A P&O cruise ship will be met at port for a deep cleaning following a norovirus outbreak onboard – and future passengers will face departure delays. Guests on Ventura reported gastrointestinal symptoms during the 14-night cruise around the Canary Islands , including stops in Tenerife , Gran Canaria and Lanzarote . An unconfirmed number of people with sickness and diarrhoea were asked to isolate in their cabins after embarkation in Southampton on 11 May.
The Ventura has a capacity for 3,078 passengers, but under 3,000 are reported to be on board alongside around 1,200 crew members. According to the cruise line, 0.64% of passengers were symptomatic on Wednesday and those who are still symptomatic on arrival will disembark later than other passengers.
Although an “enhanced sanitation” of the ship was carried out on 17 May in Tenerife, Southampton Port Health Authority said it would assist the vessel once it was back at port. The cruise ship is due to return to Southampton around 6am on Saturday (25 May), where it will be met with health officials for a “cleaning programme of all spaces onboard”. This includes ‘fogging’ – spraying disinfectant into sealed rooms and specifically targeting bathrooms and food preparation areas.
Ventura will reportedly be without passengers for seven hours on Saturday while commercial cleaners disinfect the ship. The P&O vessel is scheduled to set sail for a seven-night cruise around Spain and Portugal later in the day that is expecte.
