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 vessel, which departed from Fort Lauderdale on 28 December for a round-trip voyage.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 94 of the 2,593 passengers and 1,005 crew members reported gastrointestinal symptoms. The ship visited Curaçao, Colombia, Costa Rica and Jamaica before returning on 9 January.
Norovirus causes acute gastroenteritis, with symptoms including vomiting, diarrhoea, nausea and stomach pain. While most people recover within one to three days, the virus remains contagious for several days after symptoms subside.
In response, the crew enhanced cleaning and disinfection, collected stool samples for testing, isolated ill passengers and consulted the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program. The CDC monitored the situation remotely.
Holland America stated that cases were “mostly mild and quickly resolved” and that a comprehensive sanitisation was conducted after the cruise ended. This is the second norovirus outbreak on the Rotterdam in 2025, following one in March that affected 89 passengers.
