The Hadley group was due to return home late Wednesday night; of the nine travelers, five were reported to have had bouts with the virus.
BAYONNE, N.J. – Before the Explorer of the Seas had even docked on Wednesday afternoon, Jane and Diane Nevinsmith, of Hadley, Mass., said they are ready to take another cruise.
And, they’ll book it with Royal Caribbean International cruise lines, the couple adds.
The two were among a group of nine passengers from Hadley who found themselves aboard the cruise ship where 700 passengers and crew became sick, forcing a 10-day cruise to be cut short at the urging of federal health officials.
“ I think this company and this staff has done an incredible job in doing the right thing,” said Jane Nevinsmith in a telephone interview as the Explorer of the Seas was docking in New Jersey.
Nevinsmith, who did come down with an episode of the flu-like virus, had high praise for Royal Caribbean’s handling of the outbreak.
“Everyone on board was kept informed about what was happening, and everyone has been out there cleaning. Even people with stripes on their shoulders are at work making sure things are clean,” she said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its latest count puts the number of those sickened at 630 passengers and 54 crew members. The ship was carrying 3,050 passengers.
Health investigators suspect norovirus, but lab results are not expected until later this week. If norovirus is to blame, it would be one of the largest norovirus outbreaks in last 20 years, the CDC said. A 2006 norovirus outbreak on a Carnival Cruise Lines ship also sickened close to 700.
Norovirus – once known as Norwalk virus – is highly contagious. It can be picked up from an infected person, contaminated food or water or by touching contaminated surfaces. Sometimes mistaken for the stomach flu, the virus causes bouts of vomiting and diarrhea for a few days.
The cruise line said most guests who fell ill were up and about as the ship headed to port.
The cruise to the Caribbean departed New Jersey on Jan. 21; it’s a trip that the Nevinsmiths have taken on a previous occasion through the Hadley Council on Aging, and they were looking forward to the sun and tropical weather to break up their winter.
On that account, they weren’t disappointed, despite Jane Nevinsmith’s one-day encounter with the virus.
She said they heard the first outbreak occurred soon after departure last week “but it escalated very quickly.”
“On Day 2, they had 100 reported cases, on Day 3, almost 500 cases. A lot of people, including people in our group, went to sick bay but found the lines too long, so they went back to their rooms and stayed there,” Jane Nevinsmith said.
The ship skipped two stops on its route, including Royal Caribbean's private island in Haiti and St. Maarten.
Jane Nevinsmith said her encounter with the virus lasted less than 24 hours; “It was as nasty as described, but once it was over, I was tired and in 12 hours, I was OK,” she said.
“Jane is being upbeat about this,” said Diane Nevinsmith. “There has been a lot of inconvenience, things getting canceled or changed.”
She said, for instance, a dance show didn’t make the stage one night when four members of the dance troupe came down with the virus.
And, the buffet lines became abbreviated when the cruise line determined that the food would be served to the passengers rather than allowing them to serve themselves, Diane Nevinsmith said.
At the same time, over the course of the past five days, the crew was thorough and attentive in addressing sanitizing all public areas of the ship. “Every place you go, it reeks in a good way of sanitizing fluids,” Diane Nevinsmith said.
As they were preparing for debarkation, the Nevinsmiths said word was spreading that crews with steam and ultraviolet cleaners were prepared to board the ship as soon as passengers were gone.
“We had lovely food, the casino was still taking wagers, and all the entertainment was still happening,” said Jane Nevinsmith. “A lot of people are dwelling on negative, but (for us) it’s turned out to be a free vacation.”
Of the nine people from Hadley aboard, five of the party became sick, according to the Nevinsmiths.
“I will certainly sail with Royal Caribbean again,” said Jane Nevinsmith. “They went of out their way to make up for the inconvenience.”
CDC investigators boarded the ship during its U.S. Virgin Islands Port call on Sunday. They said no single food or water source or other origin has been identified.
Royal Caribbean is providing all guests a 50 percent refund of their cruise fares and an additional 50 percent future cruise credit. It’s also reimbursing airline change fees and accommodations for guests who had to change plans for traveling home.
Stricken guests who were confined to their staterooms are being provided a credit of one future cruise day for each day of confinement.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this story.