Just How Clean is Your Cruise Ship?

Do you worry about getting sick on a cruise? Do you wonder just how clean is your cruise ship? I have, but after reading about efforts a cruise line uses to keep their passengers (and crew) healthy I am no longer as concerned. Well, I will always be a little worried, and will always take precautions to stay healthy (such as wipe my cabin surfaces with antibacterial cloths and wash, wash and wash my hands very often;-).

The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assists the cruise ship industry to prevent and control the spread of gastrointestinal illnesses on cruise ships. In addition, the VSP operates under the authority of the Public Health Service Act.

How often are ships inspected?

These inspections are required for cruise ships carrying more than 13 passengers and having a foreign itinerary with U.S. ports.

Cruise ships under VSP’s jurisdiction are subject to two inspections each year. If a ship sails outside of the United States for an extended period of time, it may not be inspected twice a year, but it will be inspected when it returns to the United States.

Who pays for the inspections?

Cruise ship owners pay a fee based on the ship’s size for operational inspections and reinspections.

The smallest vessel pays $1,495.00 US and the largest $17,940.00 US. There is a sliding fee scale according to the gross tonnage. This fee schedule is posted in the Federal Register. In other words, they want their ships clean!

Who does the inspections?

Depending on the size of the ship, one to four inspectors examines the ship to see if it complies with the public health standards found in the current VSP Operations Manual.

Inspections usually take 8-10 hours, depending on the number of inspectors, ship size, and issues identified during the inspection.

What do they inspect?

There are 8 specific areas for each inspection:https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/pub/inspection_infographic.pdf

What happens if a ship fails the inspection?

For example, inspections that receive an 85 or lower score are considered to have failed.

Ships that fail inspections are reinspected within a reasonable time period.

An inspection failure does not warrant a no-sail recommendation unless there is an imminent public health risk.

How can I find the inspection for a particular ship?

https://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/InspectionGreenSheetRpt.aspx

If this makes you wonder just how clean it is on your airplane then you need to read my post on germs in airports and on airplanes: https://eatreadcruise.com/airport-and-airplane-germanator/