The CDC reported a gastrointestinal (GI) illness outbreak on the National Geographic Sea Bird during its July 15–20 voyage. The outbreak sickened 8 out of 57 passengers and 5 out of 26 crew members.
This is the National Geographic Sea Bird‘s fourth CDC reported GI illness outbreak since May 2026. The ship has likely had GI illness cases in seven of its last eleven voyages.
We reported on the most recent outbreak on July 21 after a passenger contacted us and reported that several people were sick. The passenger told us they had to “insist” on completing a “visit form” and that several sick people did not fill out the form. Multiple other passengers have reached out and told us similar stories about difficulty obtaining and completing “CDC forms.”
The CDC lists a “Gastrointestinal Illness Surveillance System Questionnaire” form online alongside other cruise GI illness resources on its Public Health Resources page.
The ship’s medical staff does not necessarily need the form to track sick passengers, but the data points closely match those in the template log listed online. Cruise ships are required to maintain a log of sick passengers and crew on their voyages and share the data with the CDC.
The CDC officially reported the most recent outbreak on July 23 a full three days after the voyage ended. The CDC typically reports an outbreak on a ship within a day of the voyage ending. Why there was a delay is unclear.
A simple explanation is the ship’s medical team was overwhelmed and delayed reporting all the sick passengers to the CDC. Collecting a questionnaire form and filling out a log is low priority when multiple passengers are throwing up and bedbound. One passenger told us, “The poor ship doctor was scrambling to take care over everyone prior to disembarking.”
Lindblad Expeditions, the company that operates the National Geographic Sea Bird, has reportedly done little to warn passengers about the outbreaks on its ship. One passenger shared an email from Lindblad Expeditions with us.
The email, sent on July 14, did not mention that 29% of passengers were sick on the ship’s July 10–15 voyage, or any other outbreaks. It stated only that “Gastrointestinal illness has been heightened across Alaska’s travel season,” and the ship would continue enhanced cleaning. The email was sent the day before the passenger’s cruise.
A passenger on the ship’s May 31–June 5 voyage told us that several people were sick and that there were significant issues with the ship’s plumbing. The toilets stopped working on the first floor and the ship “made announcements for providing interim bathrooms,” according to a passenger. This means passengers potentially had to share bathrooms during a GI illness outbreak.
The National Geographic Sea Bird is an old ship. It was built in 1982 and Lindblad Expeditions plans to retire it from its fleet by the end of the year.
The CDC has the authority to stop the National Geographic Sea Bird from sailing by issuing a no-sail recommendation if it determines there are imminent public health risks. Why the CDC hasn’t exercised that authority is not clear.