Cruise ships sailing out of the U.S. get inspected multiple times a year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As part of the federal agency's Vessel Sanitation Program, each ship gets a rating from 1-100 after each completed inspection.
The vast majority of cruise ships pass every inspection by scoring at least 85. In fact, during all of 2024 only two cruise ships — Hanseatic Inspiration from Hapag Cruise and Margaritaville at Seas Paradise — failed even a single inspection.
Related: 4 new travel rules impact cruise line passengers in 2025
Paradise scored an 83 in May and brought that up to a 92 in July. Hanseatic Inspiration scored a dismal 62 in September and had it corrected to an 89 by October.
The CDC website explains how the VSP Program works:
VSP helps the cruise industry prevent and control the spread of illnesses by:
- Inspecting cruise ships to determine how well ships are operating and maintaining public health standards in eight major areas.
- Monitoring data on illnesses and investigating and responding to outbreaks
- Reviewing ship design and construction plans for compliance with public health standards in five general areas.
- Training cruise ship leaders, staff and designers on public health practice.s
- Building the evidence base for environmental public health practices on cruise ships.
Most ships pass with flying colors and 27, mostly from major cruise lines, scored 100 for the year.
Image source: Daniel Kline/ComeCruiseWith.com
Major cruise brands get perfect scores
Crew members work to keep their ships clean and in full working order, always ready for a CDC inspection. If anything is found lacking, the CDC inspectors specify that information so the problem can be corrected before the next inspection.
Have questions about booking a cruise? Schedule a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner Postcard Travel Planning.
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
Only 27 ships scored perfect scores, and nearly all of them were from major cruise brands, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Disney and Norwegian. These are the ships that scored 100 for all of 2024.
- Celebrity Cruises, Celebrity Apex
Disney Wish, Disney Cruise Lines
Mariner of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International
Seven Seas Grandeur, Regent Seven Seas (Norwegian)
Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Cruise Lines
Carnival Magic, Carnival Cruise Lines
Star Pride, Windstar Cruises
Jewel of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International
Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Cruise Line
Serenade of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International
Carnival Spirit, Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc.
Zuiderdam, Holland America Line (Carnival)
Viking Orion, Viking Ocean Cruises II Ltd.
Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Cruise Line (Carnival)
Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Cruise Line
Oceania Regatta, Oceania Cruises (Norwegian)
Radiance of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International
MSC Meraviglia, MSC Cruises
Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Cruise Line
-
MSC Seashore, MSC Cruises
Norwegian Sky, Norwegian Cruise Line
Brilliance of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International
-
Viking Polaris, Viking Expedition Operations
Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Cruises
Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Cruise Line
Explora I, MSC Cruises
Disney Fantasy, Disney Cruise Lines
Celebrity Ascent, Celebrity Cruises
Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Cruise Line
Are you taking a cruise or thinking about taking one? Visit our Come Cruise With Me website to have all your questions answered.
