Cruise passengers live in tight quarters, where contact with other passengers can't be avoided.
Some people still wear masks on cruise ships, and cleaning protocols have been greatly enhanced, but that has not eradicated illness on cruise ships.
Norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships hit their highest levels in over a decade, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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In December alone five cruise ships from Cunard, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, all Carnival-owned brands, reported norovirus outbreaks affecting hundreds of passengers. An outbreak is declared when 3% or more of a ship's passengers and crew come down with gastrointestinal problems.
Norovirus on a ship is not pleasant, but these outbreaks have been largely contained.
"GI illness is a commonly used term for acute gastroenteritis," the CDC explains. "Reporting GI illness on cruise ships is important.
"When passengers and crew tell the medical center onboard about their symptoms, it helps GI outbreaks get detected quickly. This allows steps to be taken to limit the spread of illness. Medical staff evaluate symptoms to see if they meet our case definition for AGE:
- Three or more loose stools within a 24-hour period or what is more than normal for that person OR
- Vomiting along with one of the following symptoms: diarrhea, muscle ache, headache, abdominal cramp, or fever.
"Cruise ships are required to report these cases to us."
Image source: Pixabay
How to prevent norovirus
Not every acute gastroenteritis outbreak is norovirus. Many of the outbreaks on cruise lines, however, have been attributed to a very aggressive strand of norovirus in 2024.
"Norovirus is often a cause of GI outbreaks on cruise ships, but we don't always know the cause of the outbreak when we begin an investigation," the CDC added.
"Finding the agent that caused an outbreak can take time. When an outbreak occurs, people whose symptoms met the case definition are asked to provide stool or vomitus samples. These samples are tested to determine the causative agent."
The top thing passengers can do to stop the spread of norovirus or any other virus onboard is to not hide their condition. It's very important to go to the medical center if symptoms present themselves.
That probably means you will end up in quarantine, but it's better to just have your vacation ruined than to ruin the vacations of so many others.
The CDC also suggests that cruise passengers (and anyone in a public place) wash their hands more often.
"Washing hands can keep you healthy and prevent the spread of respiratory and diarrheal infections," said the federal agency.
Germs can spread from person to person or from surfaces to people when you:
- Touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
- Prepare or eat food and drinks with unwashed hands
- Touch surfaces or objects that have germs on them
- Blow your nose, cough, or sneeze into hands, and then touch other people's hands or common objects
Many cruise ships offer hand-sanitizing stations and those are valuable, but washing your hands is a better choice.
"Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations," the CDC advises. If soap and water are not readily available, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. You can tell if the sanitizer contains at least 60% alcohol by looking at the product label."
Are you taking a cruise or thinking about taking one? Visit our Come Cruise With Me website to have all your questions answered.
