The P&O Iona ship was hit with a 'nightmare' wave of illness, but why does norovirus spread like wildfire on cruises?

One passenger aboard the P&O Iona travelling around the North Sea told Sky News that “people have been dropping like flies” as a “large number” of guests and staff were experiencing symptoms. "People [were] throwing up in restaurants, on decks, outside cabins," the passenger said.

A cruise ship docked in Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades on Friday after an outbreak of norovirus affected more than a hundred passengers.

Passengers have been "dropping like flies" aboard the P&O cruise ship, owing to a suspected norovirus outbreak, a report in Sky News has claimed. The P&O Iona, carrying 5,000 guests and 1,800 staff members is currently passing Belgium on a seven-day cruise across northern Europe.

The P&O Iona, which is currently sailing off the coast of Belgium, has seen a large number of passengers and staff experiencing symptoms of the vomiting bug

One passenger told Sky News people on board are "dropping like flies", as P&O confirms some guests have "unfortunately reported gastrointestinal symptoms".

Guests on the P&O Iona cruise ship was hit by a suspected norovirus outbreak, with guests allegedly vomiting in restaurants, on decks and outside their cabins during a week-long voyage

To nobody's surprise, there's another norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship. This time, the lucky passengers are onboard the MS Iona, an "Excellence-class" (also called "Excel-class," described in this article) cruise ship operated by P&O Cruises (a Carnival subsidiary) that can can carry over 5,