More than 100 passengers and over a dozen crew members have fallen ill with norovirus aboard the Caribbean Princess during a 13-day voyage through the Eastern Caribbean. The outbreak has affected 102 passengers and 13 crew members, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Outbreak Details
The Princess Cruises ship departed Port Everglades, Florida, last week and is scheduled to arrive at Port Canaveral on Monday. At the time of the outbreak, the vessel was carrying 3,116 passengers and 1,131 crew members. Those affected experienced typical norovirus symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea, according to health officials.
Norovirus is known for spreading rapidly in close-contact environments such as cruise ships, where shared dining spaces and frequently touched surfaces can make containment difficult once an outbreak begins. Most people who contract norovirus begin showing symptoms within 12-48 hours of exposure, which can speed the spread in confined settings.
Response Measures
Cruise lines are required to report outbreaks when illness reaches a certain threshold among passengers or crew, allowing health officials to provide guidance on sanitation, isolation procedures and testing. The outbreak was reported while the ship was still at sea, prompting monitoring and a coordinated response with the cruise line.
Princess Cruises has since stepped up cleaning efforts across the ship and isolated sick passengers and crew members to help limit further spread, according to the CDC. A cruise line spokesperson told the New York Post: “We quickly disinfected every area of the ship and added extra sanitizing throughout the voyage. Upon arrival to Port Canaveral on May 11, Caribbean Princess will undergo comprehensive cleaning and disinfection before departing for her next voyage.” The Independent has contacted Princess Cruises for comment.
Related Health Incident
The norovirus outbreak comes as 17 American passengers from a cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak are set to be quarantined in Nebraska after returning to the U.S., health officials said. The group is expected to fly back from Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, where the MV Hondius vessel is scheduled to arrive Sunday. The State Department is arranging their return, with CDC officials meeting them overseas. Once in Nebraska, they will be monitored daily at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s National Quarantine Unit. Officials said all are currently healthy and asymptomatic, but anyone who becomes sick would be moved to a higher-level biocontainment unit.
