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Passenger and crew emergencies

Illness outbreak Americas Panama · 1 January 2026

ms Rotterdam Norovirus Outbreak Affects 81 Passengers and 8 Crew – 1 January 2026

Date
Location
Panama
Incident type
Illness outbreak
Published

What happened

ms Rotterdam norovirus outbreak affected 81 passengers and 8 crew during a Panama Canal voyage reported in January 2026.

The Holland America Line ship was operating voyage RN251228, a 12-day Panama Canal Holiday, Costa Rica and Greater Antilles cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The itinerary ran from 28 December 2025, to 9 January 2026, with calls in the Bahamas, Curaçao, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Jamaica.

According to the available CDC report, 81 of the 2,593 passengers and 8 of the 1,005 crew members became ill. The predominant symptoms were reported as vomiting and diarrhea.

The outbreak was recorded during the voyage and is classified as a gastrointestinal illness incident. The available report does not identify any deaths or provide further information about the condition of those affected.

This log records the reported outbreak figures for the voyage: 81 affected passengers and 8 affected crew members.

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