Norovirus outbreak on P&O cruise leads to over 100 passengers demanding compensation

Over 100 holidaymakers are seeking compensation from P&O Cruises after a norovirus outbreak left passengers ill and isolated in their cabins.

Claims for compensation have been submitted on behalf of 115 passengers who booked a holiday aboard P&O Cruises' Ventura and were taken ill on various separate cruise holidays, mainly between April and June 2024.

Carnival , the parent company of P&O, is being urged by London-based Hudgell Solicitors to take a "sensible" approach to resolving the claims over "repeated outbreaks onboard" over consecutive months.

The Ventura was subject to a deep clean in May after a norovirus outbreak onboard which led to passengers being asked to isolate in their cabins.

It was later revealed that the outbreak affected over 500 passengers and crew during the May voyage from Southampton to the Canary Islands .

However, in May, P&O Cruises said that only 0.64 per cent of passengers were symptomatic on Wednesday 22 May, but failed to confirm how many suffered at the virus's peak.

Ventura has a capacity for 3,078 passengers, but under 3,000 were reported to be on board alongside around 1,200 crew members.

Anne Thomson, a senior litigation executive at Hudgell Solicitors, said: "This legal action should come as no surprise to Carnival as the problems with illness outbreaks on the Ventura over the past year have been well documented, and extensively covered in the media. They are undeniable.

"Illness was rife on board during many cruises, ruining hundreds of holidays.

"Of course, we understand and accept that illness outbreaks can happen on individual cruise sailings, but here we had a situation where it happened on consecutive sailings over a number of months."

Thomson also noted claims that many of the passengers spent a lot of time in their cabin when they were too ill to leave, which had an impact on their entire holiday.

She also alleged there was a situation where holidaymakers were being contacted the night before their holidays to warn them there had been illness outbreaks on a previous cruise, only for the same situation to arise again.

The claims have been submitted to Carnival seeking compensation for illness, pain, loss of amenities due to the diminished value of holidays, loss of enjoyment, and any other losses suffered, such as time required off work when still ill after returning home.

The solicitors say Carnival has six weeks to acknowledge the claims, and then six months to investigate these matters.

A P&O Cruises spokesperson told The Independent: "We are sorry some of our guests may have been affected and we will be responding to the letter of claim in due course."

The Independent has contacted Carnival for further comment.