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**Summary:**

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Serenade of the Seas, arrived in Miami after a 13-night voyage plagued by a norovirus outbreak. At least 94 passengers and 4 crew members fell ill. Passengers reported increased cleaning measures, removal of shared items like salt shakers, and mandatory hand sanitization. Health officials are monitoring the situation and advising on hand hygiene and surface cleaning to prevent further spread. The cruise line stated that it maintains high standards of health and safety.

**News Article:**

**Norovirus Outbreak Hits Royal Caribbean Cruise; Passengers Quarantined Upon Arrival in Miami**

**Miami, FL –** A Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Serenade of the Seas, docked at PortMiami Thursday morning after a 13-night voyage marred by a significant norovirus outbreak. Health officials confirmed that at least 94 passengers and four crew members were affected by the highly contagious virus.

The ship, which departed San Diego on September 19th, made stops in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Colombia before arriving in Miami. Passengers described experiencing sudden and severe gastrointestinal symptoms, leading to many being quarantined in their cabins.

“I stayed in bed for a whole day. I was quarantined,” one passenger told Local 10 News upon arrival. “My symptoms started, like, during the day, and I started feeling really funny in my stomach. It only lasted like 36 to 48 hours.”

Passengers also reported seeing increased cleaning efforts by the crew, including the removal of shared items like salt and pepper shakers and mandatory hand sanitization before entering public areas. “When I say cleaning, they started on the bottom and worked up to the top, and then you would see them coming back down again. All over everywhere,” said Leslie Nilsen, a passenger on the cruise.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Aileen Marty explained that norovirus is prone to spreading in confined spaces like cruise ships, especially where hand hygiene may be lacking. “Anytime you have crowds and lots of eating environments and people who don’t wash their hands properly after going to the bathroom, then you can easily contaminate surfaces that others will touch…that’s how people get infected,” she warned.

Royal Caribbean issued a statement, emphasizing their commitment to health and safety, stating, “To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public health guidelines.”

Health officials are closely monitoring the situation and are speaking with disembarking passengers about their experiences. They emphasize the importance of frequent hand washing with soap and water for at least 60 seconds and regular surface cleaning to prevent the spread of norovirus.

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