P&O Cruises passengers speak out after norovirus outbreak

But P&O Cruises said that all holidaymakers were warned about the situation before embarking, only two per cent of those on board were symptomatic and ensuring the health and wellbeing of guests and staff was its "absolute priority".

Holidaymakers have told the Echo of violent bouts of sickness, being rushed to hospital, a ruined hen party and issues replacing soiled bedding after catching the gastrointestinal bug on the Ventura cruise to Amsterdam, which returned to Southampton on Saturday.

One even described their battle with the bug as 'the worst night of their life', while another said their bathroom looked like a scene from the horror film The Exorcist.

Krystal Beale (in the middle with a black top) and her he-do group of girls (Image: Krystal Beale)New Forest mum Krystal Beale was hoping for a few days of fun with her work friends as they embarked on the four-day cruise on Tuesday and enjoyed their first dinner aboard.

Having been contacted by P&O ahead of their trip to say a 'few guests' had fallen ill, they followed the cruise line's heightened health protocols by washing their hands regularly and using anti-bacterial hand wash.

But after arriving at the Dutch capital the following day, one of them started feeling sick -  and hours later, everyone but the bride had been struck down and they had to isolate in their suite.

The 46-year-old from Lymington said: “The worst bit was one of us had an accident on the bed and at first, they didn’t want to give us extra bedding. We also had to wait five hours for water to be delivered to the room because we couldn’t leave.”

She added: “I think they just got bombarded and couldn’t cope. The amount of people being that became unwell was too much.”

P&O said it was not aware of waiting times for water.

Among other guests on board the 3,200-capacity ship who got sick was Lindsey from South London.

She described having 'the worst night of her life' after what she thought was just a little too much shepherd’s pie.

She said: “I have never been that sick in my life. It was like The Exorcist", adding that her bathroom was an 'absolute wreck' after the ordeal.

She went on to say: “I am 48 and I had a very complicated childbirth - but I would choose giving birth any day over what I went through on that ship”.

Helen Bradburn, 49, Essex (Image: Helen Bradburn)

Helen Bradburn from Essex said she waited five hours for her bathroom to be deep cleaned after her 19-year-old daughter, May, also fell ill during the cruise.

 “It just was very badly handled,” the 49-year-old well-seasoned cruise passenger said.

One passenger, who did not wish to be named, told the Echo that staff appeared to not know what to do with ill guests who visited the ship's reception asking for advice.

And another anonymous cruiser said that someone in their party had to be taken to a Dutch hospital for treatment.

This comes amid a spike in norovirus cases nationally, with the NHS' top emergency doctor warning in February that cases were up three-quarters on the same period last year, according to NHS England.

A P&O Cruises spokesperson said: "Ensuring the health and wellbeing of all guests and crew is our absolute priority.

"Following a report of a small number of guests with gastrointestinal symptoms, we swiftly implemented enhanced sanitisation protocols to uphold the welfare of everyone onboard."

The Ventura left Southampton on Saturday on a seven-day cruise around France, Spain and Portugal.