Cruise Ships Report Hantavirus and Norovirus Outbreaks in 2026

Recent viral outbreaks on two separate cruise ships have drawn public attention. Oceanwide Expeditions’ MV Hondius was dealing with hantavirus cases that resulted in three deaths at the same time more than 110 guests and crew members reported illness from a norovirus outbreak aboard Princess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess.

The timing has contributed to the perception that cruise ships are frequently at the center of health crises.

Cruise ships function as closed environments where passengers and crew remain in close proximity for extended periods. Officials said this increases the probability that an ill person will encounter others compared with settings where people come and go throughout the day.

Facilities on ships are more confined than those in land-based hotels, which can facilitate spread through respiratory droplets or contaminated surfaces. Officials noted that infectious diseases spread in many other settings as well. Norovirus outbreaks on cruises account for only 1 percent of all reported cases according to the CDC.

One official explained that outbreaks are more visible on ships because they occur in an isolated location where the source is easier to identify than in a public pool or restaurant.

The MV Hondius outbreak prompted a coordinated response from the World Health Organization and other international authorities. While outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness at sea are common, with 23 recorded in 2025, this appears to be the first documented hantavirus outbreak tied to a cruise ship.

Hantavirus is primarily spread through exposure to the urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents. Officials said the confirmed cases involved the Andes virus, which can be transmitted from person to person, and they continue to investigate the origin.