Which cruise lines, according to recent inspections, have the finest ships? We analyzed the health inspection scores of hundreds of cruise ships to determine the performance of each cruise line.
The VSP (Vessel Sanitation Program), which is administered by the CDC, assigns scores on a 100-point scale to cruise ships that visit U.S. ports. These health and sanitation inspections are unannounced and can occur two times a year.
The CDC’s website contains the results of these USPH (United States Public Health) inspections.
We examined ship inspection scores as of January 2022 and onwards. This information was compiled by averaging the scores of all ships in a cruise line’s fleet that were inspected during this time period.
Noting that some cruise lines have vastly more ships than others, which could bias the results in either direction, this data is not an exact measurement. However, this article only includes cruise lines that have passed at least five inspections.
The results are sorted by average score, and additional information is provided, such as the lowest and highest scores obtained with specific ships.
This list includes only cruise lines with ships that frequently visit U.S. cruise destinations.
- Disney Cruise Line
Since January 2022, Disney cruise ships have been inspected seven times, with Disney Magic and Disney Wonder being inspected twice.
The average score was 99.14 points. No ship received a failing grade of 85 or lower.
Four of the cruise line’s vessels earned a flawless score of 100. These vessels included the Disney Fantasy, the Disney Magic, the Disney Wish, and the Disney Wonder.
The lowest score on the list was 96, earned by Disney Wonder in June 2023, which had previously earned a score of 100 in January 2023.
2. Celebrity Cruise Lines
Since January 2022, Celebrity cruise ships have been inspected eleven times, with Celebrity Equinox being inspected twice.
The average score was 98.45/100. No ship received a failing grade of 85 or lower.
Five of the cruise line’s vessels earned a perfect score of 100. These vessels included the Celebrity Eclipse, the Celebrity Edge, the Celebrity Millennium, the Celebrity Solstice, and the Celebrity Summit.
Celebrity Reflection had the lowest ranking on the list with a 95, while both Apex and Silhouette received a 98.
3. Norwegian Cruise Line
Since January 2022, Norwegian Cruise Line ships have been inspected 17 times, twice for Norwegian Encore and Norwegian Sun.
The estimated average score was 97.29 points. No ship received a failing grade of 85 or lower.
Four of the cruise line’s vessels earned a perfect score of 100. Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Pearl, and Norwegian Sun were among these vessels.
In April of 2023, Norwegian Epic obtained the lowest score on the list with an 89.
4. Royal Caribbean International
27 inspections Since January 2022, all Royal Caribbean cruise ships have been inspected, with Independence of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, and Wonder of the Seas being inspected twice.
Its average score was 96.85 points. No ship received a failing grade of 85 or lower.
Four of the cruise line’s vessels received a perfect score of 100.
In July of 2023, the Oasis of the Seas received the lowest score on the list, a 92.
5. Holland America Line
Since January 2022, Holland America Line ships have been inspected twelve times, twice for Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam.
The average score was 96.83 points. No ship received a failing grade of 85 or lower.
Two of the cruise line’s vessels received a perfect score of 100. Among these vessels were the Eurodam and Rotterdam.
In April of 2023, Noordam received the lowest score on the list, a 90.
6. Carnival Cruise Line
Since January 2022, Carnival cruise ships have been inspected 32 times, with 8 ships undergoing inspections twice.
96 was the average score. No ship received a failing grade of 85 or lower.
Six of the cruise line’s vessels received a perfect score of 100. Carnival Celebration, Carnival Conquest, Carnival Magic, Carnival Panorama, Carnival Sunshine, and Carnival Venezia were among these vessels.
In April of 2023, Carnival Pride and Carnival Liberty had the lowest ratings on the list with scores of 86.
7. Princess Cruises
Since January 2022, Princess Cruises ships have been inspected 16 times, with Emerald Princess and Royal Princess being inspected twice.
The average tally was 95.37 points. No ship received a failing grade of 85 or lower.
None of the cruise line’s vessels received a perfect score of 100.
In June of 2023, Sapphire Princess received the lowest score on the list, a 90.
8. MSC Cruises
Since January 2022, MSC cruise ships have only been inspected six times by USPH, despite the company’s 23-ship fleet. The majority of these ships are located in Europe and outside of the United States.
The mean score was 91.66 points. In April of 2023, one cruise ship, MSC Seaside, received a failing grade of 67. On the CDC’s website, you can view the report from failing grade.
In February of 2023, MSC Seascape, one of the cruise line’s ships, received a perfect score of 100.
Final Remarks
Other cruise lines such as Azamara, Seabourn, Viking, Oceania, and Virgin Voyages also received average scores of 98 or higher. These were not included because only two or three ships were inspected during this time period, whereas our criteria required at least five ship inspections, but I wanted to mention them nonetheless.
The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) conducts clandestine operational sanitation inspections on cruise ships sailing in the United States or arriving at a U.S. port within 15 days. The VSP inspection criteria are based on the FDA Food Code and the Guide to Ship Sanitation of the World Health Organization.
The VSP conducted 2,235 cruise ship operational sanitation inspections in 2022. 98.6% of these inspections resulted in a passing grade. A failing grade is below 86 on a 100-point scale.
Which ship areas are inspected?
Below are the 8 main areas of the cruise ship that are inspected:
- Medical facilities
- Portable water systems
- Swimming pools and spas
- Galleys and dining rooms
- Child activity centers
- Hotel accommodations
- Ventilation systems
- Common areas of the ship
If a cruise ship doesn’t pass the VSP’s inspection, here are a few things they might do:
- They could ask the cruise ship to fix things before it sets sail.
- They might put the cruise ship on a sort of probation for sailing.
- They could suggest that the cruise ship shouldn’t sail at all.
Source: cruisefever.net/CDC
