A suspected norovirus outbreak has seen at least six passengers onboard a Norwegian cruise require medical attention, with some reports indicating hundreds of people were affected.

One passenger said in a tweet that the ship, Norwegian Joy, had been dealing with the outbreak for a couple of days “but none of the passengers suspected it was as bad as it was”.

“Apparently hundreds of people were acutely ill on the ship,” Peter Krajewski said on Twitter.

Just got off the Norwegian Joy in the port of Los Angeles. Our ship had been dealing with a Norovirus outbreak the last couple days, but none of the passengers suspected that it was as bad as it was. Apparently hundreds of people were acutely ill on the ship. @CBSLA

— Peter Krajewski (@VoodooMediaTV) November 24, 2019

The 16-day Panama Canal cruise docked in Los Angeles on 24 November where it was met by the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).

“Paramedics onshore evaluated a total of 6 passengers desiring medical assessment for unspecified and apparently non-life threatening illness as they disembarked the docked Norwegian Cruise Lines “Norwegian Joy”,” LADF said in a statement.

“Of those six-passengers, 4 desiring further medical treatment were taken by LAFD ambulance to area hospitals.”

Another passenger, Ken Fagut, told USA Today he and his wife were among those who fell ill, but they did not seek medical care. Fagut praised the actions of the crew and said staff were transparent with customers.

“The ship staff were absolutely diligent in having all of us wash our hands, but it is impossible to ensure everyone follows this common-sense protocol,” Fagut said.

A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line told Travel Weekly that the security and safety of its guests and crew is its number one priority.

“During Norwegian Joy’s Panama Canal sailing, a few guests onboard experienced a stomach-related illness. To mitigate any impact of this rare occurrence, we implemented stringent sanitation procedures. As always, we will continue to monitor this situation,” the spokesperson said.