Celebrity Constellation delayed departure from Southampton for three hours due to special cleaning after a suspected norovirus outbreak on board.

After a 12 night wine cruise in Mediterranean, Constellation arrived in Southampton at 6 a.m. GMT and needed to set sail at 5 p.m. Due to special cleaning procedures conducted by the crew with bleach and microback, Constellation left the port at around 8 p.m.

Local Health Authorities state that 350 passengers were reported with Gastro-Intestinal symptoms. Several days before the ship’s arrival in Southampton the autoraties were informet about the outbreak. Health authority representative boarded the ship and verified the affected cabins and public areas had been deep cleaned on daily basis.

Celebrity Cruises spokes person, said: “During Celebrity Constellation's previous 12 night sailing, which began on 25 October 2012, a small number of guests experienced a gastrointestinal type illness. We are therefore conducting extra cleaning and sanitising onboard the ship and within the cruise terminal as preventative measures. As a result of the additional cleaning, boarding began at the revised time of 2pm today.
“All guests were contacted to advise of the time change and provided with further information on preventative steps and good hygiene, including hand washing and making use of hand sanitisers that are provided throughout the ship. Our hygiene procedures on-board are comprehensive and always strictly adhered to.
“We place great importance on the health and safety of every one of our guests and crew members. We want to ensure that every guest's cruise is a fun, relaxing and healthy experience.”