Last year, there were 16 outbreaks on cruise ships, from norovirus, salmonella, E. coli or other unidentified pathogens that cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting. That's the largest number of cruise ship outbreaks in 12 years.

What's sneaky, super contagious and bound to cause diarrhea and vomiting? If you answered "norovirus," you'd be correct. But what is it, and why is it so often associated with cruises?

A cruise passenger died following a norovirus outbreak on a US -bound ship that confined dozens of travellers to their cabins. Alan Forster, 77, from Paignton, died from suspected kidney failure last October after falling ill with norovirus during a cruise with his wife.

Norovirus, often coined the “cruise ship virus,” causes more than 90% of diarrheal disease outbreaks on cruise ships, according to the CDC. Still, norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships account for only a small percentage of all reported norovirus outbreaks.

Beth Knowles and her family left on a Caribbean cruise in late December, but they missed every port. They got too sick to disembark during a norovirus outbreak on board. Knowles got an email from Cunard Line one day before their Dec.

Alan Forster, a retired teacher from Paignton, England, fell sick with norovirus two weeks into the month-long voyage with his wife, and later died from suspected kidney failure, his family said. The outbreak aboard the Arcadia is part of a larger trend in rising norovirus cases on cruise ships.

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