A norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship that departed South Florida sickened multiple people this month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The memo posted Friday on the CDC’s website said 81 passengers out of 2,593 and eight crew members out of 1,005 reported symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea aboard Holland America’s Rotterdam cruise ship.
The vessel departed Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 28 on a 12-day voyage that included stops in the Bahamas, Curacao, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Jamaica before docking at Port Everglades on Friday.
“During its previous voyage, a number of guests onboard Rotterdam reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. The cases were mostly mild and quickly resolved,” according to a statement by the cruise line provided to NBC News.
In response to the outbreak, the CDC said Holland America and the crew aboard the ship reported the following actions:
Increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to their outbreak prevention and response planCollected stool specimens from gastrointestinal illness cases for testingIsolated ill passengers and crewConsulted with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program about sanitation cleaning procedures and reporting ill cases
The CDC said they are reviewing the ship’s outbreak response and sanitation procedures.
Click here for tips on how to reduce your chances of getting sick while aboard a cruise ship.
Copyright 2026 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.