Norovirus Outbreak: Hundreds cruise ship passengers fall ill on Caribbean Princess

'Norovirus': Hundreds of people aboard a cruise ship that departed from Fort Lauderdale in Florida last month have fallen ill from the contagious virus recently.

A new virus caught immediate attention after nearly 120 people out of 3000 aboard were infected with the viral outbreak.

According to Cruise Mapper, Princess Cruises' ship labeled as Caribbean Princess departed from Port Everglades for an 11-day voyage.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC said the Novovirus outbreak was reported Thursday during the ship’s April 28 to May 11 voyage through the Caribbean.

As of Saturday afternoon, the vessel was located north of the Dominican Republic en route to Nassau in the Bahamas, according to CruiseMapper.

The highly contagious illness, also called the winter vomiting bug, has affected 102 of the ship's 3,116 passengers and 13 of its crew, multiple media outlets reported.

Princess Cruises said “a limited number of individuals reported mild gastrointestinal illness” during the voyage from Port Everglades in Florida.

“We quickly disinfected every area of the ship and added extra sanitizing throughout the voyage,” the company said in a statement. “Upon arrival to Port Canaveral on May 11, Caribbean Princess will undergo comprehensive cleaning and disinfection before departing for her next voyage.”

The cruise line said it implemented enhanced sanitation procedures, while the CDC said sick passengers and crewmembers were isolated and stool samples were collected for testing.

What is 'Norovirus'

Norovirus is a common and highly contagious virus that causes inflammation in the stomach and intestines, a condition known as gastroenteritis. 

How does 'Norovirus' spread?

The illness often begins suddenly. Anyone can be infected and get sick with norovirus and get caught in the illness more than once during their lifetime. 

People can get norovirus from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces.

Vomiting and diarrhea were the key symptoms of those taken ill on board the vessel and are also the most common effects of norovirus.

Moreover, people infected with norovirus are contagious from the moment they begin feeling ill to at least 3 days after recovery. Some people may be contagious for as long as 2 weeks after recovery.

Notably, this is the second norovirus outbreak on a Princess Cruises ship in 2026 and the fourth gastrointestinal outbreak reported to the CDC this year overall.

Additionally, the news lands during a period of already heightened anxiety around shipboard illness, given the separate and unrelated hantavirus outbreak currently being monitored on the MV Hondius.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​