Compensation for cruise illness victims

The norovirus outbreaks affected six separate cruises between November, 2009 and April, 2010. Passengers suffered from severe symptoms including sickness, diarrhoea, and stomach cramps.

Many passengers had travelled on board the luxury cruise ship to spend time with family and friends over the Christmas and New Year period. Yet the outbreaks of illness led to many spending large periods of their winter getaways quarantined within their cabins.

Despite cruise liner Fred Olsen finally agreeing to the settlement; they have accepted no responsibility for the norovirus outbreaks.

However, many cruises were forced to return early to dock due to the severity of the outbreaks on board. Despite this, the following cruise would often set sail just a day or two later. This has led passengers to question whether the Boudicca cruise ship was ready to host another cruise so soon after previous outbreaks.

Norovirus is commonly known as the “winter vomiting bug”. Infection can lead to suffering gastroenteritis, an infection of the intestines. This results in suffering the symptoms of sickness, diarrhoea, and stomach cramps experienced by passengers.

Many indicated that had they been made aware of the repeated outbreaks of norovirus, they would not have boarded the Boudicca cruise ship.

Tracy Stansfield, the holiday claims solicitor who handled the case, said: “The illness suffered on board the Boudicca cruise ship was a very serious and sustained outbreaks which spread form cruise to cruise.

“Although the claims have been settled, Fred Olsen have not accepted responsibility for the outbreaks. We have now been fighting for our clients for four years and everybody here at Farnworth Rose Solicitors is delighted that our clients have now received compensation for their very nasty illness.”