Over 125 Passengers, Crew Fall Ill With Gastrointestinal Illnesses on 3 Cruise Ships

The outbreaks, which affected cruise ships operated by Holland America Line, Lindblad Expeditions, and Viking Expedition Operations, occurred on cruises that all began in April.

NTD Newsroom

Published: 4/29/2025, 11:15:06 PM EDT

Over 125 Passengers, Crew Fall Ill With Gastrointestinal Illnesses on 3 Cruise Ships — The Norwegian-flagged cruise ship Viking Polaris anchored in waters of the Atlantic Ocean in Ushuaia, southern Argentina, on Dec. 1, 2022. (Alexis Delelisi/AFP via Getty Images)

More than 125 passengers and crew members aboard three cruise ships have become sick with gastrointestinal symptoms in recent weeks, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The outbreaks, which affected cruise ships operated by Holland America Line, Lindblad Expeditions, and Viking Expedition Operations, all began in April.

On Holland America Line’s Eurodam, 64 of 2,038 guests and 12 of 830 crew members reported symptoms including vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea during the ship’s current voyage, according to the CDC. The ship is currently traveling northward from San Francisco to Seattle, according to Cruise Mapper.

The outbreak began after the ship left Fort Lauderdale on April 12 and has been attributed to norovirus, a common cause of gastroenteritis. Holland America stated that the cases were “mostly mild and quickly resolved,” and said it had “initiated enhanced sanitation protocols in conjunction with the CDC to minimize further transmission, including continuous disinfection of the ship,” according to a statement sent to news outlets.

Holland America Line did not immediately return a request for comment from NTD News.

A separate outbreak took place on Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Sea Lion, where five of 43 guests and two of 37 crew members reported being sick with symptoms including fever, vomiting, and diarrhea, according to the CDC. The cause of the illness has not yet been identified, the agency said.

The ship, which is currently sailing in British Columbia, Canada, also implemented heightened sanitation procedures and isolated affected individuals, the CDC said.

Lindblad Expeditions did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NTD News regarding the cases.

On Viking Expedition Operations’ Viking Polaris, 37 of 355 passengers and six of 260 crew members reported being sick with vomiting and diarrhea during a voyage from April 11 to April 23, according to the CDC.

Norovirus was said to be responsible for the illnesses. In response, the ship increased cleaning and disinfection, collected stool specimens for testing, and isolated sick passengers and crew.

The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) has been remotely monitoring the outbreaks, and reviewing the ships’ response and sanitation procedures. The agency said it is important for cruise lines to immediately report any illnesses to quickly detect outbreaks and limit further spread.

According to the CDC, cruise ships are required to report cases of gastrointestinal illness, defined as three or more loose stools within a 24-hour period or vomiting accompanied by other symptoms, such as diarrhea, muscle ache, headache, abdominal cramp, or fever.

There have been 16 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships that have met the CDC’s threshold for public notification so far in 2025, most of which have been caused by norovirus, according to the CDC. This compares to 18 outbreaks in all of 2024 and 14 the year before.