P&O Cruises, and its parent company Carnival Corporation, is being sued by over 100 passengers who previously sailed on Ventura.

The lawsuit has been submitted by Hudgell Solicitors on behalf of 115 guests who sailed on the ship on different itineraries between April 2024 and June 2024.
The claim centres on how the guests suffered from illnesses, resulting in a loss of enjoyment and financial setbacks during their cruise holidays.
At the peak of the virus outbreaks on Venture, it was confirmed that over 500 passengers on a cruise on 11th May were sick.
Senior litigation executive for the solicitors, Anne Thomson, said that the claim was seeking compensation to cover a range of damages. Part of those would be medical expenses, but also money for time off work upon returning home to recover, and compensation for the lost time on holiday.
“This legal action should come as no surprise to Carnival as the problems with illness outbreaks on the Ventura over the past year have been well documented and extensively covered in the media… They are undeniable.”
Anne Thomson, senior litigation executive at Hudgell Solicitors
Thomson also made the point that guests were warned before they cruise about the outbreaks on the ship, but only the night before they sailed, and that the virus continued to cause problems onboard.
“We are sorry some of our guests may have been affected and we will be responding to the letter of claim in due course.”
P&O Cruises statement, given to the BBC
Following the cruise on 11th May 2024, the cruise line did delay the next sailing on 25th May so that the ship could be given a deep clean.
However, Hudgell Solicitors claim that guests still got sick on that voyage despite the cleaning.
Ventura was not the only ship to be hit by gastrointestinal viruses in 2024, with Aurora seeing outbreaks on the 26th April and 15th May, and Arcadia suffering an outbreak in September.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
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