Gastrointestinal Illness Outbreak on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas: What Passengers Need to Know and How to Stay Safe

Published on July 18, 2025

Gastrointestinal outbreak sickens many passengers and crew on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas. The outbreak on this voyage of the ship returned to port on 11 July 2025, 134 passengers and seven crew members met current clinically compatible case definitions of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) symptoms of vomiting, abdominal cramps, or diarrhea. The outbreak’s cause is under investigation but is a reflection of a broader trend the C.D.C. has been monitoring on cruise ships, with the overwhelming majority of cases caused by the highly infectious gastrointestinal virus norovirus.

And while cruise lines like Royal Caribbean are serious about hygiene and have implemented strict cleanliness guidelines, outbreaks can occur, especially in close quarters such as those found on a ship. Knowing what to do in these situations can help to make sure that you enjoy a safe and happy time while you are out of the country.

How to Protect youself on Cruise?

The outbreak onboard Navigator of the Seas is an unfortunate one, but there are a few things you can do to ensure you don’t get sick with gastrointestinal illness on your cruise.

• Practice Good Hygiene

Keep your hands clean, washing them frequently, especially before eating meals, and after visiting public toilets. Hand sanitizers are located in common areas, however regular hand washing with soap and water is the best preventation. The more casual you are about hygiene, the more likely you are to be infected.

• Stay Away from the Sick and Unwell

If you see others who you think may be sick, keep away from them other passengers or employees or crew. It’s very contagious person to person, particularly in close quarters.

• Sanitize Common Surfaces With Wipes

While ships are cleaned and disinfected extensively,but it’s always a good idea to carry disinfectant wipes and clean common touch points — such as hand rails, stair railings and elevators buttons or tray tables — especially before and after eating a meal.

• Monitor Your Health

Be vigilant about your health while traveling. If you start feeling ill and you have symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, get yourself to a doctor quickly. Cruise liners travel with strong medical teams who can screen and treat disease symptoms.

What to Do If You Get Sick on a Boat

If you do get sick on a cruise, take these important precautions to protect yourself and others:

• Report to the Medical File with Symptoms

Cruise liners have medical centers that can manage illness related to an outbreak. If you do experience new gastrointestinal symptoms, tell the healthcare team immediately. They can then assess your condition, provide the appropriate level of care and put you in a separate area, if necessary, to help prevent spreading illness to other passengers.

• Stay in Your Cabin

If you have symptoms like vomiting or diarrhea, stay in your cabin until you feel better. Rest and drink plenty of fluids, and follow your doctor’s or medical team’s direction. This will help reduce others at public places catching the virus.

• Avoid Shared Spaces

Don’t go to shared public areas, like dining rooms, pool decks and other entertainment spaces, if you are unwell. Norovirus can spread swiftly when you’re around other people, so that would be for them as well as for making sure you can get some rest and recover.

• Follow the CDC’s Advice

Handy stuff to know from the CDC on preventing and treating stomach ailment at sea. If you are concerned about your symptoms or how things are going in boat, don’t hesitate to seek help from the boat’s medical staff.

How the Cruise Line Is Protecting Passengers?

Royal Caribbean, like other large cruise lines, is taking health and safety seriously. The company has strong protocols for managing outbreaks, with enhanced sanitation and medical teams specifically trained to deal with gastrointestinal illnesses. With the current outbreak on Navigator of the Seas, during the Royal Caribbean voyage, is probably doing the above while trying to disinfect known hot spots, and to isolate sick passengers where possible and halt the transmission of disease.

On the whole, cruise ships are well-prepared to respond to situations like this, with their own medical staffs trained to diagnose and treat common illnesses that could result in large numbers of passengers becoming ill, such as norovirus. Staff are even educated on schedules for cleanliness, how to disinfect high-touch areas, and outbreak control if necessary.

Public health reporting is important

The C.D.C. monitors outbreaks like the one on the Navigator of the Seas. If the number of affected people goes over a certain figure, the CDC is alerted and an investigation is launched to try to get to the bottom of what is causing the illness. There have been 18 reported outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships in 2025, the majority of them norovirus. That’s transparency, at least, but it does mean that if travelers want to take precautions, they can do so when booking their cruise.

Guidance for Future Cruises

If you are planning on a cruise in the near future, it’s important to be updated with potential risks and how to keep yourself safe. Outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses do happen on cruise ships from time to time and they are not always preventable but it’s helpful to know what you can do to help lower your own risk. Good hygiene practices, the knowledge on what to look out for when it comes to common illnesses like norovirus, as well as knowing how to proceed if you do begin to feel unwell could all contribute to the safety of your cruise.

Besides the above precautions, it’s necessary to abide by any health information from the cruise line and the C.D.C. That gives you the flexibility to adjust travel plans on the sail, and a clear course of action if you do get sick.

Conclusion

While the incident onboard the Navigator of the Seas is disturbing, it serves as a much needed reminder for all lucky enough to be at sea that health and safety should be the number one priority. The cruise industry continues to introduce new health protocols, and guests who approach the situation with caution can still count on a fun and healthy cruise. We always recommend that you seek medical attention as soon as possible and contact the ship’s medical facility when ill during your cruise so that you can be directed for isolation or care appropriately.