By M10News Travel Desk
More than 140 passengers and crew fell ill with a suspected vomiting virus aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship sailing from the United States to Mexico, health authorities have confirmed.
The outbreak occurred on the Navigator of the Seas, a vessel operated by Royal Caribbean, during a round-trip voyage that departed Los Angeles on July 4 and visited Puerto Vallarta before returning to California on July 11.
A total of 145 individuals were affected — including 134 of the 3,914 passengers and 11 crew members — who experienced gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea, according to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The specific cause of the outbreak has not yet been confirmed, but health officials suspect norovirus, a highly contagious bug known to spread rapidly in close-contact settings like cruise ships. The virus typically causes symptoms within 12 to 28 hours of exposure and can linger for up to 48 hours after recovery.
Royal Caribbean said it took swift action to isolate symptomatic individuals and conducted deep-cleaning protocols aboard the vessel, which was carrying a total of 5,180 people at the time of the outbreak.
“The health and safety of our guests and crew are our highest priorities,” a company spokesperson told USA Today. “We have implemented rigorous cleaning procedures that exceed public health guidelines to help prevent the spread of illness on board.”
The Navigator of the Seas, which has a maximum capacity of around 3,300 passengers, is one of the cruise line’s flagship vessels. It features 17 bars, 12 dining options, a rock climbing wall, an ice-skating rink, three swimming pools, a surf simulator, six whirlpools, and a riptide waterslide.
This latest outbreak comes amid a series of gastrointestinal illness reports across the cruise industry in 2025. According to the CDC, there have been 18 confirmed cruise outbreaks this year that met the agency’s public notification threshold, the majority linked to norovirus.
Last October, 77-year-old British passenger Alan Forster died after contracting norovirus aboard P&O’s Arcadia during a transatlantic journey. Nearly 100 passengers reportedly fell ill on that voyage, which travelled from the UK to North America. Mr Forster was taken to hospital in Newfoundland after suffering severe symptoms but later died from complications including kidney failure.
Royal Caribbean has not issued any further comment on the latest incident.
Editing by M10News Travel Desk | Contact: info@m10news.com
© 2025 M10News. All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction is prohibited.
