A norovirus outbreak aboard Holland America Line’s Rotterdam sickened 93 people, marking the ship’s second outbreak this year and the cruise line’s fourth in 2025, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Eighty-nine passengers—about 3.3% of the 2,670 guests onboard—and four crew members reported symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting during the ship’s Southern Caribbean voyage, which departed from Fort Lauderdale on March 7 and ended on March 16.
The CDC was notified of the outbreak on March 15 while the ship was docked in Half Moon Cay, Bahamas.
Holland America said it implemented enhanced sanitation measures, isolated sick guests and crew, and completed a full disinfection of the ship upon its return to Fort Lauderdale.
The Rotterdam then began the second leg of its 21-night journey, which included stops in Panama, Costa Rica, and Jamaica before returning to Florida on March 28.
This marks the second norovirus outbreak in Rotterdam this year, following an incident in February. The cruise line’s Eurodam and Volendam have also reported outbreaks in 2025, contributing to 10 total gastrointestinal illness incidents on cruise ships this year, most linked to norovirus.
Though norovirus outbreaks are often associated with cruises, the CDC notes that cruise-related cases account for only about 1% of all reported outbreaks, with similar incidents occurring in nursing homes, universities, and hospitals.
The cruise industry saw a sharp rise in gastrointestinal outbreaks last year, marking its worst year in over a decade. According to annual data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 16 outbreaks on cruise ships in 2024, the majority linked to norovirus—an increase from 14 outbreaks in 2023.
