BORDEAUX, France — The British cruise ship Ambition arrived in the French port city of Bordeaux on Tuesday evening carrying more than 1,700 passengers and crew, some of whom had fallen ill with norovirus. French authorities initially ordered everyone to remain onboard, but late Wednesday they reversed course for passengers without symptoms, allowing them to disembark. One passenger was spotted raising his arms in triumph as he left the vessel.
Ambassador Cruise Line, a British operator that caters to travelers over 50, said Thursday that 60 passengers and four crew members were experiencing gastrointestinal illness. The company said those unaffected were free to go ashore and that “all scheduled shore excursions operating as planned today.” Sick passengers remained onboard under the care of the ship’s medical team.
Samples tested at Bordeaux University Hospital confirmed the outbreak was norovirus, a highly contagious stomach bug. Local health authorities said no serious cases had been reported and that the ill were being treated without the need for hospital transfer. French officials also said there was no link to a recent deadly hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch vessel that had put European health authorities on alert.
The Ambition was midway through a 14-night cruise that began in Belfast and Liverpool, with planned stops in northern Spain and along France’s Atlantic coast. The operator announced Thursday that the ship would stay overnight in Bordeaux and depart Friday on a revised route. In a statement, Ambassador Cruise Line said, “This will allow the ship to avoid forecast unsettled weather conditions in the Bay of Biscay this evening which would be less than ideal for guests and crew recovering from gastrointestinal illness while also providing valuable additional time for crew who have worked exceptionally hard in challenging circumstances over recent days.”
The company also confirmed that a 92-year-old male passenger died Sunday, but said the man did not report any symptoms consistent with gastrointestinal illness and that no link had been made to the outbreak.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which monitors outbreaks on voyages calling at U.S. and foreign ports, recorded 23 gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships last year. Most were caused by norovirus, including a new strain, according to CDC data.