Carnival's Holland America Line has reported a gastrointestinal illness outbreak on its current sailing with over 100 ill passengers onboard.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Holland America Line's Rotterdam has 107 sick guests onboard its current voyage which departed on February 2, 2025. 12 crew members are also reportedly ill.
The outbreak was reported to the CDC on February 7, 2025. 4.1% of passengers and 1.2% of crew members reported gastrointestinal symptoms. There are 2,614 guests and 969 crew onboard.
The predominant symptoms reported are diarrhea and vomiting. The CDC listed norovirus as the causative agent, a highly contagious virus that spreads easily through contaminated food, water, or surfaces.
Holland America Line has implemented enhanced cleaning protocols in response to the outbreak on Rotterdam. They also collected stool specimens for testing and isolated ill passengers and crew.
Rotterdam is sailing on a 12-night Panama Canal Sunfarer cruise which departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday, February 2. The round-trip itinerary includes stops in Half Moon Cay, Bahamas; Oranjestad, Aruba; Cartagena, Colombia; Colón, Panama; Limón, Costa Rica; and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Holland America Line's Rotterdam is slated to return to Fort Lauderdale on Friday, February 14.
7th gastrointestinal cruise ship outbreak in 2025
Before Rotterdam, the most recent gastrointestinal outbreak on a cruise ship was on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas.
Norovirus is also on the rise in the U.S. For example, the CDC published data that said that between August 1, 2024, and January 15, 2025, there were 1,078 norovirus outbreaks reported by NoroSTAT-participating states.
During the same period last seasonal year, just 557 norovirus outbreaks were reported by the same states.
According to CDC data, Rotterdam is the seventh vessel to report a gastrointestinal illness outbreak in 2025. The first case came from Sea Cloud Cruises' Sea Cloud Spirit, where the suspected cause was Ciguatera, rather than norovirus.
Holland America Line's Volendam was the first cruise ship in 2025 to report a norovirus outbreak. The illness was present during the ship's January 4 sailing.
The CDC shares outbreaks when they meet the following criteria:
- The ship is under VSP (Vessel Sanitation Program) jurisdiction on cruises including both U.S. and foreign ports
- Specific voyage has 3% or more of passengers or crew reporting gastrointestinal symptoms to the ship's medical staff
In the case of Volendam, 6.8% (or 93 out of 1,369) of passengers reported being ill during the 21-night cruise. 1.93% (or 11 out of 569) of the crew were also sick.
Read more: 10 tips to make your next cruise healthier
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
