90-Second Read: Demand for cruises appears undimmed despite Hantavirus and other onboard outbreaks

By DEE-ANN DURBIN and MAE ANDERSON Recent outbreaks of Hantavirus and norovirus on cruise ships are making headlines, but they're unlikely to dim the growing popularity of vacation cruises, according to industry representatives and travel experts. Fellow passengers have not mentioned the Hantavirus outbreak, he said. Coggins said he thinks the Hantavirus story got a lot of attention because it reminded people of the Diamond Princess, which was quarantined off Japan for two weeks in early 2020 after the coronavirus that grew into a global pandemic was detected on board.

In mid-April, an annual forecast by the Cruise Lines International Association, an industry trade group, estimated that 38.3 million people would travel on ocean-going ships this year, 4% more from a record 37.2 million passengers last year. Levinstein said that norovirus, an extremely contagious stomach bug that thrives in crowded environments, is conflated with cruises in the minds of many Americans because the U.S. Centers for Disease Control requires ships to disclose when 3% or more passengers report symptoms. During a conference call Thursday with investors, Switzerland-based cruise line Viking said demand for its river cruises softened briefly during the first three months of this year after the Iran war began but then quickly rebounded.

Viking said 92% of its 2026 cruises and 38% of its 2027 cruises were booked. Cruises didn't see an upswing in passengers again until 2022, Coggins said. Several big cruise companies didn't respond to questions from The Associated Press about customer demand, including Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival.