More than 90 passengers and crew onboard Royal Caribbean cruise ship fall ill with Norovirus

The case marks the 19th gastrointestinal outbreak on a cruise ship so far this year

More than 90 passengers and crew aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship have fallen ill from Norovirus ahead of the ship’s final stop in Miami.

The outbreak on the Royal Caribbean International ship, Serenade of the Seas, which departed San Diego on September 19, was reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sunday.

There were 94 passengers and four crew members who “reported being ill during the voyage,” according to the CDC, which noted their main symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting.

Other symptoms of the disease include muscle ache, headache, abdominal cramps or fever, or three or more loose stools within a 24-hour period, the agency said.

The ship has 1,874 passengers and 883 crew, meaning less than 4 percent of people on board were infected, per CDC data.

The outbreak was reported on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas, which is set to conclude its journey this week (AFP via Getty)

In response to the infection, crew on the ship have increased cleaning and disinfecting procedures, collected stool specimens from gastrointestinal illnesses for testing and isolated those who are sick.

The Independent has contacted Royal Caribbean for comment.

“The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority,” Royal Caribbean told USA TODAY.

“To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public health guidelines,” the cruise liner said.

The cruise ship also consulted with the Vessel Sanitation Program, which is run by the CDC, “about sanitation cleaning procedures and reporting ill cases.”

“VSP is remotely monitoring the situation, including review of the ship’s outbreak response and sanitation procedures,” the CDC said.

After departing San Diego, the ship visited Mexico, the Panama Canal and Colombia. It is set to conclude its trip in Miami Thursday, according to CruiseMapper.

The case marks the 19th gastrointestinal outbreak on a cruise ship so far this year. Of those, 14 were caused by Norovirus. The illness caused 15 out of 18 outbreaks on cruises in 2024.