A nasty bug has hit another Florida cruise. What to know about norovirus outbreaks
The stomach bug is back on board.
Nearly 90 people on a Holland America Line cruise ship that left Fort Lauderdale Feb. 19 to trek across the Caribbean developed symptoms linked to a contagious virus that sends people to the toilet, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Federal health officials say the stomach-churning outbreak reported Feb. 23 on Holland’s Eurodam ship was caused by norovirus, which surged across the country last year and is behind most diarrhea outbreaks on board cruise ships.
What to know about the Eurodam norovirus outbreak
Holland’s Eurodam ship departed from Port Everglades Feb. 19 on a 11-day Carribbean trip, with stops in the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, and the Antilles, according to the cruise itinerary.
Based on that, the norovirus outbreak was reported to the CDC a day after the ship departed from the DR and was out at sea, heading to Aruba.
This is the third time this year a cruise ship operated by Holland America, considered to be one of the cleanest cruise lines, has reported a norovirus outbreak.
So far, 79 of the 2,057 passengers on board Eurodam, and 9 of 834 crew members have reported feeling ill with norovirus symptoms, according to the CDC. Diarrhea and vomiting are the predominant symptoms. The ship is expected to return to Port Everglades on Saturday, March 1.
“During its current voyage, a number of guests onboard Eurodam reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. The cases were mostly mild and quickly resolved,” a spokesperson for Holland America, which is owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp., told CBS News in a statement. “We initiated enhanced sanitation protocols in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to minimize further transmission, including continuous disinfection of the ship.”
Frequent Miler blogger Nick Reyes, who was on board the ship with his family, wrote in a recent post that the ship’s captain made daily announcements reminding people to wash their hands and that safety protocols were enacted due to cases of gastrointestinal illness.
As part of the protocols, Reyes said staff served the buffet. And board games and sports equipment were made available upon request and disinfected between use. He said he also saw masked crew members with hazmat-like suits entering cabins to clean.
Norovirus spreads easily and often causes vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain, although people usually recover in a few days. And the virus has many names — stomach flu, stomach bug and cruise ship virus, although you can also get sick on land.
The virus was behind nearly all gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships that docked at U.S. ports last year and has already caused four of the eight reported cruise outbreaks so far in 2025.
MORE: Did you get the stomach bug on your cruise? A look at cruise ship outbreaks in 2024
Keep in mind that millions of people go on cruises each year and cruise ship norovirus outbreaks account for only 1% of all reported norovirus outbreaks, the CDC says. In fact, acute gastrointestinal illness is fairly uncommon on cruise ships, the agency says.
So what’s the norovirus situation like now? Here’s what to know:
2025 outbreaks on cruise ships
What is norovirus and how does it spread?
▪ Norovirus is the “leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea and food-borne illness in the United States,” with more than 2,500 norovirus outbreaks reported every year, according to the CDC.
▪ The virus spreads easily and can make anyone ill, with symptoms usually lasting one to three days. It most often spreads in closed and crowded environments, such as hospitals, nursing homes, child care centers, school and cruise ships, according to the Mayo Clinic. While its sometimes known as the “stomach flu,” the virus is not related to the flu, which is caused by influenza.
▪ People can get sick with norovirus year-round, though outbreaks are most common from November to April, according to the CDC. Peak norovirus season usually runs from December to March.
▪ You can get norovirus in a variety of ways, such as by eating or drinking contaminated food and drinks, touching an infected surface and then touching your mouth or having direct contact with someone ill from the virus, according to the CDC.
▪ The federal health agency says that the virus, on average, causes 19 to 21 million illnesses in the U.S. each year. While most people recover, the virus does cause about 900 deaths a year, mostly in adults 65 and older.
Is norovirus related to the flu? Can you get sick only on a ship?
While it’s sometimes known as the “stomach flu,” norovirus is not related to the flu, which is caused by influenza, a respiratory illness that is surging across the country.
Still no one likes being sick. And while its nickname is “cruise ship virus,” it’s important to remember that you can get sick with the stomach bug anywhere, not just in cruises.
One of the best ways to help reduce your chances of falling ill with the virus is to frequently wash your hands.
MORE: ‘Everybody is getting sick.’ Flu is on the rise in Florida — and here’s what doctors say
What is the norovirus situation in Florida and country?
The CDC has several reporting and surveillance systems in place to gauge how much, and what type, of norovirus strains are circulating in the country. And so far, the health agency has seen more norovirus outbreaks reported during the 2024-2025 seasonal year compared to previous seasons.
From Aug. 1-Feb. 5, there were 1,676 suspected and confirmed norovirus outbreaks in the country reported to the federal public health agency by a group of states that are part of a surveillance program. That’s a big jump from the previous season.
Another surveillance system shows that norovirus outbreaks seem to have calmed down in Florida, which in the 2023-2024 season had some of the highest number of confirmed outbreaks in the country.
So Far, Florida has only confirmed two norovirus outbreaks during the time period of Sept. 1-Jan. 31, trailing far behind other states, according to CaliciNet, a surveillance system that relies on data sent to the CDC by public health laboratories across the country. Wisconsin, California, Virginia, and Ohio have all confirmed more than 20 outbreaks.
How do you treat norovirus?
What happens if you get sick? Well, we’ve got good news and bad news.
The bad news is that there’s no specific treatment to treat norovirus though the CDC recommends drinking lots of water or other drinks, like sports drinks, that don’t have caffeine or alcohol, which dehydrate you.
The good news is that most people recover within a few days. And people aren’t hoarding up toilet paper anymore like the ol’ COVID days. Speaking of which, you may want to stock up. You’ll be at the toilet for a bit.
This story was originally published February 28, 2025 at 3:53 PM.
