Cruise Ship Health Ratings – These Ships Scored ‘100’

(KMDL-FM) One objection of people who are against cruise ship vacations is related to health concerns on board the vessel. The ships, although large in size, are actually very small "micro-environments" for the people who sail on them. It was the "close quarters" of cruise ship travel that sparked the greatest concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Health concerns aboard cruise ships are nothing new. In the last few weeks of 2025, there were more than a few outbreaks of the dreaded "stomach flu" reported on ships. While not pleasant, it's almost to be expected. The same kind of sickness can sweep through a middle school just as fast as it can move through a crew ship manifest of passengers.

Besides Fire, This is the Biggest Danger at Sea

The key to mitigating most diseases on land and at sea is hygiene. That's why cruise ship staff have developed a reputation for repeating the words "washy washy" over and over again when stepping into any place that serves food. Handwashing goes a long way in keeping guests and crew members healthy on a long cruise.

The cruise ships do their part by making sure the vessels are cleaned and sanitized almost constantly. If you've ever been up in the wee small hours of the morning while sailing, you'll see there is a lot of cleaning activity that takes place while you're in your stateroom.

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Who Monitors Cruise Ship Hygiene and Cleanliness?

Each year, the Centers for Disease Control conducts health inspections of the ships that serve passengers via United States cruise terminals. The inspection follows a 100-point scale to evaluate several key areas of cruise ships, including: food safety, water systems, housekeeping, medical center procedures, and ventilation.

A score of 86 is considered to be a passing grade. However, in the cruise community, a perfect score of 100 is preferred. It's hard to acheive but several cruise lines have several vessels included in the CDC's perfect score list.

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Only 24 ships earned a perfect 100 on the CDC's recent health evaluations. If you peruse the list, you'll see several well-known carriers that offer cruises via the Gulf. You will also notice that one cruise provider that sells a lot of tickets to cruises in the Gulf only has one vessel on the list.

Here is the breakdown by vessel. The data represented is based on a rolling 12-month basis. In the table below, you can see the name of the ship, the cruise line that operates the vessel, and you can see the date the ship was last inspected. Each of the vessels listed below earned a score of 100 on its most recent inspection.

Which Cruise Ships Scored "100" On Their Latest CDC Health Inspection?

The above information, as well as inspection reports on other cruise ships, is available via the CDC website. Please remember this table only reflects the ships that earned a perfect score of 100. A passing grade is 86, so if you don't see the ship your next cruise is booked on listed, don't worry, it's probably fine.

And while your cruise director will proudly crow about how clean their vessel is, there are a few things your cruise team won't discuss with you. But we will.