Over 130 passengers were sick with gastrointestinal illnesses on a Royal Caribbean ship that sailed from Los Angeles over the Fourth of July weekend, CNN reported this week.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention said the official number of passengers who were sick was 134, with at least seven members of the crew that were also afflicted. Those who were infected were beset by symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal cramps.
The outbreak happened on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas and was reported to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) on July 11. VSP officials are tasked with tracking and reporting gastrointestinal illness outbreaks, including norovirus, on cruise ships.
Norovirus and other gastrointestinal illnesses are responsible for about 18 outbreaks aboard ships in 2024, data showed. This is the most outbreaks in a single year since at least 2012. In 2023, a total of 14 outbreaks were reported.
While data for 2025 is still incomplete, the CDC has reported at least 18 outbreaks so far this year — already on track to outpace last year’s total.
In May, CDC officials made headlines after they warned of a new norovirus strain amid VSP staffing cuts that were a part of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s plan to issue layoffs to public health agency employees.
Officials have said it is unclear what caused this outbreak aboard the Navigator of the Seas, according to reporting from CNN.
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that can cause inflammation in the stomach and intestines. People tend to recover within a few days seldomly with serious complications. In addition to diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain, some people may experience a fever and/or body aches.
Often referred to as the “cruise ship virus,” norovirus spreads rapidly in confined environments like cruise ships, where large groups gather in close quarters. Frequent handwashing is essential to help prevent its transmission.
Leesfield & Partners
While most cruise ship passengers pack their suitcases full of swimsuits, sunscreen and dreams of unlimited buffets and onboard amenities, few realize that a vacation does not guarantee immunity from medical emergencies or accidents. Such situations can arise unexpectedly and affect anyone — whether in a remote location or aboard a ship miles from shore and far from the nearest hospital. This makes it critical to have access to timely and adequate medical care. For this reason, cruise ships are equipped with onboard infirmaries staffed by medical professionals, including doctors and nurses.
Despite these precautions, Leesfield & Partners has repeatedly witnessed how cruise lines can fail the passengers they are entrusted to protect. As common carriers, cruise lines have a legal duty to ensure the safety and well-being of their passengers, which includes providing sufficient medical care.
Modern cruise ships can accommodate thousands of passengers simultaneously. With an ever-growing array of thrilling onboard amenities designed to compete in today’s cruise industry, the risk of injury or medical emergencies increases. Cruise lines must be prepared to respond effectively when these incidents occur.
Our experienced trial attorneys have spent decades litigating cruise ship medical malpractice cases. Over nearly five decades, Leesfield & Partners has secured numerous record verdicts and settlements for injured clients and their grieving families across Florida. We approach every case with compassion, tenacity, and deep legal expertise to achieve the best possible outcome for each client.
Previous Cruise Ship Medical Malpractice Cases
A Leesfield & Partners client and crew member experienced the consequences of negligent medical care aboard ships when he went to his ship’s infirmary for symptoms of nausea. What should have been a simple enough ailment to treat resulted in this man losing an arm due to the negligence of the medical staff aboard the ship. To combat his symptoms, he was given via IV a medication with a black box warning label clearly stating that the medication should be injected deep into the muscle slowly over a few minutes. Instead, a member of the medical staff injected it rapidly into our client’s IV. He was in immediate agony.
This was the beginning of an excruciating, hours-long ordeal in which his arm became necrotic and his skin blackened. While the tissue on his arm continued to slowly die, cruise ship doctors searched online for ways to help. Eventually, he was able to seek medical attention on shore where doctors attempted to save his arm. Tragically, they could not.
In the end, our client lost his right arm due to the errors of the doctors aboard the cruise ship. Our client was awarded over $3.3 million in arbitration thanks to the work of attorneys at Leesfield & Partners.
In another tragic amputation case, a 9-month0old baby’s meningococcal meningitis was misdiagnosed by a stomach bug. As a result of this error, the infant underwent multiple amputations. Leesfield & Partners secured an over $5.5 million award for the family in that case.
A retired nurse who suffered a horrific accident aboard a ship required a life-saving blood transfusion. As the result of cruise medical staff negligently failing to test the blood they administered to the woman, she was diagnosed with HIV. The firm settled the case for $4.25 million.
In addition to errors made while treating patients, Leesfield & Partners has seen doctors delay or deny evacuations for patients who were in the middle of medical emergencies. These delays can occur for a myriad of reasons, however, for our clients, these decisions were made to protect the ship’s schedule and bottom line. As a result, medical situations were exacerbated, leading to further injury and death.
One family who was represented by Leesfield & Partners went on a cruise to mark a milestone anniversary. Instead of a fun-filled family vacation, our clients suffered a tremendous loss that began with their patriarch suffering a heart attack while the ship was still in port. He was denied evacuation and the ship left for its destination, and he later died.
The firm secured a multi-million-dollar recovery in that case.
A teenager who suffered a stroke on a ship was written off for her age, despite the obvious symptoms. The case was later settled for $3 million.
In another case, the firm secured $1.5 million for a person having a stroke while on a cruise ship.
Other Illnesses
Legionnaires’ Disease, a serious form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, can also occur on cruise ships. The bacteria thrive in warm, slow-moving water and can contaminate drinking water systems, hot tubs, pools, steam rooms and other environments if not properly cleaned and treated. Infection occurs when people inhale water vapor containing the bacteria.
Eric Shane, a Leesfield & Partners Trial Lawyer, previously represented a woman who contracted Legionnaires’ from a Florida hotel’s hot tub. In that case, the woman began experiencing symptoms of the disease the same day she checked out of her hotel that included fever and swelling. The woman went into septic shock and suffered an acute kidney injury from the ordeal.
In an investigation, it was revealed that the hotel and its maintenance personnel were not complying with industry standards for hot tubs. A six-figure settlement was secured for the woman in that case.
Mr. Shane is also handling a case involving two men at a Florida condominium who were infected with Legionnaires’ Disease after using the property’s hot tub. One of the men in that case tragically passed away.
In 2023, the firm settled two back-to-back cases of the disease on two unrelated clients at the same resort. One client is a Florida native while the other was visiting the area from Maryland. Both went to the hospital within days of leaving the resort with symptoms that included body soreness, fever, fatigue and difficulty breathing before they tested positive for Legionnaires’ Disease.
In those cases, two six-figure settlements were secured for the clients.