MIAMI — The Royal Caribbean cruise ship Serenade of the Seas docked at PortMiami early Thursday morning after a norovirus outbreak.
Nearly 100 passengers aboard the 13-day cruise that sailed out of San Diego fell ill with the stomach virus.
WATCH BELOW: Nearly 100 passengers sickened by norovirus on cruise
The Centers for Disease Control said illnesses like this on cruise ships are happening more often.
The NBC affiliate in Miami reported that passengers said they were asked to disembark early so that the crew could begin a full sanitation and sterilization of the ship.
The ship was scheduled to depart on Thursday at 4 p.m. for Panama on a three-night cruise.
"If somebody has a highly contagious virus, it's much easier for it to spread," said Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease professor at Florida International University. "It's the kind of situation that makes managing contagious diseases very challenging."
While there are no travel restrictions for anyone feeling symptoms, CDC experts advise anyone who is feeling symptoms to self-quarantine.
By doing this, not only are you sparing yourself the miserable experience of traveling while sick, you're also sparing your fellow travelers.
