French authorities have allowed passengers unaffected by norovirus to disembark from the British cruise ship The Ambition, which was docked in Bordeaux. Initially, over 1,700 passengers and crew were ordered to remain on board due to a gastrointestinal illness outbreak. However, officials made the decision on Wednesday to let those without symptoms leave the ship, prompting scenes of relief among passengers as some celebrated their freedom.
The outbreak was confirmed as norovirus, a highly contagious stomach bug, which can spread easily in confined environments like cruise ships. Local health officials stated that no severe cases had been reported and that passengers who fell ill received care from the ship’s medical team.
The Ambition was in the middle of a 14-night cruise that had started from Belfast and included ports in northern Spain and along the French Atlantic coast. Following the outbreak, the ship reached Bordeaux on Tuesday evening. It remains unclear whether the voyage will continue.
Authorities noted that this incident is not linked to a recent hantavirus outbreak affecting a different cruise ship, which has raised health alarms across Europe.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention records many such gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships, linking most to norovirus, with 23 outbreaks reported the previous year alone. Ambassador Cruise Line, operating The Ambition and catering largely to passengers over 50, was founded in 2021.
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