The most recent sailing of Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess has reported a total of 70 cases of norovirus, a gastrointestinal outbreak that causes diarrhea and vomiting.
The report was made to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which requires such reports when 3% or more of guests and crew members experience symptoms of an outbreak.
Aboard Coral Princess‘ 31-night transpacific sailing from Singapore to Long Beach, California, 55 of the ship’s 1,822 guests onboard reported symptoms consistent with norovirus. This is a total of 3.02%, just over the required reporting threshold.
In addition, 15 of the ship’s 907 crew members also reported similar symptoms. In total, these 70 cases are 2.6% of everyone aboard the ship, but because the passenger numbers are over the reporting requirement, the CDC was notified.
Onboard testing did confirm the illness outbreak to be norovirus. The disease is very common not only on cruise ships, but also at restaurants, schools, and other gathering spaces.
To be clear, while a total of 70 cases were reported onboard, these reports were not necessarily made at the same time. Instead, this is the total reported throughout the entire voyage, though norovirus typically resolves within 1-3 days for most people.
During the month-long cruise, Coral Princess visited amazing destinations including Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, and Hawaii.
According to the CDC, symptoms of norovirus, in addition to vomiting and diarrhea, include nausea, stomach pain, body aches, headache, and a slight fever.
The disease is highly contagious and easy to transmit through infected surfaces. In response to the outbreak, crew members aboard Coral Princess stepped up disinfection cleaning in public areas and encouraged both guests and crew members to practice thorough and frequent handwashing.
There were no delays in the ship’s arrival to California, and Coral Princess has already departed on her next voyage, a 16-night sailing from Long Beach to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that set sail on Sunday, November 17.
Along the way, the 91,627-gross-ton vessel will visit elite destinations in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Aruba, including a full transit of the Panama Canal.
The ship will continue back-and-forth cruises between Florida and California through April 2025, at which time she will move to Alaska for the summer season, sailing between Vancouver, Canada and Whittier, Alaska.
Coral Princess can welcome 1,970 travelers aboard at each sailing, and has roughly 900 crew members aboard to ensure everyone has a spectacular cruise vacation.
Previous 2024 Outbreaks
The CDC notes that norovirus is the most common cause of gastrointestinal illnesses in the US and worldwide, with approximately 2,500 outbreaks reported each year.
While an outbreak can easily happen at any time, norovirus is most frequently reported from November through April, when more people are gathering together in confined spaces and sharing meals is common.
In 2024, there have been seven other outbreaks of norovirus reported on cruise ships, in addition to the recent report from Coral Princess.
P&O Cruises’ Acadia had an outbreak in September, while Celebrity Summit and Allure of the Seas experienced outbreaks in May. Other outbreaks have also been reported this year from ships in the Royal Caribbean, Holland America Line, and Cunard fleets.
Other gastrointestinal outbreaks have also recently been reported aboard Diamond Princess as well as Crown Princess. Both vessels are sailing in Australia and hence the reports were not made to the CDC, but to local health authorities as necessary.
Guests onboard Diamond Princess and Crown Princess were asked to leave their ships for deep cleaning procedures, but this was not the case with Coral Princess. Undoubtedly, however, the ship was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected during her turnaround before the next cruise began.
