Key Points:
- A gastrointestinal outbreak has sickened 21 friends and crew aboard Seven Seas Mariner.
- That is the primary reported sickness outbreak for 2026, however the trigger has not but been confirmed.
- The ship was crusing from Miami to Hawaii throughout the outbreak and has already continued on its subsequent itinerary.
Cruise ships are usually known as “petri dishes” and different derogatory names because of the large crowds of 1000’s of friends in the identical areas, however sickness outbreaks aren’t confined simply to the world’s largest ships.
A gastrointestinal outbreak has been reported aboard Seven Seas Mariner, a luxurious ship from Regent Seven Seas Cruises with simply 1,089 friends and crew aboard. The outbreak is the primary reported in 2026 by the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC).
The outbreak occurred on the ship’s most up-to-date crusing, a journey from Miami, Florida to Honolulu, Hawaii. Seven Seas Mariner set sail from the Sunshine State on Sunday, January 11, 2026 and transited by way of the Panama Canal, visited a number of ports in Central America and Mexico, and moved on to Hawaii, arriving in Honolulu on Sunday, February 1.
A complete of 21 friends out of the 631 passengers onboard reported diarrhea, whereas six of the 458 crew members additionally reported the sickness. At the moment, the causative agent has not been recognized.
Outbreaks in US waters should be reported to the CDC every time greater than 3% of both friends or crew report gastrointestinal signs.
Whereas this outbreak onboard Seven Seas Mariner has impacted simply 1.3% of the luxurious ship’s crew, a complete of three.3% of friends reported signs, necessitating the report.
As a result of the crusing has been a prolonged one, nevertheless, you will need to notice that particular person sickness experiences might not be simultaneous. Studies made to the CDC cowl the full variety of circumstances reported throughout a single voyage, and it’s doable that just some people had been sick at anybody time throughout the crusing.
Learn Additionally: Cruise Ship Outbreaks are On the Rise – Ought to Cruisers Fear?
Seven Seas Mariner has already continued crusing in Hawaii as a part of an extended general itinerary. The 154-night roundtrip world cruise crusing from Miami will now head for distinctive locations in French Polynesia and the South Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, Asia, India, and Africa earlier than finally returning to Florida in mid-June.
Company can e book simply particular person segments of these kinds of lengthy voyages, which is why the report has already been made to the CDC.
Response to the Outbreak
As soon as gastrointestinal circumstances had been recognized on board, Regent Seven Seas took rapid motion to attenuate the potential unfold of a contagious sickness.
This contains normal response measures corresponding to growing cleansing and disinfection in all public areas, notably high-contact surfaces corresponding to railings and elevators.
Company and crew members reporting signs had been remoted, and samples had been collected to be examined to substantiate the causative agent. That testing has not but been accomplished.
Company onboard would even have been inspired to make use of correct handwashing strategies, notably after utilizing the restroom and earlier than meals, to attenuate any contagion. The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) is monitoring the state of affairs in case additional steps could also be obligatory.
First Outbreak of the Yr
The outbreak aboard Seven Seas Mariner is the primary one reported in 2026, but it surely undoubtedly received’t be the final. In 2025, a complete of 23 outbreaks had been reported throughout all cruise traces and vessels of all sizes.
The newest to have impacted a Regent Seven Seas vessel was aboard Seven Seas Explorer on the finish of April and into mid-Might 2025, with 24 friends and crew members affected. No causative agent was ever decided in that outbreak.
The Seven Seas Explorer outbreak was the one incident famous aboard a Regent Seven Seas ship in 2025, however different traces impacted by outbreaks embrace Sea Cloud Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Holland America Line, Cunard, Movie star Cruises, and extra.
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