It’s not always smooth sailing for these luxury cruise ships.
The world’s dirtiest cruise ships are brimming with grime — from beer tap sludge to maggot infestations — according to a new reporter from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency’s Vessel Sanitation Program, which scores cruise ships for cleanliness out of 100 to keep gastrointestinal diseases at bay, published results of its latest evaluations, with 10 ships receiving scores below 89.
According to the organization, any score 85 and below is “not satisfactory.”
The dirtiest vessel was Hapag-Lloyd’s Hanseatic Inspiration, which received a startling score of 62.
The CDC’s report listed health code violations, such as a grime-covered beer tap, both living and dead insects swarming the pool bar and a decaying bird covered in maggots near the grill outside. Meanwhile, food items that required refrigeration were not stored at low enough temperatures.
Despite the violations, a spokesperson for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises told USA Today that the cruise line has “consistently met the strict hygiene requirements for many years.”
As a result of the CDC inspection, Hapa-Lloyd Cruises investigated the numerous breaches in health safety aboard the ship.
“We deeply regret that the HANSEATIC inspiration did not achieve the required score for the first time. The result of this inspection in no way reflects our high standards,” Karen Schmidt, the cruise line’s senior communications manager, told USA Today.
“We will use this opportunity to improve our processes in all areas and ensure that all our ships deliver the quality experience our guests expect,” Schmidt noted.
Meanwhile, Princess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess, Carnival’s Carnival Breeze and Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Evrima all scored 86.
According to Daily Mail, flies and insects were discovered in the kitchens aboard the Caribbean Princess, while the Carnival Breeze cruise ship did not adequately prevent pests from stowing away on the vessel and left trays of food out in the cold rain. Additionally, the crew bathroom on the Carnival Breeze was “overflowing” with trash.
Aboard the Envirma, fruit flies congregated in the juicing machine, there were missing rat guards and the filter on the whirlpools had not been changed in two years.
There were, however, some cruise ships that received perfect scores of 100, such as Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Spirit, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Ascent, Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Fantasy and Royal Caribbean International’s Brilliance of the Seas, among others.
