At a glance
Learn more about outbreaks of gastrointestinal (GI) illness on cruise ships in the Vessel Sanitation Program's (VSP) jurisdiction, including outbreak details and actions taken in response.
2024 outbreaks
| Cruise Line | Cruise Ship | Sailing Dates | Causative Agent |
| Celebrity Cruises | Celebrity Summit | 5/24-5/31, 2024 | Norovirus |
| Princess Cruises | Sapphire Princess | 4/5-5/7, 2024 | Norovirus |
| Royal Caribbean International | Radiance of the Seas | 4/8-4/22, 2024 | Norovirus |
| Silversea Cruises | Silver Nova | 3/31-4/16, 2024 | E. coli |
| Holland America Line | Koningsdam | 2/17-3/24, 2024 | Norovirus |
| Cunard Line | Queen Victoria | 1/22-2/6, 2024 | Norovirus |
| Celebrity Cruises | Celebrity Constellation | 1/3–1/12, 2024 | Norovirus |
About outbreak reporting
We post outbreaks when they meet all the following criteria:
- Ship is under VSP jurisdiction (on voyages including both U.S. and foreign ports)
- Ship carries 100 or more passengers
- Voyage is 3-21 days long
- Voyage has 3% or more of passengers or crew reporting symptoms of GI illness to the ship's medical staff
We may also post information on outbreaks of public health significance that do not necessarily meet the above criteria.
Notes about the data
GI illness is a commonly used term for acute gastroenteritis (AGE).
Cruise ships report cases that meet our case definition for AGE. We define a reportable case of AGE as
- 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.
What case totals mean
Cases reported are totals for the entire voyage. It does not mean all people are sick at the same time, such as when they arrive or leave a port or ship.
Learn more
Learn how passengers can protect themselves with these tips for healthy cruising.
Find more information on
- VSP outbreak response
- Earlier outbreaks (2019-2023)
- Archived outbreaks (1993–2018)
Read our publication on cruise ship GI outbreaks during 2006-2019.
Content Source:
National Center for Environmental Health