A COUPLE who say they had their dream holiday ruined after catching a stomach bug on a “sick ship” are suing a luxury cruise operator.

David and Jane Sacks, from Lancaster Road, Haslingden, claim they became ill on board the Independence of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises.

Mr and Mrs Sacks said that during the 11-day cruise from Southampton to Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands, they were unable to get off the ship at all of the destinations because they were feeling so poorly.

Mrs Sacks, a 69-year-old retired victim support office,r said: “I thought I was dying at one stage. I had never felt old before but I felt old and decrepid.”

After caring for his wife four days, Mr Sacks, a 76-year-old retired police officer, said he was also struck down by the bug.

He said: “It was a bad experience and one that has deterred us now from ever setting foot on a ship again.”

The couple are among 25 passengers who sailed on the ship between December 2010 and June 2011 and claim they were laid low by gastroenteritis. They have served a writ in the High Court seeking compensation.

The group has reported “multiple cases of gastroenteritis on previous cruises” on the vessel and claim they should have been warned they were boarding a sick ship and offered an alternative or a refund.

They are now suing Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, of Weybridge, Surrey, for up to £500,000 in damages.

In documents lodged in the High Court, Charles Crow, the barrister representing the group, said: “The company, despite multiple cases of gastroenteritis on previous cruises, failed to effectively remedy the situation, whether by way of adequate cleaning or sanitisation or greater control in the preparation of food and drink.

“Royal Caribbean failed to allocate the passengers to a ship which was not experiencing an outbreak of gastric illness, or if no such ship was available, failed to notify them prior to emb-arkation and/or offer them a full refund.

“Had the passengers been made aware in advance, they would have been likely to have refused to travel and so avoided illness, loss and damage.”

A spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean said in a statement:: “Of the 25 guests that you refer to, not all of these guests experienced illness. The 25 guests were across five different sailings within a seven-month period from December 2010 to June 2011.

“In this time period, the ship sailed on 15 cruises, welcoming over 67,000 guests.

“Those affected by the short-lived illness responded well to over-the-counter medication administered on-board the ship and were not referred for additional treatment by the on-board medical teams.

“Our crew conducted extensive cleaning on-board the ship and guests were kept up to date on these additional measures prior to embarkation.”