Mystery illness sweeps through cruise ship and leaves 134 passengers throwing up
The mystery illness broke out onboard the Navigator of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship, on a round-trip to from the US to Mexico.
The boat left Los Angeles on July 4, docked at Puerto Vallarta on July 8 before heading back to LA three days later, according to its Cruise Mapper itinerary.
It's not yet known what made the people onboard sick, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who reported the outbreak.
However, their symptoms included vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea, which suggests it could be norovirus.
Norovirus is highly contagious and symptoms can show within to 12 to 28 hours of the bug being contracted.
People usually feel better within one to three days, but can still spread the virus 48 hours after symptoms end.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told USA Today the health and safety of crew members and passengers are the company's top priority.
Those who reported symptoms were isolated and the ship – which had 5,180 people onboard – was cleaned, it said.
Last October 77-year-old Brit Alan Forster died after catching norovirus on P&O's Arcadia cruise ship
He was one of almost 100 to fall ill on the month-long trip across the Atlantic Ocean to the US and Canada and back.
The grandfather was confined to his cabin with diarrhoea, stomach cramps and vomiting, before his kidneys started failing. More Trending
He was hospitalised when the ship reached St John's, in Newfoundland, Canada, but later died.
So far in 2025 there have been 18 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruises that met the CDC's threshold for public notification, most of which were caused by norovirus.
Royal Caribbean has been contacted for comment.
Its Navigator of the Seas ship has a capacity of 3,300 and features 17 bars, 12 dining options, a rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, three pools, a surf simulator, six whirlpools, and a riptide waterslide.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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