Outbreak on Carnival-Owned Ship Prompts Extra Cleaning in Port
No cruise guest wants their vacation interrupted with an illness outbreak, but cruise lines do everything they can to contain such an outbreak when one does occur. This may include asking guests to leave their staterooms or completely leave the ship for extra cleaning and sanitizing.
This is now the case onboard Queen Mary 2, as multiple cases of gastrointestinal illness have been reported during the current cruise. To combat the outbreak, a mid-cruise deep cleaning has been scheduled.
The Cunard ship, which is owned by Carnival, is currently sailing a long 29-night roundtrip Eastern Caribbean voyage. This cruise departed Southampton, UK on Saturday, March 8, and has already visited New York, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, and Grenada.
Guests onboard have been informed of the outbreak and the extensive cleaning measures crew members will undertake at the next port of call, Barbados, on Saturday, March 22.
“During this voyage, a number of people have reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. To further help control the spread, we are conducting a comprehensive shipwide cleaning and disinfection programme on Saturday, 22 March 2025, while we are in Barbados,” the notification letter read.
The cleaning will take place between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., during which time guests are encouraged to leave the ship and enjoy time ashore. As many guests will be enjoying shore excursions, this is a convenient time to plan such extensive cleaning.
If guests will not be going ashore, they are still being asked to make way for cleaning teams and leave their staterooms.
“If you are unable to leave the ship, please vacate your stateroom when requested and make yourself comfortable in one of the available areas such as Golden Lion Pub, Sir Samuel’s and Pavilion Pool,” the letter suggested.
Guests who do not need to leave their staterooms are those who the onboard medical team has advised that they should be isolated until they have recovered from their illness. In this case, they should remain comfortably in their staterooms.
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The exact number of cases reported onboard Queen Mary 2 has not been disclosed, but the ocean liner can welcome 2,695 guests and is also home to 1,200 international officers and crew members.
Guests are being reminded to wash their hands frequently with warm water and soap, as well as to use hand sanitizer if handwashing stations are not available. Undoubtedly, other enhanced sanitation measures are already in place to mitigate any further spread of the illness.
This is not the first time cruise guests have been asked to leave a ship in order for a vessel to be deep cleaned. A similar situation occurred aboard Diamond Princess in November 2024, as well as aboard Sky Princess in January 2025.
Third Outbreak Onboard in Three Months
While the exact causative agent for this gastrointestinal illness has not yet been identified, it should be noted that this is the time of year when norovirus outbreaks are generally at their peak.
This is at least the third such outbreak onboard Queen Mary 2 since mid-December, and both prior outbreaks were confirmed as norovirus.
Furthermore, of ships reporting to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), eight out of 10 gastrointestinal illness outbreaks reported so far in 2025 have been norovirus.
No Cunard Line ships have reported outbreaks to the CDC so far in 2025, but several other ships that are part of the Carnival Corporation & plc family have experienced outbreaks. This includes ships from both Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, the most recent of which has been aboard Rotterdam in mid-March.
Rotterdam also had an outbreak in mid-February. For both outbreaks combined, more than 250 guests and 20 crew members were impacted.
Outbreak on Carnival-Owned Ship Prompts Extra Cleaning in Port