When someone asks me whether cruises are safe, they probably expect me to say “absolutely not — stay home.” I’m not going to do that. The honest answer is more interesting, and it starts with the CDC’s own list of cruise ship outbreaks.
As of June 10, the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program has posted five
According to news reports, the Washington State Department of Health has issued a recall for commercially harvested oysters and clams that were shipped to locations across California, Oregon and Washington due to possible norovirus contamination. The oysters and clams were harvested from Mason County, Washington between March 22 and April 9 by Gomez Shellfish, LLC
Cruise line: Princess Cruises
Cruise ship: Star Princess
Voyage dates: March 7, 2026–March 14, 2026
Voyage number: 4611
Date outbreak reported to VSP: March 11, 2026
Number of passengers who reported being ill during the voyage out of total number of passengers onboard: 104 of 4,307 (2.4%)
Number of crew who reported being ill during
The Virginia Department of Health announced today that the Poquoson River and its tributaries are closed to harvesting shellfish due to a sewage release that occurred on December 16, 2025. Because these waters can be contaminated with pollutants such as pathogenic bacteria and viruses, shellfish taken from the area affected by the emergency closure are
Outbreak details
Cruise line: Aida Cruises
Cruise ship: AIDAdiva
Voyage dates: November 10, 2025–December 16, 2025
Voyage number: DI40251110
Date outbreak reported to VSP: November 30, 2025
Number of passengers who reported being ill during the voyage out of total number of passengers onboard: 95 of 2,007 (4.8%)
Number of crew who reported being ill
Public Health investigated an outbreak of norovirus associated with Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar in Bellevue. Norovirus spreads easily through contaminated food, surfaces, and from person to person.
This outbreak appears to be over, and our investigation is complete.
Since October 22, 2025, 16 people reported becoming sick after dining at the restaurant
When individuals refer to having “the stomach flu,” they are likely describing acute-onset gastroenteritis caused by noroviruses, which belong to the Caliciviridae family. Importantly, noroviruses are entirely distinct from influenza viruses.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), noroviruses are responsible for nearly 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis each year