The Cleanest and Most Disgusting Cruise Ships of 2024: CDC’s Ratings Revealed

Cruise ships often resemble floating petri dishes, where germs have the potential to spread rapidly due to the combination of endless buffets, large crowds, and enclosed spaces. This highlights the critical importance of maintaining high sanitation standards on cruise ships to prevent significant gastrointestinal outbreaks caused by infections such as norovirus.

In an effort to minimize such outbreaks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention established the Vessel Sanitation Program in 1990. This program plays a vital role in monitoring gastrointestinal illnesses occurring on cruises, providing training to cruise ship supervisors regarding sanitation protocols, and conducting inspections to evaluate the effectiveness of sanitation practices on board. Each cruise ship receives a score following these inspections, with a perfect score being 100, while scores of 85 or below are regarded as failing.

The CDC’s cruise ship inspection scores database is accessible to the public, and we took the opportunity to explore it. Here are the 18 ships that have achieved perfect inspections thus far in 2024, alongside the two that encountered failures.

Celebrity Ascent

Date of Inspection: Jan. 7

Celebrity Equinox

Date of Inspection: Feb. 15

Celebrity achieved perfect sanitation scores for two of its ships early in the year. The Ascent, the latest addition to the fleet, is captained by two brothers.

Disney Fantasy

Inspection Date: January 24

With Disney Cruises being a favorite among families and children, maintaining high cleanliness standards is crucial. This year, the Disney Fantasy achieved an outstanding sanitation score.

Explora I

Date of Inspection: January 25

MSC Seashore

Date of Inspection: May 26

MSC Meraviglia

Date of Inspection: July 9

MSC is generally recognized as a premium cruise line, and this year it achieved flawless sanitation scores on three separate ships. Notably, the MSC Seashore features an air sanitation system aimed at eradicating viruses and bacteria from the atmosphere.

Norwegian Escape

Date of Inspection: Jan. 27

Norwegian Sky

Inspection Date: May 23

Norwegian Bliss

Inspection Date: June 22

Norwegian Jewel:

Date of Inspection: July 24

Norwegian Cruise Line has achieved remarkable sanitation scores this year, boasting four of its ships with perfect ratings of 100 points. Notably, the Norwegian Escape, which accommodates the highest number of passengers among NCL vessels at 4,218, is among those recognized.

Viking Polaris

Date of Inspection: April 2

Viking Orion

Date of Inspection: August 18

Viking achieved two impeccable sanitation scores, both on vessels considerably smaller than the majority listed here. The Polaris, for instance, accommodates just 378 guests and navigates unique routes including the Great Lakes and Antarctica.

Brilliance of the Seas

Inspection Date: May 16

Radiance of the Seas

Inspection Date: July 21

This year, Royal Caribbean achieved two perfect sanitation scores of 100. The first was recorded on the Brilliance of the Seas, which travels through the scenic Greek Isles and the Caribbean, while the second was on the Radiance of the Seas, which offers Alaskan and Caribbean routes.

Oceania Regatta

Date of Inspection: July 22

The only impeccable sanitation score for Oceania Cruises was obtained on the Regatta. This is a smaller vessel with a capacity for 670 guests, and it is scheduled to operate in Asia, the South Pacific, and Australia starting in 2025.

Seabourn Odyssey

Date of Inspection: Aug. 16

This year, Seabourn has achieved an impeccable inspection result, with the honor going to the Odyssey. Notably, this ship was transferred to a different cruise line just over a month after the inspection in September.

Zuiderdam

Date of Inspection: Aug. 24

Holland America’s Zuiderdam achieved a flawless inspection score in August. This vessel is now designated for the cruise line’s Grand World Voyage cruises, which may extend up to 124 days and come with a price tag exceeding $22,000 per person.

Carnival Spirit

Date of Inspection: Sept. 3

Carnival is known for being a budget-friendly cruise line, and in the current year, it achieved a perfect sanitation score just once. The cruise line typically operates voyages from Mobile, Alabama, to various Caribbean destinations.

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise

Date of Inspection: May 1

Score: 83

If you’ve heard about Margaritaville at Sea, it’s likely because it has been featured in the news for being somewhat of a disaster. The cruise is quite inexpensive, yet guests often express dissatisfaction, citing issues like cleanliness and a general feeling of neglect, almost as if it’s part of a punchline. It’s no surprise that the cruise received poor ratings for issues such as malfunctioning refrigerators and overcrowded whirlpools. Fortunately, the ship has since improved its score to 92.

Hanseatic Inspiration

Date of Inspection: September 29

Score: 62

The lowest sanitation score of the year was recorded for Hapag-Lloyd’s Hanseatic Inspiration, a German cruise line that operates a trio of vessels across European waters, reaching destinations around the globe. As detailed in the CDC report on the inspection, it was found that “Supervisors were inadequately monitoring critical and high-risk food processes, allowing unsafe practices in food preparation areas to persist,” which included inappropriate food holding and storage practices.

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This article was initially published on Cheapism.

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