Key Aspects:
- Recent and current guests on Norwegian Encore are being alerted to two recent cases of Legionnaires’ disease.
- The illness was diagnosed from two guests who sailed in December 2025, but the exact sailing date has not been disclosed.
- All testing onboard Norwegian Encore has been negative and the CDC is monitoring ongoing precautionary testing.
Norwegian Cruise Line is alerting guests who have sailed aboard Norwegian Encore recently or who are currently onboard the ship about the potential for exposure to Legionnaires’ disease from a sailing in December 2025.
The cruise line is investigating the incident, which involves two passengers who were aboard Norwegian Encore at that time but were later diagnosed.
“In response to these cases, and as part of our routine health and safety measures, we are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and conducting Legionella testing onboard to support their standard investigation procedures,” the email read.
This includes testing different water sources onboard Norwegian Encore, as the disease can be harbored by stagnant water. Hot tubs, showers, and faucets are all being tested aboard the ship, but thus far all results have been negative for the Legionella bacteria. Testing is ongoing and being monitored by the CDC.
“At this time, it is not known whether the two past guests diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease were exposed through the ship’s water system or another source,” the notification clarified.
According to the CDC, Legionnaires’ disease is a severe type of pneumonia with symptoms such as coughing, fever, headaches, and muscle aches. Older individuals or those with chronic lung diseases or weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable.
Norwegian Cruise Line is urging any guests currently aboard or who have recently sailed on Norwegian Encore to seek medical attention and Legionella testing immediately if they develop symptoms.
NCL Legionella Letter
Norwegian Encore is homeported from Miami, offering 7-night Caribbean sailings with Saturday departures. The cruise line has not disclosed which sailing the two guests who developed the disease were on or even if they were on the same sailing.
Legionnaire’s disease has an incubation period of 2-14 days or longer. This means it is possible the two guests could have been infected either before or after their sailing(s).
The testing aboard Norwegian Encore is simply precautionary at this time to ensure there is no existing contamination. There have been no changes to the ship’s itineraries, and the 169,116-gross-ton, Breakaway Plus class ship has continued sailing without related delays or diversions.
Norwegian Encore can welcome 3,998 guests at double occupancy and is also home to 2,100 international crew members.
Past Cruise Ship Disease Disclosures
Contacting recent cruise guests when Legionnaires’ disease is detected is standard practice for cruise lines.
In January 2025, Cruise Hive reported that Royal Caribbean reached out to guests who had sailed aboard Symphony of the Seas with similar information and precautions, and again in May 2025 aboard the same ship.
This does not mean Symphony of the Seas was harboring the Legionella bacteria in any way, only that guests on two different sailings several months apart happened to be diagnosed with the disease.
The CDC confirms that Legionnaires’ disease is not spread from person-to-person the way gastrointestinal diseases such as norovirus are. Instead, the bacteria is spread through contaminated water droplets.
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Nevertheless, Norwegian Cruise Line is urging guests to be cautious, particularly if they may be at greater risk of infection. NCL also notes that guests who may be especially vulnerable might even want to consider rescheduling their cruise vacation to a later time or a different ship.
Guests are also urged to use distilled water rather than tap water if they have a medical therapy device with a humidifier, such as a CPAP machine, just out of an abundance of caution.
