Norovirus outbreaks affect at least 145 people on two cruise ships during voyages with stops in Juneau

At least 125 infected aboard Ruby Princess during June 12 to July 2 trip; 20 of 95 aboard National Geographic Sea Bird infected in second outbreak this year on that ship

The Ruby Princess in Ketchikan in 2019. (Wikimedia Commons photo by user Dpm12)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

Norovirus outbreaks aboard two cruise ships making stops in Juneau infected at least 145 people, according to separate reports this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A norovirus outbreak infected 125 of 4,176 people aboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship during a round-trip voyage between San Francisco and Alaska from June 12 to July 2 that included an overnight stop June 17 in Juneau, according to officials. The outbreak was reported to the CDC on June 28 and the agency’s report released Wednesday may not include additional people infected before the end of the journey on Thursday.

The other outbreak affected 20 of 95 people aboard Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Sea Bird, which departed Juneau on June 25 and reached Ketchikan on June 30. It is the second outbreak aboard that ship this season, after 12 people were infected during a voyage departing Juneau on May 26 and arriving in Sitka on May 31.

Officials in Juneau work with the Alaska Department of Health and other port communities to track outbreaks and respond accordingly, said Alexandra Pierce, tourism manager for the City and Borough of Juneau, in an interview Thursday.

"If it rises to the level of needing to put out a press release or something like that the appropriate community will do it," she said.

The National Geographic Sea Bird, for instance, is next scheduled to reach Juneau on Sunday, so local officials will monitor the situation aboard that ship under the state’s guidance to determine if a public notification is warranted, Pierce said.

The CDC’s reporting threshold for outbreaks is 3% of the people aboard, which in the case of the Sea Bird — a 152-foot-long ship with room for 62 guests and 30 crew members — "is not that many people," she said.

A CDC report released Tuesday for the most recent outbreak aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird states 19 of 68 passengers and one of 27 crew members were infected.

Lindblad Expeditions did not immediately respond to questions from the Juneau Independent on Thursday morning about the two outbreaks this season aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird.

The CDC report for the Ruby Princess states 102 of 3,032 passengers and 23 of 1,144 crew were infected. Norovirus is a gastrointestinal illness that is the most common virus reported on cruise ships, including 17 of the 23 outbreaks reported in 2025.

The Ruby Princess arrived in Juneau on the evening of June 17 and departed the next day, according to a notice posted at the time by Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska. Pierce said the unusual overnight stop was due to technical issues involving the vessel.

In response to the outbreaks, workers aboard the ship "increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to their outbreak prevention and response plan," according to each of the CDC reports. Also, workers isolated ill passengers and crew, consulted with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program about cleaning and reporting procedures, and took other measures.

"VSP is remotely monitoring the situation, including review of the ship's outbreak response and sanitation procedures," each report notes.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.