A cruise liner hit by an outbreak of intestinal illness for a third straight trip from South Carolina returned a day early Thursday as operator Celebrity Cruises brought in extra crew to scrub the ship down for three days.
The Celebrity Mercury arrived about 2 a.m. and passengers began disembarking as the sun rose over Charleston.
The cruise company reported 406 of the more than 1,800 passengers got sick after the ship's March 8 departure. Thirteen of 857 crew members also got sick.
Hundreds of passengers got sick with the norovirus on two previous Mercury cruises this year from Charleston. The norovirus can spread quickly in closed quarters with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the cause of the outbreak on the latest cruise has not yet been determined, but passengers reported symptoms including diarrhea and vomiting.
Linda McNeil, 61, of Hendersonville, N.C., got sick during the cruise but was better by the time the ship returned. She and her husband had been concerned before they left.
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