But another statistic in the world of cruising is on the up, and it’s not a good one: the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests 2024 was the worst year for cruise ship-based gastrointestinal outbreaks in over a decade.

There have been at least 16 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships this year, the CDC says, the most in over a decade.

In December alone, the CDC reported five separate outbreaks on four different ships -- sickening more than 800 people. All of the outbreaks were caused by the highly contagious norovirus.

Beth Knowles and her family left on a Caribbean cruise in late December, but they missed every port. They got too sick to disembark during a norovirus outbreak on board. Knowles got an email from Cunard Line one day before their Dec.

A virus known as the stomach bug that has surged across parts of the country is the cause of nearly all diarrhea outbreaks reported on cruise ships that docked at U.S. ports in 2024, federal data shows.

Around 900 passengers aboard cruise ships were reportedly sickened from gastrointestinal disease in December as virus outbreaks occur globally. The shocking data has been revealed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.