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?

Last year was the cruise industry's worst in more than a decade for outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on ships in the U.S., according to the CDC. December was a particularly bad month.

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.

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.

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.

Passenger dies after norovirus outbreak on P&O cruiseVarious

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