A 10-day Royal Caribbean cruise ship will return two days early after an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness , the cruise line said Sunday . According to Bernadette Burden , a spokeswoman with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , more than 600 people on the ship have become ill . Passengers and crew members reported vomiting and diarrhea . `` New reports of illness have decreased day-over-day , and many guests are again up and about . Nevertheless , the disruptions caused by the early wave of illness means that we were unable to deliver the vacation our guests were expecting , '' the cruise line said in a statement . `` After consultation between our medical team and representatives of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , we think the right thing to do is to bring our guests home early , and use the extra time to sanitize the ship even more thoroughly , '' the company said . Explorer of the Seas left January 21 from Cape Liberty , New Jersey , and it has been in the Caribbean . After returning to its home port on Wednesday , the cruise line said it would perform a `` thorough 'barrier ' sanitization program on the entire ship to make certain that any remaining traces of the illness are eliminated . '' The cause of the illness was not immediately clear , though symptoms are consistent with norovirus , the cruise line said . Noroviruses spread easily and are a common cause of gastroenteritis , which produces vomiting and diarrhea . According to Burden , the CDC spokeswoman , 577 of the 3,050 passengers and 49 of 1,165 crew members reported being ill. Joseph Angelillo was one such person . He said he thought , at first , he just had food poisoning . `` I started with upset stomach and vomiting , and that lasted all night and into the morning , '' he told CNN by phone Sunday . He said some entertainers were sick and shows had to be canceled . `` If I can get off ( the ship ) , I will , '' Angelillo said . What you need to know about kids and norovirus . Five things we 've learned about cruising . After a bad cruise , can you cruise into court ?
577 passengers and 49 crew members report being ill , CDC spokeswoman says . Comment: `` If I can get off ( the ship ) , I will , '' says one passenger .