There have been two more illness outbreaks reported on Holland America Line ships.
Dozens of passengers have fallen ill on the Holland America Line ships Eurodam and Zuiderdam. This marks six separate outbreaks on HAL ships so far in 2025.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the Eurodam outbreak as norovirus. It sickened 64 guests and a dozen crew members.
The health agency reported the main symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. The ship departed Fort Lauderdale in mid-April for Vancouver, BC via the Panama Canal.
The cruise line said cases were “quickly resolved.”
“We initiated enhanced sanitation protocols to minimize further transmission, including continuous disinfection of the ship.” The ship is carrying 2,038 guests and arrives in Vancouver this week.
Outbreak on HAL World Cruise
The CDC has yet to determine the cause of the Zuiderdam ship outbreak. It says 55 passengers and 14 crew members have been taken ill, mostly with diarrhea symptoms. This ship is on a Grand World Voyage that concludes on May 9 in Florida.
A third simultaneous outbreak was reported on Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Sea Lion ship, which finished its voyage on April 29. Two of its 43 guests and one crew member fell ill. The cause of this outbreak is also currently unknown, the CDC said.
Enhanced cleaning and disinfection was undertaken on all three ships following the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program guidelines.
The CDC warned the cruise industry this week of a possible “newly dominant strain” of norovirus. This new strain has caused some norovirus outbreaks on land, and the health agency hasn’t ruled out the possibility of it spreading to cruise ships.
“CDC data show a newly dominant strain is currently associated with reported norovirus outbreaks on land. Ships typically follow the pattern of land-based outbreaks, which are higher this norovirus season,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
