A Royal Caribbean cruise ship returned to Port Everglades today after more than 300 people became ill with a stomach virus.
Cruise officials said there were 332 cases of the gastrointestinal illness, just under 6 percent of the more than 5,000 guests and crew aboard the Independence of the Seas, according to a CNN report.
The cruise left South Florida on Monday, and the illness began to spread by Wednesday, WSVN in Miami reported. Passengers were given over-the-counter medication, and staff quickly cleaned and disinfected the entire ship, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said.
But passengers reported a not-so-memorable cruise.
"Imagine being in a waiting room and sitting next to five or six people all throwing up at the same time," passenger Cheryl Roberts told WSVN.
Roberts said all of the sick passengers she spoke to had lunch on the ship.
"We all didn’t eat off of the ship, and now we’re all either throwing up or we have horrible diarrhea," she said.
A Royal Caribbean statement said the cruise line is "taking steps like intensive sanitary procedures to minimize the risk of any further issues."
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