Royal Caribbean delayed the departure of cruise on Radiance of the Seas on Saturday to allow the ship to be cleaned following an outbreak of illness among passengers.
The operator announced the move on Saturday after the 2,000-passenger ship returned to Tampa and was due to sail a five day cruise to Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.
In a statement to customers Royal Caribbean said: “During Radiance of the Seas’ last sailing, a number of guests experienced some gastrointestinal illness.
“In an abundance of caution, we will conduct some enhanced sanitizing on board the ship and within the cruise terminal to help prevent any illness from affecting the next sailing.
“If you have experienced any gastrointestinal symptoms during the past three days, we ask that you please consider rescheduling your cruise.”
Outbreaks of winter vomiting or Norovirus are not rare on cruise ships at this time of the year but the industry insists they are no more common than in places where large number of people congregate on land like hospitals and schools.