CDC Says 98 People Sickened in Norovirus Outbreak on Royal Caribbean Ship

So far in 2025, there have been 19 gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships, the agency says.

Royal Caribbean Cruises liner Serenade of the Sea leaves the access channel from Le Havre harbour, France, on May 8, 2019. Jean-Francois Monier/AFP via Getty Images

An outbreak of norovirus sickened 98 people on a Royal Caribbean cruise ahead of its final destination in Miami, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sept. 30.

The outbreak on the cruise line’s Serenade of the Seas was reported to the health agency over the past weekend. Around 94 passengers onboard the ship reported being ill, along with four crew members.

More than 2,700 passengers and crew members are on board the ship, the CDC says. According to a cruise tracking service, the Serenade of the Seas departed San Diego on Sept. 19 and is slated to arrive in Miami on Thursday, as it made stops in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia.

The “causative agent” was listed by the CDC as norovirus, a group of viruses that can cause severe diarrhea and vomiting. The primary symptoms listed by the agency on the ongoing outbreak were vomiting and diarrhea.

In response to the norovirus outbreak, Royal Caribbean said that it will increase cleaning and disinfection procedures on board the ship, collect stool specimens for testing, isolate crew and passengers who have symptoms, and consult with the CDC on its procedures and reporting cases to the agency.

Responding to the CDC’s report, a spokesperson for the cruise operator told The Epoch Times on Thursday that “the health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority,” adding that the company’s staff “implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public health guidelines.”

So far in 2025, there have been 19 gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships. Fourteen of those outbreaks were caused by norovirus, according to the CDC.

An outbreak of the virus in July also impacted Royal Caribbean line Navigator of the Seas, which sickened 141 people out of more than 5,100 passengers and crew, the agency said.

Health officials say that symptoms of norovirus include vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea. The virus also spreads easily through contaminated food or surfaces, or through close contact.

Symptoms of the virus generally start 12 to 48 hours after exposure, the Mayo Clinic says. Symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea tend to last one to three days.

While most people recover without treatment, some people—such as older adults or young children—have to seek medical attention due to dehydration caused by vomiting and diarrhea, the clinic also says.

The CDC says that there are around 2,500 reported outbreaks of norovirus each year, and the virus usually spreads when infected individuals spread it to others via direct contact.

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 department visits, mostly in 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 says. When the ship docks, norovirus can be brought on board in contaminated food or water; or by passengers who were infected while ashore.”

Norovirus can also persist on surfaces for days or weeks and is resistant to many common disinfectants, officials say.