Norovirus Outbreak Affects 93 Passengers on Holland America’s MS Rotterdam

A norovirus outbreak affected 93 individuals aboard Holland America Line’s ship, MS Rotterdam, during a recent cruise in the Southern Caribbean. This incident marked the fourth outbreak for HAL in 2025.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 89 out of 2,670 passengers and four crew members experienced symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea during the voyage, which wrapped up on March 16th. MS Rotterdam had set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 7th.

In light of this incident, Holland America launched enhanced sanitation protocols in collaboration with the CDC to prevent further spread of the virus. Upon returning to Fort Lauderdale, a complete disinfection of the vessel was conducted, and affected passengers and crew were isolated as precautions.

This outbreak follows three previous norovirus incidents on HAL ships earlier this year, with one also occurring on MS Rotterdam in February.

By early 2025, the CDC had recorded a total of 10 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships that met the agency’s public notification criteria, primarily linked to norovirus.

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