The cruise industry is facing its fifth gastrointestinal outbreak of 2025, with Princess Cruises managing a norovirus incident aboard the Coral Princess.
The current voyage is a 16-day, one-way cruise from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale, running from January 20 to February 5.
The outbreak reported to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) on January 27, has affected 59 passengers (3.1%) and 12 crew members (1.4%) out of the 2,779 people onboard.
Outbreak Details
Passengers and crew reported symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting, common indicators of norovirus. The virus spreads quickly in confined spaces like cruise ships through contaminated food, surfaces, or direct contact.
To contain the outbreak, the Coral Princess crew has:
- Enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures.
- Isolated affected passengers and crew.
- Collected stool samples for lab analysis.
- Consulted with the CDC’s VSP for guidance.
The VSP remotely monitors the situation and reviews sanitation protocols and outbreak response measures.
Second Recent Incident
This is the second norovirus outbreak on the Coral Princess in recent months. During a November 2024 voyage from Singapore to Long Beach, California, the CDC reported 55 passengers and 15 crew members fell ill. These incidents highlight the ongoing challenges of managing gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships, even with strict sanitation measures in place.
Norovirus outbreaks are not unique to Princess Cruises. Viking Cruises, another major player, reported an incident in 2024 where over 13% of passengers fell ill. Industry-wide, the CDC recorded 16 outbreaks on cruise ships in 2024, up from 13 in 2023, indicating the virus remains a persistent concern.
According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the overall risk of contracting norovirus on a cruise is relatively low compared to land-based settings, with only a small percentage of passengers affected during outbreaks.
Busy Year for the CDC
In 2025, the cruise industry reported several gastrointestinal illness outbreaks across multiple lines. Holland America Line’s Volendam experienced a norovirus outbreak during its January 4–25 voyage.
Other incidents with unidentified causes occurred on Viking Ocean Cruises’ Viking Mars (January 10–24) and Silversea Cruises’ Silver Ray (January 4–20). Additionally, Sea Cloud Spirit of Sea Cloud Cruises faced a presumed ciguatera outbreak from January 4–10.
