Carnival Liberty Cruise, 700 Sick With Flu-Like Symptoms

The CDC has joined the Carnival Liberty cruise ship to look into the outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness that slammed hundreds of passengers on the ship.  The Carnival Liberty docked Sunday after a virus sickened nearly 700 passengers.

Fourteen guests and five crew remained ill and in isolation when the ship arrived at Port Everglades, according to a statement released by Carnival Cruise Lines. The outbreak on the 110,000-ton cruise ship is among the largest in recent memory, according to the CDC.

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According to a report from the Associated Press, more than 530 guests and 140 crew had reported to the ship's infirmary with similar symptoms during the 16-day voyage. Some passengers were escorted off the ship in wheelchairs by crew wearing blue gloves to prevent infection.

Preliminary tests identified the source of the outbreak as the highly contagious norovirus, which had struck several guests just before they boarded the cruise Nov. 3 in Rome, Carnival officials said.   Norovirus is a group of viruses that cause stomach flu symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps, according to the CDC.

Cruise lines argue they often get disproportionately tarred because they monitor and report illness outbreaks, while other public spots like hotels don't. ''If you really look at the presence of Norovirus, there is way more [of it] all over the globe,'' says Royal Caribbean spokesman Michael Sheehan.

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But the quotes from passengers read like a nightmare.

"They brought us 7-Up, bottled water, ice and a diet of rice, though you didn't feel like eating," said Jim Lankes, 48, of Phoenix. Lankes and his 45-year-old brother both got sick when the ship was docked in Barcelona, Spain.

"There were 10 people at our dinner table, and seven of the 10 got sick during the course of the cruise," he said.

"Our cabin steward was struck, and we didn't have anybody to clean our cabin for five days," said Pamela Stupnik of Pueblo, Colo. She said she and her husband spent two days vomiting in their cabin.

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The Miami herald reports that in an unusual step, Carnival is cutting short the ship's next cruise to have two extra days in port in Fort Lauderdale to give the Liberty a thorough cleaning.

The CDC will supervise.

The Liberty, which made its maiden voyage in July 2005, is one of the world's largest cruise ships, with 13 passenger decks and room for 2,974 travelers.