Norovirus Sickens Nearly 90 Passengers and Crew on Holland America Cruise Ship

The illness affected 81 of the ship's 2,593 passengers, just over 3 percent, and 8 of its 1,005 crew members during the 13-day voyage that departed Dec. 28 and returned Jan. 9.

Rudy Blalock

Published: 1/11/2026, 8:04:27 PM EST

Norovirus Sickens Nearly 90 Passengers and Crew on Holland America Cruise Ship — The arrival of the cruise ship Rotterdam of the Holland America Line in the port of Rotterdam where she will depart for Amsterdam, to prepare for the crossing to the United States, on Oct. 14, 2021. (Marco de Swart/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

A norovirus outbreak aboard Holland America Line's Rotterdam cruise ship affected nearly 90 passengers and crew members during a voyage that concluded this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Thursday.

The illness affected 81 of the ship's 2,593 passengers, or just more than 3 percent, and 8 of its 1,005 crew members during the 13-day Panama Canal and Caribbean voyage that departed from Fort Lauderdale in Florida on Dec. 28, and returned on Jan. 9.

Holland America Line reported the outbreak to the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program on Jan. 8, the day before the voyage ended. Those who were sickened experienced gastrointestinal symptoms, with vomiting and diarrhea being the primary complaints.

The CDC said the quicker passengers and crew report their gastrointestinal symptoms to the medical center onboard, the faster outbreaks can be detected and addressed, containing transmission.

In response to the outbreak, Holland America Line implemented multiple containment measures. The cruise line increased cleaning and disinfection procedures and isolated affected passengers and crew members to prevent further transmission. Medical staff aboard collected stool specimens from those with symptoms for laboratory testing, which confirmed the presence of norovirus.

The ship's crew also consulted directly with the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program regarding enhanced sanitation cleaning procedures.

Norovirus represents a common cause of acute gastroenteritis, or gastrointestinal illness, among cruise ship passengers and crew. The CDC defines gastrointestinal illness as three or more loose stools within a 24-hour period or more than normal for an individual, or vomiting accompanied by symptoms such as diarrhea, muscle aches, headaches, abdominal cramps, or fever.

The Rotterdam outbreak is one of multiple norovirus cases reported across the cruise industry in recent months. In November, the AIDAdiva reported 95 sick passengers and 6 ill crew members. Earlier that month, the Oceania Insignia documented 74 sick passengers and 1 ill crew member. And in September, Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas reported 94 sick passengers and 4 ill crew members.

The CDC recorded 22 gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships in 2025, with 17 of those attributed to norovirus. This compares to 18 outbreaks in 2024 and 14 in 2023. Holland America accounted for 7 of such outbreaks, the most of any cruise line.

A spokesperson for the cruise line did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NTD News.

The CDC said that the cases reported represent total numbers for entire voyages and do not necessarily indicate that all affected individuals were simultaneously ill at any given moment during the cruise.

Health officials have reminded travelers that illnesses aboard cruise ships can spread through contaminated food or water or via person-to-person contact, such as touching handrails, elevator buttons, shared utensils, and other passengers. The agency recommends frequent handwashing, particularly after using restrooms and before eating, as well as alerting ship medical staff immediately if symptoms develop.