Norovirus: suspected outbreaks on two cruise liners After returning to New York it is due to sail on to Southampton. The Emerald Princess, owned by Princess Cruises, returned to Fort Lauderdale in Florida on December 27 after a 10-day cruise, on which 189 of 3,235 passengers (5.8 per cent) and 31 of 1,189staff have fallen ill. Passengers have reported being asked to stay in their rooms if sick with the bug, which is extremely infectious and can be passed on by poor hand hygiene. One Emerald Princess passenger, calling himself Andiamo, wrote on the website Cruise Critic: "I have never felt as sorry for the staff as I do now. They are working round the clock battling this situation. It is serious, but in my opinion it is being handled very well. The festivities continue and those of us who have avoided this virus continue to enjoy the many offerings we come to expect and appreciate. For those passengers who have been exposed, they are confined to their cabins until declared safe to come out. One female passenger on the Queen Mary 2, said: "The mood is very sombre, it's not the Christmas atmosphere we were hoping for." There is a sense of foreboding, with everyone worried that they will be next to come down with the illness. The crew are trying their best, continually washing down handrails and lifts, but more cases are being reported each day, it's not at all enjoyable. A Cunard spokesman said: "There has been an incidence of a mild gastrointestinal illness among the passengers on Queen Mary 2. This illness is suspected to be norovirus, which is highly contagious and typically transmitted from person to person. Queen Mary 2 is currently on a 12-night Caribbean cruise which departed from New York on Saturday December 22. There are 2613 passengers on board, the number of passengers with active symptoms today is 19. Most of those who had been ill had recovered, the spokesman added. The outbreaks follow two on other cruise ships earlier this month, the Azura and the Oriana, both owned by P&O Cruises. In Britain, more than a million people have been affected by norovirus so far this autumn and winter, according to latest figures from the Health Protection Agency.