Ruby Princess Returns to San Francisco After Norovirus Outbreak
Onboard measures included crew service in buffet areas, more cleaning of frequently touched surfaces and stateroom deep-cleaning windows on June 16 and June 17.
Ruby Princess was back in San Francisco on July 2 after completing a 20-night roundtrip Alaska and British Columbia cruise that took Princess Cruises guests to 12 ports and scenic cruising areas from California. The sailing was among the line’s longest regional itineraries, combining familiar Alaska calls with Valdez and Wrangell, two ports less frequently used by large ships.
Debarkation was not delayed, even after a norovirus outbreak involving 102 guests and 23 crew was reported to the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program. Ruby Princess is now moving back into 10-night Inside Passage cruises from its year-round San Francisco homeport.
The completed itinerary called at Valdez, Wrangell, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Seward and Sitka, with a short visit to Prince Rupert in British Columbia before the ship returned to California. Scenic cruising included Endicott Arm Fjord, Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay National Park.
Built by Fincantieri in 2008 and refurbished in 2023, Ruby Princess is a 113,561-gross-ton ship with a published passenger capacity of roughly 3,100. The 20-night voyage carried 3,032 guests and 1,144 crew.
Norovirus response during the voyage
Illness reports represented 3.4% of passengers and 2% of crew. The cumulative guest total exceeded the CDC’s 3% reporting threshold for gastrointestinal illness, and the program’s rules applied because the itinerary included a Canadian call and returned to a U.S. port.
Samples collected onboard confirmed norovirus. Symptomatic guests and crew were isolated as appropriate, while sanitation measures included more cleaning in public areas, attention to frequently touched surfaces, crew service in buffet areas and assigned stateroom deep-cleaning windows on June 16 and June 17. Morning stateroom service was suspended on those two days, while evening turndown continued.
The outbreak was the third confirmed norovirus event on a Princess Cruises ship in 2026, following Star Princess in March and Caribbean Princess in May, with 193 and 160 reported cases, respectively. The outbreaks on the different ships were not related.
San Francisco deployment continues through winter
The 10-night Inside Passage sailings call at Haines, Sitka, Ketchikan, Prince Rupert, Skagway and Juneau. The operation uses San Francisco’s James R. Herman Cruise Terminal at Pier 27, the city’s main cruise embarkation and debarkation facility on the Embarcadero.
In September 2026, the ship begins its winter program with California coast, Hawaii and Mexican Riviera itineraries. Princess Cruises’ seven-night “Classic California Coast” sailing visits Los Angeles, San Diego, Ensenada and Catalina Island, while 16-night Hawaii cruises and 10-night Mexico itineraries are part of the 2026-27 schedule.
The Mexico program includes Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and Manzanillo. Early in 2027, Ruby Princess is scheduled for Pacific Northwest cruises before returning to Alaska and British Columbia for the summer.
