CDC Reports Dozens of People on Cruise Ship Sickened With Norovirus

The voyage departed from Montreal on Oct. 16 and is due to finish in Boston on Oct. 27.

A cruise ship being towed in San Diego on Nov. 11, 2010. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that 75 people were sickened in a norovirus outbreak on an Oceania Cruises ship that is scheduled to finish its trip in Boston on Oct. 27.

One crew member and 74 passengers on the Oceania Insignia ship were sickened with the virus, the CDC stated in an update last week, noting that 637 guests and 391 crew members were on board. The main symptoms reported to the agency included diarrhea and vomiting, which are generally consistent with norovirus.

The cruise ship’s voyage began in Montreal on Oct. 16 and is due to end in Boston on Oct. 27, according to CruiseMapper.

In response to the outbreak, Oceania Cruises crew told the CDC that the ship “increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to their outbreak prevention and response plan” and “collected stool specimens from gastrointestinal illness cases for testing.”

The company also “isolated ill passengers and crew” while reporting cases to the CDC, which stated that it is monitoring the situation.

“At Oceania Cruises, the health and safety of our guests is the number one priority,” the cruise line stated in response to the CDC report. “A number of guests on the current voyage of the Oceania Insignia have reported symptoms of acute gastroenteritis. The ship’s Sanitation Officer has activated the CDC approved protocol and all guests experiencing symptoms are being treated.”

In 2025, the CDC has reported at least 20 outbreaks of illnesses on cruise ships, with 15 of them being norovirus.

The last cruise ship outbreak, which also involved norovirus, was reported in early October when 98 people were sickened on a Royal Caribbean ship. A norovirus outbreak in July also affected Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas. The outbreak sickened 141 people out of more than 5,100 passengers and crew, the agency stated.

The virus spreads easily through contaminated food or surfaces or by direct contact with others, and symptoms generally start 12 to 48 hours after exposure, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea tend to last one to three days. While most people recover without treatment, the clinic advises that some people—older adults or young children—seek medical attention because of dehydration caused by vomiting and diarrhea.

According to the CDC, there are about 2,500 reported outbreaks of norovirus each year.

In a normal year, according to the CDC, norovirus causes between 19 million and 21 million cases of vomiting and diarrhea, 109,000 hospitalizations, and 900 deaths across the United States. The virus is associated with about 495,000 emergency room visits, mostly for younger children.

“Norovirus can be especially challenging to control on cruise ships because of the close living quarters, shared dining areas, and rapid turnover of passengers,” the agency stated. “When the ship docks, norovirus can be brought on board in contaminated food or water; or by passengers who were infected while ashore.”

Oceania Cruises did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.