Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
Virus Again Strikes Cruise Ship
Aired November 22, 2002 - 10:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We go to south Florida now where a contagious stomach virus has swept through a cruise ship for the fourth straight voyage. Holland America line has canceled the ship's next cruise, hoping that they could rid the vessel of an illness that has sickened more than 500 people.
Our national correspondent Susan Candiotti is following the story. She looks in fine health herself. And joins us now from south Florida. Susan, good morning.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn. We're here at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale where Holland America ship the Amsterdam came in a few hours ago and the passengers have pretty much all disembarked by now. 67 passengers and crew never made it this far because they were asked to get off by Holland America at three Caribbean ports earlier in this ten-day long cruise because, A, they were so sick and the cruise line did not want to risk infecting anybody else and therefore spreading this virus called the Norwalk Virus. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea -- not very pleasant -- and this has happened on four straight sailings of this particular cruise ship, effecting more than 500 passengers and crew.
Now, that means that 1200 passengers did arrive here safely in port and did not become sick. Some, however, told us they were not at all pleased that they only found out about the virus when they arrived to take their cruise ten days ago. And Holland America says they did have the option at that time of not getting on the ship although some would have had to have suffered cancellation fees and other penalties. Nevertheless, most of the people they said decided to, in fact, all of them, decided to take the cruise anyway. Although some passengers told us they didn't have that great of a time because they were always afraid that they might get sick.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just felt kind of pitiful. You weren't having that good a time as you would have.
CANDIOTTI: What is happening now? Well, now that everyone has disembarked, a cleaning process begins -- they've done this on each of the four -- three -- previous sailings. They're going to sanitize everything, that means cleaning everything down to the poker chips. Changing out pillows, cleaning draperies, cleaning the carpets, railings, handles, anything else you can think of. And the Centers for Disease Control will be watching this very carefully but they've been asked by Holland America to come take a look. There will be no cruising and the ship normally would have been turned around today but it will be out of service at least until December the 1st. Finally, Daryn, Holland America will not tell us how much money they expect they will have lost during the course of these four sailings and losing this next one but they're not too happy about it. Nevertheless, they hope they'll e able to come out of this cleanly, break the cycle, get rid of the virus, once and for all.
KAGAN: Well, they're not too happy about it? What about the people -- who ended up being -- so sick on their vacation or the people who were supposed to go on this next -- on this next -- cruise. Sorry that's not going to happen.
CANDIOTTI: You can -- you can well imagine.
KAGAN: Absolutely. And, in fact, Susan...
CANDIOTTI: You can well imagine how these people must feel although I must say it was a cross-section of people, some said they had a good time anyway while others said they couldn't really enjoy themselves because the next thing you knew someone wasn't at the dinner table the next night and they were worried they too would get sick.
KAGAN: Well, I'll tell you this. We have one passenger who is on Holland America he's going to be joining us in the next hour; he wasn't sending postcards home wish you were here I will tell you that.
Susan Candiotti, in south Florida, thanks so much.
Aired November 22, 2002 - 10:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We go to south Florida now where a contagious stomach virus has swept through a cruise ship for the fourth straight voyage. Holland America line has canceled the ship's next cruise, hoping that they could rid the vessel of an illness that has sickened more than 500 people.
Our national correspondent Susan Candiotti is following the story. She looks in fine health herself. And joins us now from south Florida. Susan, good morning.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn. We're here at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale where Holland America ship the Amsterdam came in a few hours ago and the passengers have pretty much all disembarked by now. 67 passengers and crew never made it this far because they were asked to get off by Holland America at three Caribbean ports earlier in this ten-day long cruise because, A, they were so sick and the cruise line did not want to risk infecting anybody else and therefore spreading this virus called the Norwalk Virus. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea -- not very pleasant -- and this has happened on four straight sailings of this particular cruise ship, effecting more than 500 passengers and crew.
Now, that means that 1200 passengers did arrive here safely in port and did not become sick. Some, however, told us they were not at all pleased that they only found out about the virus when they arrived to take their cruise ten days ago. And Holland America says they did have the option at that time of not getting on the ship although some would have had to have suffered cancellation fees and other penalties. Nevertheless, most of the people they said decided to, in fact, all of them, decided to take the cruise anyway. Although some passengers told us they didn't have that great of a time because they were always afraid that they might get sick.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just felt kind of pitiful. You weren't having that good a time as you would have.
CANDIOTTI: What is happening now? Well, now that everyone has disembarked, a cleaning process begins -- they've done this on each of the four -- three -- previous sailings. They're going to sanitize everything, that means cleaning everything down to the poker chips. Changing out pillows, cleaning draperies, cleaning the carpets, railings, handles, anything else you can think of. And the Centers for Disease Control will be watching this very carefully but they've been asked by Holland America to come take a look. There will be no cruising and the ship normally would have been turned around today but it will be out of service at least until December the 1st. Finally, Daryn, Holland America will not tell us how much money they expect they will have lost during the course of these four sailings and losing this next one but they're not too happy about it. Nevertheless, they hope they'll e able to come out of this cleanly, break the cycle, get rid of the virus, once and for all.
KAGAN: Well, they're not too happy about it? What about the people -- who ended up being -- so sick on their vacation or the people who were supposed to go on this next -- on this next -- cruise. Sorry that's not going to happen.
CANDIOTTI: You can -- you can well imagine.
KAGAN: Absolutely. And, in fact, Susan...
CANDIOTTI: You can well imagine how these people must feel although I must say it was a cross-section of people, some said they had a good time anyway while others said they couldn't really enjoy themselves because the next thing you knew someone wasn't at the dinner table the next night and they were worried they too would get sick.
KAGAN: Well, I'll tell you this. We have one passenger who is on Holland America he's going to be joining us in the next hour; he wasn't sending postcards home wish you were here I will tell you that.
Susan Candiotti, in south Florida, thanks so much.
