Norovirus Outbreak! Nearly 100 people fall sick on board Royal Caribbean cruise; ship docks at Miami port

Norovirus Outbreak: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disclosed that nearly 100 people have fallen sick on board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, which was out for a 13-day voyage, reported the news portal NBC Miami, on Thursday, 2 October 2025.

According to the agency report, the cruise ship docked at the Port of Miami on Thursday after the illness was identified. The ‘Serenade of the Seas’ ship departed from San Diego, California, on 19 September 2025, and was reported to the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program on Sunday.

As soon as the Norovirus broke out on the ship, people who fell ill started witnessing predominant symptoms, including diarrhoea and vomiting. CDC data showed that 94 out of 1,874 passengers and 4 out of 883 crew members have “reported being ill during the voyage.”

After the ship docked at the Miami Port, the passengers on board were asked to disembark early so that the crew could begin a full sanitation and sterilisation of the ship. According to the news portal's report, the ship was expected to depart later on Thursday to Panama for a 7-day voyage.

What did the passengers say?

Passengers on board the cruise ship said that they started feeling the symptoms in their stomach, but the effect of the virus lasted for about 36 to 48 hours.

“My symptoms started throughout the day, and I started feeling really funny in my stomach. It only lasted like 36-48 hours,” a passenger named Margie told the news portal. “It was all good because they gave you free room service and they took good care of you.”

For the people who did not fall ill, it was smooth sailing as well due to the ship taking the necessary measures to constantly clean everything. The passengers reportedly highlighted how it was all hands on deck after the outbreak of the virus, with increased sanitary measures imposed.

“Everybody had a bucket, constantly cleaning everything,” a passenger named Bob Ames told the news portal. “Didn't affect us one bit though.”

“They were serving us instead of us going right up and getting food. All the plates, silverware, salt and pepper were restricted,” Leslie Nilsen said, according to the news portal's report. “When I say cleaning, they started on the bottom and worked to the top, and then you would see them coming down again. All over, everywhere.”

According to an interview with a passenger with CBS News, they noticed the start of the virus outbreak a day or two after the ship visited Mexico, when the crew members and staff enhanced the protocols of serving food to prevent the spread of the virus.