Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas hit by widespread illness

mercedes · July 31, 2009

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship pulled into a French port today with dozens of crew members and passengers ill in what local officials feared was a massive H1N1 swine flu outbreak.

But while the Associated Press quotes French officials today as saying about 60 crew members already have been diagnosed with swine flu, a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean says that's not the case and the illness is not swine flu.

Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez tells USA TODAY that 62 crew members and two passenger on board the Voyager of the Seas are experiencing cold and flu-like symptoms and have been isolated on the ship along with people who have been in close contact with them.

But Martinez says the sick passengers and crew have tested negative for influenza A. "H1N1 is a type of Influenza A," she notes. "Therefore, if the test is negative for A, it can't be H1N1."

Martinez notes the line can't test for H1N1 on board ships as that can only be done in a lab.

The 3,114-passenger Voyager of the Seas, one of the largest ships in the world, arrived in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France early Friday. The ship set sail from Barcelona on July 26 on a seven-night cruise that also includes several stops in Italy.

While not influenza A, the illness on board could be another type of influenza, notes Martinez. Or it could just be a cold. Either way, the line isn't taking chances. Affected crew and passengers will remain in isolation until symptom fee, as is standard proceedure with any suspected flu illness, she says.

Martinez says that despite the large number of crew members who have been isolated, service levels on the ship have not been affected. The illness also will not affect the ship's schedule, she added.

DebbieandJerry · July 31, 2009

It was bound to happen. When you live in close quarters such as a crew ship, dormitory, camp bunk, germs are going to be shared. I think this "pandemic" is getting in the news because we tend to thrive on negative press.