As you’ve probably noticed from the growing number of news reports, cases of stomach viruses on cruise ships have become increasingly common in recent years.
Just a few months ago, I published an article stating that 2024 has been the worst year for cruises in this regard in over a decade.
For this reason, a growing number of passengers are paying close attention to the ships’ cleanliness conditions and their sanitation levels.
For safety reasons, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducts frequent inspections on ships. Unfortunately, not all of them pass, or they barely make it, as happened recently with a Royal Caribbean ship.
A Recent Inspection on a Royal Caribbean Ship
One of the most recent inspections took place on a Royal Caribbean ship.
As usual, designated experts checked all parts of the ship, from public to staff areas.
They check the quality of water and filters, the function of drains, and waste management.
They also check the cleanliness of public areas, cabins, kitchens, and pest management plans.
After the checks, Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas achieved a score of 86 out of 100. Consider that a score below 86 is considered a fail, and the cruise line must implement a number of recommendations and measures in order to improve its score.
After the implantation of these recommendations, the CDC will check the ship again and give a new (hopefully more positive) score.
What Happened to Symphony of the Seas?
Unfortunately, a total of 44 violations were found during the inspection.
Consider that these inspections are very strict, and many of these are minor or at least easily resolved violations.
However, always remember that cruise ships carry thousands of people in a confined space and must pay close attention to even the smallest health risks.
The violations on Symphony involved several areas. For example, in the children’s activity center, some cases of vomiting and diarrhea were not properly assessed or isolated, potentially leading to health risks.
Food service areas had a few lapses, such as incomplete handwashing procedures, minor cross-contamination risks, some cleaning oversights on kitchen equipment and insufficient light intensity in the washing area.
There were also instances of incorrect water line markings, inaccessible showers near the pool, and food storage issues like unrefrigerated raw eggs.
In the end, the recommendations provided emphasize simple yet effective solutions to ensure proper medical checks, maintain food safety standards, keep spaces clean, and conduct regular equipment inspections.
What Score Did the Other Ships Get?
It’s a shame that Symphony of the Seas received this score, especially considering that in previous inspections in 2022 and 2023, it had scored 100/100 and 97/100, respectively.
In addition, usually Royal Caribbean is a cruise line that receives quite high scores. You can see the full list of ships in this article.
In addition, remember to follow these 10 must-know tips to avoid getting sick on your next cruise and check the cleanest and dirtiest cruise ships of 2025.
I have tried several of them but these are the most durable and sturdy.
