Norovirus Outbreak Hits Princess Cruise Ship in the Caribbean

The CDC is reporting that a Princess cruise ship sailing in the Caribbean has been hit with a norovirus outbreak on its current sailing in the Caribbean.

Caribbean Princess is currently on a 13-night cruise to the Southern Caribbean that departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on April 28, 2026.

So far, 102 guests and 13 crew members have reported being ill during the current cruise. This represents 3.3% of passengers and 1.2% of crew members on board. The reported cases have been for the entire cruise, and not necessarily all at the same time.

Predominant symptoms have been diarrhea and vomiting, and the cruise line reported the illness outbreak to the CDC on May 7, 2026.

In response to the norovirus outbreak, increased cleaning and disinfection procedures are taking place on the cruise ship.

Passengers and guests who have reported ill have been isolated and stool specimens were collected for testing.

The cruise line is consulting with the CDC about sanitation and cleaning procedures on the ship.

The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) is conducting a field response for an environmental assessment and outbreak investigation to assist the ship in controlling the outbreak.

Cruise lines are required to report to the CDC anytime 2% or more of passengers or crew members report being ill. If the threshold crosses 3%, it is officially labeled as an outbreak and reported on the CDC’s website.

This is the second norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship this year. The first was also a Princess ship back in March.

Caribbean Princess is scheduled to arrive at Port Canaveral on Monday, May 11, 2026.