A norovirus outbreak affected 93 individuals on HAL-Holland America Line’s vessel ms Rotterdam during a recent Southern Caribbean cruise, marking HAL’s 4th such incident in 2025.
According to the CDC (USA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), 89 of the 2670 passengers and 4 crew members reported symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea during the voyage, which concluded on Sunday, March 16th.
MS Rotterdam departed from Fort Lauderdale (Florida USA), on March 7th.
In response to the outbreak, Holland America implemented enhanced sanitation measures in coordination with the CDC to curb further transmission. HAL carried out a full disinfection of the vessel upon its return to Fort Lauderdale and took additional precautions, including isolating affected passengers and crew members.
This outbreak follows 3 previous norovirus incidents on HAL ships this year, including another on MS Rotterdam in February.
As of early 2025, the CDC has documented 10 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships that met the agency’s public notification criteria, with most cases attributed to norovirus.
For more ms Rotterdam incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.