Entering the final day of 2024, the CDC counted 16 stomach illness outbreaks on cruise ships this year, the most since 2012, which also saw 16. Onboard gastrointestinal sickness plummeted during the pandemic, when the cruise industry shut down for more than a year and then restarted with limited capacity and enhanced cleaning measures.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified 2024 as the worst year for stomach illness outbreaks and cases on cruise ships in over a decade as Norovirus surged in the U.S.