Monday, May 27, 2024 The number of people taken ill on a P&O Cruises ship following an outbreak of norovirus was in the hundreds, passengers have told a news channel. Port health officials were due to meet P&O Cruises vessel Ventura for an inspection after it docked in Southampton earlier. P&O said new passengers would face delays in boarding on Saturday while the ship was deep-cleaned.
The cruise company has not confirmed the total number of cases but apologised to those affected. Ventura docked in Southampton at about 05:00 BST, where just under 3,000 passengers disembarked after a two-week voyage around the Canary Islands. Leaving the ship with her family, Hollie Taylor, from New Milton in Hampshire, described the £8,500 holiday as “absolutely horrendous”.
A spokeswoman for the company said at the time it showed “the efficacy of our extensive protocols” but would not provide a total number of cases reported since the start of the outbreak. Enhanced sanitation protocols had been put in place on board following the outbreak, P&O has said. Unwell passengers had also been asked to isolate for longer, according to Southampton Port Health Authority (SPHA).
Ventura is scheduled to leave Southampton again at 21:00 BST for a seven-night cruise to Spain and Portugal. New passengers were being contacted in advance to make sure those with symptoms did not get on the ship, the SPHA said. In addition, boarding has been delayed by four hours to allow for a deep clean of guest ca.