Royal Caribbean norovirus outbreak: Almost 100 passengers on Serenade of the Seas fall ill on Panama Canal cruise
Almost 100 passengers have gone down with norovirus on a cruise ship.
Royal Caribbean International has reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the outbreak has struck its Serenade of the Seas ship.
It informed the government agency on Sunday that 94 out of 1,874 passengers had the bug, and four out of 883 staff were also afflicted. The company has said that, as is usual with norovirus outbreaks, the main symptoms have been diarrhoea and vomiting.
The ship left San Diego on September 19 and is due to dock at Miami on Thursday, having travelled through the Panama Canal.
"The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority," said Royal Caribbean Group, in a statement to USA Today. “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.”
USA Today has reported that the CDC has logged 19 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruises so far this year, 14 of which were caused by norovirus. The illness caused 15 of 18 total outbreaks in 2024, and 13 out of 14 the year before, but the CDC has declined to say whether it is a seaborne trend. It has however, said that there is a new strain of norovirus on land, and that sea-acquired cases may be following this.
In July the Royal Caribbean ship Navigator of the Seas ship saw 134 out of 3,914 passengers fall ill during a round-trip cruise from Los Angeles to Mexico and back. Seven crew members were also affected, according to the CDC.