Norovirus outbreaks affect ~200 passengers on Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean ships

   April 27, 2024 ,   Accidents

Nearly 200 individuals fell ill due to norovirus outbreaks on Princess Cruises and RCI-Royal Caribbean International ships.

According to the CDC/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) agency, 94 out of 2532 guests on Sapphire Princess reported illness, along with 20 crew members, during the April 5th cruise. The roundtrip left from Los Angeles CA, visits destinations in Hawaii and the South Pacific islands, and will return to LA on May 7th.

Similarly, on Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas, 67 of the 1993 guests, along with 2 crew members, reported illness during a voyage that concluded on April 22nd. The 2-week itinerary started from Tampa Florida and ended in LA, making stops in countries like Colombia and Panama.

The main symptoms experienced by the affected in both outbreaks were diarrhea and vomiting.

Following these incidents, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and the ships’ crews implemented enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols. They also isolated individuals who fell ill, among other precautionary measures, in line with recommendations from the CDC.