180 passengers on a Royal Caribbean cruise developed gastrointestinal illness

An outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship caused 180 passengers and three crew members to develop unpleasant symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal cramps, according to health authorities.

According to the CDC, nearly 9% of the 2,172 passengers aboard the Radiance of the Seas ship reported contracting the unknown illness while traveling to Alaska between Sept. 20 and Sept. 27.

In addition to the 180 vacationers, three of the 894 crew members also reported being ill.

According to the CDC, the infected passengers and crew members suffered from diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headaches and muscle aches.

Crew members made passengers aware of the outbreak and made announcements on the ship encouraging good hand hygiene and asking anyone who became ill to report the outbreak to them. They also increased disinfection and cleaning measures to contain the outbreak.

“The health and safety of our guests, our crew and the communities we visit are our top priority,” a Royal Caribbean spokesperson told USA Today in a statement. “To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety on board our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which go well beyond public health guidelines.”

Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Stool samples were taken from the sick for testing purposes, but the cause of the outbreak was not known, the health authority said.

The outbreak at Royal Caribbean was the 10th outbreak on cruise ships that docked at a U.S. port this year, according to the CDC. Norovirus was responsible for most of the outbreaks, with E. coli being the cause in one of them.