Key Aspects:
- A total of 125 norovirus cases have been reported among the guests and crew onboard the current sailing of Ruby Princess.
- The 20-night Alaska sailing departed San Francisco on June 12 and is returning on July 2.
- Extra sanitation protocols have been put in place and all staterooms were deep-cleaned earlier in the voyage.
A confirmed norovirus outbreak is currently happening aboard Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess, with 102 guests and 23 crew members onboard reporting gastrointestinal symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea.
Because this number of illness reports exceeds the 3% threshold of guests onboard, the outbreak has been reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Vessel Sanitation Program, which monitors all such outbreaks on cruise ships that visit US ports.
On her current sailing, which departed San Francisco on Friday, June 12, 2026, there are 3,032 guests aboard the 113,561-gross-ton Ruby Princess. With 102 guest reports, 3.4% of travelers have contracted the illness.
Furthermore, 23 crew members of the 1,144 onboard have also reported as part of the outbreak, equaling 2% of crew members.
The total 125 cases have not necessarily been simultaneous. Because the 20-night cruise is a longer voyage, it is entirely likely that some guests or crew members were ill early on in the sailing while others did not develop symptoms until later. In making reports to the CDC, it is the cumulative total of reports that is counted.
Ruby Princess has visited a wide range of Alaska ports on this longer summer solstice sailing, including Ketchikan, Wrangell, Juneau, Skagway, Valdez, and more. The ship has also enjoyed scenic glacier cruising, which is always a highlight of Alaskan itineraries.
The ship is now returning to San Francisco for a July 2 debarkation. At this time, there is no delay to the end of the cruise.
Onboard Precautions Taken
Once cases were reported, crew members onboard Ruby Princess took immediate action to minimize any contamination and spread of norovirus.
Sanitation protocols have included increased cleaning especially of public areas and high-touch surfaces. Samples were collected for testing which has confirmed norovirus as the causative agent for the outbreak.
Guests and crew members reporting symptoms have been isolated as appropriate, and the Vessel Sanitation Program has continued monitoring the ship and its protocols.
Onboard the ship, guests noticed the increased precautions early in the journey.
Cruise Hive previously reported a scheduled deep cleaning and extra sanitizing for all staterooms onboard Ruby Princess on June 16-17. At that time, the full number of reported cases was not yet known because the 3% threshold had not yet been reached.
Buffet service was changed to crew members serving guests instead of self-serve food stations and more crew members were assigned to remind guests to wash their hands before entering the buffet.
Guests have strongly commended the crew on how they have handled the situation.
“The Ruby’s crew has been incredible at keeping the ship clean and having an uplifting atmosphere!” one guest noted in a Facebook group for the sailing.
“Princess handled this 100% perfect,” another guest who reported being ill said. “They deep cleaned my cabin at least three times [while I was quarantined]. Kudos to Princess.”
Guests on the next sailing, a 10-night Alaska cruise, have mentioned receiving notices that their embarkation on July 2 will be slightly delayed to accommodate more cleaning and sanitation, but Cruise Hive has not confirmed this as of publication.
Such delays are not uncommon when a cruise line chooses a complete deep sanitizing after an outbreak.
Third Outbreak on a Princess Cruises Ship in 2026
This latest outbreak aboard Ruby Princess is the third confirmed norovirus outbreak onboard a Princess Cruises ship so far in 2026.
In March, Star Princess suffered an outbreak with 193 reported cases, while in early May, 160 cases were reported aboard Caribbean Princess.
The outbreaks on different ships are not related. It is important to note that norovirus can be widespread anywhere there are large gatherings of people, including at restaurants, schools, and sporting events.
The CDC is also investigating two consecutive norovirus outbreaks aboard Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Sea Bird, a much smaller expedition ship. Such outbreaks are not confined to a single cruise line or any particular ship size, but each one is taken seriously and proper precautions are implemented as soon as possible.
