A 2-night cruise initially scheduled to depart from Southampton and travel to Newcastle, offered at a price lower than rail and air fare, has been canceled due to reported cases of gastro-related illness/Norovirus among passengers.
The cruise ship Balmoral was set to embark from Southampton to the Tyne on Wednesday evening, Februay 28. However, following its return to the Solent from a 2-week Northern Lights cruise to Norway on Wednesday morning, some passengers experienced stomach complaints.
Fred Olsen's spokesperson stated that in consideration of the safety and comfort of their guests, a thorough deep cleaning will be conducted upon arrival in Southampton. The cleaning process will result in delays to the scheduled departure time of the short voyage. Sailing without guests onboard will facilitate an effective deep clean before new passengers embark in Newcastle.
MS Balmoral is slated to depart from the Port of Tyne on Friday evening, March 1, for a 9-day "Northern Lights Cruise" to Norway.
The canceled voyage was a "repositioning" journey (RepositionCruises.com) between Southampton and Newcastle, often offered at discounted rates by cruise lines.
Cabins on the vessel were sold for as little as GBP99 per person for the 35-hour voyage, inclusive of all meals and entertainment.
Affected guests have been given the option to transfer their booking to Bolette's 2-night spring mini cruise in April or receive a full refund. The April 17 departure from Southampton to Liverpool will take passengers along the south coast of England to the western tip of Cornwall, then north through the Irish Sea past Anglesey to the Mersey.
The price of GBP199 for this alternative cruise compares with a GBP56 one-way ticket from Southampton to Liverpool via South Western Railway and Avanti West Coast, including travel through London on the same day.
Given the absence of direct flights from Southampton to Liverpool or nearby Manchester, Bolette does not provide a direct flying alternative from the south coast to northwest England.
For more Balmoral incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.