Dozens of guests reported illness during an outbreak during a Royal Caribbean cruise.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the norovirus outbreak aboard the Serenade of the Seas ship with 71 guests and one crew member falling ill.
Cruise Line Implemented Enhanced Cleaning Protocols
The CDC says symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting. Royal Caribbean said its enhanced sanitation measures have been implemented and sick guests are being isolated in staterooms as is normal procedure under the agency’s Vessel Sanitation Program.
The cruise line reported the outbreak at the weekend. Serenade of the Seas has 1,874 passengers on board.
“The health and safety of our guests, crew are our top priority. To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which exceed public health guidelines,” the cruise line said in a statement.
CDC officials are continuing to monitor the outbreak. The cruise, which departed San Diego more than a week ago ends later this week in Miami.
The voyage included a Panama Canal transit and calls in Colombia, Costa Rico and Mexico.
It becomes the 19th outbreak of 2025
It marks the 19th gastrointestinal outbreak on a cruise ship so far this year that was large enough to meet the CDC’s public reporting criteria. Of these, 14 have been confirmed as norovirus outbreaks
There were 15 confirmed norovirus cruise ship outbreaks during 2024, with 18 illness outbreaks overall.
This is the third norovirus outbreak on Royal Caribbean ship this year, including the most recent outbreak in July, aboard Navigator of the Seas.
The federal health agency recently said of the increase in ship outbreaks: “While the number of recent outbreaks has been higher than in years prior to the pandemic, we do not yet know if this will represent a new trend.”
