CRUISE LINES SHIP INSPECTION SCORES

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the force behind the Vessel Sanitation Program, in which cruise ships carrying more than 13 passengers and with itineraries including US ports of call are subject to periodic and unannounced inspections for sanitation standards.

Initially set up to reduce the occurrence of outbreaks of enteric diseases aboard passenger cruise ships, the Vessel Sanitation Program also began conducting environmental sanitation inspections modelled on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code.

Categories for inspection include washing facilities, contact surfaces, facility maintenance, food handling, and communicable disease practices.

Overall scores of 85 and below are considered "unsatisfactory."

If a ship fails an inspection because of an imminent public health risk, the Vessel Sanitation Program may recommend that the ship not sail.

CDC reports are updated monthly, while ships are inspected periodically, and ships that fail inspections are re-inspected within a reasonable time period of the failure.

Below is a list of these scores for the past year to date