Royal Caribbean cruise outbreak: Over 140 passengers and crew sick with gastrointestinal illness during week-long voyage
More than 140 people got sick in a gastrointestinal illness outbreak during a week-long Royal Caribbean International cruise.
Among the 3,914 guests aboard its Navigator of the Seas ship, 134 reported being ill during a cruise that ended July 11, along with seven crew members, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their main symptoms were vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea.
The health agency listed the causative agent as unknown. The ship was sailing a week-long cruise to Mexico round-trip from Los Angeles, according to CruiseMapper. The cruise line implemented heightened disinfection and cleaning measures and isolated sick guests and crew, among other steps, the CDC said.
A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Group, the line’s parent company, told USA TODAY: “The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit 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 far exceed public health guidelines.”
There have been 18 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruises that met the CDC’s threshold for public notification in 2025, most of which were caused by norovirus. There were 18 outbreaks total last year, and 14 in 2023.