Norovirus Sickens 102 Passengers, 13 Crew on Caribbean Princess Cruise

More than 100 people fell ill from a norovirus outbreak on the Caribbean Princess cruise ship, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report showed Thursday.

The report said 102 of 3,116 passengers, or 3.3 percent, and 13 of 1,131 crew members, or 1.2 percent, reported symptoms including diarrhea and vomiting. The outbreak was reported to the CDC on May 7. The voyage ran from April 28 to May 11.

Princess Cruises acknowledged that a limited number of individuals reported mild gastrointestinal illness during the voyage. "Princess Cruises can confirm that a limited number of individuals reported mild gastrointestinal illness during the April 28 Caribbean Princess voyage from Port Everglades," the company's statement said.

"We quickly disinfected every area of the ship and added extra sanitizing throughout the voyage. Upon arrival to Port Canaveral on May 11, Caribbean Princess will undergo comprehensive cleaning and disinfection before departing for her next voyage," the statement added.

To curb the virus, Princess Cruises told the CDC it ramped up cleaning and disinfection under its outbreak response plan, collected stool samples for testing, isolated sick passengers and crew, and consulted the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program on sanitation and reporting.

The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program is conducting a field response with an environmental assessment and outbreak investigation to help control the illness.

This marks the 21st cruise ship norovirus outbreak reported to the CDC this year.

Stewart Chiron, a Miami-based cruise expert known as "The Cruise Guy," told Fox News Digital that norovirus is common in the U.S., with millions of cases yearly, and cruise-related cases represent a small share. Outbreaks often start when infected passengers board and spread it unknowingly, he said. Cruise lines follow strict sanitation rules and isolate the sick quickly. The Caribbean Princess cases topped the CDC’s 3 percent threshold for an outbreak.