The CDC recently released a list of the 10 dirtiest cruise ships after conducting health inspections on 114 vessels. Have you been onboard any of these?
As part of its updated Vessel Sanitation Program, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention evaluated cruise ships on a scale from 0 to 100 based on cleanliness, with ten ships scoring below 89. According to CDC guidelines, a score of 86 or higher is considered “satisfactory,” while anything below that is deemed unsatisfactory.
The ship that fared the worst in this year’s inspections was the Hanseatic Inspiration, operated by Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, which received a score of just 62. Coming in second is the Bahama Mama, operated by Balearia Caribbean, with a score of 69. The Safari Endeavour, managed by Un-Cruise Adventures, was ranked third with a score of 79.
The remaining seven ships on the CDC’s dirtiest list scored above the “satisfactory” threshold but still performed poorly. These include AIDAaura, Caribbean Princess, Carnival Breeze, Evrima, Kydon, MSC Magnifica, and the National Geographic Sea Lion.
While the scores highlight some of the issues, the report detailed shocking violations on these ships, such as dirty beer taps, live or dead insects found in kitchens and pool bars, a rotting bird covered in maggots on a barbeque grill, missing records for hair filter disinfection in pools, and food not being stored or cooled properly. Following the report, several cruise operators expressed intentions to investigate these lapses.
It’s worth noting that the report also identified over 20 cruise ships that scored a perfect 100: Carnival Spirit, Zuiderdam, Viking Orion, Seabourn Odyssey, Norwegian Jewel, Oceania Regatta, Radiance of the Seas, MSC Meraviglia, Norwegian Bliss, MSC Seashore, Norwegian Sky, Brilliance of the Seas, Viking Polaris, Celebrity Equinox, Norwegian Escape, Explora I, Disney Fantasy, Celebrity Ascent, Viking Sky, Celebrity Beyond, Voyager of the Seas, and Carnival Panorama.
The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program inspects cruise operations annually to ensure they uphold sanitation standards, preventing and controlling the spread of gastrointestinal diseases that can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever.
