Cleanest cruise lines revealed after CDC surprise sanitation inspections

“Surprisingly, the age of the ship doesn’t appear to influence a cruise line’s ability to achieve a perfect score,” a new study said. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group)

“The federal government’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), established in 1975 to work with the cruise industry to protect travelers’ health, is critical for the health and safety of passengers, staff and the locations that cruise ships visit,�

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.

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Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas ship, which premiered in 2001, ranked high in the CDC’s list — proving that age is not necessarily linked to cleanliness.

All the ships in the top 10 scored higher than 97.12.

“Ships participating in the VSP can expect two unannounced inspections every year, with a focus on medical facilities, potable water systems, swimming pools and whirlpool baths, galleys and dining rooms, child activity centers, cabins, ventilation systems and common areas,” Macgregor-Skinner said.

Cruise ships were graded on a 100-point scale.Ships must score 86 or above to pass inspection.(Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group)

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.

“Without strong cleaning and hygiene practices, germs can spread quickly.”

Disney was No.4in the list of corporations — averaging a 97.

Royal Caribbean and Carnival had average sanitation scores of 96.74 and 94.82 respectively.

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Viruses can spread quicklyon a cruise ship. 

But the CDC implements strict cleaning protocols for all vessels.

All the ships in the top 10 list of cleanest cruises scored higher than 97.12.(Horacio Villalobos/Corbis)

“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.

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

gastrointestinal illnesses.In 2025, the CDC reported 23 onboard outbreaks, according to the study.

Overall, the cruise industry is cleaner than other travel sectors, an expert said.(Jens Büttner)

However, “the data shows no correlation between the number of onboardviral outbreaksand sanitation scores, proving that viral illness can easily spread on the cleanest of ships,” the study said.

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Macgregor-Skinner said cruise lines are the only part of the travel sector that routinely report illnesses to the federal government.

“It is very important not to confuse the wider availability of cruise health data with a higher incidence rate on cruise ships compared to settings like restaurants, hotels and planes,” Macgregor-Skinner said.

Viruses can spread quickly on a cruise ship.But the CDC enforces strict cleaning protocols.(Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service)

Overall, the cruise industry is actually cleaner than other travel sectors, he said.

Nevertheless, Sansoni asserted, “Inadequate cleaning can allowviruses and bacteriato linger on high‑touch surfaces like railings, elevator buttons and bathroom fixtures.When cleaning protocols break down, those germs can spread rapidly in close quarters.”

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Japan Grace

Virgin Voyages

Norwegian Cruise Line

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Celebrity Cruises

Royal Caribbean International