More than 700 passengers sickened on Carnival trans-Atlantic cruise

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — More than 700 passengers aboard a trans-Atlantic cruise fell ill with flu-like symptoms, cruise line official said.

The outbreak, believed to be a norovirus, struck 556 guests and 154 crew members aboard Carnival Cruise Line's Liberty as of Tuesday, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the cruise line. The Miami-based company said the ship is carrying 2,804 passengers and 1,166 crew members.

The ship departed Nov. 3 from Rome and is scheduled to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday.

Officials believe the outbreak is under control because fewer passengers are reporting symptoms. Nobody has been removed from the ship, Carnival said.

"It appears the interventions are starting to work," said David Forney, with the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Within 24 hours of sailing, they had a lot of people sick. It has tapered off considerably over the past couple days."

Three environmental health specialists were expected to board the ship when it docked in St. Maarteen on Thursday, Forney said. The specialists will oversee the cleaning operation and try to determine the cause of the outbreak.

"It's impossible for now to say what the source is," Forney said.

The ship was scheduled to set sail again Sunday, but Carnival pushed the departure day back to next Tuesday so the crew has extra time to disinfect the ship, Carnival officials said.

The Liberty, which had its maiden voyage in July 2005, is one of the new mega-ships that has 13 passenger decks and can carry about 3,000 passengers.