Key Aspects:
- Seven new gastrointestinal illness cases are now reported aboard Ruby Princess on her July 2, 2026 sailing.
- The new cases follow the 125-case outbreak on the ship’s previous cruise.
- No report has yet been made to the CDC for the new outbreak as it is not widespread enough to require investigation.
Additional cases of gastrointestinal illness have been reported aboard Ruby Princess just days after a serious norovirus outbreak onboard the ship was reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the Juneau Independentat least seven cases are now onboard the ship: six crewmembers and one passenger. All of those impacted were following isolation protocols on Sunday, July 5, 2026.
Cruise Hive reported the previous outbreak on the 113,561-gross-ton ship, which impacted 125 individuals. Of those reported cases, 102 were guests and 23 were crew members. As protocol dictates, because the total number of cases was greater than 3% of everyone onboard the ship, that outbreak was reported to the CDC.
No additional report has yet been made to the CDC for investigation. Because Ruby Princess can welcome 3,080 guests and is home to 1,100 crew members, seven cases is approximately 0.17% of those onboard, well below the mandated reporting threshold.
Nevertheless, Princess Cruises is likely continuing sanitation protocols to minimize any further spread of the illness, including extra cleaning and encouraging thorough handwashing. Should more cases be reported, adding up to the 3% threshold, an official report will be made to the CDC.
Ruby Princess was slightly delayed departing San Francisco to start this 10-night sailing on July 2. The extra time was needed for deep cleaning following the larger outbreak.
The ship visited Sitka as planned on July 5 and Haines on July 6, with no change in itinerary or port destinations. Scenic glacier cruising plus visits to Ketchikan and Prince Rupert are still on the schedule in the coming days before Ruby Princess returns to San Francisco on July 12.
Consecutive Cruise Outbreaks Not Unusual
Despite the intense measures cruise ship crew members will take to minimize contagion, it is not unusual for a ship to have consecutive outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on multiple sailings.
This can happen when crew members may be ill, as it is possible to pass on diseases such as norovirus for several days after feeling recovered. According to the CDC, “you are most contagious when you have symptoms of norovirus illness or during the few days after you feel better.”
Because norovirus is widespread in many areas where crowds are common, including airports, sporting events, and restaurants, it is also possible the two outbreaks are unrelated. The CDC notes “each year, there are about 2,500 reported norovirus outbreaks in the United States.”
Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Sea Bird had illness reports on multiple consecutive sailings, though only two voyages crossed the 3% reporting threshold. The CDC has followed up to investigate the outbreak on that vessel.
In March 2023, Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas also had two outbreaks on consecutive voyages. In total, 272 cases were reported in those incidents.
In February and March 2025, two different voyages of Holland America Line’s Rotterdam also reported outbreaks totaling 278 cases. While those two voyages were separated by two weeks, it is likely they may have been part of a larger outbreak that simply didn’t meet the reporting threshold for the sailings in between.
