Events by:
Illness Outbreaks by:
| Date |
Ship |
2012 |
| December 4 | Amsterdam | The CDC reports 64of 791 passengers (8.1%) and 3 of 610 crew (0.49%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. Two CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officers and an epidemioligist will board the ship on arrival in San Diego on December 5 to conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. The ship was on a 24 day cruise. The ship will require a delayed debarkation on Wednesday. Embarkation will begin after 2PM. UPDATE Dec 7: The number ill is now 85 of 791 pax (10.275%) and 6 of 610 crew (0.98%) |
| September 19 | Veendam | CBC reports the ship arrived in Sydney carrying some sick passengers. Erik Elvejord, spokesman for the cruise line, said 20 passengers have gastrointestinal illness. He said the cruise line has dealt with similar levels of sickness before. Holland America lines has notified Health Canada. The ship heads to Halifax after leaving Sydney. |
| February 6 | Rotterdam | From a passenger: We returned Feb 3 from a 30 day Hawaii and S. Pacific Cruise on the Rotterdam. We had a code red situation because of GI for 8 of the 30 days and nearly everyone else came down with the respiratory colds and or severe cough. Luckily my wife and I did not get GI but we both got the severe respiratory illness and my wife is still undergoing medical care. Everyone aboard referred to it as the Rotterdam cough. Have no idea how many passengers and cruise had the GI problem but the last day of the cruise I spoke with 4 people I had not met previously and half had the problem earlier. One said she developed the illness on Day 2 of the cruise. We were not notified of the illness until many many days later. Passengers did not cooperate with the health instructions given by the officers and strolled into the food areas refusing to use the sanitizers. HAL needs to station people of authority at the entrance to these areas and deny admission to people how refuse to sanitize. |
| January 4 | Maasdam | The CDC reports reports 56 of 1255 passengers (4.46%) and 6 of 573 crew (1.05%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. A CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officer and an epidemiologist boarded the ship on arrival in Ft. Lauderdale, FL on January 2, 2012 to conduct targeted environmental health and epidemiologic assessments and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. Ship crew conducted intensified cleaning and disinfection of staterooms occupied by those who reported their GI illness to the infirmary. Stool specimens were sent to the CDC lab for testing. The ship is on a 10 day cruise ending January 2nd. From a passenger: Two or three days into the voyage, the Captain came on the PA to announce the problem. He said it came from European passengers. They closed buffet lines and the crew had to serve you; they removed salt/pepper shakers from the dining room; they took rolls away and served bread at dinner with tongs, and closed the hot tub. In addition, in the evenings, we saw our cabin steward and assistant washing down all of the cabin corridors (even the ceiling) with disinfectant. In addition, when passengers became ill, they were confined to their cabin and the stewards were not allowed to clean. When "quarantine" was over, crew members with masks went to the "contaminated" cabins and cleaned under supervision. The Captain announced the numbers ill and daily progress against the illness. The largest number announced was about 25. We had friends on the next voyage and learned that embarkation was delayed as they continued to try to rid the ship of the GI virus. HAL also had people stationed at each entrance to the dining areas providing hand sanitizer to all passengers to try to control the outbreak. |
| Date |
Ship |
2011 |
| December 22 | Maasdam | From as Passenger: I just got off the Masdam yesterday after an 11 day cruise. They said there was a noro outbreak on board but I did not see any evidence of this. No gloves or not being able to self serve from the buffet. What I did notice was that after 3 days many many people were sick with a head cold symptoms, caughing, sore throats, ear aches etc. This continued to grow by the days. My wife and myself eventually got it too. Also at the terminal in St. Kitts 2 people fell in the same spot and suffered broken arms. We had 1 bright star emergency in St lucia and a passenger was rushed to the hospital by ambulance at docking. |
| December 16 | Ryndam | The CDC reports reports 69 of 1298 passengers (5.32%) and 6 of 574 crew (1.05%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. A CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officer and an epidemiologist will board the ship on arrival in Tampa on December 18, 2011, to conduct a targeted environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. The ship is on a 7 day cruise ending December 18th. |
| November 22 | Veendam | Terra News (Brazil) reports the ship arrive on Tuesday morning at Pier Maua in the center of Rio de Janeiro, and, according to initial information from the Municipal Health Department, some of the transatlantic passenger suffering a crisis of gastroenteritis. An American tourist died. The fatality was identified as Dorothy Mizzen Philips, 61. The cause of death has not been confirmed. Agents of the Federal Police (PF), with the support of city police officers were at Pier Maua early on Tuesday to receive the ship's passengers. Those who are feeling sick will be taken to the post of ANVISA at the International Airport Antonio Carlos Jobim (Galleon), on Governor's Island, north of the city.The New York Post subsequently reported at least 72 passengers and seven crew members were affected by an unspecified ailment on the journey from Chile. Anvisa officials who boarded the ship when it docked in Rio Tuesday found only two people still showed symptoms of intestinal discomfort, Azaro said. The Vancouver Sun subsequently reports that 79 passengers and 7 crew member reportedly became ill with gastrointestinal illness. |
| November 18 | Ryndam | The CDC reports reports 148 of 1188 passengers (12.46%) and 11 of 732 crew (1.92%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. A CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officers and two epidemiologists boarded the ship on arrival in HAL's private island in the Bahamas on November 18, 2011, to conduct a comprehensive environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. The ship is on a 14 day cruise ending November 20th. |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2010 |
| 6.11.10 | Nieuw Amsterdam | The CDC reports 123 of 2027 passengers (6.06%) and 4 of 878 crew (0.46%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. The ship arrives in Fort Lauderdale November 7th following a 20 day transatlantic cruise. UPDATE: The final numbers are 134 (6.61%) passengers and 6 (0.69%) crew. |
| 6.5.10 | Zuiderdam | The CDC reports that 73 of 1846 passengers (3.95%) and 5 of 793 crew (0.63%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. The ship arrives at Vancouver May 8th from a 19 day cruise. |
| 7.3.10 | Rotterdam | From a passenger: The ship is currently "Code Red" suspected to be the norovirus. Embarkation today will be delayed approximately 2 hours while the ship is being cleaned by crew and contracted union janitoial personnel. Complimentary shuttle busses have been chartered to take guests to nearby Seaport Village. |
| 3.3.10 | Maasdam | The CDC reports that 168 of 1211 passengers (13.87%) and 19 of 559 crew (3.40%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. The ship arrives at Fort Lauderdale March 5th from a 14 day cruise. |
| 23.2.10 | Maasdam | From a passenger: Maasdam
has just gone into code red with a few cases of GI on board. So far
don't know the numbers but to prevent spreading it further and
developing into a major outbreak food and water is being served to us,
no salt and pepper shakers on tables etc. Only 2 days into it but
hopefully it will be over with soon! |
| 14.1.10 | Noordam | A passenger wrote to say the 10 day cruise from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean (January 04-14 2010) had a norovirus outbreak on the 3rd day of the 10 day cruise and it ended on the last full day of the cruise. It was subsequently learned that the number of people infected was 36-38, so below the 3% threshold to be considered an outbreak. The cruise left Fort Lauderdale 01/04/10 and the outbreak started 01/07/10 and ended 01/13/10. My cynical self became very suspicious when there was no additional disinfecting practices observed. |
| 14.1.10 | Amsterdam | The CDC today reported the following illness outbreak last month: The ship reported 8 of 610 (1.31%) crew and 56 of 1317 (4.25%) passengers had reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on a 21 day cruise ending December 23. |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2009 |
| 22.10.09 | Noordam | Gibraltar News from Panorama reports the ship sailed into Gibraltar yesterday with food poisoning onboard. The bug caused a stir with some tour guides and coach drivers, as the word got round of what some were saying was an outbreak of gastro-enteritis. A number of drivers/guides refused to work given the nature of the outbreak. What is regarded as surprising is that passengers were allowed to come ashore, when in other ports it is sometimes the case that passengers are barred to avoid the spread of a bug onboard the ship. Questioned by PANORAMA, ship agents Turner & Co confirmed that there had been "some food poisoning onboard, but contained, and confined to one part of the ship." UPDATE: The CDC reports 16 of 784 (2.04%) crew and 140 of 1826 (7.67%) passengers had reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on a 15 day cruise ending November 1 in Ft. Lauderdale. |
| 30.5.09 | Amsterdam | The ship reported 8 of 587 (1.37%) crew and 101 of 1546 (6.53%) passengers had reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on a 7 day cruise ending today. |
| 23.4.09 | Amsterdam | The ship reported 19 of 600 (3.17%) crew and 119 of 1318 (9.03%) passengers had reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on a 22 day Panama Canal cruise ending in Vancouver April 24.UPDATE April 28: CDC has revised the numbers to 25 crew (4.17%) and 135 passengers (10.24%). The cause of the illness is Cyclospora cayetanensis. |
| 24.3.09 | Westerdam | From a passenger: We
just returned from a seven day cruise on the Holland Westerdam, March
15 thru March 22 2009. When we boarded the ship, we noticed that the
crew was passing out the anti bacterial liquid on every floor. Three
days in the cruise we noticed the employees were thinner than normal.
Five days and the Captain of the ship announced that there was indeed
some sick crew and passengers and they were trying to contain the GI
Virus. We could not even get our own coffee or sugar. No salt and
pepper shakers on table. It was a terrible cruise. I would not
recommend it to anyone. |
| 27.2.09 |
Oosterdam | KFMB-TV in San Diego reports 84 passengers have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness, likely caused by norovirus. The ship returns to San Diego tomorrow and acccording to the cruise line will be sanitized. Update March 2: eFluxMedia reports the numbers are now 106 passengers and 4 crew reporting ill. NOTE: Is it a coincidence that this cruise began the day after the Zaandam cruise (below) ended or is it possible a crew member from Zaandam brought the illness with him/her onto Oosterdam? UPDATE: CDC reports the numbers ill at 110 of 1840 (5.98%) passengers and 10 of 786 (1.27%) crewmembers. |
| 15.2.09 |
Zaandam | From a reader: My
mother and her husband are sailing aboard Holland America’s Zaandam,
which departed San Diego for Hawaii on February 5. Several days ago,
she called, saying passengers were reporting bouts of diarrhea and
vomiting. Sick passengers were being isolated in their rooms for 36-48
hours. According to her, self-serve buffets had been converted to
staff-served and regular cleaning crews had been replaced with special
personnel. Extra hand sanitizer had been placed in her room. Tonight,
she called again, saying she and her husband had been sick with
diarrhea, vomiting, fever and a neck rash for four days. UPDATE: The CDC reports 21 of 590
(3.6%) crew and 74 of 1408 (5.3) passengers have reported ill. The
cruise ends in San Diego on February 20. |
| 9.1.09 |
Maasdam | From a Passenger: There was an outbreak of what the cruise ship's medical staff was diagnosing as a gastrointestinal virus on the January 2-9, 2009 sailing. Five of our family's seven members on board, in three seperate cabins, were affected and spent multiple days in isolation. I was told by my treating nurse that he was brought over from the Noordam to assist due to the number of sick passengers. I have not seen any reports of this anywhere yet. The passenger also said he was told that more than 60 passsengers had been treated for gastrointestinal illness. The CDC subsequently reported 8 of 561 (1.4%) crew and 79 of 1402 (5.6%) passengers had reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2008 |
| 12.12.08 |
Veendam | FROM A PASSENGER: We were on Westerdam on a back-to-back
cruise from Nov 30th to Dec 14th. On Dec 12th before we disembark
at our port of call Costa Maya our Captain mentioned over the PA that
we should not mix with the other people on the ship dock beside us
(which was Veendam) because of an outbreak of that "ship flu." He said
about 40 pax were ill. |
| 5.11.08 |
Zuiderdam | From a passenger:
Doing a 17 day cruise from Venice to Ft. Lauderdale. Self service of
all food stopped a week ago trying to contain spread of Norovirus. Few
cases of Norovirus until yesterday when 20 new cases reported. Today
another 35 reported and now have been informed that our stop at Half
Moon Cay has been cancelled as they are worried about spread of
Norovirus on the tenders to the island. We have been scheduled to stop
at Nassau on Saturday November 8 instead. UPDATE November 6: CDC reports 14 of 794
(1.76%)
crew and 224 of 1820 (12.31%) passengers
had
reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on this cruise ending
November 9. Update November 10: CDC now reports 17 of 794 crew (2.14%) and 261 of 1820 passengers
(14.34%). |
| 29.10.08 |
Volendam | The Marlborough
Express (New Zealand) reports a norovirus outbreak (the ship is on Code Red)
aboard the ship that prevented visitors while it was in Picton. The
ship was to host a fundraising luncheon for the Marlborough Community
Hospice but it was postponed. The Otaga
Daily Times reports Octiober 31 that the number reported ill at 60.
UPDATE: The ship's
"welcome to Sydney (Australia) was reportedly cancelled because of
norovirus onboard. |
| 22.6.08 |
Veendam |
The Anchorage Daily News reports that an unnamed Holland America ship has had an elevated number of illnesses. It states that rumors about a norovirus outbreak followed the ship from port to port, prompting media inquiries. The ship had about 20 sick passengers early in its cruise when it was in Haines. It went to Juneau and Sitka before pulling into Seward (the end of a seven-day cruise). According to one source, the ship has been in Code Red due to the Norwalk Virius since last Thursday. The Veendam is doing Alaska (Vancouver to Seward 7 days, and Seward to Vancouver 7 days). Guests sailing for 14 days were all placed in quarintine for 24 hours last Friday after being plied with free tours in Seward since extra crew were flown in to clean the ship. All staff were present in the Lido restaurant to help serve guests. No salt and pepper shakers, no self serve coffee stations and activities cancelled. Over 100 guests were sick and approximately 20 crew affected. The outbreak was subsequently reported by the Centers for Disease Control -- it reports 112 of 1313 passengers (8.53%) and 12 of 556 crew (2.16%) were ill. |
| 3.4.08 |
Zaandam |
The ship reported 13 of 611 (2.13%) crew and 100 of 1428 (7.00%) passengers had reported ill on a 15 day Hawaii cruise that began March 19 in San Diego and which disembarked April 3. |
| 1.3.08 |
Oosterdam | From a passenger: We just returned from a 7 day Baja
cruise. Two days into the cruise my fiance became very ill and
was quarantined to the cabin for 48+ hours. It was the virus. Naturally
this ruined the cruise for us which was an Air America
Progressive Radio cruise, with 400 others. I never could find out how
many others were ill, but I believe several. We were offered $200 in
ship credit for this disaster, which we refused, going all the way to
the Hotel Manager. There were inadequate services in place to deal with
this quarantine and I was forced to carry meal trays and clean the
bathroom! Regular stewards were not allowed to attend us. |
| 25.2.08 |
Ryndam | The ship reported 8 of 556 (1.44%) crew and 113 of 1226 (9.22%) passengers had reported ill on a 108 day Mexican Riviera cruise that began February 15 in San Diego and which disembarked February 25. |
| 16.1.08 |
Noordam | The ship reported 12 of 816
(1.47%)
crew and 103 of 1980 (5.2%) passengers
had
reported ill on a Southern/Eastern Caribbean cruise that began January
5 in New York City and which
disembarked January 16. |
| 12.1.08 |
Volendam | The ship reported 7 of 608
(1.15%)
crew and 85 of 1451 (5.86%) passengers
had
reported ill on a Southern/Western Caribbean cruise that began January
2 in Fort Lauderdale and which
disembarked January 12. |
| 5.1.08 | Oosterdam | The ship reported 4 (0.5%) crew and 76 (3.84%) passengers had reported ill on a seven day cruise to/from San Diego ending today. |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2007 |
| 20.11.07 |
Zaandam | The ship reported 9 of 616 (1.3%) crew and 91 of 1371 (6.64%) passengers had reported ill on a 15 day Hawaii Cricle cruise from San Diego. |
| 22.4.07 |
Volendam |
The ship reported that 2 of 606 (0.33%) crew and 69 of 1427 (4.84%) passengers had reported ill on a 11 day Southern Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale (12 - 22 April) |
| 2.4.07 |
Ryndam | A passenger reports that the Mexican Riviera cruise ending
today had an illness outbreak. Those arriving for the next cruise
were given a letter at check in that described the situation and that
gave the option of a full refund if they chose to not make the
cruise. The ship was under "condition Red" for the entire cruise,
with required hand disinfection, crew serving all food at the Lido, all
hot clubs closed, complete cleaning of the ship every day, no bread
baskets on the tables, etc. |
| 23.3.07 |
Statendam | Passengers were advised by letter from the Captain that there was a highly contagious
virus aboard among crew and passengers.
The number affected by the illness and the precise nature is
unknown.
The cruise began in Hong Kong on March 22 and ended in Osaka
April 5.
Given that no US ports were in the itinerary, the ship is not required
to report the illness outbreak to the CDC. |
| March 15 | Maasdam | The ship reported that 5 (0.88%) crew and 43 (3.61%) passengers had reported ill on a 10 day cruise to/from Fort Lauderdale (5 - 15 March). |
| 13.3.07 |
Ryndam | The ship reported that 7 of 593
(1.18%)
crew and 61 of 1209 (5.05% passengers
had
reported ill on a 10 day cruise from San Diego to the Mexican Riviera,
return (3 - 13 March). |
| 27.2.07 |
Ryndam | On February 27 the ship reported that 17 of 579 (2.94%) crew and 116 of 1260 (9.21% passengers had reported ill on a 10 day cruise from San Diego to the Mexican Riviera, return (21 Feb - 3 March). Updated numbers 3 March: 26 of 579 (4.49%) crew and 184 of 1260 (14.4%) passengers. |
| 26.2.07 |
Ryndam | The ship reported that 8 of 573
(1.4%)
crew and 118 of 1153 (10.23% passengers
had
reported ill on a 30 day cruise from San Diego to Hawaii and the South
Pacific, return (22 Jan - 21 Feb). Symptons
were
consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus) CDC
reports
there is an elevated number of passengers reporting ill on the current
8 day cruise of the Mexican Riviera (21 Feb - 1 March). |
| 8.2.07 |
Westerdam | The ship reported that 9 of 809 (1.11%) crew and 146 of 1790 (8.16%) passengers had reported ill on a 7 day Eastern Caribbean to/from Fort Lauderdale (4 - 11 Feb). Symptons were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus). |
| 1.2.07 |
Volendam | The ship reported that 7 of 608
(1.15%)
crew and 105 of 1385 (7.58%) passengers had
reported ill on the 10 day Southern
Caribbean cruise returning to Fort
Lauderdale today. Symptons were
consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus). |
| 31.1.07 |
Rotterdam | From a passenger, Santiago to Rio, 11-31 January: We were asked to complete a health questionnaire prior to boarding. I know of at least a dozen folks who were quarantined to their cabins with intestinal problems, but the really big problem was a cold like illness with an uncontrollable cough that seemed to affect almost half the passengers. The medical center told everyone that inquired that they hadn't had any complaints! |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2006 |
| 23.12.06 |
Oosterdam | CBS in San Diego reports an outbreak
of gastrointestinal illness on the 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise ending
today. While the cruise line says there were 55 passengers and
crew
reporting ill, reports from passengers indicate the number was
higher.
One says about room service, "So many people were sick, they stopped
answering the phone." Room service was taking as long as three
hours
for deliveries. |
| 16.12.06 |
Noordam | From a passenger: We were on the 12/06 - 12/16/2006 NYC/Caribbean 10 day r/t, and about the 3rd day received a note in all our rooms of a norovirus outbreak slightly above the normal rate. There were members of the crew holding giant squeeze bags of Purell at all the entrances to the Dining Rooms, and offering it to everyone who walked in. |
| 11.12.06 |
Zaandam | The ship reported that 4 of 617 (0.67%) crew and 64 of 1431 (14.47%) passengers had reported ill on the 26 November -11 December Hawaiian circle cruise from San Diego. Symptons were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus) |
| 24.6.06 |
Statendam | From a passenger: We had an outbreak of norovirus on board -- at the completion of our cruise we were told we had to vacate our staterooms by 8:00 am so the ship could have a “deep sanitization” done. We were told by our dining room head waiter that about 30-35 people had come down with it. |
| 10.6.06 |
Oosterdam | Messages
from several passengers report there was a small outbreak on the Alaska
cruise ending today in Seattle -- the numbers may have been less than
3% (i.e.,
less than 55). According to one passenger: "...passengers
and crew became sick (total of about 36 I heard) with a stomach virus.
The ship began taking precautions against contamination beginning about
Tuesday (salt and pepper shakers disappeared, some crew wore gloves and
masks, they were spraying something around the ship, lots of Purell
being offered, etc.), but other than warnings to wash your hands and
not shake hands, Holland America did not tell us much of what was going
on." |
| 4.6.06 |
Ryndam | On June 2, the ship reported that 5 of 574 (0.87%) crew and 64 of 1230 (5.2%) passengers were ill. The predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea. The 7 day Alaska cruise ended in Vancouver on June 4. |
| 21.5.06 |
Ryndam | According to passengers, a "Code Red" was called the second night of the cruise due to gastro intestinal illness on board. The Spa and the 2 public jacuzzi pools were closed, all meal service was conducted on a strictly controlled access basis - no self serve and staff wore vinyl gloves for practically all tasks. The onboard shops didn't allow passengers to try on any necklaces, watches, or rings. During the cruise, several more obvious crew members became ill - the Piano bar pianist, the Bingo caller/Asst cruise director. While the Captain continued to reassure passengers that no actual problem existed, many passengers were missing from dinner tables and quarantited to their cabins. One staff reported that 50 passengers had reported sick; a passenger heard that as many as 50 crew had become ill. The CDC posted on their site June 7th (dated May 21) that 102 of 1279 (7.97%) passengers and 13 of 570 (2.28%) of crew. |
| 9.5.06 |
Veendam | On
May 9, the ship reported that 8 of 556 (1.41%) crew and 67 of 1214
(5.52%) passengers were ill. The predominant symptoms were
vomiting
and diarrhea. The 17 day cruise arrived in San Diego, from where
it
left on April 22. |
| 5-20.4.06 |
Rotterdam |
After an hour delay, passengers boarding for
the transatlantic crossing from Rio de Janeiro to Lisbon were given a
questionaire to fill in about health issues, told there had been a
gastrointestinal illness outbreak on the last cruise, and given the
option to cancel the cruise (this at the last minute, after having
travelled to Rio). On the ship there was no self service at the Lido
etc, not even for coffee; all hot tubs, the library etc. was closed; no
shaking of hands, no salt and pepper, bread/butter on
the table etc., everything was provided by the crew. According to one
passenger: They were
fumigating all the time, even in the middle of the night, when I woke
up because of the noise the machine was making. When I opened my door I
saw a man with a mask and tank, who stopped immediatly. The crew would
not say how many persons were ill. On day 8, cruise passengers were
told the outbreak was over and self service at the buffets
etc. would start again. They kept spraying all through the
end of the cruise, which sometimes hurt my eyes and made breathing a
bit difficult during a short time. We heard about several people who
had
gone in quarantaine after reporting ill. All in all the ship
jandled the situation very well. |
| 17.4.06 |
Statendam |
Several hundred passengers and crew took ill
due to Norwalk virus on the cruise which began in Osaka on April 3 and
ended today in Hong Kong. The ship had guests fill out a health
questionnaire prior to embarking in Osaka, which was a sign of things
to come. The illness broke out in code red by day 3 with 75 cases and
spread like wildfire. Several hundred passengers were ill by the cruise
end. This apparently has been on-going since February, according to the
crew, but this breakout was the worst. The ship was being fumigated
room by room and all facilities were closed down throughout the cruise
due to cleaning and the spread of the illness. Guests embarking
on 4/17/06 were also filling out the same questionnaire and the vessel
was to be in code red for at least the first four days of the
subsequent sailing. According to a
passenger on that cruise: There
were many restrictions during the cruise. Regardless, many people were
ill, although Holland America staff downplayed just how many. Infected
people and their traveling companions were quarantined to their cabins for the duration of their illness plus one day. Room service was to deliver meals, but they were hard to reach, probably due to all the calls they were receiving. |
| 7.4.06 |
Amsterdam | For the second cruise in a row the ship has reported an
elevated number of passengers and crew with gastrointestinal
illness. On April 6, the ship’s medical
staff reported that 8 of 605 (1.32%) crew and 76 of 1294 (5.87%) passengers were ill. The 15-day Hawaiian cruise
ended in San Diego on April 6. |
| 21.3.06 |
Amsterdam | On March 13, 2006, Holland America Cruise Line
reported that an elevated number of Amsterdam passengers and
crew were experiencing symptoms that were consistent with acute
gastroenteritis. The predominant symptoms are
diarrhea and vomiting. On March 21, the ship’s
medical staff reported that 8 of 606 (1.32%) crew and 142 of 1360
(10.44%) passengers were ill. The ship returns to San
Diego from a 15 day Hawaii cruise on March 22. |
| 13.3.06 |
Volendam | On March 13, 2006, Holland America Cruise Line
reported that an elevated number of Volendam passengers
and
crew were experiencing symptoms that were consistent with acute
gastroenteritis. The predominant symptoms are
diarrhea and vomiting. On March 21, the ship’s
medical staff reported that 3 of 613 (0.49%) crew and 51 of 1412
(3.61%) passengers were ill. The ship returned to Port
Everglades
March 17 from a 10 night Southern Caribbean cruise. |
| 14.1.06 |
Zuiderdam | Upon arrival onto the ship, passengers were given a notice that about 2% of the previous passengers and crew reported ill with norovirus-like symptoms (2% = 54 passengers and crew). Passengers were offered a full refund or to take the cruise. According to one passenger, Holland America had "Purell" sanitizers EVERYWHERE. No touching of buffet tongs, no salt and pepper shakers, no jacuzzi, no sauna, no hand shaking, yada, yada. Daily announcements from the cruise director and Captain. Some passengers reported illness. |
| 11.1.06 |
Rotterdam | From a passenger: I just completed a cruise on Holland America's Rotterdam (December 20 - January 11, ending in Valparaiso, Chile), and at least 125 passengers and crew were ill with norwalk-like virus symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea). Although every possible measure was being taken to deal with it (daily announcements, memos, staff using gloves and disinfectants) -- it still was a very difficult situation. One of our concerns was that the staff was told clearly not to discuss it, and/or to minimize the situation -- this resulted in a lot of mixed signals coming from the staff - those who were telling the truth, and those who were covering up the events. When a passenger died on board (apparently of natural causes, and not related to the epidemic), again, the attempt at cover-up was obvious. |
| 4.1.06 |
Zuiderdam | On
day 3 of a 7 day cruise the ship reported that 94 of 1888 (4.98%) passengers and 27 of 814 (3.32%) crew had reported
ill with symptoms consistent with norovirus. The ship is due back
in Fort Lauderdale on January 7. Note: A
passenger reported an outbreak at the end of the previous cruise. Numbers were revised on January 6: 50 of 814 (6.14%) crew reported ill
and a survey of
passengers found that 155 of 1023 respondents
(15.2%) reported they were also ill. From a passenger: By Sunday there were many quarantined passengers and we decided to disembark early. The ship's guest relation supervisor said he booked us a flight out of St Thomas -- we arrived at airport to find out Holland America staff lied ....THE FLIGHT TICKETS WERE NEVER BOOKED. The ship left us sick, dehydrated and stranded without a care. |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2005 |
| 30.12.05 |
Zuiderdam | From a passenger: On the last night/morning, many people were stricken with a gastrointestinal illness that caused diarrhea and vomiting. A great deal of vomit was on the stairs, elevator and other public areas by Friday morning. I was one of the seemingly many people that fell sick, and had to endure an extremely difficult day of travel home to Canada. Advice: the cruise line may benefit from providing some sort of follow up information service when so many passengers become sick on their ship; they may also benefit from frequent changing of serving utensils in the buffet areas. |
| Dec.05 |
Statendam | From a
passenger: We sailed
from San Diego to Auckland Nov. 17/05
to Dec. 22/05. There was an outbreak of GI illness involving at
least 60 - 70 passengers and unknown number of crew. My husband
was very ill for 24 hours and nauseous for a week but they didn't count
him as they said he wasn't sick enough. Passengers who were
treated had to pay large fees - they said the illness came on board
with people who boarded in Peru. |
| 13.11.05 |
Westerdam | Reported by a passenger: An outbreak Norwalk type flu on cruise returning to Fort Lauderale Nov 13. Captain informed us that forty passengers involved and nine remained in stateroom as of Nov 12. Precautionay measures were taken: no self service or articles on tables. According to another passenger, HAL took great care in preventing the spread of the disease -- she was told 40 passengers and 10 crew members had reported ill. |
| 14.3.05 | Amsterdam | A passenger wrote: There was an outbreak of influenza and bronchitis on the cruise from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Valparaiso, Chile. It was very widespread, as it seemed that nearly everyone was coughing severely. Nearly everyone we met on the ship was infected. The doctor on the ship diagnosed me with “what everyone else has”, influenza/bronchitis, and the flu shot was ineffective against this flu. I know of one hospitalization in Puerto Montt, and the person was left there. I was given an antiviral med and Z-Pak antibiotic, as was nearly everyone that I talked to. At no time during the cruise did the captain or any other crew member acknowledge that there was a problem, except the doctor. Rumor has it that several people got off the ship in Buenos Aires with possible pneumonia. |
| 14.3.05 |
Veendam | The CDC reports that 88 of 1267 passengers (6.95%) and 6 of 554 crew members (1.08%) reported ill during the March 5 - 12 cruise ending in Tampa. Third outbreak on this ship in 2005 |
| 29.1.05 | Veendam | The cruise was ended 13 hours ahead of schedule. It is reported that 200 of 1,220 passengers (16.4%) and 30 of 572 crew members (5.2%) reported ill during the Jan 15 - 29 beginning and ending in Tampa. SECOND CRUISE IN A ROW WITH OUTBREAK |
| 24.1.05 |
Ryndam | The CDC reports that 267 of 1,223 passengers (21.8%) and 30 of 574 crew members (5.2%) so far have reported ill during the January 13 - 29 cruise from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale. |
| 15.1.05 |
Veendam | A passenger reports there was an outbreak of norovirus on the cruise ending today. The cast was unable to perform the last shows due to illness and the ship was on full scale control measures. Guests were not allowed to touch any untensils, salt and pepper disappeared, and crew were constantly wiping down everything. We had to vacate cabins early on arrival so they could "super-sanitize" the ship. In sum, 70 of 1,236 passengers (5.66%) and 7 of 571 crew (1.23%) reported ill. |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2004 |
| 3.10.04 |
Veendam | The ship reported that an unusual number of passengers and some crew members were experiencing GI illness. The ship’s medical staff reported that 39 of 1230 (3.17%) passengers and 2 of 557 (0.36%) crew members were ill. Predominant symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting. The cruise began in San Diego and will end October 14. |
| 31.7.04 |
Zuiderdam | A passenger reported: Just got off their July 24th sailing. Reportedly had over 25 cases of a GI bug. Ship was then placed on high alert with sanitizing going on everywhere, No salt and pepper on tables and the Lido restaurant was placed on no self serve status. |
| 27.6 - 4.7.04 |
Veendam |
Two
passengers reported that at least 40 passengers and an
unknown number of crew had come down with gastro intestinal illness.
The ship reminded passengers on need to wash hands "and provided
sanitizers at every imaginable spot on the ship". |
| 30.4.04 |
Veendam |
On
April 30, the ship reported that 79 passengers and 6 crew
had reported illness consistent with norovirus. The cruise ran
from April 17 - May 5, ending in Seattle. |
| 16.4.04 |
Amsterdam |
On April 16, the ship reported that 75 passengers and 11 crew had reported gatrointestinal illness. It was later confirmed that the illness was caused by E. coli. The cruise ran from March 31 - April 17, ending in San Diego. |
| 14.4.04 |
Rotterdam |
On
April 12, the ship reported that 39 passengers
(3.1%) and
8 crew
(1.42%) had reported illness consistent with norovirus. The cruise ran
from April 2 - 15, ending in Baltimore. |
| 13.2.04 |
Ryndam |
79
passengers and 10 crew reported gastrointestinal illness
suspected to be caused by Norwalk-like virus. The seven day
cruise to Mexico began February 7. |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2003 |
| 29.12.03 |
Volendam |
53
passengers and 11 crew came down with probable cases of
norovirus during the pregious week's cruise. |
| 2.9.03 |
Zaandam |
According
to passengers, there was an outbreak of
gastro-intestinal disease on the cruise ending August 30; they were notified the third
night of the cruise by a letter delivered to each cabin that Norwalk
was on the ship and instructing them to take proper precautions. 40 passengers
were off-loaded in Ketchikan and an estimated 60 others at two
other ports. Among those disembarked at
Ketchikan were two octagenarians
(because one reported an ongoing health condition that included
gastrointestinal sensitivities for which he took medication). Despite
promises onboard, the 82 and
95 year olds were not given necessary assistance by HAL once they
left the ship (including having to carry their own luggage up stairs).
They are awaiting reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses that they
were told were arranged to be paid in advance. |
| 18-25.8.03 |
Volendam |
According
to a physician (passenger) onboard, there was an
outbreak of norwalk-like virus that affected at least 50 (and as many
as 75 or 100). There was no public acknowledgement by the cruise
line during the cruise, but on the 3rd day all self-serve options were
discontinued
and the chips witched to its "infectious disease" protocol. Passengers were quarantined to cabins. |
| 16.8.03 |
Amsterdam |
According
to Alaska state's epidemiology lab, about 25
passengers have been afflicted with a gastrointestinal virus.
Cruise line officials wouldn't say how many passengers were ill.
They did say that an undisclosed number of passengers were
removed from the ship in Sitka and Juneau and flown home at the cruise
line's expense. |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2002 |
| 25.11.02 |
Statendam |
Reports
that 9 passengers
and 6 crew on the 10-day cruise to Mexico had "the flulike virus that
is
spread by contact." (Source: KGTV,
KFMB-TV (San Diego)) |
| 15.11.02 |
Statendam |
38 passangers (3.25%) and 4 crew (.73%) came down with Norwalk-like virus in the most recent cruise; the ship was the subject of a super-cleaning before embarking new passengers. (Source: KGTV (San Diego); CDC) |
| 14.11.02 |
Amsterdam |
36
people (28 pax and 8 crew) were offloaded at Cuacao (day
3 of the cruise) because they exhibited the symptoms associated
with Norwalk-like virus. 8 more passengers and 3 more cruise
contracted the disease in the following 24 hours. By the end of
the cruise, 64 passengers and 18 crew had reportedly been sickened. |
| 1-11.11.02 |
Amsterdam |
Upon
arrival onboard, passengers were handed a printed
notice that the ship had been contaminated with Norwalk virus during
the previous cruise. On this cruise, 163 passengers and 18 crew
were confirmed sick from
Norwalk-like virus; 52 passengers (25 who were ill) disembarked
at Bonaire (8) and St. Thomas, USVI (44). |
| 22.10 - 1.11.02 |
Amsterdam |
41
passengers and 8 crew became ill from Norwalk-like virus
during the cruise. Some were offloaded at ports during the cruise. |
| 1-22.10.02 |
Amsterdam |
Outbreak of a gastro-intestinal virus on the October 1 repositioning cruise from Seattle to Fort Lauderdale. The company said that 196 passengers and about a dozen crew had contracted the Norwalk-like virus. CDC: 192 passengers (14.3%) and 23 crew (3.82%) |
| 25.7 - 1.8.02 |
Ryndam |
Outbreak
of gastrointestinal illness (189 pax and 30 crew)
from Norwalk-like virus reported by July 30th
at 6 PM. The ship is taken out of service to be sanitized. See CDC
for more
information. |
| 18-25.7.02 |
Ryndam |
Outbreak
of gastrointestinal
illness (167 pax and nine crew) from Norwalk-like virus reported when
ship arrived in Vancouver. See CDC
for more
information. |
| 28.4.02 |
Amsterdam |
Gastrointestinal
outbreak
reported to CDC -- 12 pax (2.19%) and 18 crew (3.48%) |
| 24.4.02 |
Ryndam |
Gastrointestinal
outbreak
reported to CDC -- 52 pax (5.51%) and 17 Crew (3.19%) |
| dd/mm/yy |
Ship |
2001 and earlier |
| Mar.98 |
Statendam | CDC reports an illness outbreak ... no additional details. |
| Sep.97 |
Westerdam |
Influenza outbreak affectes 53 crew members and 43
passengers. Embarkation of the cruise had been delayed in
Montreal for its health inspection. |
| Apr. 97 |
Noordam |
CDC reports an illness outbreak (cyclospora) ... no additional details. |
| Apr. 96 |
Noordam |
CDC reports an illness outbreak (Norwalk virus) ... no additional details. |