Two British tourists claim they were struck down by norovirus and quarantined for three days during a £5,500 Caribbean cruise that was supposed to be the "holiday of a lifetime".
Elizabeth Newton and Jackie Hughes, from Paignton, Devon, said they fell ill with vomiting and diarrhoea just days into their two-week voyage on the Tui-owned Marella Celebration.
The retired pair said they went to the ship's doctor for help and were diagnosed with norovirus, or the winter vomiting bug, which carries nasty symptoms.
They were given an injection and various medicines and then confined to their room for three days to prevent them from passing the virus on to other holidaymakers.
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Elizabeth, 66, and Jackie, 75, had booked the February 2019 through Tui and were hoping for a thrilling getaway, but it turned out to be a "terrible" experience, they claim.
Elizabeth said: “Jackie and I had noticed some issues like food occasionally tasting odd, but we never thought for a moment that we might be at risk of falling ill.
"The symptoms were absolutely awful and we just couldn’t believe that we had to see a doctor during what was meant to be a luxury break.
“Being told that we were confined to our room was appalling and I was stunned this had happened on what was meant to be a holiday of a lifetime. The whole experience was just terrible.”
Elizabeth suffered with symptoms for around two weeks.
It is understood that other passengers struggled with illness too during the same voyage, said the law firm Irwin Mitchell.
Elizabeth and Jackie have instructed the firm to investigate their experience and find out how they fell ill.
Elizabeth said: “While nothing can change what we went through, we just want some reassurances that lessons will actually be learned from what we’ve faced.
"No-one should have to endure such issues during a holiday.”
Jatinder Paul, a senior associate solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, who is representing Elizabeth and Jackie, said: "We are deeply concerned by the information provided to us by Elizabeth and Jackie and have commenced an investigation into the issues that they have faced.
"A case of this nature highlights the devastating impact that holiday illnesses can have, as it often means that people see their precious time away disrupted and also then suffer continuing symptoms on their return home.
"We are determined to help them in any way we can. If during the course of our investigation any issues are identified it is vital that lessons are learned."
A Tui spokeswoman said: "We are very sorry to hear of the customer’s experience onboard Marella Celebration.
"As this is now a legal matter, it would be inappropriate to comment further."
Norovirus is an unpleasant stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhoea.
It usually goes away in about two days.
Other symptoms can include a high temperature, headache and sore arms and legs.
The symptoms start suddenly within a day or two of being infected and they can usually be treated at home.
People suffering from norovirus should stay off school or work and avoid visiting anyone in the hospital until the symptoms have stopped for two days.
The winter vomiting bug is spread very easily from close contact with someone who has the virus, by touching surfaces or objects that have the virus on them or by eating food prepared or handled by someone with the illness.
Frequent hand washing with soap and water is the best way to stop it from spreading.
