Passengers and crew members got sick with norovirus during two back-to-back outbreaks aboard a Cunard Line ship. Among 2,565 guests on its Queen Mary 2 vessel, 326 reported being ill during its current voyage,

Beth Knowles and her family left on a Caribbean cruise in late December, but they missed every port. They got too sick to disembark during a norovirus outbreak on board. Knowles got an email from Cunard Line one day before their Dec.

Over 120 passengers experienced gastrointestinal illness on recent Holland America Line and Oceania Cruises voyages.

More than 265 cases of illness have been reported aboard Queen Mary 2, the second consecutive sailing impacted by an outbreak.

Last year, there were 16 outbreaks on cruise ships, from norovirus, salmonella, E. coli or other unidentified pathogens that cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting. That's the largest number of cruise ship outbreaks in 12 years.

In December alone five cruise ships from Cunard, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, all Carnival-owned brands, reported norovirus outbreaks affecting hundreds of passengers. An outbreak is declared when 3% or more of a ship's passengers and crew come down with gastrointestinal problems.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has previously signaled that influenza A, COVID and RSV are on the rise across the U.S. Now, the risk of catching norovirus — more commonly known as the stomach flu — is escalating,

The CDC inspects hundreds of cruise ship yearly. Some cruise lines and cruise parent companies score better than others.

Cruise passengers live in tight quarters where contact with other passengers can't be avoided. Yes, some people still wear masks on cruise ships, and cleaning protocols have been greatly enhanced, but that has not eradicated illness on cruise ships.

The popularity of the cruise industry continues to grow and multiply and along with that development, there’s some less than ideal news emerging. It seems illnesses on cruise ships hit a 12-year high in 2024,

Health officials say the “often crowded, semi-enclosed” cruise ship environment can facilitate the spread of diseases and that outbreaks can be sustained by crew members who s

But another statistic in the world of cruising is on the up, and it’s not a good one: the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests 2024 was the worst year for cruise ship-based gastrointestinal outbreaks in over a decade.