The P&O Iona ship was hit with a 'nightmare' wave of illness, but why does norovirus spread like wildfire on cruises?

To nobody's surprise, there's another norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship. This time, the lucky passengers are onboard the MS Iona, an "Excellence-class" (also called "Excel-class," described in this article) cruise ship operated by P&O Cruises (a Carnival subsidiary) that can can carry over 5,

One passenger aboard the P&O Iona travelling around the North Sea told Sky News that “people have been dropping like flies” as a “large number” of guests and staff were experiencing symptoms. "People [were] throwing up in restaurants, on decks, outside cabins," the passenger said.

EXCLUSIVE: Passengers on board a stunning cruise ship have complained after their cruise turned into a nightmare.

Guests on the P&O Iona cruise ship was hit by a suspected norovirus outbreak, with guests allegedly vomiting in restaurants, on decks and outside their cabins during a week-long voyage

It follows a recent unknown outbreak with similar symptoms that afflicted the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas sailing out of Tampa.

A cruise ship docked in Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades on Friday after an outbreak of norovirus affected more than a hundred passengers.

The P&O Iona - which has capacity for 5,000 passengers - recently returned to the UK after making its way around Northern Europe on a week-long cruise after setting sail from Southampton on February 1

As per the report, passengers experienced symptoms while crossing Belgium as part of a seven-day cruise across northern Europe.