SOUTHAMPTON based luxury cruise ship, Sea Princess, is heading back to the city's docks 24 hours early after 200 passengers were struck down with a highly contagious vomiting virus.

Sea Princess, pictured, will berth in Southampton early tomorrow morning after missing a stop in Lisbon to allow extra time to disinfect the ship.

It is thought the bug was the highly contagious Norovirus which causes nausea and diarrhoea and tends to last between 24 and 48 hours with passengers being asked to stay in their cabin for that period.

Owners and operators, Princess Cruises, has already offered a 30 per cent refund to the 2,258 passengers on board and a company spokesman said only 15 people are still sick.

However one passenger is reported as saying in an e-mail: "The reaction is that passengers are up in arms at the offer and Princess is totally responsible for the sanitation of the ship."

The ship left Southampton last Saturday for a seven-night cruise and was berthed in the port of Vigo in north-west Spain yesterday. She was due to leave port later in the day and then head directly for Southampton.

A Princess Cruises' spokesman said: "There has been an increased incidence of acute gastroenteritis among the passengers over the last three days. This illness is strongly suspected to be Norovirus, which is highly contagious and typically transmitted from person to person.

"The number of passengers with active symptoms yesterday was about 15, with the rest of affected passengers recovered but isolated to their staterooms to avoid further spread."

"Room service is being provided to affected passengers and every effort is being made to make them as comfortable as possible," said the spokesman for the company, part of the huge Miami based Carnival Corporation cruise ship empire.

"As well as the refund all passengers can receive a £150 discount on future voyages."

A cruise liner detained in port after passengers were struck down by a virus has been given the all-clear to set sail on its next voyage.Van Gogh was detained at Harwich docks, in Essex.