While the number varies depending on which news article you read, hundreds of passengers were apparently stricken with the norovirus bug, making their vacation aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas a “not-enjoyable” trip.
Guest and crew members began getting sick when the ship departed the Port Canaveral in Florida on Jan. 6.
The ship, originally scheduled for a seven night cruise, made its first stop in Haiti Tuesday where the ship hosted a lunch buffet on land, said Abby Perrin, a passenger on the ship told ABC News. That night, Perrin said she and her mother began experiencing symptoms associated with food poisoning, like vomiting.
The next day, the ship arrived to Jamaica, but passengers said they weren’t allowed to leave the vessel. Thursday morning, the ship headed for its next scheduled destination in Cozumel, Mexico, but officials canceled the cruise while it was still en route.
Norovirus is notoriously virulent – and often associated with ruined cruise vacations. In a Royal Caribbean Cruise statement, all Oasis of the Seas passengers were to receive a full refund.