What has Royal Caribbean done to prevent stomach illnesses onboard its ships?
There have been a number of stories in the media recently regarding a common stomach flu, which has been identified as the Norwalk virus (or a Norwalk-like virus). According to the Centers for Disease Control, this illness affects millions of people a year. With the winter cold and flu season upon us, this virus is widespread throughout North America and Europe. In fact, the only illness that is more prevalent is the common cold. Royal Caribbean takes all health issues seriously. Despite the limited number of illnesses on cruise ships, we have taken numerous proactive steps to maintain the high health standards onboard all our ships. A short list of those fleetwide steps includes: • Implementing enhanced cleaning procedures and protocols, as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. • Using special cleaning products and disinfectants to clean areas throughout our ships. • Conducting special cleanings of all “high-touch” areas on our ships, including, but not limited to, coun
