Dozens of cruise passengers on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas started feeling sick during a 4-night cruise from Miami.  Royal Caribbean confirms 66 passengers have reported the symptoms of Norovirus.

In addition, two crew members have also felt ill.  

Royal Caribbean believes the cause to be norovirus, according to the company’s statement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta describes norovirus as a very contagious bug that can be spread by infected persons, in contaminated food or water, or through contact with contaminated surfaces. The CDC says norovirus affects nearly 20 million people in the U.S. each year, and results in between 570 to 800 deaths.

The cruise line said passengers affected by the illness had responded well to over-the-counter medication administered on board the ship.

The company said it enhanced cleaning on board the ship during the cruise to help prevent the spread of the illness.

After the ship docked, the company said it “conducted an extensive and thorough sanitizing on board the ship and within the cruise terminal, to help prevent any illness from affecting the next sailing.”

Passengers who boarded The Majesty of the Seas Friday received a letter asking if they had experienced any gastrointestinal symptoms within the last three days. Those who felt uncomfortable were allowed to reschedule their trip, the cruise line said.

Royal Caribbean is warning its passengers that are scheduled to board Majesty of the Seas on the June 24th sailing to arrive early because of possible local traffic delays.

The Miami Heat won the NBA Championship last night and their victory parade in Miami could affect passengers trying to get to the port.   Some of the victory parade festivities will take place in the downtown Miami area and include streets that provide access to the Port of Miami.

As a result, Royal Caribbean is recommending passengers arrive at the port between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. or between 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Check-in for your sailing will take place between these times. The sailing’s departure time will be delayed to accommodate this event, but it will not impact the scheduled itinerary.

Hurricane Sandy has forced Royal Caribbean to change the itinerary of two more cruise ships.  

Given the location and direction of Hurricane Sandy, both Majesty of the Seas and Monarch of the Seas will not call on CocoCay this weekend.  CocoCay is Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas.  Instead, both ships will spend a day at sea.

Royal Caribbean is still watching Hurricane Sandy and is considering itinerary changes for the Oasis of the Seas cruise leaving on October 27 as well as Explorer of the Seas leaving on October 28.

These changes are in addition to Allure of the Seas having skipped Falmouth, Jamaica earlier this week.

Royal Caribbean will continue to closely monitor weather conditions and will update this information again today, October 26, at 6:00 p.m. E.S.T.

After being delayed due to Tropical Storm Isaac, Royal Caribbean's ships returned to port today.  Allure of the Seas had her seven night itinerary extended to nine due to the storm, but arrived in Port Everglades at 5:30am this morning.

Despite the delay, passengers said the staff on board did a great job handling the storm and keeping everyone safe. "Good job. They did an excellent job. They let us know in advance. I didn't hear anyone complaining," said Barbara Moore.

Meanwhile Majesty of the Seas made her way back to the port of Miami, which was closed since Saturday.  Tropical Storm Isaac forced the port to close but was reopened on Monday afternoon.

Majesty of the Seas was extended from a three-day journey to a four-day trip, and the ship did not stop at the scheduled ports of call. "They gave us back our port charges, I guess because we didn't go to any ports. But other than that, I think they made a lot of money in the casinos and the alcohol," said passenger Michael Brodie.

Royal Caribbean is announcing two more of its ships are being affected by Tropical Storm Isaac.  

Both Majesty of the Seas and Monarch of the Seas will not stop at Royal Caribbean's private island of CoCo Cay this weekend due to concerns of the storm.

This change is in addition to the previous announcement that Allure of the Seas will change from an eastern Caribbean itinerary to a western Caribbean itinerary.

As of 11 a.m. ET, Isaac was 165 miles south-southwest of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and moving to the west-northwest at 14 miles per hour. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour. 

Royal Caribbean is warning passengers on the Majesty of the Seas cruise out of Miami, Florida on June 25 that there could be delays related to the Miami Heat victory parade.

The victory parade for the NBA champion Miami Heat is scheduled for the same day the ship is scheduled to depart. Some of the victory parade festivities will take place in the downtown Miami area and include streets that provide access to the Port of Miami.

Royal Caribbean is advising anyone on the ship to give extra time prior to embarkation.  The ship's 4:30 p.m. departure will not be delayed due to traffic. As a reminder, all guests must be checked in and onboard the ship 60 minutes prior to sail time.

Royal Caribbean has been forced to cancel stops to its private island in the Bahamas, CocoCay, through Monday due to the effect Hurricane Irene had on it.  Royal Caribbean's reasoning for cancelling is being described as, "we feel our guest's experience ashore would be disrupted".

The following stops have been canceled

• Majesty of the Seas - August 27
• Monarch of the Seas -  August 28
• Freedom of the Seas - August 29

As a result of this itinerary change, Royal Caribbean has decided to amend the following itineraries as follows

• Monarch of the Seas will now stay overnight in Nassau, Bahamas, arriving at 12:00 p.m. today and departing at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 28.
• Majesty of the Seas will also stay overnight in Nassau, Bahamas, arriving at 12:00 p.m. today and departing at 5:00 pm. on Sunday, August 28.
• Freedom of the Seas will call on Nassau, Bahamas, on Monday, August 29 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

No word at this time if any further cancelations will be necessary.  Royal Caribbean reported sending a team yesterday to evaluate the damage to the island.

Hurricane Irene has altered the itinerary of two more Royal Caribbean ships.

Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas will skip Cococay on Tuesday, its private island in the Bahamas.  Instead, the ship will spend an extra day at sea.

Majesty of the Seas will also skip her scheduled sotp at CocoCay on Wednesday and go directly to Key West instead.  Majesty should arrive at Key West at 4pm on Wednesday and stay there overnight until 6pm on Thursday.

These two changes are in addition to four other Royal Caribbean ships that had their itineraries altered already inlcuding Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas.

In addition, Hurricane Irene has caused Royal Caribbean to secure and evacuate Cocacay.

Photo by Hector Barron