P&O cruises: Cruise ship gets deep clean in Southampton after norovirus outbreak on board with passengers falling ill with sickness and diarrhoea

A P&O Cruises ship will be met at port for a deep cleaning after an unconfirmed number of passengers fell ill with sickness and diarrhoea onboard during the 14-night voyage around the Canary Islands. A norovirus outbreak was confirmed onboard the Ventura cruise ship which included stops in Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.

Passengers who fell ill were asked to isolate in their cabins after embarkation in Southampton on 11 May. According to the cruise line, 0.64 per cent of passengers were symptomatic on Wednesday (May 22) and those who are still symptomatic on arrival will disembark later than other passengers.

An “enhanced sanitation” of the ship was carried out on May 17 in Tenerife however Southampton Port Health Authority said it would assist the vessel once it was back at port. The cruise ship returned to Southampton on Saturday (May 25) with health officials undertaking a “cleaning programme of all spaces onboard”.

The P&O Cruises vessel was scheduled to set sail for a seven-night cruise around Spain and Portugal later in the day but that is expected to be delayed. Passengers booked on the week-long voyage have been asked to arrive four hours later than planned to make time for sanitation.

A P&O Cruises spokesperson said: “Tomorrow we will be doubling the length of time the ship will be without guests whilst in Southampton port, to allow for a dedicated enhanced cleaning programme of all spaces onboard, including guest cabins, public areas and crew areas.

“These methods are in addition to our already approved, recognised and proven protocols that happen throughout every cruise sailing to uphold the wellbeing of all guests and crew onboard.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 150 passengers on board US cruises ships suffered diarrhoea and vomiting in two separate norovirus outbreaks in April.