Princess Cruises reports Norovirus outbreak sickening 115 on Caribbean Princess

Princess Cruises reported a norovirus outbreak aboard the Caribbean Princess that sickened 115 people during an April 28 to May 11 voyage. The outbreak was reported to the CDC on May 7, and the ship was due for comprehensive cleaning and disinfection after arriving at Port Canaveral on May 11.

The illness affected 102 of 3,116 passengers and 13 of 1,131 crew members, with reported symptoms that included diarrhea and vomiting. Princess Cruises said the ship followed its outbreak response plan during the voyage, isolated ill passengers and crew, collected stool specimens for testing, and added extra sanitizing throughout the sailing.

Caribbean Princess voyage details

The voyage began at Port Everglades on April 28. Princess Cruises said a limited number of individuals reported mild gastrointestinal illness on the Caribbean Princess, and it increased cleaning and disinfection procedures in line with its response plan.

The reported illness total reached 115 people, or about 3.3% of passengers and 1.2% of crew members listed on the voyage. The CDC said its Vessel Sanitation Program is conducting a field response that includes an environmental assessment and outbreak investigation.

CDC Vessel Sanitation Program

Princess Cruises said it consulted with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program on sanitation measures and case reporting. The agency said norovirus is a common cause of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships, and the reporting threshold for outbreaks on cruise voyages is 3%.

For passengers and crew on the sailing, the practical outcome was immediate shipboard controls: more cleaning, isolation for sick people, and testing samples. The ship then moved toward a full cleaning and disinfection before its next departure from Port Canaveral.