Nearly 100 passengers and crew have fallen ill with norovirus during a Holland America cruise in the southern Caribbean. The outbreak occurred on the Rotterdam ship, which departed from Fort Lauderdale on 28 December and returned on 9 January.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 94 people reported gastrointestinal symptoms during the voyage, which included stops in Curaçao, Colombia, Costa Rica and Jamaica. The ship carried 2,593 passengers and 1,005 crew.
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus causing acute gastroenteritis, with symptoms such as sudden vomiting, diarrhoea, nausea and stomach pain. Most people recover within one to three days, but the virus remains contagious for a few days after symptoms fade.
In response, the crew increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, collected stool samples, isolated ill passengers and consulted the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program. The CDC remotely monitored the situation.
Holland America stated that cases were “mostly mild and quickly resolved” and that a comprehensive sanitisation of the ship was conducted after the cruise ended. The CDC has reported 23 gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships in 2025, 17 caused by norovirus.
