More cruisers get virus; Carnival clarifies drink package stand
2025 is on pace to set a bad kind of record.
Cruise lines have done a really good job limiting the impact of Norovirus outbreaks. Contaiment and quarantine methods clearly work, and that has spared cruisers the sort of "whole ship gets sick" disasters that overwhelmed ship plumbing the past.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) oversees efforts to keep viruses under control on cruise ships. It has some very basic guidelines for passengers:
Related: Royal Caribbean cruisers share what it’s like to try Celebrity
"GI illness is a commonly used term for acute gastroenteritis (AGE). Reporting GI illness on cruise ships is important. When passengers and crew tell the medical center onboard about their symptoms, it helps GI illness outbreaks get detected quickly. This allows steps to be taken to limit the spread of illness. Medical staff evaluate symptoms to see if they meet our case definition for AGE," it shared on its website.
The CDC also has two clear ways to identify when you need to report to the medical center.
- Three or more loose stools within a 24-hour period or what is more than normal for that person
- Vomiting along with one of the following symptoms: diarrhea, muscle ache, headache, abdominal cramp, or fever
Nobody wants their cruise cut short by illness, but most people also don't want to spread their illness to others.
Doug Parker has this and other stories on Cruise News Today.
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Two more cruise ships hit by norovirus
This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker.
Good morning, here's your cruise news for Thursday, March 27.
Over 225 people have fallen ill in separate Noro cases aboard two different cruise ships.
Now, according to the CDC, the first one was Cunard's Queen Mary II. It had 183 passengers and 14 crew. Meanwhile, 29 cases were reported on the Seabourn Encore, which departed March 16th for Japan and Hawaii.
That ship, obviously, with a lot smaller capacity. Now, both cruise lines say that they've implemented enhanced sanitation and isolation protocols. This marks the 11th and 12th ships to have outbreaks since January.
In 2024, there were 18 outbreaks. And Carnival Cruise Line is doubling down on its policy for the Cheers drink package, saying if one adult in the cabin buys it, all adults 21 and over must do the same thing. No exceptions.
Carnival denies drink plan changes coming; Greek port stays open
Yeah, Marine Ambassador John Heald dismissed the persistent rumors of the drink package waivers as being false, calling them scams.
Carnival has no plans to change the mandatory cocktail policy as of now.
And Santorini Greece is accepting ships again, as Celestial Discovery became the first cruise ship to return after a month-long suspension caused by earthquake activity.
Now, Discovery recently also underwent a major refit, adding 47 cabins and boosting the ship's capacity by over 7%. The 1,360-passenger ship is sailing the Greek islands this summer. And cruise line stocks were mixed on Wednesday.
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This week's cruise radio podcast to a review of Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas, where you listen to your favorite podcast.
Here at the house, rolled in at 2 a.m. this morning.
Doug Parker with Cruise News Today. Have yourself a great Thursday.
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