An 87-year-old Royal Caribbean passenger who was one of nearly 100 people sickened in a norovirus outbreak isn’t letting the experience stop him from planning a future cruise.
“It just it hit so violently and so fast. I've never been this sick, and I'm 87 years old,” said Bob Pettit in an interview from his home in Mooresville, North Carolina.
Pettit left San Diego on the Serenade of the Seas cruise with his son Joshua Pettit two weeks ago and docked in Miami on Thursday.
He said a week into the adventure, following a stop in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, passengers started to get sick.
“We feel like the spreading location was the Windjammer buffet, you know, touching the tongs and handles, because even though we were washing hands, you're sharing those tongs and those spoons serving food,” said Joshua, 50, who, unlike his dad, didn’t get sick.
Bob Pettit said the illness hit him suddenly.
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“I couldn't get into the restroom fast enough, and so I threw up in public space, and people were there … and I felt sorry for them, I probably caused them to be sick too later on,” he said.
The CDC reported that 94 passengers and four crew members contracted norovirus, which is highly contagious and causes severe diarrhea and vomiting.
The illness spreads when someone ingests feces or vomit and has been behind more than a dozen gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruises this year, according to CDC data.
Experts say cruise ships are ripe for outbreaks.
“That is a recipe for disaster for any type of communicable disease, whether it's respiratory illnesses like flu or COVID, or if it's GI symptoms like this,” said Dr. Jyotu Sandhu, a family medicine physician at Sharp Rees-Stealy.
He said that most people who contract the norovirus will recover within one to two weeks, but warned that it can be particularly serious for older individuals.
'Rigorous cleaning'
With all the diarrhea that people get, that can really send a person into dehydration, which can then cause more problems," Sandhu said.
For Bob Pettit, the doctor’s orders were simple: eat bananas, rice, and get plenty of rest.
“They checked on me every few hours, called me up and found out I was doing,” he said, commending how well the staff on board handled the outbreak.
Joshua Pettit added that once passengers became ill, crew members started staffing the buffet to serve food and did a deep cleaning.
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“The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority. 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,” said a Royal Caribbean spokesperson.
The cruise line didn’t say if it’s been able to determine the cause of the outbreak.
Back in North Carolina, Bob and Joshua Pettit are taking the experience in stride and planning their next voyage.
“Honestly, I'm gonna look at other cruises that either go to or come back to San Diego just so we can go back,” Joshua Pettit said.
This article was written by Austin Grabish for the Scripps News Group in San Diego.
