Dozens of travelers get sick on cruise ship from Fort Lauderdale

Nearly 90 people on a Holland America cruise ship that departed from Fort Lauderdale suffered from gastrointestinal illnesses due to a norvovirus outbreak, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Rotterdam left Port Everglades on Dec. 28 and returned on Friday. Dozens of people, including passengers and crew members, were reported to be sick.

A total of 81 passengers and 8 crew members were reported to be sick.

In response to the norovirus outbreak, Holland America Cruise Line and the crew on board the ship increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to the outbreak prevention and response plan, the CDC reported. In addition, stool samples from those suffering from the gastrointestinal illnesses were taken for testing.

Sick passengers and crew members were also isolated from everyone else, the CDC said.

Officials said that the predominant symptoms that were reported included vomiting and diarrhea.

Cruise ships are required to report cases to CDC. The federal agency said that gastrointestinal illness is a commonly used term for acute gastroenteritis.

The CDC said that when passengers and crew inform medical staff onboard of their symptoms, it helps detect outbreaks more quickly.

This report was produced by Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami.

This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 2:55 PM.