Cruise ship gastrointestinal outbreaks hit 18, matching all of 2024 in months

Over 130 passengers recently caught a gastrointestinal bug while sailing aboard Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas. 

The outbreak occurred during a weeklong cruise to Mexico from Los Angeles, California, and was the 18th incident recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2025. 

Among the 3,914 guests onboard, 134 reported symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, along with 7 crew members. This means that 3.4% of the passengers and 0.6% of the crew reported being sick during the 7-night cruise to the Mexican Riviera. 

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The cause of the outbreak has not been confirmed, but it is likely norovirus, a highly contagious virus that spreads easily through contaminated food, water, or surfaces.

In response to the outbreak, Royal Caribbean ramped up its cleaning protocols, isolated sick passengers and crew, and collected stool specimens for testing. 

Navigator of the Seas was on a weeklong cruise from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, when the outbreak occurred. 

The incident on Navigator of the Seas marks the 18th cruise ship gastrointestinal outbreak reported to the CDC so far in 2025, equaling the total reported in 2024

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Between January 1 and July 11, 2025, 18 gastrointestinal outbreaks were reported to the CDC, with the first being on Sea Cloud Cruises' Sea Cloud Spirit. The causative agent wasn't norovirus, though. Instead, the CDC lists it as Ciguatera (presumed).

Following the Sea Spirit, Silversea Cruises' Silver Ray reported an outbreak that was eventually revealed to be caused by E. coli. 51 out of 681 passengers on the luxury ship reported being ill during the voyage. 

It wasn't until January 15, 2025, that the first norovirus outbreak was reported, occurring on Holland America Line's Volendam. 

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Since then, multiple cruise lines, ranging from Royal Caribbean to Princess, Viking, and Cunard, have faced similar incidents.

Norovirus remains the most common cause of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks at sea, with 12 of the 18 reported outbreaks attributed to the highly contagious gastrointestinal virus. 

Here's a full list of the gastrointestinal illnesses reported to the CDC in 2025:

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• Sea Cloud Cruises, Sea Cloud Spirit (January 4-10, 2025): Ciguatera (presumed)
• Silversea Cruises, Silver Ray (January 4-20, 2025): E. coli
• Holland America Line, Volendam (January 4-25, 2025): Norovirus
• Viking Ocean Cruises, Viking Mars (January 10-24, 2025): Norovirus
• Princess Cruises, Coral Princess (January 20-February 5, 2025): Norovirus
• Royal Caribbean, Radiance of the Seas (February 1-8, 2025): Norovirus
• Holland America Line, Rotterdam (February 2-14, 2025): Norovirus
• Holland America Line, Eurodam (February 19-March 1, 2025): Norovirus
• Princess Cruises, Coral Princess (February 5-March 9, 2025): Norovirus
• Holland America Line, Rotterdam (March 7-16, 2025): Norovirus
• Cunard Line, Queen Mary 2 (March 8-April 6, 2025): Norovirus
• Seabourn Cruise Line, Seabourn Encore (March 16-April 8, 2025): Norovirus
• Viking Ocean Cruises, Viking Polaris (April 11-23, 2025): Norovirus
• Lindblad Expeditions, National Geographic Sea Lion (April 15-29, 2025): Unknown
• Holland America Line, Zuiderdam (January 4-May 6, 2025): Unknown
• Holland America Line, Eurodam (April 12-May 3, 2025): Norovirus
• Regent Seven Seas, Seven Seas Explorer (April 26-May 14, 2025): Unknown
• Royal Caribbean, Navigator of the Seas (July 4-11, 2025): Unknown

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Comparatively, 2024 saw 18 gastrointestinal outbreaks from January to December, whereas 2025 has already matched that total by mid-July. By July 2024, only 8 gastrointestinal illnesses had been reported to the CDC.