Oasis of the Seas back out to sea after norovirus sickens 475 on board

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. — The Oasis of the Seas is back out to sea with a new load of passengers days after officials confirmed a norovirus outbreak on the ship sickened more than 400 people on board.

The ship left Port Canaveral around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday headed for Nassau. On Saturday, the ship docked a day early following the norovirus outbreak.

Cruise officials have confirmed nearly 500 people got sick and the passengers received a full refund.

WFTV News spoke with passengers as they returned to Central Florida.

There was a mix of emotions and overall, all passengers said they were glad to be off the ship.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas is considered one of the largest cruise ships in the world.

When the ship docked on Saturday more than 5,000 guests and crew members were on the Caribbean cruise, which was scheduled for seven days.

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The Castos, who were part of a group from Margaritaville, said the fun was cut short on Tuesday.

That's when many passengers reportedly started feeling symptoms that included nausea, vomiting and diarrhea as the ship approached Jamaica.

Officials said The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating. It said norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the U.S., with most instances of norovirus occurring in public places like restaurants.

Passengers said crews sanitized common areas as ship officials urged passengers to wash their hands and stay in their rooms.

Cox Media Group