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More than 120 passengers and crew members fell sick during a norovirus outbreak on the Ruby Princess cruise ship, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC said that 102 passengers and 23 crew members reported becoming ill during the voyage on the Ruby Princess, which took place from June 12 to July 2 from San Francisco to Canada and Alaska.
In response to the outbreak, Princess Cruises and the crew aboard the ship reported increased cleaning and disinfection procedures in accordance with its outbreak prevention and response plan, the agency said.
The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), which helps the cruise ship industry prevent and control the introduction and spread of gastrointestinal illnesses on ships, was consulted about sanitation cleaning procedures and reporting illness cases.
VSP is remotely monitoring the situation, including review of the ship’s outbreak response and sanitation procedures, according to the CDC.
Norovirus is highly contagious and thrives in places where people gather in close quarters, making cruise ships susceptible to outbreaks. There have been three norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships so far this year, the CDC reports.
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According to the CDC, norovirus can be contracted from an infected person, contaminated food or water or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes inflammation of the stomach or intestines, which leads to stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.
There have been seven illness outbreaks reported on cruise ships in the CDC’s jurisdiction in 2026.
In June, 19 passengers and one crew member reported becoming ill during a norovirus outbreak on the Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Sea Bird during a voyage from June 25 to June 30.
In late May, the same ship reported a norovirus outbreak on May 28 with nine passengers and three crew members affected by the illness.
In April, more than 100 passengers and crew members fell sick during a norovirus outbreak on the Caribbean Princess cruise ship, according to the CDC.
The CDC said that 102 passengers and 13 crew members reported becoming ill during the voyage, which took place from April 28 to May 11.
“Princess Cruises can confirm that a limited number of individuals reported mild gastrointestinal illness during the April 28 Caribbean Princess voyage from Port Everglades,” Princess Cruises previously said in a statement to Global News.
“Our crew responded promptly by implementing enhanced sanitation protocols across the ship, and cases have since decreased and remain low,” the cruise line added. “Caribbean Princess arrived in Port Canaveral the morning of May 11, as scheduled, and is undergoing comprehensive cleaning and disinfection prior to departing in the afternoon for her next voyage, as scheduled.”
The outbreak on the Caribbean Princess came more than a month after another norovirus outbreak was reported on the cruise line’s Star Princess ship.
In March, the CDC reported that 141 passengers and 52 crew members reported becoming ill with norovirus on the Star Princess cruise ship. The ship left Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and made stops in the Caribbean, Honduras, Belize and the Mexican Riviera.
In April 2025, 240 people fell sick on the Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 following a norovirus outbreak.
The CDC said in an outbreak report that 224 of the ship’s 2,538 passengers had fallen ill from the virus, as well as an additional 17 staff members.
The vessel departed Southampton in the U.K. on March 8, 2025, for a nearly month-long cruise to New York and then through the Caribbean, making various stops along the island chain. It was due back in Southampton on April 6, 2025.
According to the CDC, passengers experienced vomiting and diarrhea during the outbreak. The health agency said Cunard had stepped up its cleaning and disinfection protocols and that sick passengers and crew were being quarantined.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
