cruise ship norovirus galveston

Galveston cruise ship outbreak: More than 300 people reported sickness

Hundreds sickened aboard galveston cruise ship.

The CDC is investigating after more than 300 people on board a Galveston cruise ship are now sick and battling an illness called ‘Norovirus.’ FOX 26’s Natalie Hee reports more on this incident.

HOUSTON - The CDC says more than 300 people who were on board a Ruby Princess cruise ship that sailed from Galveston are now sick. 

The cruise departed on Feb. 26 from the Port of Galveston and returned on March 5.

The CDC says people who reported sickness were mostly experiencing vomiting and diarrhea. Princess Cruises said the illness outbreak is likely Norovirus.

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According to CDC data , 12.7% of passengers and crew on board were reportedly sick on the cruise ship.

Kim Holt and her family were among the 4,000 people on board that ship. Holt said she and her sister were celebrating their mom's 76th birthday with a quick getaway to Cozumel, Belize, and Roatan.

Upon their return to Galveston, Holt and her mother began experiencing symptoms.

"Right now, I have a stomach cramp in my stomach. I feel nauseous and shaky."

Holt said the ship's captain announced the illness towards the end of the voyage and would provide daily updates of people who reported exposure. 

"When they first announced it, they said they had like 20 people and then like the next day, it was like 30, and then 100, and so it spread pretty quick," Holt said. 

Dr. Peter Hotez with Baylor College of Medicine said Norovirus is not as common on cruise ships as some might assume. He recommends anyone infected get plenty of rest and stay hydrated. 

"People often think, oh my God, this happens all the time. It's actually a pretty uncommon event, just that every time it does happen, they're pretty dramatic.

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"This is a highly contagious virus that can contaminate food or water. It also contaminates oysters naturally. Typically, on a cruise ship, especially if it's kind of a buffet style eating where, if Norovirus gets into one of the food items, anybody consuming that food item at the buffet obviously is a risk. And not only that, but ships are also at close quarters," Hotez said.

The CDC data states:

• Number of passengers who reported being ill during the voyage out of the total number of passengers onboard: 284 of 2881 (9.9%)
• Number of crew who reported being ill during the voyage out of the total number of crew onboard: 34 of 1159 (2.9%)

The CDC said investigators have collected stool samples of infected people for additional lab testing.

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A spokesperson for Princess Cruises released the following statement in response to the outbreak: 

"Onboard the Feb. 26 sailing of Ruby Princess, there was a number of cases of mild gastrointestinal illness among passengers, the cause likely is the common but contagious virus called Norovirus.  

At the first sign of an increase in the numbers of passengers reporting to the medical center with gastrointestinal illness, we immediately initiated additional enhanced sanitization procedures to interrupt the person-to-person spread of this virus. Our sanitation program has been developed in coordination with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and includes such measures as thorough disinfection of high-touch surfaces like railings, door handles and elevator buttons; encouraging passengers to use correct hand washing procedures and enhancing this with the use of hand sanitizing stations placed throughout the ship; isolating ill passengers in cabins until non-contagious; encouraging passengers to use their own cabin’s bathroom facilities; and providing regular verbal and written communication to passengers about steps they can take to stay well while onboard.  

As an additional precaution, the ship underwent an additional disinfection on March 5 in Galveston ahead of its next departure. The ship is now on a seven-day western Caribbean cruise, returning to Galveston on March 12."

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More than 300 passengers became sick after possibly contracting norovirus on galveston-based cruise ship.

GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas – More than 300 passengers who set sail aboard the Ruby Princess late last month became sick after possibly contracting Norovirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The dates for the voyage were from Feb. 26 - March 5.

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A CDC reports says that 284 of the 2,881 passengers and 34 of the 1,159 crewmembers onboard the Princess Cruises vessel reported experiencing a number of symptoms, primarily diarrhea and vomiting.

Princess Cruises representatives released the following statement:

”Onboard the Feb. 26 sailing of Ruby Princess, there was a number of cases of mild gastrointestinal illness among passengers, the cause likely is the common but contagious virus called Norovirus. At the first sign of an increase in the number of passengers reporting to the medical center with gastrointestinal illness, we immediately initiated additional enhanced sanitization procedures to interrupt the person-to-person spread of this virus. Our sanitation program has been developed in coordination with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and includes such measures as thorough disinfection of high-touch surfaces like railings, door handles and elevator buttons; encouraging passengers to use correct hand washing procedures and enhancing this with the use of hand sanitizing stations placed throughout the ship; isolating ill passengers in cabins until non-contagious; encouraging passengers to use their own cabin’s bathroom facilities; and providing regular verbal and written communication to passengers about steps they can take to stay well while onboard.”As an additional precaution, the ship underwent additional disinfection on March 5 in Galveston ahead of its next departure. The ship is now on a seven-day western Caribbean cruise, returning to Galveston on March 12.”

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Cdc investigating outbreak on galveston-based cruise ship after 300-plus become ill.

Nearly 10 percent of the passengers aboard Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess between Feb. 26 and March 5 reported symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea. Princess Cruises said the “likely” cause of the gastrointestinal illnesses was norovirus.

More than 300 people reported becoming ill on a Galveston-based cruise ship last week, prompting an ongoing investigation into the outbreak by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Vomiting and diarrhea were the most prominent symptoms among those who fell ill while on board Princess Cruises' Ruby Princess, which left Galveston on Feb. 26 and returned Sunday, March 5, according to the CDC. As of Wednesday, the illness had not been identified by the CDC, which said 284 of the ship's 2,881 passengers and 34 of its 1,159 crew members reported being ill during the voyage.

Briana Latter, a spokesperson for Princess Cruises, wrote in an emailed statement that there were cases of "mild gastrointestinal illness" among those on board the ship. She did not answer a question seeking to determine whether any passengers or crew members were hospitalized after disembarking – a detail that also was not addressed in an online report released by the CDC .

"The cause likely is the common but contagious virus called norovirus," Latter added.

According to the CDC website, norovirus causes vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain and can be spread quickly and easily through person-to-person contact, consuming contaminated food or water and by touching contaminated surfaces and then putting unwashed hands in your mouth. Norovirus outbreaks occur most often between November and April, according to the CDC, which recommends that infected people stay home while they are sick and for two days after their symptoms resolve.

The Ruby Princess was disinfected before another set of passengers and crew members embarked on another cruise shortly after the infected group arrived in Galveston, with the current seven-day trip to the western Caribbean and back set to conclude this Sunday, according to Latter.

The CDC noted that the number of gastrointestinal illnesses reported on the Feb. 26-March 5 cruise reflect the total for the entire trip and did not represent the number of active, symptomatic cases when the ship returned to Galveston. Epidemiologists and environmental health officers from the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program, which tracks viral outbreaks on cruise ships, conducted a field response in Galveston upon the ship's return.

While the Ruby Princess remained at sea, the CDC said Princess Cruises increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, notified all guests about the outbreak and collected stool samples from those who were infected so the samples could be sent to a CDC lab for testing.

Latter said Princess Cruises' sanitization program, developed in coordination with the CDC, includes disinfecting high-touch surfaces like railings, door handles and elevator buttons; encouraging passengers to use their in-cabin restrooms along with washing their hands and using hand sanitizer; and isolating ill passengers in their cabins until they no longer are contagious.

"At the first sign of an increase in the numbers of passengers reporting to the medical center with gastrointestinal illness, we immediately initiated additional enhanced sanitization procedures to interrupt the person-to-person spread of this virus," Latter said.

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Watch CBS News

More than 300 sickened on Ruby Princess cruise ship, CDC says

By Aliza Chasan

March 8, 2023 / 12:32 PM EST / CBS News

Hundreds of passengers and crew members fell ill while on board a Princess Cruises ship, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. 

In total, 284 of 2,881 passengers on the Ruby Princess reported being sick during the voyage between Feb. 26 and March 5, CDC investigators said , and 34 of the 1,159 crew members also reported illness. The symptoms reported were vomiting and diarrhea.

The CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program epidemiologists and environmental health officers responded to the ship when it docked in Galveston, Texas on March 5, the agency said. They have not yet determined what caused the illnesses. 

Crew on the ship cleaned more frequently and used disinfection procedures once the outbreak began, the CDC said. They also collected stool samples for CDC analysis. 

Workers also directed sick passengers to isolate themselves in their rooms, a Princess Cruises spokesperson said. The company said the sickness was likely caused by norovirus, a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Norovirus, which is sometimes called the "cruise ship virus," causes more than 90% of diarrheal disease outbreaks on cruise ships , according to the CDC.

The Ruby Princess has since embarked on a new voyage, the company said. The latest group of passengers, currently on a seven-day Caribbean cruise, were told about the increased illnesses on the previous trip.

The Ruby Princess has made headlines in the past as the site of several COVID-19 outbreaks , including a 2020 cruise early in the coronavirus pandemic that docked in Australia with hundreds of positive cases on board.

In recent years, the CDC monitored COVID-19 outbreaks on cruise ships. The program tracking cases ended in July of 2022. 

Aliza Chasan is a digital producer at 60 Minutes and CBSNews.com. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo. Aliza covers trending news, often focusing on crime and politics.

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300 passengers and crew fall ill on Ruby Princess cruise from Texas

Princess cruises said the cause is probably norovirus.

More than 300 passengers and crew on the Ruby Princess contracted a gastrointestinal illness causing vomiting and diarrhea, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week.

The Princess Cruises voyage carrying about 4,000 people ran from Feb. 26 to Sunday in the western Caribbean and docked in Galveston, Tex.

Although the CDC has not listed a specific virus, Princess Cruises said in a statement that the cause was probably norovirus.

About 10 percent of the passengers and 3 percent of the crew onboard were sick, according to the CDC.

“At the first sign of an increase in the numbers of passengers reporting to the medical center with gastrointestinal illness, we immediately initiated additional enhanced sanitization procedures to interrupt the person-to-person spread of this virus,” Princess Cruises said in a statement.

The company said the ship underwent an additional disinfection ahead of its next voyage.

The Ruby Princess incident is one of six outbreaks of a gastrointestinal illness on a cruise this year. The first was norovirus on a months-long voyage from P&O Cruises (owned by Carnival) that is sailing until April. The CDC said 86 passengers and 20 crew fell ill aboard the Arcadia . Two Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruises also had outbreaks this year.

One side effect of cruise covid rules: Norovirus has plummeted

Outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness had been lower than in pre-pandemic years, thanks to the enhanced cleaning and safety protocols cruises were taking to prevent the spread of the coronavirus . In 2022, there were four reported outbreaks. There was one in 2021, although cruises did not begin a full return to sailing until June.

Passengers traveling in close quarters on cruises are vulnerable to the spread of viruses. Several ships were hit by coronavirus outbreaks that marked the early days of the pandemic and led to an industry-wide pause. In 2020, a Ruby Princess voyage from Sydney had the deadliest known coronavirus outbreak on any cruise ship, with 28 deaths and about 700 infections, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

‘People just didn’t care’: How the Ruby Princess cruise ship became a deathtrap

In 2019, the last full year of cruising before the pandemic, the CDC reported 10 cases of gastro illnesses; eight were norovirus, and two were unknown. Cruise lines reported a total of 32 outbreaks between 2017 and 2019, though cases dropped overall since 2006.

“Norovirus can be especially challenging to control on cruise ships because of the close living quarters, shared dining areas, and rapid turnover of passengers,” the CDC says on its website . “When the ship docks, norovirus can be brought on board in contaminated food or water or by passengers who were infected while ashore.”

The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program has worked with the industry to monitor gastrointestinal illness since 1975, after “an excessive number” of outbreaks.

Hannah Sampson contributed to this report.

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Passengers beware: It’s not all buffets and dance contests. Crime data reported by cruise lines show that the number of sex crimes has increased compared to previous years. And though man-overboard cases are rare, they are usually deadly .

The more you know: If you’re cruise-curious, here are six tips from a newcomer. Remember that in most cases, extra fees and add-ons will increase the seemingly cheap price of a sailing. And if you happen to get sick , know what to expect on board.

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300+ Norovirus cases on Ruby Princess cruise ship

Hundreds of passengers and crew on Ruby Princess ship fell ill due to a yet-to-be-determined cause, the CDC said.

Illness reportedly affected a total of 284 of the 2881 passengers onboard the cruise, which took place between February 26th-March 5th.

When Ruby Princess returned to homeport Galveston TX , CDC epidemiologists/environmental health officers from the agency's Vessel Sanitation Program boarded the ship to collect stool samples from the sickened passengers and crew.

The CDC has not yet definitively determined what caused the illness outbreak. Princess Cruises believes that the likeliest cause was a Norovirus . According to the CDC, noroviruses are the cause of 90% of diarrheal disease outbreaks on cruise ships and are often referred to as the “cruise ship virus.”

Ruby Princess's Norovirus outbreak comes after several major COVID outbreaks on cruise ships during the first days of the pandemic, including an outbreak on Ruby Princess that forced the boat to dock in Australia back in March 2020. A number of the tourists sickened on that voyage died.

Ruby Princess has already embarked on the next 7-day Caribbean voyage leaving roundtrip from Galveston Texas. Passengers were informed of the illness outbreak on the previous voyage.

For more Ruby Princess incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page .

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Cruise ships are seeing the highest number of norovirus outbreaks in a decade

Several outbreaks of this highly contagious sickness make for not-so-smooth sailing among cruise ships.

By Britney Heimuli

Thirteen cruise ships have reported a norovirus outbreak this year, causing a peak in cases that hasn’t been seen since 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

We still have about half a calendar year left to go.

“Acute gastrointestinal illness is relatively infrequent on cruise ships,” the CDC said, but reasons for rapid spreading may be due to close living quarters or poor hygiene practices.

Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University, told CNN , “This is an extraordinarily contagious virus,” and, “It takes but a few normal viral particles to initiate an infection in someone who’s exposed. In other words, this doesn’t take a large dose; it takes only a little bit.”

Fox News said among the 13 outbreaks, almost 1,700 passengers and more than 240 crew members reported being sick during their voyages.

Using a system called the Vessel Sanitation Program, the CDC can log and track gastrointestinal illnesses and symptoms found in the passengers and crew.

Ships are required to “have more than 100 passengers and sailings between three and 21 days long for an outbreak to be reported,” per Fox News.

What is norovirus?

Norovirus is a highly contagious sickness that causes diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain and vomiting, per the Mayo Clinic.

The CDC said, “You can get norovirus by accidentally getting tiny particles of feces (poop) or vomit in your mouth from a person infected with norovirus.” Once infected, the disease is easily spread through norovirus particles that come off infected individuals.

The latest outbreak was aboard a Viking Cruise voyage, when “about 13% of passengers and several crew members fell ill on board,” CNN reported.

A Viking representative told CNN, “We believe the gastrointestinal illness originated from a shoreside restaurant in Iceland where a group of guests dined during their free time.”

Treatments for norovirus

The CDC said replacing lost fluids by regularly rehydrating is a way to treat yourself while infected with the disease.

Using over-the-counter solutions like anti-nausea or anti-diarrheal medication can also ease symptoms, People reported.

“If you experience severe vomiting, bloody stools, stomach pain or dehydration,” then seek help from a doctor, per the Mayo Clinic.

To prevent the spread of norovirus disease on cruise ships, the CDC advises you to:

• Report your illness to the ship’s medical facility as soon as possible.
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Get rest and drink plenty of water to support your immune system.
• Leave the area if you see someone get sick and tell a cruise staff member.

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Norovirus Cases Are Rising on Cruises. Here’s How You Can Stay Safe

Keep hands clean as stomach bug cases rise.

Larry Bleiberg,

Just as travel has begun to bounce back after the pandemic, cruise ship passengers are facing another threat to their vacation: norovirus .

Thirteen ships so far this year have reported outbreaks of the highly contagious stomach bug, the most since 2012, according to the  U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . Nearly 1,700 passengers have come down with the virus, which causes vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and stomach pain. Not only does it take the joy out of vacation, keeping passengers confined to their stateroom, but for older travelers, there’s a concern of dehydration, doctors say.

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The  bug thrives in crowded conditions  and is spread through food and by touching contaminated surfaces. The easiest way to avoid the ailment is to wash your hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, before eating and after touching surfaces touched by others.

Samuel Mathis, M.D., an assistant professor in the University of Texas Medical Branch Department of Family Medicine, says the resilient virus can live for days and there are plenty of places for it to linger on cruise ships: “Door handles, stairway banisters, tongs for food at the buffet, things that a lot of people touch that aren’t cleaned between each use.”

And washing your own hands isn’t enough. Mathis says older passengers and others traveling with family face a risk from others in their party. For example, if grandchildren aren’t careful hand-washers, they can easily infect their grandparents and others.

Mathis, who works in Galveston, Texas, a cruise port, has seen passengers with norovirus. He says that while the virus itself is uncomfortable, it isn’t typically dangerous. “The biggest risk for almost everyone — but especially for seniors — is actually the risk of dehydration: losing all that fluid through nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.”

Symptoms of dehydration  include extreme thirst, lack of urination and dizziness when standing, Mathis says.

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If passengers come down with a stomach bug, they should contact the ship’s medical clinic, which will monitor for dehydration. In addition, they should stay in their cabin away from people until they are symptom-free for at least 24 hours, Mathis says. “That can be really rough because you’re missing your cruise.”

The most recent norovirus outbreak was reported on the  Viking Neptune  cruise ship. During its June 6 to June 20 voyage, 110 of the ship’s 838 passengers, or 13.1 percent, were infected. In addition, nine of the 455 crew members were infected.

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“We believe the gastrointestinal illness originated from a shoreside restaurant in Iceland where a group of guests dined during their free time,” the cruise line said in a statement. After docking in New York, the ship was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, and continued its scheduled sailings.

The CDC regularly inspects cruise ships and monitors the number of outbreaks. This year, norovirus also has been reported on cruises operated by Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, Holland America and P&O Cruises. The worst year for norovirus was 2006, when 32 ships reported infections, according to the CDC.

Cruise experts say several factors may be contributing to the rise in cases. For one, cruising has soared this year, with the number of passengers expected to surpass the total that sailed in 2019, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.

Letting down their guard

Ashley Kosciolek, senior cruise writer at The Points Guy, a consumer travel website, says that after years of COVID-related precautions, passengers may have let their guard down. 

“People are just so happy to be back, but they’ve gotten a little lax with hygiene. I personally have seen lots of people using the women’s room and not washing their hands. I don’t know if it’s subconscious rebellion or if they don’t realize what could happen.”

Kosciolek says she has made it a practice to wash her hands before going to the buffet, and then washing them again before she eats, since buffet implements aren’t sanitized after each passenger touches them.

Mathis says it might even make sense for passengers to avoid the buffet and dine only at their ship’s sit-down restaurants.

That said, the chances of catching the bug on a cruise ship aren’t particularly high. According to the  Cruise Lines Industry Association , the risk each year of getting laboratory-confirmed norovirus during a ship outbreak is about 1 in 5,500. The most common settings for norovirus aren’t even at sea. Over half of all cases originate in long-term health care facilities, according to the CDC, while less than 1 percent of all norovirus cases come from cruise ships.

Kosciolek notes that while cruise ships are required to report outbreaks, many land-based cases go unreported. “It is easy for someone who has never cruised to see these news reports and say, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m never going to cruise because I’m going to get sick.’ ”

Likewise, Mathis says vacationers shouldn’t let the fear of norovirus keep them from taking a vacation.

“I do not suggest that people don’t go on cruises. When proper safety precautions are taken, cruises are fantastic opportunities for individuals to relax, to spend time with friends or family and meet new people. It really just comes down to recognizing there are risks.”

Virginia native Larry Bleiberg is president of the Society of American Travel Writers, a frequent contributor to  BBC Travel  and the creator of  CivilRightsTravel.com .​​

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Outbreak Updates for International Cruise Ships

The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) requires cruise ships to log and report the number of passengers and crew who say they have symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. Learn more about illnesses and outbreaks reported to VSP and find information about outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships.

Medical staff on cruise ships under U.S. jurisdiction must send gastrointestinal illness case reports to VSP at specific times:

• Before arriving to a U.S. port from a foreign port. This report is required even when there are no cases of gastrointestinal illness. Cruise ship staff send this report between 24 and 36 hours before the ship arrives at a U.S. port.
• When 2% or more of the passengers or crew have gastrointestinal illness. Cruise ship staff send this report any time the ship is in the United States or within 15 days of arriving at a U.S. port.
• If 3% or more of the passengers or crew have gastrointestinal illness.

VSP posts cruise ship outbreaks when they meet all of the following criteria:

• Are on ships under VSP jurisdiction (see about VSP ).
• Are on ships carrying 100 or more passengers.
• Are on voyages from 3-21 days long.
• Are on voyages where 3% or more of passengers or crew report symptoms of gastrointestinal illness to the ship’s medical staff.

VSP may also post information on gastrointestinal illness outbreaks of public health significance that do not necessarily meet the above criteria.

Important Notes

Data on this page are from ship surveillance reports and from CDC-led investigations.

• The gastrointestinal illness cases reported are totals for the entire voyage.
• These cases do not represent the number of active (symptomatic) cases of gastrointestinal illness at any given port of call or at disembarkation.
• CDC has not verified all the case numbers represented in the following updates.

Learn how passengers can protect themselves with these  tips for healthy cruising .

Find  more information  about gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on land and at sea.

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*There were an unknown but significant number of passenger cases who reported their illness by phone to the medical facility onboard but were not seen in a timely manner and disembarked the ship

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Cruise ship barred from docking in Mauritius amid outbreak of stomach illness

Officials in the island nation of Mauritius blocked a Norwegian Cruise Line ship from docking there Sunday after more than a dozen passengers were stricken with a stomach illness.

Around 15 passengers aboard the Norwegian Dawn remain in isolation because of an undisclosed "health risk" and are undergoing testing, according to the Mauritius Ports Authority .

"The decision not to allow the cruise ship access to the quay was taken in order to avoid any health risks," the authority said in a statement.

The sick guests “experienced mild symptoms of a stomach-related illness,” Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement Sunday. The cause of the outbreak has not been released.

“Due to additional testing being required by local authorities before being allowed entry, the government of Mauritius has delayed disembarkation for the current cruise and embarkation for the next cruise by two days,” the Norwegian statement said.

It’s expected that the ship will be allowed to dock Tuesday, the cruise line said, after results of tests conducted Sunday become available.

The Norwegian Dawn has more than 2,100 passengers and 1,000 crew on board. About 2,000 of those travelers were set to complete their journey on Sunday by disembarking in Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean just east of Madagascar, the Ports Authority said. Then more than 2,200 new passengers were scheduled to board.

The authority said that the passengers who were due to start their cruise Sunday would not be able to do so that day and that they would have to be relocated to available hotels.

Norwegian Cruise Line said the ship's "management team met with local authorities to confirm precautions and actions were being taken to ensure the wellbeing of all on board."

Gastrointestinal illnesses are often identified on cruise ships for a few reasons , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The ships' close living quarters make it easier for viruses to spread, and the regular addition of new passengers creates opportunities to introduce illness. However, because public health officials track illness cases on cruise ships, such outbreaks may also be reported more often than ones on land.

Last month, an outbreak of norovirus — a common stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhea — sickened 92 passengers and eight crew members on a Celebrity Cruises ship.

David K. Li is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.

Nearly 30 Silversea cruise passengers get sick in gastrointestinal illness outbreak

More than two dozen Silversea Cruises passengers got sick in a gastrointestinal illness outbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 28 of Silver Nova’s 633 guests reported being ill during a voyage that began on March 31, along with one of the vessel’s crew members. Their main symptom was diarrhea.

The health agency listed the causative agent as unknown.

Silversea notified guests and crew of the outbreak via announcements and encouraged them to report cases and practice “good hand hygiene,” the CDC said. The line also isolated those who were sick and implemented heightened cleaning and disinfection measures.

"The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority," Silversea told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. "To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public health guidelines." The cruise began in Peru and is set to end in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Tuesday, according to CruiseMapper .

The news comes after about 100 Holland America Line passengers got sick in a norovirus outbreak earlier this year.

Cruise ship medical facilities: What happens if you get sick or injured (or bitten by a monkey)

The CDC logged 14 cruise ship outbreaks that met its threshold for public notification in 2023, more than any year between 2017 and 2019. Norovirus was listed as the causative agent in all but one.

The virus is often associated with cruises, but Ben Lopman, a professor of epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, told USA TODAY last year that cruises constitute a "tiny minority of norovirus outbreaks.” Most happen in health care settings like nursing homes.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].

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Nearly 30 silverseas cruise passengers fall ill with diarrhea at sea.

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This vacation stinks.

Nearly 30 people aboard a luxury cruise liner known for its phenomenal cuisine have fallen ill thanks to a gastrointestinal outbreak that swept through the ship.

At least 28 of the Silver Nova ship’s 633 guests and one of its crew members reported feeling sick during their 16-day voyage from Peru, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  said Monday.

The group all reported one main symptom: diarrhea.

The cause of the outbreak — which has impacted roughly 5% of the ship’s passenger population — is still unknown, but the CDC notes that norovirus outbreaks are primarily caused by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water.

The Silver Nova is Silversea Cruises’ newest liner and among its most luxurious.

Introduced in 2023, the Silver Nova boasts butler service for every suite, one crew member for every 1.3 guests and “outstanding gastronomy” — it even welcomed “Top Chef’s” Nina Compton to its ranks at the end of last year.

The ship includes multiple kitchens, grills and even an interactive space where guests can cook with Compton.

To quell the spread of the stomach bug, Silversea Cruises reportedly quarantined its impacted passengers and crew member and “increased cleaning and disinfection procedures,” the CDC said.

“The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority,” a spokesperson for Silversea Cruises told The Post in a statement.

“To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public health guidelines.”

The outbreak was reported one day before the “Easter” themed cruise was scheduled to end.

The 11-deck cruise ship started its journey in Callao-Lima, Peru, on March 31 and is set to end on April 16.

Prices for the 16-day excursion started at $11,700 for a double occupancy room, according to CruiseMapper.

The Silversea Cruises outbreak marks the fourth this year — including one that saw 104 become infected aboard a Holland America Line ship and more than 130 people on Cunard Cruise Line’s Queen Victoria struck down by a bout of diarrhea and vomiting in February .

Norovirus was the cause of the three preceding outbreaks.

In 2023, the CDC logged a jaw-dropping 14 cruise ship outbreaks.

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Port of Galveston Wins Award for $53 Million Cruise Terminal Project

• April 16, 2024

The Houston Business Journal (HBJ) honored the Galveston Wharves with the 2024 Landmark Award for its $53 million Cruise Terminal 25 renovation and expansion project.

The port won in the publication’s Special Projects category which recognizes the best real estate projects in the greater Houston region, the port said in a statement. The annual ceremony was held in Houston on April 11, with over 500 attendees.

The project, completed in 2023, included berth and mooring updates, the addition of a second boarding bridge, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility that meets new federal standards and an interior redesign.

  Terminal project partners included tenant Carnival Cruise Line, general contractor Hensel Phelps, architect Bermello Ajamil & Partners and Texas Gulf Construction Co.

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I worked on cruises for 3 years. Here are 6 things I'd never do on board.

• I used to work on cruises. After many days at sea, there are things I'd never do on a cruise .
• I never wear my room key around my neck and try to avoid misnaming the ship.
• I never buy the drink package or pay for meal upgrades in the main dining room.

I've sailed around the world as a cruise-ship employee , and now I enjoy cruising as a passenger.

I love the salty sea air, waking up in a new country, and lazy days by the pool, but a week at sea could get more complicated this year with cruises predicted to be in high demand .

While fighting a little harder to secure a prime seat on the pool deck, you may as well also avoid some rookie mistakes.

Here are six things I'd never do on a cruise after working on them for three years.

Pay for upgrades in the main dining room

Typically, main dining room meals are included in the cost of a cruise. But in recent years, it's become common for cruise lines to charge guests extra if they want to upgrade to "supplementary" items like lobster or certain steaks.

I know $12 may not seem like much for a steak or lobster tail at dinner, but the cost of the cruise is supposed to include your food.

So, even though I enjoy lobster, I stick with the items without the upcharges.

Buy the drink package

I enjoy a piña colada by the pool or a Manhattan while listening to a jazz set after dinner. Even so, it doesn't make sense for me to pay in advance for 12 to 15 cocktails a day.

I've done the math on typical unlimited drink packages , and the cost simply isn't worth it for me.

This is especially true with a port-heavy itinerary. If I've gone ashore to explore all day, that means I'm not sidled up to the bar slurping down alcoholic slushies.

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I prefer to buy as I go and take advantage of happy hour and other drink specials that are available on certain cruise lines. I also check the beverage policy in advance and bring on my own wine, if allowed.

Touch shared contact surfaces with my fingers

Fellow guests will never see me touching the elevator buttons with my fingertips. Knuckles and elbows do the trick.

Some cruise lines are better than others at wiping down commonly touched surfaces, but I don't take any chances. I avoid touching things others frequently touch, and I wash my hands frequently.

This strategy has worked for me, as I have never contracted norovirus, even when it was running rampant on a ship I was on. It's quite contagious and can linger on your fingertips even after using hand sanitizer . I'd definitely rather be safe than sorry.

Wear my room key around my neck

I never walk around the ship with my room key around my neck, and I especially never do this when on land.

There are two reasons for this. First, I see many passengers using the room keys dangling from their necks to flaunt their cruise loyalty status . It just looks pretentious.

The sophisticated cruisers with the highest status, with the most days at sea, never show off their fancy room keys.

That's because they know the more important reason — safety. In port, that room key bouncing off your chest looks like an invitation to be robbed. It screams, "I have money! Come and take it from me."

Misname the ship

English is a funny language that has its quirks. Naming conventions make that even more complicated.

Ships have proper names, and so do not require a definite article. For example, "Tomorrow I am embarking on Discovery Princess," or "I enjoyed scenic cruising on MS Westerdam."

If you want to look like a savvy sailor, learn to drop the "the!"

Plan my port-day itinerary so tight that I may not make it back to the ship on time

Oh, the recurring nightmares I've had about not making it back to the ship on time during a port day.

I've never missed a sail away, but I have cut it too close at times and have had to run down a pier or two. Just recently, as a passenger, my taxi driver got lost returning our group to the port at night.

When I realized how late we were going to be, I forked over $8 per minute to be connected with the ship. I pleaded with them to wait for us. It was a sprint through the port to get back on and we received quite a scolding from the first officer.

That time, we got lucky. In the future, I'll be giving myself more time than I think I need to make it back.

Watch: Why it costs $1 million a day to run one of the world's biggest cruise ships

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