UNFRIENDLY SEAS

Cruises Hit By Massive Increase in Stomach Sickness

The Centers for Disease Control said there have been 5 outbreaks on board this month alone–affecting almost 900 people.

Hundreds of cruise passengers were hit by stomach sickness in December in a dramatic increase reported by the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC reports outbreaks on any ship that has docked at a U.S. port. In the worst case, more than one in 10 people on board Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 were sickened in outbreaks whose causes were still unknown. The first, as the liner crossed the Atlantic from England to New York, arriving on Dec. 21, left 138 passengers suffering diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. The cheapest crossings start at $1,500. Then when it left New York for the Caribbean, 326 more passengers and a dozen crew were sickened–more than one in ten of those on board. The other ships hit included two Holland America Line vessels on Caribbean cruises and Princess Cruises' Ruby Princess during a 17-day return voyage from San Francisco to Hawaii. In total, 890 passengers and crew on the five sailings reported stomach problems. The sudden upsurge in stomach issues meant 2025 had a 10-year high in the number of people hit by stomach problems, including salmonella, norovirus, and other causes, on cruises, according to the CDC. When a mass outbreak happens, the agency can board the ship to inspect the facilities on board.