Nearly 100 people sick in second Holland America cruise norovirus outbreak this month
Nearly 100 people got sick in a norovirus outbreak on a Holland America Line cruise, the second on its ships this month.
Among 2,192 guests on its Rotterdam ship, 83 reported being ill during a voyage that ended Friday, along with a dozen crew members, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their main symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.
The ship departed Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 8, according to CruiseMapper. A Holland America spokesperson said the cases had “mostly been mild and quickly resolving.”
“We initiated enhanced sanitation protocols in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to minimize further transmission,” the spokesperson told Paste BN in an emailed statement. “As a further precaution, upon arrival in Fort Lauderdale today, the ship is undergoing additional and comprehensive sanitization before embarking on its next voyage. Guests have been notified of updated boarding times to allow for the additional disinfection.”
The cruise line also isolated sick passengers and crew, among other steps, the CDC said.
The news comes after separate norovirus outbreaks on Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess during a voyage that ended Wednesday, and during a cruise on Holland America’s Zuiderdam that ended Dec. 14. Outbreaks are typically more common during winter months when the weather is cooler, according to the CDC, though they may be less seasonal in locations closer to the equator.
The health agency has logged 14 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruises that met its threshold for public notification in 2024. In all but three, norovirus was listed as the causative agent.
The illness is often associated with cruise ships, but those account for 1% of all outbreaks reported.
“There's not something special or unique about cruise ships,” Dr. Sarah E. Hochman, a hospital epidemiologist and the section chief of infectious diseases at NYU Langone Health’s Tisch Hospital, told Paste BN in April. “It's really any type of congregate setting, but it's also happening out in the community on a much smaller scale among households and household contacts. It just doesn't come to the attention of public health as much as it does for larger congregate settings.”
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for Paste BN based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.