food poisoning

How Common is Food Poisoning on Miami Cruises?

May 26, 2021 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

There can be no doubt that a highlight for many cruise guests is the food, featuring a range of culinary adventures from massive breakfast buffets and pizza on-demand to fine dining and late night snacks. You might not give a second thought to the sanitary practices regarding the preparation, presentation, and storage behind the scenes of your favorite dishes, but data reveals some safety concerns. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 21,600 passengers experience acute gastrointestinal illness and other food borne illnesses every year while traveling on cruises.

When compared to the millions of guests that do not get sick on cruises, this figure is relatively low. Still, a bout with food poisoning can completely ruin your vacation, and do not expect a quick, automatic refund from the cruise operator. It is critical to work with a Miami cruise ship lawyer to protect your interests and seek appropriate compensation for your losses. You might also benefit from reviewing a few basics about food borne illnesses on cruise vacations.

How Cruise Passengers May Contract Food Borne Illnesses

Norovirus Outbreak on Series of Australia Cruises

November 7, 2017 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

The Celebrity Solstice ship has reportedly been dealing with a series of Norovirus outbreaks, according to reports and a recent passenger’s statement. The passenger stated that he and his wife had been informed of the prior outbreak of the gastrointestinal virus after their ship left the Sydney port for Auckland. The passenger claims that it was not until the ship left Melbourne that the captain announced to passengers that an earlier cruise had an outbreak of the Norovirus, and informed guests to take extra sanitary precautions such as extensive hand washing and using hand sanitizer.

In a statement, Celebrity Cruises reportedly confirmed cases of the illness in passengers and crew, and claimed that it had sent a text message about the outbreak in informing passengers that it would need additional time to clean the ship.

Norovirus can be transmitted through infected food or water, by personal contact, or with contact with a surface that has been contaminated.

Gastrointestinal Outbreak on Ocean Princess Cruise Ship

May 20, 2016 | by Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.

Cases of gastrointestinal illness (“GI”) have grown to become a serious problem for various cruise lines. The cases are growing in number. Today, there are several cruise lines that are specifically required to report the total number of GI illness cases. These cruise lines are participating in the Vessel Sanitation Program (“VSP”).

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) there was a severe gastrointestinal outbreak on the Ocean Princess cruise ship of the Princess Cruises cruise line. From this apparent outbreak, 63 out of 603 passengers (or 10.45%) became ill while on the cruise. Seven crewmembers also became ill. This notable outbreak occurred during the cruise ship’s February 13th through March 7th, 2016 voyage. Among all those sickened, the predominant symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea. In response to this outbreak, the cruise ship’s crewmembers, those not sick, increased their cleaning and disinfection procedures, collected stool samples from the sickened passengers and crewmembers for testing and made daily reports of gastrointestinal illness cases. The CDS Vessel Sanitation Program (“VSP”) is currently monitoring the outbreak and the ship’s response procedures.

Have you or a loved one suffered from an illness while on a cruise ship? If it is found that the cruise ship was at fault for your illness, you may be entitled to compensation. To best protect your interests, it is imperative that you retain an experienced attorney. The Miami maritime lawyers at Gerson & Schwartz PA are here to help. At Gerson & Schwartz, PA we provide high quality legal representation. For more information call us toll free at 1-877-475-2905 or contact us online.