French authorities have lifted a temporary disembarkation ban for non-symptomatic passengers and crew on Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition after tests confirmed a norovirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship in Bordeaux, according to the Gironde prefecture and ARS Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
The Gironde prefect, Étienne Guyot, had earlier suspended disembarkation and restricted the ship’s contact with the port after gastrointestinal illness was reported overnight.
Authorities said about 50 passengers had symptoms consistent with acute digestive infection. Sick passengers were treated by the ship’s doctor and isolated in their cabins, while a medical team went aboard and samples were analysed at Bordeaux University Hospital.
A later official update confirmed viral gastroenteritis caused by norovirus, with transmission between people or through the shipboard environment. No serious case had been reported. Isolation instructions for sick passengers remain in force, alongside reinforced hygiene measures including enhanced surface cleaning. The easing applies only to people without symptoms, who were reminded to wash their hands regularly.
Ambition was on a 14-night cruise from Belfast and Liverpool to ports in northern Spain and along France’s Atlantic coast.
Ambassador Cruise Line said 48 passengers and one crew member had gastrointestinal symptoms as of late Wednesday morning. The operator also said a 92-year-old British male passenger had died earlier in the voyage. He had not reported symptoms consistent with the gastrointestinal illness, and the cause of death had not been established.
French authorities said there was no reason to link the Ambition outbreak with hantavirus cases detected on the MV Hondius.
Ambassador Cruise Line will decide whether the cruise continues based on medical information from French authorities.
Ambassador Cruise Line is a British cruise operator based in Purfleet, Essex, focused on no-fly sailings from regional UK ports.
Ambition is a Bahamas-flagged cruise ship that entered Ambassador Cruise Line service in May 2023. The 1999-built vessel has capacity for up to 1,200 guests in 680 cabins across 10 guest decks and is classed by Lloyd’s Register.
