Last year, there were 16 outbreaks on cruise ships, from norovirus, salmonella, E. coli or other unidentified pathogens that cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting. That's the largest number of cruise ship outbreaks in 12 years.

Beth Knowles and her family left on a Caribbean cruise in late December, but they missed every port. They got too sick to disembark during a norovirus outbreak on board. Knowles got an email from Cunard Line one day before their Dec.

In 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States reported a significant increase in norovirus infections.

Norovirus, often coined the “cruise ship virus,” causes more than 90% of diarrheal disease outbreaks on cruise ships, according to the CDC. Still, norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships account for only a small percentage of all reported norovirus outbreaks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified 2024 as the worst year for stomach illness outbreaks on cruise ships in over a decade as norovirus cases surged in the US.

According to recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), last year, cruise ships experienced the highest amount of “gastrointestinal outbreaks” in over a decade. According to The Hill,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The majority of these outbreaks were a result of the highly contagious norovirus, the data said, which is spread through direct contact with an infected person,