Cruise & Ferry
140+ sick in Royal Caribbean cruise gastrointestinal outbreak
Norovirus: Symptoms and prevention of ‘stomach flu’
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- Over 140 passengers and crew fell ill with gastrointestinal illness on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
- The CDC is investigating the cause of the outbreak, which involved vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea.
- Royal Caribbean implemented enhanced sanitation protocols in response to the outbreak.
More than 140 people got sick in a gastrointestinal illness outbreak during a Royal Caribbean International cruise.
Among the 3,914 guests aboard its Navigator of the Seas ship, 134 reported being ill during a cruise that ended July 11, along with seven crew members, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their main symptoms were vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea.
The health agency listed the causative agent as unknown. The ship was sailing a week-long cruise to Mexico round-trip from Los Angeles, according to CruiseMapper.
The cruise line implemented heightened disinfection and cleaning measures and isolated sick guests and crew, among other steps, the CDC said.
“The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority,” a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Group, the line’s parent company, told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. “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.”
There have been 18 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruises that met the CDC’s threshold for public notification in 2025, most of which were caused by norovirus. There were 18 outbreaks total last year, and 14 in 2023.
The CDC told USA TODAY in April that while “the number of recent cruise ship outbreaks has been higher than in years prior to the pandemic, we do not yet know if this represents a new trend.”
“However, CDC data show a newly dominant strain is currently associated with reported norovirus outbreaks on land,” the agency said in an emailed statement. “Ships typically follow the pattern of land-based outbreaks, which are higher this norovirus season.”
The illness is often associated with cruise ships, but those represent only 1% of all outbreaks reported.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
Cruise & Ferry
Mystery sick bug outbreak leaves 140 ill on Royal Caribbean cruise | News US
More than 140 people got sick when a vomiting bug swept through Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
The mystery gastrointestinal illness broke out onboard the Navigator of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship, on a round-trip to from the US to Mexico.
Some 134 of the 3,914 guests fell ill, along with 11 crew members. Symptoms included sickness, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea.
The boat left Los Angeles on July 4, docked at Puerto Vallarta on July 8 before heading back to LA three days later, according to its Cruise Mapper itinerary.
It’s not yet known what made the people onboard sick, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who reported the outbreak.
Norovirus is highly contagious and symptoms can show within to 12 to 28 hours of the bug being contracted.
People usually feel better within one to three days, but can still spread the virus 48 hours after symptoms end.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told USA Today the health and safety of crew members and passengers are the company’s top priority.
Those who reported symptoms were isolated and the ship – which had 5,180 people onboard – was cleaned, it said.
‘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,’ it added.
Last October 77-year-old Brit Alan Forster died after catching norovirus on P&O’s Arcadia cruise ship
He was one of almost 100 to fall ill on the month-long trip across the Atlantic Ocean to the US and Canada and back.
The grandfather was confined to his cabin with diarrhoea, stomach cramps and vomiting, before his kidneys started failing.
He was hospitalised when the ship reached St John’s, in Newfoundland, Canada, but later died.
So far in 2025 there have been 18 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruises that met the CDC’s threshold for public notification, most of which were caused by norovirus.
Royal Caribbean has been contacted for comment.
Its Navigator of the Seas ship has a capacity of 3,300 and features 17 bars, 12 dining options, a rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, three pools, a surf simulator, six whirlpools, and a riptide waterslide.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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Cruise & Ferry
Death toll rises to 28 in cruise ship accident in N. Vietnam – World
HANOI — The death toll has risen to 28 after a cruise ship capsized in Ha Long Bay, northern Vietnam”s Quang Ninh province, on Saturday afternoon, Vietnam News Agency reported.
At around 1:30 pm on Saturday, the vessel was caught in a sudden storm. By 2:05 pm, it had lost contact and subsequently sank, according to the state-owned media.
The vessel was carrying 48 passengers, including 24 men and 24 women, with many of them being young people and children, local newspaper Tien Phong (Pioneer) reported.
Cruise & Ferry
Dream Drydocked in China – Cruise Industry News
Tianjin Orient International Cruise Line’s Dream has recently undergone a routine drydock at the Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry shipyard in Qingdao, China.
Originally built as the Sea Princess for the Princess Cruises brand, the 77,000-ton vessel arrived at the facility in late June.
According to local sources, the Dream underwent scheduled maintenance, as well as class inspections and minor upgrades to public areas and staterooms.
The 1,950-guest ship also saw the addition of a new livery that includes decorative waves on its hull, as well as new colors for its main mast.
Technical work carried out onboard the vessel included hull painting, rust removal, engine overhaul and oil pump servicing.
After completing the 11-day drydock, the Dream returned to Tianjin to resume revenue service earlier this month.
Upon welcoming guests back onboard earlier this month, the Dream resumed its regular schedule, which includes a series of short cruises departing from Tianjin.
The itineraries visit international destinations, including Sasebo, Nagasaki and Fukuoka in Japan; and Jeju in South Korea.
Before its more recent shipyard visit, the 1998-built vessel underwent a major modernization project at a different facility in China.
As part of the three-month drydock that took place in 2023, the ship saw updates to public areas and cabins, as well as upgrades to systems and technical aspects.
Acquired by Tianjin Orient International Cruise Line in 2023, the former Sea Princess was withdrawn from Princess Cruises’ fleet in 2020.
The ship was initially acquired by Sanya International Cruise Development and renamed Charming.
With pandemic-related restrictions preventing cruise operations in China, the vessel remained in a layup status until being acquired by its current operators.
Built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, the Dream entered service in 1998 as the third ship in Princess’ Sun Class.
Other ships in the series include the 1995-built Pacific World, which currently sails for Peace Boat, and the 1997-built Star Voyager, which sails for the new StarCruises brand.
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