125 fall ill in norovirus outbreak on Ruby Princess, third Princess Cruises outbreak this year

A norovirus outbreak aboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship sickened 102 passengers and 23 crew members during a 20-day voyage from San Francisco to Alaska and Canada. The ship returned to port on Thursday, July 2, and underwent disinfection before departing on its next cruise the same afternoon.

Outbreak details

The Ruby Princess departed on June 12 with 3,032 passengers and 1,144 crew. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received a report of the outbreak on Saturday, June 27, after the number of ill passengers crossed the agency's 3% threshold for public notification. Symptoms included diarrhea and vomiting, consistent with norovirus. Most infected individuals began showing symptoms within 12 to 48 hours of exposure, health officials said. CDC officials noted that not all infected individuals showed symptoms at the same time, nor upon the ship's arrival or departure.

“A limited number of guests reported mild gastrointestinal illness.”

Ship's response

Princess Cruises said the crew acted quickly to isolate sick passengers and crew and implement enhanced sanitation protocols. The company stated that cases decreased and remained low after the measures were introduced. Upon docking in San Francisco, the vessel underwent comprehensive cleaning and disinfection before embarking on its next scheduled cruise later that day.

“Our crew responded promptly by implementing enhanced sanitation protocols across the ship, and cases have since decreased and remain low.”

Broader cruise ship outbreaks

This is the third norovirus outbreak on a Princess Cruises ship in 2026. Earlier this year, a hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship and a norovirus outbreak on a British vessel each forced hundreds of passengers into quarantine. Across all cruise lines, the CDC has issued public notices for seven gastrointestinal illness outbreaks this year, five caused by norovirus and two by E. coli. Norovirus spreads easily in close-contact environments like cruise ships, where shared dining areas and frequently touched surfaces can accelerate transmission. The illness is highly contagious and can spread through contaminated food, water, or surfaces. Symptoms, including sudden vomiting and abdominal pain, typically last up to three days. The CDC recommends handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, noting that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are less effective against the virus.

Voyage timeline

Outbreak causes in 2026

Norovirus5

E. coli2

Norovirus

5

E. coli

2

Data from the article text