More than 1,700 passengers and crew members aboard the Ambition, a British cruise ship operated by Ambassador Cruise Line, were ordered to remain on the vessel after French health authorities detected a gastrointestinal illness outbreak. The ship had been midway through a 14-night voyage originating from Belfast and Liverpool when it arrived in Bordeaux on Tuesday evening. Regional authorities, acting on recommendations from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine health agency, suspended disembarkation and restricted the vessel’s port interactions.
Up to 50 passengers exhibited symptoms consistent with acute digestive infection, prompting the ship’s captain to alert French authorities. Those showing illness were isolated in their cabins and received treatment from the ship’s medical staff. A medical team was dispatched to conduct an investigation, with samples being analyzed at a Bordeaux hospital to determine the cause. All shore excursions scheduled in Bordeaux were canceled, and affected passengers were offered full refunds.
French health officials explicitly stated there was no connection between the Ambition outbreak and a separate hantavirus outbreak aboard another vessel, the MV Hondius, which had prompted a multicountry response last month. The hantavirus cases resulted in three confirmed deaths and nine confirmed cases, with two additional suspected cases across multiple countries.
Ambassador Cruise Line reported that cases began appearing after passengers boarded in Liverpool on May 9. The company also disclosed that a 92-year-old male passenger died on Sunday, though he had not displayed symptoms consistent with the gastrointestinal illness, and the cause of death remained under coroner investigation. As of late Wednesday morning, 48 passengers and one crew member were displaying symptoms. Ambassador Cruise Line, a British operator focusing on passengers over 50, was established in 2021.
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