Although uncommon, outbreaks of illness aboard cruise ships do occasionally happen. One of the main reasons such occurrences are so rare is because cruise lines and the governments of the countries they visit work hand-in-hand to ensure passengers’ health and safety.
Incidents of illness in the cruise industry are minimized through national guidelines that have been developed to protect cruise lines’ guests. One of the most intensive cruise health and safety programs in the world is administered by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which conducts surprise cleanliness inspections twice a year in order to verify cruise ships’ adherence to health standards. Every ship that calls in a US port is required to undergo these tests. To pass the inspection, ships must achieve at least an 86 out of a 100-point grading scale. The CDC has already carried out inspections on 55 vessels so far this year.
A few weeks ago, the CDC announced the results of inspections completed to date in 2015. The vast majority of these ships have passed their inspections, and only two ships—neither of which is a Royal Holiday affiliate—have failed. The best news is that 11 ships earned perfect grades. Of these top scorers, most are ships run by Royal Holiday-associated cruise lines, including the following:
– Carnival Miracle and Carnival Pride
– Celebrity Infinity
– Island Princess and Ruby Princess
– Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Sky
Congratulations to all the ships that passed their inspections with flying colors!
Next time you are relaxing on a gleaming cruise ship while looking forward to your next exotic destination, be sure to offer a word of thanks to the hardworking crews that constantly strive to keep their guests safe and healthy.
