Nearly 230 fall ill on cruise ship.

Nearly 230 people aboard a cruise ship fell ill with a gastrointestinal illness during a weeklong Caribbean voyage, reports AP (July 29, 2006). The illness, believed to be a virus brought onto the Mariner of the Seas by a passenger, struck 221 of the ship's 3,660 passengers and six of its 1,202 crew members, said Royal Caribbean spokesman Michael Sheehan. The cruise included ports of call in the Bahamas, Virgin Islands and St. Maarten. In January, the ship reported a virus that sickened 276 passengers and 27 crew members.