French health officials have quarantined more than 1,700 passengers and crew members aboard a British cruise ship docked in Bordeaux after dozens fell ill with stomach-related symptoms.
Regional authorities banned anyone from leaving the vessel Ambition after nearly 50 passengers developed signs of acute digestive illness, according to a Wednesday announcement from French officials.
The cruise ship, operated by Ambassador Cruise Line, had arrived at the French port Tuesday night during what was supposed to be a two-week voyage that began in Belfast and Liverpool, with planned stops along Spain’s northern coast and France’s Atlantic shoreline.
Étienne Guyot, the regional prefect for Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Gironde, halted all passenger departures and limited the ship’s contact with Bordeaux port facilities following guidance from local health authorities.
The ship’s captain notified French officials Tuesday evening after passengers began showing symptoms, prompting immediate action from health agencies.
Medical personnel aboard the vessel have been treating the sick passengers, who have been quarantined in their individual rooms while awaiting further evaluation.
A specialized medical team was sent to examine the situation, and biological samples have been sent to a Bordeaux medical facility for testing to determine the exact cause of the illness.
French authorities emphasized that this incident has no connection to a recent deadly hantavirus outbreak on a different cruise ship.
“There is no reason to establish a link between this outbreak aboard a cruise ship from Belfast and Liverpool and the hantavirus cases detected aboard the MV Hondius,” officials stated in their announcement.
The hantavirus situation on the Hondius vessel last month resulted in an international health response, with affected passengers requiring hospitalization across multiple countries including Britain, France, Spain and the United States. That outbreak claimed three lives and produced nine confirmed infections, with two additional suspected cases.
Ambassador Cruise Line reported Wednesday that a 92-year-old male passenger had passed away Sunday, though he had not shown any symptoms related to the current illness outbreak. A coroner has yet to determine his official cause of death.
As of Wednesday morning, the cruise company confirmed that 48 passengers and one crew member were experiencing gastrointestinal problems.
The company’s records indicate the cases began appearing after passengers boarded the ship in Liverpool on May 9. All planned shore activities in Bordeaux have been cancelled, with full refunds being provided to affected travelers.
This outbreak adds to a concerning trend, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented 23 gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships visiting American ports in 2025 alone – the highest yearly count in over ten years. The majority of these cases have been attributed to norovirus, including a new variant responsible for the recent increase.
Ambassador Cruise Line, a British company that launched in 2021 and caters primarily to passengers over age 50, said it expects to provide additional updates once laboratory analysis results become available later Wednesday.
