An outbreak of norovirus has been confirmed onboard Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess, with 125 cases reported among guests and crew.
A total of 102 passengers and 23 crew members have reported symptoms during the ship’s current extended summer solstice sailing.
Ruby Princess is currently operating a ’20-Night Ultimate Alaska Solstice’ itinerary, which departed San Francisco on 12 June and is due to return today (2 July). The sailing is carrying 3,032 guests and 1,144 crew.
The number of cases exceeds the 3% reporting threshold for guests, triggering notification to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program, which monitors outbreaks on cruise ships visiting US ports.
Enhanced sanitation measures have been implemented onboard, including deep cleaning earlier in the voyage.
The itinerary has included calls to ports such as Ketchikan, Wrangell, Juneau, Skagway and Valdez, alongside scenic glacier cruising.
The cruise is expected to end today as scheduled, with the next voyage — a 10-night ‘Alaska Inside Passage’ sailing — set to depart from San Francisco this afternoon as scheduled, according to Princess Cruises.
A statement from the cruise line said: “Princess Cruises can confirm that a limited number of guests reported mild gastrointestinal illness during the 20-day June 12 Ruby Princess voyage from San Francisco.
“Our crew responded promptly by implementing enhanced sanitation protocols across the ship, and cases have since decreased and remain low.
