TAMPA, Fla. — Passengers are now back ashore after a norovirus outbreak onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise left 89 people sick.

What You Need To Know

  • Passengers left Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas this weekend after norovirus outbreak on board

  • 89 sick guests were reported

  • The CDC reported the cruise line increased cleaning and disinfection measures on the ship

With their suitcases in hand, several passengers made their way off the Radiance of the Seas cruise ship.

Among them were Donna Cox and her husband Bob. 

While this wasn’t their first cruise, this was the first time they’ve experienced an outbreak while onboard.

“It’s kind of scary, but we just tried to be careful, and you know, wash our hands a lot,” said Donna.

She says they were some of the lucky ones who didn’t get sick.

Fellow passenger Amy Barker says she met multiple people who fell ill.

“We had people we met on the ship who got sick, some were sick for 6 hours — some were sick for a little bit longer, but even we walked past when the doctor was talking, and they did a great job,” said Barker.

This cruise ship sailed out on Feb. 1, making stops in Mexico, Honduras and Belize.

Some passengers and crew members were isolated because of the outbreak.

Dr. Daniel Haight with Lakeland Regional Health says this gastrointestinal illness is common in crowded spaces.

“This is a very hearty germ. It can get through your stomach acid, it can stick to the environment and to your hands,” he said.

The CDC reported several safety measures were taken on the ship, which included increasing cleaning and disinfecting on the ship.

The cause of the outbreak is still being investigated.

The cruise line has also collected stool specimens from the cases to be used for testing.