Outbreak on cruise ship leaves passengers sick with gastroenteritis

The ship was due to call at Lerwick in the Shetland Islands for the Up-Helly-A festival but this was cancelled because of bad weather

The incident occurred aboard the Fred Olsen Balmoral cruise ship (Getty Images)

A gastrointestinal outbreak caused passengers to fall ill on a Fred. Olsen Cruise at the same time the ship was forced to change its course due to stormy weather.

The Balmoral cruise ship, which has a capacity for over 1,200 passengers, departed Southampton for a 10-night Norwegian fjords sailing.

The ship was due to call at Lerwick in the Shetland Islands on Tuesday, 27 January, so passengers could attend the Up-Helly-A festival, a traditional fire festival held annually to mark the end of the Yule season.

However, the visit was cancelled ahead of time due to forecasts of stormy weather, which deemed the docking at Lerwick as unsafe.

“While we understand the disappointment of missing the much-anticipated Up Helly Aa festival, the safety of our guests and crew must always remain our highest priority,” a spokesperson for the cruise line said.

Around the same time, passengers started reporting symptoms of gastroenteritis, a common sickness that can cause diarrhoea, vomiting, cramps and fever.

A passenger aboard told The Shetland Times that around 200 people had fallen ill, with daily announcements stating the ship was “experiencing increasing cases of people presenting with symptoms of gastroenteritis".

Dr Kate Bunyan, director of health services at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines said in a statement: “A number of guests on board Balmoral reported symptoms of gastrointestinal-related illness during her 10-night ‘Wintertime Landscapes of the Norwegian Fjords’ cruise.

“We immediately implemented measures to help reduce transmission, and our medical team was on hand to provide support to anyone who felt unwell during the cruise.

She said that Balmoral had returned to Southampton, where it departed a little later for its next sailing to allow for a deep clean of the ship and cruise terminal.

“The safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew is our highest priority, and Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has robust health, hygiene, and safety protocols in place at all times,” Dr Bunyan added.

After being cleaned, Balmoral departed on a new sailing from Southampton, on a 15-day cruise around Norway, ending on 14 February.

The incident comes after almost 100 people fell ill with norovirus during an outbreak on a Holland America cruise around the southern Caribbean.

Guests on the Rotterdam ship reported gastrointestinal symptoms during the round-trip from Fort Lauderdale, which departed on 28 December 2025.

According to the US’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), of 2,593 passengers and 1,005 crew onboard the vessel, 94 people reported being ill during the voyage.

Read more: Norovirus outbreak leaves almost 100 passengers sick aboard cruise ship