Passengers sailing on Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess have seen enhanced health and sanitation measures introduced after a gastrointestinal illness outbreak was reported during the ship’s current 20-night Alaska voyage.
The 113,561-gross-ton vessel departed San Francisco on 12th June 2026 for its Ultimate Alaska Solstice cruise, a special itinerary featuring some of Alaska’s most popular destinations.
Just days into the sailing, reports of illness among guests began to emerge, leading the cruise line to implement additional cleaning and disinfection procedures across the ship.
Guests received letters in their staterooms on 15th June advising them of the situation and outlining the steps being taken to reduce the risk of further transmission.
“During this voyage, some guests have reported experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms,” the letter confirmed. “To help limit the spread of illness, we are implementing an enhanced, ship-wide cleaning and disinfection program.”
As part of the response, Princess Cruises scheduled a deep cleaning of all 1,542 staterooms over two days, on 16th and 17th June. Passengers were assigned to one of four groups and asked to remain outside their cabins during designated two-hour cleaning windows while housekeeping teams carried out intensive sanitisation procedures.
Guests were requested to clear surfaces of personal belongings to allow crew members to disinfect high-touch areas thoroughly. The operation covered every guest cabin onboard.
Ship-Wide Measures Introduced
The timing of the cleaning programme coincided with Ruby Princess’ call to Wrangell, Alaska, on 16th June. With many guests ashore between 8 am and 5 pm, crew members were able to complete a significant portion of the work with minimal disruption.
The second day of cleaning took place while the ship cruised through Endicott Arm for scenic glacier viewing. Although passengers remained onboard, many spent time on open deck areas enjoying the views while staterooms underwent sanitisation.
To support the deep-cleaning effort, regular morning cabin service was suspended on both days. Evening turndown service, however, continued as scheduled.
Passengers have also reported a number of other visible changes around the vessel. Buffet operations have been modified, with crew members serving food rather than allowing self-service. Staff are also encouraging and monitoring handwashing before guests enter dining areas.
Additional cleaning has been carried out throughout the ship, particularly on frequently touched surfaces such as elevator buttons, handrails and door handles. Crew members have also been observed wearing gloves as part of the enhanced hygiene measures.
Despite the outbreak response, onboard entertainment and activities have continued without interruption. Shows, trivia contests, dancing, shore excursions and other scheduled events remain available to guests.
Ruby Princess is currently expected to continue its planned itinerary without changes. The voyage includes calls at Juneau, Skagway, Valdez, Seward, Sitka and Icy Strait Point before returning to San Francisco on 2nd July.
Many passengers have praised the crew’s handling of the situation, noting that service standards have remained high despite the additional workload created by the enhanced sanitation programme.
Cases Have Not Yet Reached CDC Reporting Threshold
Princess Cruises has not released official figures regarding the number of passengers or crew affected by the illness.
Ruby Princess can accommodate up to 3,080 guests and carries approximately 1,100 crew members. Under current reporting requirements, cruise ships operating in US waters are not included in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s public outbreak reports until gastrointestinal illness cases reach at least 3% of the total number of passengers and crew onboard.
Based on the ship’s double-occupancy capacity and crew complement, that threshold would equate to approximately 125 combined cases.
While the outbreak has not yet appeared on CDC reporting lists, it remains possible that the threshold could be met as additional cases are recorded throughout the remainder of the voyage.
Norovirus and other gastrointestinal illnesses remain among the most common health issues encountered on cruise ships due to the close-contact nature of shipboard environments. Cruise lines typically respond with enhanced cleaning procedures, isolation protocols for symptomatic guests and stricter food service measures when outbreaks occur.
Princess Cruises has already dealt with two confirmed norovirus outbreaks during 2026. In March, more than 150 cases were reported aboard Star Princess, while another outbreak aboard Caribbean Princess in early May resulted in more than 200 reported cases.
The latest incident aboard Ruby Princess adds to a challenging year for the cruise line as it continues efforts to minimise the spread of gastrointestinal illnesses across its fleet.
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