A recent voyage aboard HAL-Holland America Line's ms Zuiderdam experienced a norovirus outbreak, with ~79 people reporting symptoms, according to the CDC/USA's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Among the 1,923 guests on board, 74 passengers and 4 crew members fell ill during the cruise, which began on December 4th. The primary symptoms included vomiting and diarrhea.
A HAL spokesperson stated that most cases were mild and resolved quickly. HAL implemented enhanced sanitation measures in coordination with the CDC to curtail the spread of the virus.
Upon arrival in Port Everglades/Fort Lauderdale (Florida USA), the ship will undergo a thorough disinfection process before embarking on the next scheduled voyage. Boarding times for the subsequent cruise have been adjusted to accommodate these additional precautions.
Measures taken during the outbreak included isolating affected individuals and increasing sanitation efforts, as confirmed by the CDC.
The CDC noted that this incident marks one of 12 GI outbreaks (of gastrointestinal illnesses) on cruises in 2024 that met the agency's threshold (3%) for public reporting. Norovirus was identified as the causative agent in all but 3 of these cases.
For more ms Zuiderdam incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.