A dream cruise through Norway’s stunning fjords turned into a floating nightmare after a stomach bug ripped through a luxury ship, leaving roughly 200 passengers sick and forcing a full onboard lockdown.
The Balmoral, a glamorous vessel operated by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, departed Southampton, England, for a 10-night voyage that promised breathtaking scenery and a stop at Scotland’s famed Viking fire festival, Up Helly Aa. Instead, passengers found themselves confined to their cabins as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea spread rapidly across the ship.
By the time the Balmoral docked on January 30, an estimated 200 passengers had developed symptoms consistent with gastroenteritis, according to accounts provided to the Shetland Times. With the ship carrying around 1,250 guests and 537 crew members, that means roughly 11 percent of those onboard were affected.
One unnamed passenger said daily announcements warned travelers that the ship was seeing “increasing cases of people presenting with symptoms of gastroenteritis.” He and his wife both fell ill during the trip, joining a growing list of passengers sidelined by the outbreak.
While the exact cause was not officially confirmed, Cruisehive reported that norovirus is the likely culprit. The highly contagious virus is notorious for spreading quickly in enclosed environments, particularly cruise ships.
Luxury cruise descends into chaos after 200 passengers struck by stomach bug | Daily Mail Online https://t.co/oWcKVQYmRP
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As the illness spread, crew members enacted emergency health protocols. According to the Press and Journal, the Balmoral effectively went into lockdown. All decks were closed. Every one of the ship’s five restaurants shut down. Self-service dining was eliminated. Social activities like dancing were canceled, and shared items such as puzzles, books, and playing cards were locked away.
Adding to the misery, severe weather conditions prevented the Balmoral from docking in Lerwick, causing passengers to miss the annual Up Helly Aa festival, the largest Viking festival in Scotland and a major highlight of the itinerary.
Passenger Julie Homer described the atmosphere onboard as grim. She told the Press Journal that rough seas followed shortly after the outbreak was announced, making conditions even worse.
“Staff were generally working so hard to keep everything clean,” Homer said. “It wasn’t very pleasant, and a lot of people, including myself, spent as much time outside as we could.”
Homer said she became sick on Monday, January 26, and was confined to her cabin for 48 hours. She received a visit from a nurse and regular check-in calls but said she was still experiencing lingering symptoms days later, including headaches, fatigue, and stomach pain.
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines acknowledged the outbreak in a statement from Kate Bunyan, the company’s director of health services. Bunyan said the crew “immediately implemented measures to help reduce transmission” and emphasized that medical staff were available to support ill passengers.
She also confirmed the Balmoral would return to Southampton later than planned to allow for a deep cleaning of both the ship and the cruise terminal.
While the company expressed understanding over passengers’ disappointment at missing Up Helly Aa, Bunyan stressed that safety and well-being remained the top priority.
