Certain cruise lines did particularly well in their inspections. For example, the Disney Cruise Line earned two 100 scores on respective inspections of the Disney Fantasy in January and the Disney Wish in November. Overall, the line’s ships were inspected 7 times, with no score lower than 95. Some others did not have the same fate.
Two ships scored below 85 (the CDC’s official threshold for a “satisfactory” score):
The Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, of the Margaritaville at Sea Cruise Line, scored an 83 during an inspection on May 1st. The ship was reinspected on July 2nd and scored a 92.
The Hanseatic Inspiration of the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises line scored a dismal 62 on September 29th. The ship was reinspected on October 28th and scored a much more respectable 89.
These sanitary scores became more prescient in December of 2024, when the CDC reported on three separate instances of norovirus outbreaks on three different ships, part of a wider 2024 trend that saw at least 13 such outbreaks, which in turn brought more scrutiny to ship’s sanitation records. According to the CDC, norovirus — which “causes acute gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach or intestines” — can be “especially challenging to control on cruise ships because of the close living quarters, shared dining areas and rapid turnover of passengers. When the ship docks, norovirus can be brought on board in contaminated food or water; or by passengers who were infected while ashore.”
If you’re heading on a cruise soon, we’d advise following some guidelines to try and minimize your risk of viral exposure. These washing your hands (we know, it sounds like common sense, but it makes all the difference) and staying hydrated (however, avoid drinking the water from specific ports of call).
As outbreaks on cruise ships continue to spike, each line’s sanitary conditions become more and more important to monitor. Stay tuned to AllEars for more on the industry.
We are going on the MS Seashore MSC.
We cruised on the Halloween Fantasy trip. The ship was spotless! The food was excellent!