Another Cruise Is Hit With A Sickness Outbreak—But It’s Not Hantavirus

BreakingBusinessAnother Cruise Is Hit With A Sickness Outbreak—But It’s Not HantavirusByMary Whitfill Roeloffs,Forbes Staff. Mary Roeloffs is a Forbes breaking news reporter covering pop culture.Follow AuthorMay 14, 2026, 09:05am EDTMay 14, 2026, 09:05am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.ToplineFrench authorities will allow a cruise ship with dozens of sick patients to continue its journey this week after initially locking down the boat in Bordeaux in efforts to contain a norovirus outbreak that has caused nearly 50 people to come down with the highly contagious stomach bug. Passengers aboard the cruise ship Ambition after they were confined following the outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness onboard, at the Bordeaux port in southwestern France on May 13, 2026.AFP via Getty ImagesKey FactsThe ship Ambition of the Ambassador Cruise Line, a British operator, was sailing from the UK to Spain and France when four dozen patients and a crew member started exhibiting symptoms of norovirus, a common gastrointestinal virus that causes vomiting, diarrhea, fever and body aches. The ship informed French health authorities of the situation before its scheduled stop in Bordeaux Tuesday, and officials ordered everyone to stay aboard the ship. The lockdown was lifted late Wednesday and those passengers without symptoms who wished to disembark were allowed to leave the ship, though how many actually did remains unclear. The ship, which has 1,701 people onboard, has also been authorized to continue its journey to Spain, though operators have not said when it will set sail. One person reportedly died this week aboard the Ambition—the ship with the norovirus outbreak—but the 92-year-old man died of a heart attack unrelated to the virus. French authorities have been clear there is no link between the norovirus outbreak on the Ambassador cruiseliner and the deadly hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch vesse...