For the second time this year, a Princess Cruises’ ship joined the long list of vessels impacted by gastrointestinal outbreaks that began at the start of the winter cruising season in late 2024.
Coral Princess experienced an onboard spread of the bug during her 16-night “Panama Canal Ocean to Ocean” voyage that departed Los Angeles on February 21, 2025.
The cruise concluded in Fort Lauderdale on March 9, 2025, but not before 69 guests out of a total 1,906 onboard reported symptoms.
The number reflects 3.62% of total guests, and cruise ships are required to report an outbreak to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) when 3% or more of passengers or crew become ill.
In this case, 13 of 895 crew members were affected by the outbreak, the report to the CDC says, representing 1.45% of the total staff.
The ship also had experienced an outbreak on her 16-night Panama Canal cruise that departed San Francisco on January 20, 2025, headed for Fort Lauderdale. The gastrointestinal bug impacted 59 of the 1,894 guests onboard, plus 12 of the 885 crew members.
The virus was reported to the CDC on January 27, 2025, less than halfway through the voyage. Crew immediately undertook a deep cleaning of the ship.
As in the earlier outbreak, the latest CDC report indicates that the likely cause of the latest bug was norovirus, which can result in diarrhea, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal problems. Crew onboard the Coral-class ship, which launched in 2003, undertook cleaning and disinfection measures, while sick passengers were isolated.
The illness was reported to the CDC on March 7, 2025, just two days before the ship docked in Fort Lauderdale. The timing indicates that the lion’s share of the voyage was unaffected by the outbreak, enabling guests to enjoy most of the cruise.
The Panama Canal cruise series from Los Angeles calls at Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco, and Chiapas, Mexico; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Panama City, Panama; and Oranjestad, Aruba.
Coral Princess departed on a reverse 16-night Panama Canal cruise, from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles, as scheduled on March 9, 2025.
Outbreaks Impacted Multiple Cruise Lines During Winter Season
The outbreaks onboard Coral Princess were not the only bugs that hit Princess Cruises. The line’s Sky Princess also was impacted by a gastrointestinal illness on her January 26, 2025 Western Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale.
Read Also: How to Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Cruise Vacation
However, in the Sky Princess case, the virus appeared just two days after departure and guests were immediately informed and advised to be vigilant about hand washing, and to report any symptoms of the illness.
During a port call in Jamaica on January 29, 2025, the ship underwent a disinfection process. Those efforts were enough to stave off a bigger outbreak, and since the percentage of ill guests never reached 3%, no report was filed with the CDC.
Other cruise ships haven’t been so lucky since the spate of gastrointestinal bugs began in late 2024.
In January 2025 alone, there were at least four outbreaks reported to the CDC — onboard Viking Cruises’ Viking Mars; Sea Cloud Cruises’ Sea Cloud Spirit; Silversea Cruises’ Silver Ray; and Holland America Line’s Volendam.
Even the iconic ocean liner Queen Mary 2, operated by UK-based luxury line Cunard, experienced an outbreak during a transatlantic crossing from Southampton, England, to New York in December 2024.
On that sailing, the CDC confirmed that 100 passengers out of the total 2,430, plus seven crew members out of 1,237, had caught the bug.
Coral Princess continues with her Panama Canal cruises into mid-April before shifting to the US West Coast. The ship will operate one 7-night “Pacific Wine Country” voyage and then deploy to Vancouver, British Columbia, to begin a seasonal Alaska deployment.
Sailing roundtrip from Vancouver, and between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska, the ship will offer 7- and 14-night “Voyage of the Glaciers” cruises.
The longer itinerary will feature calls to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Whittier, Alaska, and offer scenic cruising in Glacier Bay and to the Hubbard Glacier.
