Passengers File Lawsuit, Alleging Carnival’s Mishandling of Norovirus Outbreak

A Carnival Cruise passenger, Julie McLean-Phillips, has accused the cruise line of mishandling norovirus outbreaks on their ships. McLean-Phillips claims that she and her sister fell ill with the norovirus during their trip on Carnival’s Sun Princess cruise ship in December 2016. She filed a lawsuit against Carnival in December 2022, alleging that the company mishandled multiple outbreaks on eight cruises between December 2016 and February 2017. McLean-Phillips’ case was initially dismissed by Australia’s courts in April, but she submitted an amended statement of claim in August.

According to the filing, McLean-Phillips’ sister experienced severe symptoms of the norovirus, including uncontrollable diarrhea and vomiting. McLean-Phillips also contracted the virus after taking care of her sister. The filing claims that a total of 339 passengers and 13 crew members contracted the norovirus by the end of the 13-day cruise. McLean-Phillips argues that Carnival should have alerted passengers to the risks of norovirus and offered refunds or rebooking options.

Norovirus outbreaks have become more common in the cruise industry, with 13 outbreaks reported in the first six months of 2023, compared to 10 cases in all of 2019. McLean-Phillips is seeking a full refund and damages for the inconvenience and distress caused. Carnival and the passengers’ lawyers have not yet commented on the accusations.

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