In late September 2025, 98 people on the Royal Caribbean's ship Serenade of the Seas were stricken by a gastrointestinal illness while the ship traversed waters between San Diego and Miami.
The US CDC agency attributed the outbreak to the norovirus. The 13-night Panama Canal voyage started on September 19th and ends in Miami on October 2nd.
Among those affected, 94 are passengers (representing 5% of all) and 4 are crew members.
Those who fell ill were placed in isolation aboard the ship. Meanwhile, the vessel increased cleaning and disinfection protocols, collected stool samples for laboratory analysis, and consulted with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) on sanitation and case-reporting procedures. VSP is overseeing the response remotely, reviewing the ship’s actions and sanitary safeguards.
This incident marks the 19th cruise ship GI outbreak reported in 2025 under VSP jurisdiction, with 14 of these outbreaks traced to norovirus.
For more Serenade of the Seas incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.