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The third reported outbreak of gastrointestinal illness aboard a cruise ship so far in 2025 - with the year not yet even three weeks old - is impacting Holland America Line's Volendam on her current sailing.
The oldest ship in Holland America Line's fleet, Volendam is in the midst of an extensive 21-night voyage that departed Miami, Florida on Saturday, January 4, 2025.
The ship has explored throughout much of the eastern and southern Caribbean along the way, including San Juan, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, and more.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), illness has struck a total of 60 people onboard the ship. Of the 1,369 guests aboard, 53 (3.9%) have reported symptoms, while 7 of the 569 crew members (1.2%) have also reported the illness.
To be clear, cases are reported as totals for the entire voyage. Not all guests or crew members may be feeling ill simultaneously. Furthermore, since Volendam will not arrive in Fort Lauderdale until Saturday, January 25, additional cases may yet be reported for this outbreak.
The most common symptoms being noted are vomiting and diarrhea, and testing has identified norovirus as the cause. Norovirus has been widespread in recent weeks on land as well, and is easily spread through contaminated surfaces.
To combat the contagion and reduce spread, the crew aboard Volendam quickly increased cleaning and sanitation measures and isolated both guests and crew members reporting symptoms. These are standard responses all cruise ships utilize when such illnesses are reported.
"We initiated enhanced sanitation protocols in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to minimize further transmission, including continuous disinfection of the ship," a statement from Holland America Line to Cruise Hive read.
The 61,241-gross-ton, Rotterdam-class Volendam can welcome 1,432 travelers at double occupancy. She is offering a winter season of longer sailings, including her upcoming 133-night Grand Voyage with a "pole to pole" itinerary that will leave Fort Lauderdale on January 25.
The outbreak aboard Volendam is the first confirmed norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship in 2025. Two outbreaks earlier this month - one aboard Silversea Cruises' Silver Ray and another aboard Sea Cloud Cruises' Sea Cloud Spirit - have not yet been conclusively identified.
Of 18 reported cruise ship outbreaks the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigated in 2024, 14 were confirmed as norovirus.
This includes each outbreak reported aboard Holland America Line ships throughout the year: Koningsdam in February/March as well as Zuiderdam, Rotterdam, and Eurodam, all in December.
According to the CDC, the disease is generally mild and typically resolves without extensive treatment within just a few days.
The spokesperson from Holland America Line confirmed that the cases onboard Volendam "have been mostly mild and quickly resolved."
While experienced cruise travelers are familiar with the risk of norovirus or other gastrointestinal illnesses aboard ships, the recent increase of outbreaks can be concerning.
Norovirus is typically more prevalent during the winter months. Since the beginning of December, however, there have been seven norovirus outbreaks reported aboard cruise ships within the CDC's jurisdiction, as well as at least one outbreak from P&O Cruises in the UK.
For comparison, from the first of December through mid-January in 2023-24, there was just one norovirus outbreak, aboard Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Constellation. During the same time period in 2022-23, there were three norovirus outbreaks, and from 2021-2022, there were none.
Cruise travelers can take simple steps to protect themselves from contracting illnesses during their vacations. The easiest and most effective protection is frequent, thorough handwashing, especially before and after using the restroom or dining. Minimizing touching shared surfaces - railings, elevator buttons, serving utensils, etc. - can also be helpful.