Gastrointestinal illness outbreak reported on Royal Caribbean cruise, nearly 100 affected

An outbreak of gastrointestinal illness has been reported aboard Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas cruise ship, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 100 people on board have been affected.

At least 89 passengers out of 2,164 on board have reported illness during the voyage, according to the CDC, meaning 4.1% of passengers have been affected. The outbreak was first reported to the CDC on Tuesday.

Additionally, two crew members out of 910 have reported symptoms, representing just 0.2% of the total crew.

The CDC report states that the predominant symptoms of the still unidentified gastrointestinal illness are diarrhea and vomiting. The source of the outbreak is unknown.

Royal Caribbean International has increased disinfection and cleaning measures aboard the ship, and stool samples have been collected for testing. Ill passengers and crew members have been isolated.

The Radiance of the Seas departed on February 1 and is scheduled to return to Tampa, Florida, on Saturday. The cruise included stops at the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and in Belize and Honduras.

This is not the first outbreak aboard the Radiance of the Seas. In April last year, an outbreak of norovirus caused diarrhea and vomiting in 69 passengers and crew members. In September, the same cruise ship reported a salmonella outbreak that affected 183 people while traveling from Vancouver to Alaska.

Last year was the worst year for cruise ship-based gastrointestinal outbreaks in over a decade, according to CNN, citing CDC data. The majority of 2024 gastrointestinal outbreaks at sea were linked to norovirus.

In December, five cruise ships were affected by the virus, with hundreds of passengers reporting symptoms aboard vessels operated by Cunard Line, Holland America, and Princess Cruises.