The cruise industry continues to balloon — with ever bigger, ever wilder boats and some 37.1 million cruise passengers set to take to the waters in 2025, according to industry body Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

A virus known as the stomach bug that has surged across parts of the country is the cause of nearly all diarrhea outbreaks reported on cruise ships that docked at U.S. ports in 2024, federal data shows.

It seems illnesses on cruise ships hit a 12-year high in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The recently released CDC data reveals that most

(CNN) - Illnesses on cruise ships have hit a 12-year high. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show there were outbreaks on 16 different cruise ships in 2024. The majority of the illnesses were norovirus cases. More than 2,000 passengers and crew were impacted.

In December alone, the CDC reported five separate outbreaks on four different ships -- sickening more than 800 people. All of the outbreaks were caused by the highly contagious norovirus.