Cruise secrets: Insider reveals what ship codeword really means – and it’s pretty nasty

He wrote: “If the alert levels rise too far we pretty much lock the ship down.

“At Code Red almost every member of the 1,000 strong crew will play some part in the fight-back procedure, even if it’s only washing their hands a few more times every hour,” he said.

“In the meantime, pre-arranged teams of workers will begin a forensic clean-down service. Every surface that is ever touched will be disinfected almost the moment the last person has passed it.

“Cleaning crew will practically follow passengers around the ship to wipe down anything they brush into.”

“Any or all passengers can be quarantined in their cabins. We can close off single decks or whole sections of the ship. It’s an exhaustive and exhausting operation.”

 Ex cruise ship crew member Joshua Kinser has also said that passengers should avoid shaking hands with crew members to limit chances of infection, too.

“They may not realise how much sickness spreads through the crew on cruise ships, and many employees don’t keep up with proper hygiene,” Kinser told Express.co.uk.

“This is partly due to the fact that many crew members are working such long hours out on the ships and also due to cultural differences in what is considered good and proper hygiene.”