{"id":913027,"date":"2026-07-05T00:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T00:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/913027\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T00:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T00:08:14","slug":"passenger-on-virus-stricken-california-cruise-ship-reveals-stunning-details-of-chaotic-high-seas-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/913027\/","title":{"rendered":"Passenger on virus-stricken California cruise ship reveals stunning details of chaotic high-seas journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

A passenger on an ill-fated cruise ship that docked in San Francisco after an outbreak of the highly contagious norovirus<\/a> described the vessel \u201ca floating Petri dish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peter Korer, 60, a veteran cruiser from Las Vegas, told The California Post that he was excited for the Ruby Princess\u2019s 20-day Alaskan voyage<\/a> leaving June 12 from the Bay Area.<\/p>\n

Korer said it was his first experience in more than 40 cruises dealing with norovirus. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Instead, he was met with sick passengers and strict disease protocols on board just days into the trip. In all, more than 100 passengers and 20 crew members showed symptoms of the stomach-churning virus. <\/p>\n

Korer said it was his first experience in more than 40 cruises dealing with norovirus.<\/p>\n

He first heard about the outbreak when the ship\u2019s captain came over the PA system around dinnertime on June 15 to deliver the awful news.<\/p>\n

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The vessel, which he called \u201ca floating Petri dish,\u201d dodged a bullet. He said the outbreak began early on in the cruise\u2019s voyage and \u201ccould have been a lot worse.\u201d Facebook\/Peter Korer<\/p>\n

\u201cThe captain came on, said there\u2019s been people, you know, with reported symptoms,\u201d Korer explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have any of these symptoms, report immediately to the medical center, and we\u2019re going to go into deep cleaning.\u201d<\/p>\n

The announcement came after the ship had just stopped in its first Alaskan destination, Ketchikan. It hadn\u2019t yet docked at its other stops, including Glacier Bay National Park and college Fjord.<\/p>\n

The announcement came with more than two weeks left in the cruise. Facebook\/Peter Korer<\/p>\n

It hadn\u2019t yet stopped at iconic Alaskan destinations like Glacier National Park, Juneau, Anchorage, and Sitka.<\/p>\n

Gloved workers served passengers their food at the buffet. Facebook\/Peter Korer<\/p>\n

Crew began cleaning the ship immediately, ordering infected passengers to stay in their quarters for at least 24 hours after they last experience symptoms, Korer recalled. <\/p>\n

He said gloved workers served passengers their food at the buffet, while those who quarantined were served food outside their rooms. <\/p>\n

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Korer, who never got sick during the voyage, took precautions like staying away from crowds, washing his hands and wiping down everything he touched. <\/p>\n

He said the ship\u2019s staff asked him and other passengers to leave their rooms for a designated time during the cruise for deep cleaning. Otherwise, he worked remotely during the tripo and enjoyed the spectacular frozen sights.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrincess is a more of a premier line, so like on your entry-level lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean, they tend to get a lot younger cruisers, whereas Princess will tend to get older cruisers, which will sometimes account for a weakened immune system,\u201d he said. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides the constant cleaning of everything, and the buffet being served by the employees and not self-serve. It was a typical normal cruise,\u201d Korer said. \u201cEverything was fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ship arrived back in San Francisco on July 2, and passengers disembarked before the vessel underwent \u201ccomprehensive cleaning and disinfection,\u201d said the ship\u2019s operator, Princess Cruises.<\/p>\n

The company added only a \u201climited\u201d number of guests came down with illness. The CDC reported that 3.4% of the vessel\u2019s 3,032 passengers and and 2% of the ship\u2019s 1,144 crew reported being ill. Most symptoms included diarrhea and vomiting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe captain came on, said there\u2019s been people, you know, with reported symptoms,\u201d Korer said. Facebook\/Peter Korer<\/p>\n

He said the ship\u2019s staff also asked him and other passengers to leave their rooms for a designated time during the cruise for a deep cleaning. Facebook\/Peter Korer<\/p>\n

\u201cPrincess\u00a0Cruises\u00a0can confirm that a limited number of guests reported mild gastrointestinal illness during the 20-day June 12 Ruby\u00a0Princess\u00a0voyage from San Francisco,\u201d the company said in a statement. \u201cOur crew responded promptly by implementing enhanced sanitation protocols across the ship, and cases have since decreased and remain low.\u201d<\/p>\n

It marked the third norovirus outbreak on the cruise line since March, after the Star Princess and Caribbean Princess ships were also affected. The outbreak on the Caribbean Princess sickened over 100 passengers and more than a dozen crew members during its 14-day voyage through the Eastern Caribbean.<\/p>\n

Norovirus is the most common cause of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships, according to the CDC. The disease accounted for 17 out of the 23 CDC-reported cruise ship outbreaks last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got off the Ruby Princess, went down the street, and jumped on this one,\u201d he said, embarking on a new Carnival cruise with a view of his old, plagued ship. Facebook\/Peter Korer<\/p>\n

For his part, Korer said the experience wouldn\u2019t dissuade him from going on another Princess Cruises trip.<\/p>\n

In fact, he immediately embarked on a new journey after the shipped docked in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got off the Ruby Princess, went down the street, and jumped on this one,\u201d he said of the Carnival ship he got on next.<\/p>\n

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