Legal News
Legal action taken by couple who fell ill with sickness and diarrhoea on cruise (20 July 2015)
Date: 20/07/2015
A couple who fell ill on board a cruise ship are taking legal advice after their symptoms failed to disappear once they returned home.
Retired couple Allan and Mary Strange from County Durham booked a package holiday on board Princess Cruises' Sapphire Princess to celebrate Mary’s 65th birthday.
Just a few days into the cruise in March, the couple began to suffer with diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pains and fever, the Daily Mail reports.
Princess Cruises says their symptoms are consistent with Norovirus and resulted from person-to-person contact.
Mrs Strange alleges that hand sanitising procedures were not enforced on the ship, with guests not cleaning their hands before using the ship’s restaurants – and food sometimes being served “lukewarm and occasionally undercooked”.
Princess Cruises denies the allegations and says that the infection was not caused by the food on board the ship.
Mrs Strange says that when her husband Allan fell ill with vomiting and diarrhoea, she feared for his life.
“We are very experienced travellers and have been on many cruises around the world – but we have never experienced anything like this before,” she said.
“We both suffered with horrendous symptoms on the ship – and I was extremely worried about Allan and feared for his life as he was so ill.”
The couple say that three months after the cruise they are still suffering symptoms.
A spokeswoman for Princess Cruises said it was “sorry” the couple had become ill – and said the ship's doctor had done everything they could to help. Mrs and Mrs Strange were given intravenous injections and medication at the ship's medical centre, to ease the symptoms. However, their illness continued for the rest of the cruise trip.
The spokeswoman said:
“We employ stringent health and safety measures – hand sanitisers and wash basins are located across each ship for guests to use before entering restaurants and other public areas.
“Princess Cruises works closely with both the port health authorities – and public health organisations, such as the United Kingdom Public Health Association – in order to maintain high standards across its fleet.”
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Duncan Lewis is a leading no win no fee holiday claims solicitors able to advise on compensation claims for package holiday illness caused by negligence such as poor hygiene or food preparation, including:
• Amoebic dysentery
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• Cryptosporidium
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• Gastroenteritis
• Giardiosis
• Legionnaire’s disease
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• Norovirus
• Salmonella
• Shigella sonnei.
Package holiday claims have to be made within three years of illness or diagnosis of illness – children can make a no win no fee package holiday illness claim up to the age of 21.
For expert legal advice on no win no fee Holiday Illness Claims, call Duncan Lewis Holiday Claims Solicitors on 020 7923 4020.