Princess Cruises Battling Suspected Norovirus Outbreaks On Several Ships

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Just days after Coral Princess experienced a norovirus outbreak, another Princess Cruises ship, Sky Princess, has confirmed a gastrointestinal illness outbreak during its 14-night Caribbean voyage.

Sky Princess cruise ship sailing

On 28th January 2025, the captain addressed guests via the ship’s public address system, informing them of the illness and urging passengers to practise diligent hand hygiene and self-isolate if experiencing symptoms.

Although not yet officially reported to the CDC, guests received written notification from Guest Services, confirming the outbreak and announcing an extensive deep clean that was scheduled for 29th January 2025, during the ship’s scheduled call in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

The deep cleaning operation involved a thorough disinfection of all public areas and removal of all linens from affected staterooms.

A letter sent to all passengers encouraged them to disembark in Ocho Rios to allow cleaning teams to work efficiently.

“We recommend that you disembark the ship and enjoy time ashore during the cleaning operations. If you are unable to leave the ship, please vacate your stateroom when requested and enjoy one of the public areas onboard until staterooms are ready for occupancy again,”

Letter sent to guests

Princess Cruises also warned that some onboard facilities and services would likely be temporarily unavailable due to the additional sanitation procedures.

Remaining itinerary and next steps

Sky Princess, which departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on January 19, 2025, continued its sixth port call in Ocho Rios on January 29 before sailing toward:

  • George Town, Grand Cayman
  • Cozumel, Mexico
  • Port Everglades, Florida

The ship will likely undergo another deep clean in Fort Lauderdale before its next scheduled departure on 2nd February for a 7-night Western Caribbean sailing.

Passengers booked on that cruise should be prepared for a possible delay in embarkation if extended sanitation measures are required.

While the exact cause of the illness has not been confirmed, norovirus is the most common cause of gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships.

The CDC describes norovirus as highly contagious, spreading through contaminated food, water, and surfaces, with symptoms including:

  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhoea
  • Nausea
  • Stomach pain
  • Fever and body aches

Though most passengers recover within 1-3 days, they can continue to spread the virus for up to two weeks, making deep cleaning measures crucial.

Princess Cruises’ swift response aligns with CDC guidelines, which require heightened sanitation protocols when an outbreak affects 3% or more of passengers or crew members.

Sky Princess’ outbreak marks the seventh confirmed case of gastrointestinal illness aboard a cruise ship in January 2025, all of them homeported in the US. This is a significant increase from the average of two to three outbreaks in recent years.

Earlier this week, Coral Princess conducted a ship-wide deep clean while in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, after 59 passengers and 12 crew members fell ill. That case was reported to the CDC.

The Sky Princess case has yet to be reported, which could indicate that the outbreak was identified early and proactive sanitation measures are already being enforced.

With more ships reporting outbreaks this month than in previous years, cruise lines are likely to increase sanitation protocols and onboard safety measures to prevent further spread and reassure travellers.

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