Cruise Ship Returns To Port Day Early After 277 People Contract Norovirus, Forced To Stay On Boat

A Jamaica-bound cruise ship was forced to return home a day early after 277 passengers contracted the Norovirus.

The Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas will return to Port Canaveral Saturday instead of its planned return Sunday due to the outbreak, The Associated Press reported Friday.

The Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea, according to The Centers For Disease And Control Prevention. The virus can also cause fever and body aches in those infected.

Disgruntled passengers tweeted that due to the outbreak, they were required to stay onboard the ship after docking in Falmouth, Jamaica, TheAP reported.

“We think the right thing to do is get everyone home early rather than have guests worry about their health,” cruise line spokesman Owen Torres told TheAP. The early return will provide the cruise line with “more time to completely clean and sanitize the ship” before it leaves port on another voyage, Torres said, according to TheAP.

Cruise ships have faced a number of other unfortunate events in recent months.

A 26-year-old man fell off a Carnival Victory cruise ship in mid December while it was on its return from Western Europe, the Miami Herald reported. A 69-year-old Dutch woman fell off a different cruise ship, “MSC Preziosa,” just days before.

The woman fell overboard on Dec. 8, and authorities called off the search for her body Dec. 14.

A crew member from the Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas disappeared from the ship at a port in Cozumel, Mexico, on Nov. 22, the Herald reported in a separate article. Mexican authorities have searched for the 27-year-old British national, but he has not been found.