Norovirus outbreak on the Boudicca Cruise Ship

Three outbreaks of Norovirus and gastroenteritis have struck down passengers on the Boudicca Cruise Ship during winter. Over 500 passengers have been taken ill with the virus during three winter cruises onboard the Boudicca luxury cruise ship, despite owners, Fred Olsen, insisting the ship was safe.

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According to Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, the Boudicca was deep-cleaned twice following outbreaks of Norovirus, but the virus continues to return. Three people also died during Boudicca´s latest cruise, but the company said the deaths were not linked to Norovirus.

Derek and Marina Eaton contracted the virus during the last December cruise on what was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime. The couple had booked the most expensive suite available on the Boudicca at £10,155 for a 14 day trip to Madeira and the Canaries, and Mr Eaton described it as a ´cruise from hell.´

On the first of three cruises in December, the Boudicca departed from Portsmouth on December 6th, and 180 out of 800 passengers were hit by gastroenteritis. When the 28,000 ton ship returned to Portsmouth on December 18th, it was ´deep-cleaned´ according to the owners and later that day, departed on a four-day mini-cruise to Amsterdam. Out of 827 passengers on this cruise, at least 50 were taken ill with Norovirus.

The Boudicca was then deep-cleaned again before the ill-fated cruise which left Portsmouth for Madeira on the 22nd December, and this time, 289 out of 795 passengers were diagnosed with the stomach bug. The ship returned to Portsmouth a day early.

Fred Olsen blamed passengers for bringing the virus aboard, although the latest outbreak was the seventh time in the past year that one of the firm´s vessels has been hit by illness. Another outbreak on the Boudicca happened in October.
Mr Eaton, 75, a company owner, from Woburn Sands in Bedfordshire, said he and his wife had been looking forward to spending New Year's Eve in Madeira to see the island's fireworks display, which is said to be the largest in the world.

But after falling ill, they spent the night confined to their cabin and missed the display. They had to spend a total of four days in their cabin and missed three of the six islands on the cruise. Mr Eaton said: 'The management of the company should have cancelled the cruise once the first set of passengers fell ill.

'I don't believe for one second that they deep-cleaned the ship because there wasn't sufficient time.'