Study finds Australians are genuinely afraid of getting gastro on a cruise ship

FORGET about falling overboard, bad storms or even pirates. When it comes to cruising, this is the fear that’s putting Australians off.

IT WAS the perfect holiday Jessica Goh spent 12 hideous hours wishing she never took.

The Sydney woman, 31, booked herself on a cruise from Sydney to Caledonia in December, thinking it would be a fun and affordable getaway.

“I’m not one who gets travel sickness and I thought this would be a piece of cake,” Ms Goh told news.com.au.

But on the second night, when she treated herself to dinner at a fine dining restaurant on the ship, things took a miserable turn after her three-course meal.

“I told the waiter that I felt the food was too much and felt sick. He didn’t seem to care and told me to sleep on it,” Ms Goh said.

“As soon as I left and came to my room, I threw up my dinner. I felt queasy and nauseous. It was hard to fall asleep especially when you can feel the room moving from head to toe.”

Too many of us know the horror of getting violently ill on a cruise. And the rest of us don’t want to find out. Picture: iStock

Ms Goh wasn’t sure what exactly had prompted it, but the symptoms were clear: she had come down with dreaded gastro.

She was hideously sick for 12 hours, until she could finally sip tea again.

After complaining to five different departments, who initially refused her demand for a refund, she finally got her money back — but the experience has sworn her off cruising for good.

“It was one of the worst holiday experiences and it’s definitely worth paying more for to stay on land,” she said.

Asked if she would consider another cruise, Ms Goh said: “Definitely not.”

And she’s not alone.

Despite the horror stories on board cruise ships lately — from violent brawls to people falling overboard, including those that ended in tragedy — contracting gastro, or norovirus, is the number one fear we have about cruising.

In a new finder.com.au study, 37 per cent of Australians said their biggest fear about going on a cruise was getting a stomach bug.

Norovirus is the number one fear Australians have about cruises. Picture: Mark Cranitch

That was a bigger fear than storms, falling overboard, the ship leaving without them, the ship sinking or hitting an iceberg, or even lost or stolen luggage.

Norovirus was an even bigger concern than regular old seasickness.

And the dread was so strong, two in five Australians said they wouldn’t go on a cruise holiday at all because they were so afraid of getting sick.

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus with symptoms similar to those of food poisoning or the flu, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramping as well as low-grade fever, chills, a headache, muscle aches and a general sense of tiredness.

It has come to be associated with cruise ships because of how easily the contagious virus spreads in the enclosed environment on board — such as via food, surfaces and person-to-person contact — and the difficulty of preventing it, even with good sanitation practices.

In the last five years, 7642 people have been affected by norovirus outbreaks on international cruises. This year alone, 443 people were impacted in seven major outbreaks so far.

“Major” outbreaks were considered those affecting more than 2 per cent of all passengers.

A cleaner works on the Sun Princess after an outbreak of norovirus in February 2017. Picture: Tara Croser

“A massive two in five Australians wouldn’t go on a cruise solely due to concerns about getting sick,” finder.com.au’s travel insurance expert Bessie Hassan said.

“Unfortunately it’s a reality that gastro outbreaks on cruise ships can be common, but worrying about getting sick doesn’t need to ruin your holiday.”

In January, more than 200 people were sick with gastro on the Sea Princess, which was forced to dock in Brisbane days after New Year’s Eve. (Finder.com.au’s survey found Queenslanders were the most worried about getting gastro, with 41 per cent saying it would make them think twice about booking a cruise.)

Between December 2016 and February 2017, there were back-to-break outbreaks of norovirus on eight Sun Princess voyages, which may have affected more than 16,000 passengers. Sydney-based law firm Shine Lawyers has been preparing a large-scale action against Carnival Australia, the owner and operator of Princess Cruises.

Norovirus is easily transmitted, making it a nightmare on cruise ships.

Ms Hassan said cruise travel insurance policies were essential if you were heading out on the high seas.

“These specifically provide cover for cruise-related incidents, such as the medical costs involved in gastro treatment,” she said.

Finder.com.au recommended ways passengers could help avoid norovirus, including:

• Washing or sanitising hands regularly, especially before eating, after using the bathroom, when you’ve taken part in cruise activities or after using public armchairs

• Dry your hands with a single-use paper towel and turn the tap off with the towel to avoid possible recontamination.

• Use a hand sanitiser if washing facilities aren’t available

• Beware of the buffet, as the bacteria can thrive in foods kept at room temperature

• Limit person-to-person contact — give a wave instead of shaking hands, and so on.