Luxury cruise vacation becomes disaster as mystery illness strikes numerous passengers

A luxury cruise turned into a floating disaster when over 140 passengers became ill on a Royal Caribbean voyage.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 134 of 3,914 passengers and seven crew members aboard the Navigator of the Seas reported symptoms such as vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea during a voyage that concluded July 11. 

The exact cause of the outbreak remains unidentified.

The cruise, which departed from Los Angeles and made a round trip to Mexico, took place over the course of a week, as detailed by CruiseMapper.

In response to the outbreak, Royal Caribbean introduced enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols, including isolating those who were sick, according to the CDC. 

A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Group, the cruise line’s parent company, emphasized in a statement to Fox News Digital that guest and crew safety is a top priority.

They noted that their ships follow strict sanitation procedures, often exceeding public health requirements.

“The health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit are our top priority,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public health guidelines.”

This incident is one of 18 gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships in 2025 that met the CDC’s threshold for public notification, with most linked to norovirus.

The same number of outbreaks was reported in 2024, while 14 were recorded in 2023.

This is not the first time illness has struck a Royal Caribbean cruise.

In February, more than 90 people experienced gastrointestinal illness symptoms aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship returning to Tampa, Florida.

“Norovirus is often a cause of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships, but we don’t always know the cause of the outbreak when we begin an investigation. Finding the agent that caused an outbreak (causative agent) can take time,” the CDC said in a statement. 

Although cruise ships are commonly associated with such outbreaks, the CDC said they account for only 1% of all reported cases.