2025 was a nightmarish year to become violently ill on cruise ships

Holiday lovers, beware: germs that vomit norovirus have hell on board cruise ships at the moment. This year, there is already more reported of epidemics of cruise ships on American waters than for almost two decades.

This week, the Centers for Disease Control reported an epidemic of Norovirus aboard the Serenade of the Mers of Royal Caribbean International – which reported nearly 100 passengers and the crew. It is the 14th epidemic of Norovirus and the 19th global epidemic reported in 2025, well above recent historical trends. Norovirus epidemics in the United States have generally climbed recently.

A modern summit

Although norovirus and other foods of food origin can easily move someone anywhere, confined spaces and shared food on cruise ships can make it a vector for a generalized disease. Epidemics of gastrointestinal diseases aboard cruise ships in or around American waters are followed by the CDC ship’s sanitation program.

The pandemic set the ground the cruise ship industry at the start (but not before dozens of outbreaks of points occurred), but the American cruise ships started working again in the summer of 2021. For several years, the epidemics were less common than before. However, while more and more people returned to these holidays, cases regularly recommended. However, 2025 was an aberrant value.

With three months to lose, the count of this year’s epidemics is already higher than the figures in 2024 (18) and 2023 (14). In fact, it is the highest number documented since 2007.

Why do people become more sick on cruise ships?

As mentioned above, part of the increase in these epidemics could simply be due to more people in general cruise. But this is only part of the image.

Norovirus is an omnipresent food of food, and cases have also drawn up cruising ships. Between August 2024 and July 2025, the CDC documented at least 2,675 epidemics in the United States, almost double the amount reported during the same period the previous year (1,478). These epidemics could be fueled by the emergence of a new norovirus strain, against which we have less immunity from the population.

Another possible factor may be the lack of resources to monitor and prevent these epidemics. Earlier this year, the CDC dismissed all its inspectors of full -time cruise ships working for the ship’s sanitation program, apparently as part of the Trump administration plan to reduce government jobs at all levels. The administration said at the time that the remaining members of the US Public Health Service could correctly fulfill these roles, although the CDC staff would already find it difficult to follow their heavy workloads.

According to the latest CDC data, Norovirus epidemics in recent months have dropped at more usual prices, after a huge increase in last winter. But with the typical norovirus season that should happen, this winter may be filled with vomiting again. And although you can get norovirus anywhere, I personally agree to try my luck by staying on earth in the foreseeable future.