France bars 1,700 cruise passengers after illness outbreak
French authorities confined over 1,700 passengers and crew aboard the MS Ambition in Bordeaux after roughly 50 people developed gastrointestinal illness during the cruise. Medical teams are investigating the outbreak while the ship remains
BORDEAUX — 14 May 2026, French authorities barred more than 1,700 passengers and crew aboard the British cruise ship MS Ambition from disembarking after around 50 people fell ill in an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness, officials said.
Authorities said there was no indication the outbreak was linked to the recent hantavirus cases reported aboard the Dutch-operated cruise ship MV Hondius.
The MS Ambition, operated by Ambassador Cruise Line, was on a 14-night voyage departing from Belfast and Liverpool, with scheduled stops in northern Spain and along France's Atlantic coast.
The vessel arrived in Bordeaux on the evening of 13 May.
Étienne Guyot, prefect of the Gironde department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, ordered passengers and crew to remain on board and restricted contact between the ship and Bordeaux port authorities following recommendations from regional health officials.
Authorities said about 50 passengers showed symptoms consistent with acute gastrointestinal infection after the ship's captain alerted French officials. Sick passengers were initially treated by onboard doctors and isolated in their cabins.
Medical teams supervised by France's maritime medical coordination centre were later deployed to the ship, while infectious disease specialists at Bordeaux University Hospital began analysing patient samples to identify the pathogen, assess transmission risks and determine additional health measures.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 16 gastrointestinal outbreaks were reported on cruise ships in 2024, the highest annual total in more than a decade. Most were linked to norovirus, including a recently identified strain believed to spread more easily.
