The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) helps cruise lines and passengers maintain a healthy environment onboard cruise ships. The agency conducts surprise inspections on ships sailing in U.S. waters to ensure that all sanitation and disease prevention standards are being met. Following each inspection, it produces a graded report that tracks the ship’s compliance with the standards. These inspections are conducted in U.S. ports and take approximately 6-8 hours to complete. Ships are inspected twice a year if they sail year-round in U.S. ports. Otherwise, they are inspected upon returning to U.S. waters after an extended deployment outside the United States. A score below 85 is not acceptable and will automatically trigger a follow-up inspection.
The 8 Things the CDC Inspects on Cruise Ships
Drinking Water
Inspectors check that water quality documentation shows required levels of quality since the last inspection. They inspect the facilities and take a sample to test the water quality (chlorine level and pH).
Galleys and Dining Rooms
Galleys are inspected to ensure that food preparation, storage, and service meet safety standards and that equipment is in good condition. They also check that staff are following proper personal hygiene and food preparation practices.
Maintenance
Inspectors review the maintenance plan and the contingency plan for communicable disease outbreaks with management and maintenance staff to ensure that good practices for maintaining public areas are followed and adjusted in the event of an outbreak.
Air Conditioning and Heating Systems
Inspects air conditioning and heating systems to ensure they are clean and that water is not pooling in the systems, which could cause health issues.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Verifies that documentation complies with pool and hot tub maintenance standards and meets with staff to ensure they are aware of the standards in the event of an incident. Samples are taken to check chlorine levels and pH.
Pests and Insects
Ensures that the person responsible for pest control on board the vessel is familiar with the best practices outlined by the CDC.
Children’s Activity Center
Ensures that all aspects of the cleanliness of the facilities and toys are up to standard and that staff regularly clean toys and are aware of and follow the rules if symptoms are observed in children.
Medical Center
The medical center is inspected to ensure that the team is properly documenting cases of people who have presented with symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting and that protocols for managing passengers or staff with such symptoms are followed. The medical center must also have sufficient equipment to collect samples and send them for analysis.
Perfect Score on CDC Ship Inspections
In 2024, 30 ships received a perfect score of 100 on their inspection:
- Carnival Magic, Carnival Spirit
- Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Ascent, Celebrity Equinox
- Disney Fantasy, Disney Wish
- Holland America Zuiderdam
- Explora Journey’s Explora I
- MSC Meraviglia, MSC Seashore
- Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Sky
- Oceania Regatta
- Regent Seven Seas Grandeur
- Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas
- Seabourn Odyssey
- Viking Polaris, Viking Orion
- Windstar Star Pride
Average Scores of Cruise Lines on CDC Inspections
It is interesting to take a look at the average scores of the different cruise lines to get a picture of each cruise line’s efficiency. Of course, some of them don’t have many ships and have only had one inspection while others with a larger fleet have had many ships inspected. Most of the major lines do well in the rankings. It is surprising to see that some of the ultra-luxury lines are at the bottom of the rankings.
| Company | Score | Number of Inspections |
|---|---|---|
| Windstar Cruises | 100 | 1 |
| Oceania Cruises | 99 | 3 |
| Seabourn Cruise Line | 99 | 2 |
| Azamara Cruises | 99 | 1 |
| Norwegian Cruise Lines | 98 | 20 |
| Celebrity Cruises | 98 | 10 |
| Holland America Line | 98 | 10 |
| Disney Cruise Lines | 98 | 7 |
| Silversea | 98 | 4 |
| Viking | 98 | 4 |
| TUI Cruises | 98 | 1 |
| Royal Caribbean International | 97 | 29 |
| MSC Cruise | 97 | 5 |
| Regent Seven Seas | 97 | 3 |
| Carnival Cruise Lines | 95 | 28 |
| Virgin Voyages | 95 | 2 |
| P&O Cruises | 95 | 1 |
| Princess Cruises | 94 | 16 |
| Margaritaville at Sea | 91 | 3 |
| Cunard Line | 91 | 2 |
| Hurtigruten Expedition Cruises | 91 | 1 |
| Crystal Cruises | 90 | 2 |
| Lindblad Expeditions | 88 | 1 |
| Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection | 86 | 1 |
| Hapag-Lloyd Cruises | 76 | 2 |
Score Improvements
It is obvious that these inspections are useful to ensure the passenger safety. Companies must produce a plan to address problems raised during inspections. Thus, ships that had received a lower score appear to have improved their practices. The Carnival Breeze increased its score from 86 to 95 during its second inspection, while the Carnival Valor went from 90 to 97. The Hanseatic Inspiration went from 62 to 89. The Margaritaville at sea from 83 to 92.
The CDC publish the result of the ships inspections on their website. You can see which are the cleanest and the dirtiest cruise ships based on their inspection.
