Star Princess Cruise Hit by Norovirus Outbreak

0:00Stay informed in two minutes or less with Birmingham News today from the Daily News Now. A Norovirus outbreak has hit the star-princessed cruise ship, sickening 153 people on board. That's 104 passengers out of 4,349 crew members out of 1561. The ship left Fort Lauderdale, Florida on March 7 for a seven-night trip to the Western Caribbean in Mexico set to return on March 14. The star-princess is a newer vessel that debuted in October 2025. It's also running a longer 14-night voyage with Eastern and Western Caribbean stops that started the same day. Norovirus, often called the stomach bug, causes vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and stomach pain. But it's not the real flu. Passengers and crew usually recover in one to three days, though they can still spread it afterward. Guests online have praised the crew's lines quick response, noting constant cleaning in public areas and staff urging handwashing.

1:02To fight the spread, the crew has ramped up disinfection everywhere, isolated to sick, and collected stool samples for testing. They've consulted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vessel Sanitation Program and reported every case. Meanwhile, the CDC is on-site with an environmental check and outbreak probe to help control things. The focus remains on keeping everyone safe through the rest of the voyage. Support for this episode comes from our sponsor. See the description. Headphones in a pillow. Once you try it, it just makes sense. S-O-L-I-SoliPillow.com.