implement best practices towards making the already rare occurrence of a norovirus outbreak even less common. Before each cruise, passengers are carefully screened by cruise lines to prevent illness being brought on board, and throughout each voyage, diligent hand-washing and sanitizing is both encouraged and facilitated.  

 

For those who are headed on a cruise, we recommend strongly that you:

• Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently when aboard
• Make use of hand sanitizing stations throughout the ship
• Bring along Lysol/Clorox wipes to give an extra level of sanitation to your stateroom
• Report any signs of illness immediately to ship staff.

 

Falling ill while traveling is never a pleasant experience. However, you actually stand a much higher chance of getting sick while home than you do on a cruise vacation. That’s a strong statistical fact! Leave the worry behind, and cruise confidently.