Norwegian Prima Hot Tubs Closed After Three Former Passengers Diagnosed With Legionnaires’ Disease
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Time to read 4 min
Norwegian Prima departing Port Canaveral on 6 September 2026. Photo: Jack Adamenko / Wikimedia Commons (CC0).
Norwegian Cruise Line has temporarily closed hot tubs and heated whirlpools aboard Norwegian Prima while an investigation continues into three cases of Legionnaires’ disease involving former passengers.
The three guests sailed aboard Norwegian Prima during May and July 2026 and were subsequently diagnosed with the bacterial illness.
Importantly, there is currently no evidence confirming that the passengers contracted Legionnaires’ disease aboard the ship.
Norwegian Cruise Line is working with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate the cases, while additional testing is being carried out aboard Norwegian Prima.
Hot tubs closed as a precaution
As part of the investigation, Norwegian Cruise Line has tested a range of water-related equipment and fixtures aboard the ship, including hot tubs, showers and faucets.
According to the cruise line, all test results received so far have been negative for Legionella, with further testing continuing.
Despite those negative results, public hot tubs and heated whirlpools on private balconies have been temporarily closed as a precaution.
NCL says the facilities will remain closed until sampling has been completed and any necessary remediation has been carried out in accordance with CDC guidelines.
The cruise line has also increased sanitation measures while the investigation continues.
In a statement provided to US media, Norwegian Cruise Line confirmed it was working closely with the CDC and stressed that it had not been established whether exposure occurred aboard the ship or elsewhere.
Hot tubs can be a focus of Legionella investigations because the bacteria can be transmitted through contaminated water mist. File photo: Grandmaster Huon / Wikimedia Commons (CC0).
What is Legionnaires’ disease?
Legionnaires’ disease is a serious form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria.
Unlike viruses commonly associated with cruise-ship illness, Legionnaires’ disease isn't generally spread from person to person.
People can become infected by breathing in tiny droplets of water containing the bacteria. Hot tubs can be a particular area of concern because their warm water can support bacterial growth and their jets can create the fine mist through which Legionella may be inhaled.
Symptoms can include coughing, fever, shortness of breath, headaches and muscle aches and generally develop between two and 14 days after exposure, although they can sometimes take longer to appear.
This delayed onset is one of the reasons travel-associated cases can be difficult to trace. Cruise passengers may have encountered numerous water systems during a holiday, including aboard the ship, at hotels and while visiting destinations ashore.
Why are cruise ship hot tubs being investigated?
The precaution isn't without precedent.
In 2024, the CDC published the findings of investigations into 12 cases of Legionnaires’ disease associated with two cruise ships between November 2022 and July 2024.
In those investigations, epidemiological, environmental and laboratory evidence pointed to private balcony hot tubs as the likely source of exposure.
Legionella was eventually detected in several of the private hot tubs, leading to changes in how the equipment was operated and maintained.
That investigation does not mean the hot tubs aboard Norwegian Prima are responsible for the latest cases.
In fact, the testing reported aboard Norwegian Prima so far has produced the opposite result: no Legionella has been detected in the samples reported to date.
Closing the hot tubs while additional testing is completed is therefore a precautionary measure while investigators try to determine whether the three cases have any connection to the ship.
Norwegian Prima scored highly in recent sanitation inspection
There's another piece of context worth noting.
Norwegian Prima received a score of 99 out of 100 during its CDC Vessel Sanitation Program inspection in June 2026, shortly before the current investigation became public.
That doesn't rule out a potential issue with a particular water source, but it does provide useful context when assessing the current situation.
For now, there has been no confirmation that the three passengers were exposed to Legionella aboard Norwegian Prima, and Norwegian Cruise Line and the CDC continue to investigate.
The hot tubs and heated whirlpools will remain closed while that process continues.
Hi, I'm Kate!
I'm the creator of Voyage Ready and a BAS Agent and bookkeeper from regional NSW who loves cruising and travelling with my family (and occasionally working from a cruise ship somewhere in the middle of the ocean). I particularly love longer cruises with plenty of sea days, exploring new places at our own pace and finding practical ways to make family travel more affordable and less complicated.
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