Princess Cruises: Holiday hell as double outbreak of Covid and gastro rips through cruise ship the Grand Princess

A cruise ship has been hit by outbreaks of gastro- and Covid-19, with around 300 passengers believed to be affected.

The Grand Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, can carry 2,600 passengers and 1,150 staff and makes an 18-day return voyage from Adelaide to Queensland.

The ship is due to dock again in South Australia on Monday, but a Princess Cruises spokesperson said a number of passengers reported to the ship’s medical center with respiratory and gastrointestinal complaints.

The spokesperson said the majority of passengers were not affected, but a 57-year-old passenger who wished to remain anonymous told the Adelaide Advertiser The disease seemed to be running rampant.

‘We have There are just people coughing and sneezing everywhere,” he said.

Affected passengers were confined to their cabins and offered room service.

The ship’s laundry was also closed after fears it had become a hotbed of infection.

Passenger Maureen Monk told the story the ABC it was clear that people were getting sick on the second day at sea

Ms Monk said the captain announced there were Covid cases on board about a week after gastroenteritis also swept the ship.

“When I spoke to other guests, it was very common that the person they were traveling with was impaired, had just gotten out of prison, or was ill,” Ms Monk said.

The Grand Princess’s laundry facility was closed amid fears it was an infectious hotspot

“If there were two in the room and one was sick, one could leave and the other couldn’t.

“(The rules) didn’t make sense to me.”

At a recent stop in Melbourne, all passengers were sent off the ship so it could be ‘deep cleaned’ and given $25 vouchers to spend in the city.

During this cruise the Grand Princess also stopped in Sydney, Newcastle, Airlie Beach, Cairns and Brisbane.

Princess Cruises has been contacted for comment.