{"id":2155,"date":"2026-03-15T11:21:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T05:51:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ainews.prativad.com\/index.php\/cleanest-cruise-lines-revealed-after-cdc-surprise-sanitation-inspections\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T11:21:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T05:51:46","slug":"cleanest-cruise-lines-revealed-after-cdc-surprise-sanitation-inspections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ainews.prativad.com\/index.php\/cleanest-cruise-lines-revealed-after-cdc-surprise-sanitation-inspections\/","title":{"rendered":"Cleanest cruise lines revealed after CDC surprise sanitation inspections"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

The cleanest cruise ships<\/a> have been revealed in a new study \u2014 and some of the findings may surprise cruise lovers.<\/p>\n

The study, which compiled data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) annual health and hygiene inspections,<\/a> ranked a number of popular cruise lines as the most sanitary.<\/p>\n

“The data shows that independent brands tend to score higher than large conglomerates, and, surprisingly, the age of the ship doesn\u2019t appear to influence a cruise line\u2019s ability to achieve a perfect score,” according to the study by Florida-based Squaremouth Travel Insurance.<\/a><\/p>\n

OUTRAGED CRUISE PASSENGERS BLAST COMPANY’S ‘IDIOTIC’ NEW DRESS CODE CRACKDOWN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Cruise ships were graded on a 100-point scale. To pass inspection, ships must score 86 or above.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Viking Ocean Cruises II Ltd., Viking Expedition Operations and Crystal Cruises were tied as the cleanest cruise lines, according to the study. Each cruise line scored a 99 out of 100.<\/p>\n

“The\u00a0federal government’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), established in 1975 to work with\u00a0the\u00a0cruise\u00a0industry\u00a0to protect travelers\u2019 health,\u00a0is\u00a0critical\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0health\u00a0and\u00a0safety of passengers, staff\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0locations that\u00a0cruise\u00a0ships visit,” Gavin Macgregor-Skinner, an infection prevention expert and epidemiologist, told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

Oceania Cruises, P&O Cruises, Japan Grace, Virgin Voyages, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International completed the top 10 cleanest cruise line list.<\/p>\n

DINERS RANK THE 10 \u2018DIRTIEST\u2019 STATES FOR RESTAURANTS \u2014 SEE IF YOURS MADE THE LIST<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Royal Caribbean<\/a>\u2019s Adventure of the Seas ship, which premiered in 2001, ranked high in the CDC’s list \u2014 proving that age is not necessarily linked to cleanliness.<\/p>\n

All the ships in the top 10 scored higher than 97.12.<\/p>\n

“Ships participating in\u00a0the\u00a0VSP\u00a0can expect two unannounced inspections every year, with a focus on medical facilities, potable water systems, swimming pools\u00a0and\u00a0whirlpool baths, galleys\u00a0and\u00a0dining rooms<\/a>, child\u00a0activity centers, cabins, ventilation systems\u00a0and\u00a0common\u00a0areas,” Macgregor-Skinner said.<\/p>\n

Viking, Virgin and Norwegian were the corporations that ranked the highest, with sanitation scores of 98.75, 97.67 and 97.39, respectively, according to the study.<\/p>\n

Disney was No. 4<\/a> in the list of corporations \u2014 averaging a 97.<\/p>\n

Royal Caribbean and Carnival had average sanitation scores of 96.74 and 94.82, respectively.<\/p>\n

DREAM VACATION BECOMES NIGHTMARE AS DOZENS FALL ILL IN SUSPECTED NOROVIRUS OUTBREAK ON CRUISE SHIP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Viruses can spread quickly<\/a> on a cruise ship.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the CDC implements strict cleaning protocols for all vessels.<\/p>\n

“Cruise ships are shared environments where thousands of people touch the same surfaces every day,” Brian Sansoni, senior vice president of communications at the American Cleaning Institute in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

“Without strong cleaning and hygiene practices, germs can spread quickly, increasing the risk of illness among passengers and crew,” he continued.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Surprisingly, the study found no link between viruses and the lack of cleanliness.<\/p>\n

Cruise ships are often ravaged by norovirus and other gastrointestinal illnesses<\/a>. In 2025, the CDC reported 23 onboard outbreaks, according to the study.<\/p>\n

However, “the data shows no correlation between the number of onboard viral outbreaks<\/a> and sanitation scores, proving that viral illness can easily spread on the cleanest of ships,” the study said.<\/p>\n

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Macgregor-Skinner said\u00a0cruise\u00a0lines are the only part of the travel sector that routinely report illnesses to the federal government.<\/p>\n

“It\u00a0is\u00a0very important\u00a0not to confuse\u00a0the\u00a0wider\u00a0availability of\u00a0cruise\u00a0health data\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0higher incidence rate on\u00a0cruise\u00a0ships compared to settings like restaurants, hotels\u00a0and\u00a0planes,” Macgregor-Skinner said.<\/p>\n

Overall, the cruise industry is actually cleaner than other travel sectors, he said.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Sansoni asserted, “Inadequate cleaning can allow viruses and bacteria<\/a> to linger on high\u2011touch surfaces like railings, elevator buttons and bathroom fixtures. When cleaning protocols break down, those germs can spread rapidly in close quarters.”<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

According to the study, here are the top 10 cleanest cruise lines.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Viking Ocean Cruises<\/p>\n

Viking Expedition Cruises<\/p>\n

Crystal Cruises<\/p>\n

Oceania Cruises<\/p>\n

P&O Cruises<\/p>\n

Japan Grace<\/p>\n

Virgin Voyages<\/p>\n

Norwegian Cruise Line<\/p>\n

Celebrity Cruises<\/p>\n

Royal Caribbean International<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Study finds cleanest cruise ships still face viral outbreaks, as CDC data shows no link between sanitation scores and onboard illness despite inspections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"yoast_head":"\nCleanest cruise lines revealed after CDC surprise sanitation inspections - Leading the AI News Frontier<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ainews.prativad.com\/index.php\/cleanest-cruise-lines-revealed-after-cdc-surprise-sanitation-inspections\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cleanest cruise lines revealed after CDC surprise sanitation inspections - 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