Passengers on the final 2024 Alaska cruise for Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas did not have the cruise they may have hoped for when a gastrointestinal illness outbreak made its way through the vessel.
A total of 167 passengers reported symptoms, including diarrhea, cramps, headaches, and muscle aches. The extent of the spread required the outbreak to be reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In total, 2,172 guests were onboard the 90,090-gross-ton ship, meaning 7.69% of travelers reported the illness, along with 3 out of 894 crew members (.34%). The CDC requires cruise ship outbreaks to be reported if just 3% of guests or crew report similar symptoms.
When ill guests and crew members are tallied together, 5.51% of individuals aboard reported the illness. It should be noted, however, that the totals are from the entire voyage and do not mean that every individual was sick simultaneously.
It is possible, even likely, that some travelers reported feeling ill earlier in the 7-night voyage, while others only began exhibiting symptoms closer to the end of the sailing.
Radiance of the Seas departed from Vancouver, Canada on Friday, September 20, 2024, for the weeklong cruise. The ship visited Sitka, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, and Ketchikan, all top ports for Alaska sailings, before returning to Vancouver on September 27.
At this time, the “causative agent” of the outbreak has not been determined, but additional testing and lab work is likely underway to be certain about the origin of the illness. For most outbreaks, norovirus or E. coli are the most common causes.
Onboard, crew members undertook several actions to ensure all travelers remained aware of the situation and helped limit spread as much as possible.
Announcements were made to encourage frequent, thorough hand washing (washy, washy!), and more frequent cleaning and disinfection was done throughout public areas and high-contact surfaces.
Travelers could also take what steps they felt were necessary to keep from contracting the illness, such as practicing social distancing and avoiding crowded areas, using more hand sanitizer, taking the stairs instead of crowding into a busy elevator, or other measures.
Read Also: Cruise Ship Illness – How to Protect Yourself
This particular sailing for Radiance of the Seas was the ship’s last Alaska voyage of the season, and the ship has now departed on a one-way, 8-night trip from Vancouver to Los Angeles as part of her seasonal repositioning. The ship’s September 27 departure was not delayed, but enhanced cleaning measures will continue onboard.
The ship’s next voyage will be a 16-night, one-way trip from Los Angeles to Tampa, transiting through the Panama Canal – a bucket-list cruise for many travelers. From Tampa, Radiance of the Seas will remain in Tampa offering Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries until she returns to Alaska for the 2025 summer season.
Prior Outbreak Onboard Radiance of the Seas
It is of special interest that this is not the first reported illness outbreak aboard Radiance of the Seas in 2024. The ship was also infected with a confirmed norovirus outbreak in April that included just 69 total cases – 67 passengers and 2 crew members.
That outbreak was definitively confirmed as norovirus, one of the most common viruses to cause diarrhea, vomiting, and similar “stomach flu” symptoms. To be clear however, it is not believed the two outbreaks are at all related.
Radiance of the Seas Docked in Juneau, Alaska (Photo Credit: Ken Schulze)
While such outbreaks are often reported from cruise ships due to CDC regulations, it should be noted that norovirus is also commonly reported from sporting events, restaurants, and social gatherings.
In fact, according to the CDC, norovirus is the leading cause of gastrointestinal illness in the United States, with roughly 2,500 outbreaks reported annually. The simplest prevention is frequent, thorough handwashing, particularly after using the restroom and before handling any food.
In addition to the two outbreaks this year aboard Radiance of the Seas (if this most recent one is confirmed), norovirus outbreaks have also been reported aboard 6 other cruise ships in so far in 2024: P&O Cruises Acadia, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Summit, Princess Cruises’ Sapphire Princess, Holland America Line’s Koningsdam, Cunard Lien’s Queen Victoria, and Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Constellation.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
