More than 120 passengers and crew members on a Princess Cruises ship that docked in San Francisco on Thursday were infected with a stomach virus while on their voyage, federal health officials said.
The Ruby Princess was on a 20-day round trip journey from San Francisco to Canada and Alaska when 102 passengers and 23 crew members were stricken by norovirus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Norovirus is highly contagious, often spread by food or on surfaces, particularly in crowded conditions. It is a short-lived illness for many people, but can be dangerous for people with underlying health conditions, young children and those aged 65 and older.
No one could pay me enough to go on a cruise. They’re environmentally destructive floating dens of plague.
Ditto
How about ferries? They’re way better than flying in terms of environmental impact and costs, and some are quite nice.
I once took a ferry from Alaska to Washington. 4 days in open ocean/international waters. There was a full dining hall, museum/library, and movie theatre on board. Plus all the cars underneath! There were cabins, but I just put my sleeping bag on the deck. Some people had little cots and some people tied up hammocks. $300 USD (i didnt have a car), plus I had to pay for food once I was on board. I’ve never been on a cruise, but I would do a long ferry ride again in a heartbeat
If you ignore all the sinkings of ro-ro ferries…
They got life boats, and I can still tread water for hours, I’m not particularly concerned.
Cruises are great… until they aren’t.
Noro ripped through the vessel I work on a few months back, that was a fucking miserable 72 hours. We’re a client/crew mix of about 86 souls and it took out about 60 of us.
It’s always the Ruby Princess. Always.
As these behemoths become larger and larger, the odds of an outbreak of disease goes up and up. As does the negative environmental impact. It’s gotta stop.
This has been going on for decades and isn’t even news. Edit to add, the ship carries over 3,080 passengers so it’s not even a high percentage of effected individuals.
