Passenger among 1,700 confined on British cruise ship in Bordeaux after gastrointestinal outbreak

(13 May 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bordeaux, France – 13 May 2026
++VERTICAL VIDEO++
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Starrs, 82, retired lecturer from Ireland, on the cruise ship with his wife:
"We can still walk around. There's one deck – the deck next to the shore which we were out on this morning – has been restricted this afternoon. I have no idea why. But otherwise, pretty much everywhere else, it's proceeding more or less as normal. There just was a lot of care. There's no self-service permitted now. You have to be served by the staff but that is hardly a great hardship."
++BLACK FRAMES++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Starrs, 82, retired lecturer from Ireland, on the cruise ship with his wife:
"There's no constraints. The entertainment seems to be going ahead as well. We had a very nice show last night and we expect to have another one tonight."
++BLACK FRAMES++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Starrs, 82, retired lecturer from Ireland, on the cruise ship with his wife:
"People are fairly relaxed. There doesn't seem to be the same worry about this. I mean, norovirus is a fairly well known virus. It's not that long ago that a couple or a family had it. Young people, sick for a day and got over it. But I gather the problem is with either older people and young children."
++BLACK FRAMES++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Starrs, 82, retired lecturer from Ireland, on the cruise ship with his wife:
"A rather large amount of fuss was made about the hantavirus and probably caused them to have to show that they are taking things seriously and trying to protect the French people but, hopefully, they will conclude that this particular one is not a serious risk to a healthy population."
++BLACK FRAMES++
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Starrs, 82, retired lecturer from Ireland, on the cruise ship with his wife:
"I certainly was not - perhaps somewhat ignorantly but I probably didn't know any better - certainly hasn't caused me any stress so far, just the frustration of looking out at this beautiful city and not being able to visit it."
++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
Over 1,700 passengers and crew on a British cruise ship were ordered to remain on board after an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness, French authorities said Wednesday.

They dismissed any link to a hantavirus outbreak on another vessel that has put European health authorities on alert.

The Ambition was midway through a 14-night cruise from Belfast and Liverpool that was due to take in ports in northern Spain and along France’s Atlantic coast.

It reached Bordeaux on Tuesday evening, according to the operator, Ambassador Cruise Line.

Kevin Starrs, 82, a retired lecturer from Ireland who is on the cruise ship with his wife, said "a rather large amount of fuss was made about the gantavirus and probably caused them to have to show that they are taking things seriously and trying to protect the French people but, hopefully, they will conclude that this particular one is not a serious risk to a healthy population."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 16 gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships in 2024, with most caused by norovirus, a foodborne illness that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain for about one to three days.

The prefect of Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and Gironde department, Étienne Guyot, suspended disembarkation from the Ambition and restricted the vessel’s interactions with the port of Bordeaux.

He acted on the recommendation of the regional health agency, the Agence Régionale de Santé Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the joint statement said.
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