Cleanliness on a cruise is one of those things that sounds boring, but it’s actually very important.
Thousands of people sleep, eat, and have fun on cruise ships every week, so it’s crucial to maintain very high standards of cleanliness.
Not only for appearance, but also to prevent possible contamination and the spread of disease.
For this reason, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) periodically inspects ships to assess their condition.
After the inspections, the United States’ National Public Health Agency gives a score to each ship.
- A score of 86 or higher is considered satisfactory.
- A score below 86 is considered a fail.
Cruise Ship Inspections
According to the CDC, cruise ships under the US jurisdiction are inspected twice a year.
However, if a ship sails outside the United States for an extended period, the inspection may not be conducted.
The ship will then be inspected again upon her return to the US.
An interesting thing to know is that the procedures are very meticulous and can take up to 8 hours.
Depending on the ship’s size, multiple inspectors may also be assigned to check all areas of the ship, both those dedicated to passengers and those dedicated to staff.
What is being checked?
Inspectors check many different things, which include:
Potable water: checking the safety of the source, the microbiological standards, the water production, the potable water systems and tanks, the pipes, hoses, and the handling of potable water.
Recreational water facilities: checking the pools and the whirlpools, their filtration systems, and the showers and toilet facilities.
Food safety: food safety management, employee cleanliness, hygienic practices, and all the food storage, preparation, and handling procedures.
Pest management: plan, development, and use of pesticides and pest control measures.
Child activity centers: inspecting all child-related facilities, diaper-changing stations, child-sized toilets, cleaning, and disinfection.
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning: checking condensate pans, draining, and maintenance.
Housekeeping: disinfection and cleaning of public areas and cabins.
These are just some of the areas considered.
The operations manuals are much more detailed and include many additional items that are monitored and checked.
The updated scores
Let’s now look at the ships that scored higher and thus are cleaner, and the ships that scored lower and thus are the least clean.
For convenience, we’ll see them by cruise line. Once again, ships that travel outside the United States might be inspected less frequently, so not all scores are always up to date
Celebrity Cruises
- Celebrity Apex: 100
- Celebrity Silhouette: 100
- Celebrity Solstice: 100
- Celebrity Ascent: 98
- Celebrity Beyond: 98
- Celebrity Summit: 97
- Celebrity Constellation: 96
- Celebrity Eclipse: 96
- Celebrity Edge: 95
- Celebrity Reflection: 95
- Celebrity Equinox: 92
- Celebrity Infinity: Not Available
- Celebrity Millennium: Not Available
Norwegian Cruise Line
- Norwegian Breakaway: 100
- Norwegian Encore: 100
- Norwegian Star: 100
- Norwegian Gem: 99
- Norwegian Jade: 99
- Norwegian Jewel: 99
- Norwegian Joy: 99
- Norwegian Escape: 98
- Norwegian Getaway: 98
- Norwegian Pearl: 98
- Norwegian Prima: 97
- Norwegian Sky: 97
- Norwegian Viva: 97
- Norwegian Sun: 95
- Norwegian Bliss: 93
- Norwegian Epic: 89
- Norwegian Dawn: Not Available
- Norwegian Spirit: Not Available
MSC Cruises
- MSC Divina: 99
- MSC Seashore: 97
- MSC Seascape: 96
- MSC Meraviglia: 94
- MSC Seaside: 89
- MSC Magnifica: 86
- MSC Armonia: Not Available
- MSC Lirica: Not Available
- MSC Orchestra: Not Available
- MSC Poesia: Not Available
Carnival
- Carnival Luminosa: 100
- Carnival Celebration: 99
- Carnival Conquest: 99
- Carnival Spirit: 99
- Carnival Freedom: 98
- Carnival Horizon: 98
- Carnival Glory: 97
- Carnival Magic: 97
- Carnival Elation: 96
- Carnival Miracle: 96
- Carnival Radiance: 96
- Carnival Sunrise: 96
- Carnival Vista: 96
- Carnival Venezia: 95
- Carnival Liberty: 94
- Carnival Paradise: 94
- Carnival Sunshine: 94
- Carnival Legend: 92
- Carnival Mardi Gras: 92
- Carnival Panorama: 92
- Carnival Valor: 92
- Carnival Breeze: 91
- Carnival Dream: 89
- Carnival Pride: 86
- Carnival Splendor: Not Available
Royal Caribbean
- Adventure of the Seas: 100
- Icon of the Seas: 100
- Jewel of the Seas: 100
- Ovation of the Seas: 100
- Anthem of the Seas: 99
- Radiance of the Seas: 99
- Rhapsody of the Seas: 99
- Voyager of the Seas: 99
- Freedom of the Seas: 98
- Quantum of the Seas: 98
- Wonder Of The Seas: 98
- Allure of the Seas: 97
- Explorer of the Seas: 97
- Grandeur of the Seas: 97
- Independence of the Seas: 97
- Symphony of the Seas: 97
- Brilliance of the Seas: 96
- Harmony of the Seas: 96
- Serenade of the Seas: 96
- Enchantment of the Seas: 95
- Navigator of the Seas: 95
- Oasis of the Seas: 95
- Odyssey of the Seas: 95
- Vision of the Seas: 95
- Mariner of the Seas: 93
- Liberty of the Seas: 89
The cleanest and dirtiest cruise ships
As you can see, all cruise ships exceed the minimum threshold of 86 points.
Only one ship failed after an inspection in 2023, and it was MSC Seaside.
However, the ship scored 96 points following a reinspection conducted a few months later.
Based on these results, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises stand out with the highest overall scores.
They have multiple ships scoring 100, and many others above 90.
On the other hand, MSC Cruises and Carnival Cruise Lines have some of the lowest-scoring ships, with both MSC Magnifica and Carnival Pride scoring 86.
The ships with the worst scores are:
- MSC Magnifica: 86
- Carnival Pride : 86
- Norwegian Epic: 89
- MSC Seaside: 89
- Liberty of the Seas: 89
I also want to remind you that some things are always very dirty in a cruise cabin.
We talked about them in the article about the 10 things you must do as soon as you enter the cabin.
Lowest scores ever
Over the years, only a few cruise ships have received very low scores from the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP).
One of the lowest-ever recorded scores was MSC Seaside, which scored 67 during an inspection on April 27, 2023.
At that time, 105 violations were found, including toilets and handwashing stations lacking soap.
Counters were covered in old food residue, and plates, cups, pots, pans, serving containers, and other utensils were coated with crusted or wet food debris.
Another shockingly low score came from Hanseatic Inspiration (Hapag-Lloyd Cruises), which received a 62 on September 29, 2024, tying it for the sixth-lowest score in VSP history.
Similarly, Stad Amsterdam (Rederij Clipper Stad Amsterdam) received a 62, making it one of the worst-rated ships for hygiene.
As you’ve seen from all the scores of the major cruise lines, failing scores are extremely rare, as most cruise ships consistently score above 90.
After a low score, ships must take corrective action to address violations, and the score usually increases significantly at the next inspection.
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