Overview
- The Ruby Princess returned to San Francisco on Thursday after a 20-day round-trip to Alaska and British Columbia during which 102 passengers and 23 crew reported gastrointestinal illness that the CDC identified as norovirus.
- Princess Cruises isolated symptomatic people, collected stool samples, and carried out intensified cleaning and disinfection on board as cases declined before the ship’s return.
- The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program has been remotely monitoring the ship’s outbreak response and is reviewing the line’s sanitation procedures and reporting.
- Norovirus spreads easily in close quarters through contaminated food, surfaces, or direct contact and typically causes sudden vomiting and diarrhea that last one to three days but can risk dehydration in vulnerable people.
- This is the third norovirus incident on a Princess ship in 2026 and one of seven cruise-ship gastrointestinal outbreaks logged so far this year, a pattern that keeps scrutiny on cruise sanitation and could affect future turnaround and boarding practices.