Costa Cruise Ship Gets Deep-Cleaned Following Outbreak
Norovirus and other gastrointestinal bugs have plagued the cruise industry for several months, and the latest outbreak is impacting a Costa Cruises’ ship in Europe.
The 3,780-guest Costa Favolosa underwent a massive deep cleaning during her scheduled port call at Edinburgh (Newhaven), Scotland, on May 18, 2025, following a letter to guests from the ship’s Captain Valentino Savarese.
“To ensure the highest level of hygiene on board, a comprehensive ship-wide cleaning will be performed while we are in port,” said the notice from Captain Savarese.
To facilitate the deep clean, guests were asked to disembark the ship in Newhaven or vacate their staterooms and remain in public areas while the major disinfection process took place.
Multiple guests — no exact number was provided, experienced symptoms of a gastrointestinal virus as the ship sailed a 7-day cruise roundtrip from Hamburg on May 15, 2025. The voyage was a segment of a longer, 19-night “Mediterranean and North Europe” cruise that began in Marseille, France, on May 3, 2025.
The precise numbers of infected guests and possibly crew members are unknown. Since the ship did not sail to or from a North American port, the cruise line is not required to report details to the US-based Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The cleaning process focused on sanitizing high-touch surfaces, such as handrails and elevator buttons, and required the temporary closure of some public spaces and the suspension of some services.
Captain Savarese noted in his alert to guests that gastroenteritis spreads easily, particularly in close quarters.
“We ask all guests to adhere to rigorous hygiene practices, including frequent hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds,” the captain’s letter stated.
Moreover, the official told guests to avoid direct contact with each other and to use restrooms inside their cabins rather than in public areas. Also, anyone with symptoms was asked to notify the ship’s medical team.
The directive also advised guests to drink only bottled water while on shore.
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Following the comprehensive cleaning in Newhaven, the Concordia-class ship that entered service in 2010 visited Invergordon, Scotland, on May 19, 2025, followed by Lerwick, Shetland Islands on May 20, 2025. The ship concludes in Hamburg on May 22, 2025.
Higher Numbers of Outbreaks Hit Ships in 2025
Costa Cruises, a Carnival Corporation brand that mainly serves the Italian market, is one of several cruise lines that have had to cope with viral outbreaks in the past several months.
The most recent incident, according to CDC reports, happened on luxury line Regent Seven Seas Cruises as the 750-guest Seven Seas Explorer sailed from Tokyo to Vancouver, British Columbia, in late April 2025.
It was the 17th gastrointestinal outbreak reported on a North America-based cruise ship in 2025 — a high number considering that there were just 18 outbreaks reported in the whole of 2024.
The lion’s share of illnesses in 2025 were attributed to norovirus, although no cause was identified in the Costa Favolosa case.
It is not only older ships that are experiencing outbreaks. In April 2025, Silversea, a luxury line, reported a stomach bug on its newest ship, the 728-guest Silver Nova. In that case, 4.42% of guests on the 2-year-old ship were affected as the ship sailed a Caribbean and South America voyage from Fort Lauderdale.
Cruise lines are required to notify the CDC if 3% or more of the ship’s guests or crew fall victim to a virus.