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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its annual Vessel Sanitation Program list, as a way of helping “the cruise industry prevent and control public health issues.”
The list, complete with inspection marks and reviews, assigns ships scores out of 100, where anything below 85 is considered “not satisfactory.”
Pools, hot tubs, and play areas were inspected, along with ships’ handwashing stations and food storage conditions.
According to the 2024 report, the average score out of 151 inspections was 95.9, with 23 of those ships inspected for a second time.
The nine dirtiest ships received scores between 86 and 89.
However, one ship received an alarmingly low score of 62 before it was reviewed a second time the following month and given an 89.
The nine vessels that failed to break the 90 mark from the CDC are:
— Hanseatic Inspiration (Hapag-Lloyd Cruises): 89. Inspected Oct. 28, after receiving a 62 on Sept. 29.
— Carnival Elation (Carnival Cruise Line): 89. Inspected March 14.
— Adventure of the Seas (Royal Caribbean International): 89. Inspected Jan. 23.
— National Geographic Sea Bird (Lindblad Expeditions): 88. Inspected July 25.
— Carnival Miracle (Carnival Cruise Line): 88. Inspected April 21.
— MSC Magnifica (MSC Cruises): 86. Inspected May 17.
— Evrima (Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection): 86. Inspected Feb. 9.
— Carnival Breeze (Carnival Cruise Line): 86. Inspected March 21.
— Caribbean Princess (Princess Cruises): 86. Inspected March 20.
The cruise line said: “We have been consistently meeting strict hygiene requirements worldwide for many years with exemplary results.”
The ship’s “operational aspects” were addressed to meet the standards, prompting the increase in score in a follow-up inspection.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for MSC Cruises previously told Business Insider it had implemented an “improvement plan” on MSC Magnifica, as per the CDC inspector’s suggestions.
Many of the changes were immediate and only needed “minor” tweaks, it said, but the cruise line noted Magnifica’s score “is not a true reflection of the ship as it is today” and would “welcome any future inspection.”
MSC noted many of its ships often achieve scores above 90, including the MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seashore, which both received perfect marks in 2024.