Cruise ship Ambition, operated by the Ambassador Cruise Line, is docked at the Port of Bordeaux after local authorities said passengers could not disembark following an outbreak of possible gastroenteritis reported on board, in Bordeaux, France, May 13, 2026. REUTERS\/Stephane Mahe<\/p>\n
Stomach Bugs, Not Hantavirus, Are A Bigger Threat On Cruises<\/p>\n
By\u00a0Annika Inampudi and Ignacio Gonzalez<\/p>\n
May 17, 2026 (Bloomberg) \u2013Stomach bugs on cruise ships recently hit a nearly two-decade high as more people than ever board the vessels, underscoring how easily viruses spread on contained voyages.<\/p>\n
While cruises are in a global spotlight after a rare<\/p>\n
killed three people on an ocean liner since April, mild gastrointestinal illnesses are far more common on ships. They have risen for the last four years to the highest since 2007, according to data from the<\/p>\n
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s<\/p>\n
Vessel Sanitation Program. The data tracks ships with 13 or more passengers with foreign itineraries that dock at one or more US ports.<\/p>\n
The Vessel Sanitation Program tracks the number of gastrointestinal<\/p>\n
that cruise ships report every year, defined as situations when more than 3% of people on board have some kind of stomach illness.<\/p>\n
A new variant of the stealthy norovirus in<\/p>\n
led to a sharp increase in outbreaks on ships. They subsequently declined but the number of such outbreaks has risen since the pandemic period and last year reached 23, the highest number since 2007, according to CDC data.<\/p>\n
A new strain was associated with outbreaks on land last year, according to a CDC spokesperson. January through mid-May 2025 saw the number of stomach flu outbreaks reach 17 on cruise ships, but that number has fallen to four in that same period this year, the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Passengers and crew from the MV Hondius are<\/p>\n
throughout the world after the deadly outbreak of the Andes strain of\u00a0hantavirus\u00a0spread on the ship last month. The ship did not dock at a US port but has caught the attention of Americans as well as travelers globally. The incident brought back memories of the cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan in\u00a02020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
Most cruises halted voyages during the height of the<\/p>\n
pandemic, but since then the industry has been booming. Global cruise passenger volume reached a record 37 million in 2025, with demand expected to persist into 2026, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.<\/p>\n
Health concerns in the past haven\u2019t dented demand, and this year advance bookings at Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. are holding up, said Jaime Katz, an analyst at Morningstar Inc.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an initial hesitation on booking until consumers are able to distill the magnitude of the impact of that outbreak,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Carnival and Royal Caribbean did not respond to requests for comment. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. referred questions to the Cruise Lines International Association.<\/p>\n
operate under strict mandatory reporting that makes outbreaks more visible and illness rates on-board remain below hospitality settings on land, the association said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re going on a cruise, you need to recognize the risk is higher,\u201d said Abraar Karan, an instructor in the division of infectious diseases at Stanford University. Dense socializing spaces, as well as shared food and water systems, can accelerate the spread of diseases, while limited medical equipment and staffing make curbing infections harder, he said.<\/p>\n
The average cruise-goer also is older and may be more likely to<\/p>\n
, said Karan, who recommends wearing a mask on ships where respiratory illness is found and washing your hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cCruises are a lot of fun,\u201d he said. \u201cBut that\u2019s just part of the trade-off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a02026\u00a0Bloomberg L.P.<\/p>\n