Passengers are pursuing legal action following a bout of Norovirus on board the 'Grand Princess', and have criticised Princess Cruises for allowing the already-infected ship to sail after only 10 hours at port in Southampton, UK.
News reports have claimed that lawyers from Irwin Mitchell were contacted midway through the 14-day Mediterranean cruise once outbreaks of the gastric virus, inducing diarrhoea and vomiting, were recognised.
Clive Garner, of travel lawyers Irwin Mitchell, told BBC News: "I would have expected a thorough deep cleaning of the whole ship before it was allowed to take on board more passengers. For maximum effect this would normally have taken two days."
The Guardian however reported that only four out of 2,486 passengers were showing "active symptoms", though a spokesperson would not confirm exactly how many had fallen ill on the previous cruise.
Garner has asked port authorities to ensure cruise ships are adequately cleaned to prevent recurring outbreaks. Princess Cruises told the BBC that it the ship would undergo "enhanced sanitation protocols."
Sources: BBC, The Guardian, Eatdrinkandbe.org
