- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) inspects cruise ships to see if they have sanitary issues that could put passengers at risk of getting sick.
- The vast majority of ships receive passing grades of at least 86 out of 100 points, but a handful have failed.
- The lowest inspection score the CDC has given is 36.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) inspects cruise ships to see if they have sanitary issues that could put passengers at risk of getting sick.
The vast majority of ships receive passing grades of at least 86 out of 100 points, but a handful have failed for reasons like storing food at improper temperatures and not having sufficient procedures for handling drinking water. The 10 lowest-scoring inspections the CDC has ever conducted fall between 1995 and 2017, though six of them happened over 10 years ago.
These are the 10 lowest inspection scores the CDC has ever given a cruise ship.
Have you worked on a cruise ship? Do you have a story to share? Email this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.
10. Amadea
Cruise line: Bernhard Schulte Cruise Services
Date of inspection: November 11, 2012
Inspection score: 63
Violations: Inadequate food storage procedures, dirty kitchen equipment
T9. Hanseatic
Cruise line: Hapag Lloyd Kreuzfahrten
Date of inspection: August 8, 1998
Inspection score: 62
Violations: Improper food storage, storing clean and dirty kitchen equipment together, dirty kitchen equipment, cockroaches found in food-preparation areas
T9. Stad Amsterdam (2006)
Cruise line: Rederij Clipper Stad Amsterdam
Date of inspection: April 8, 2006
Inspection score: 62
Violations: Improper handling of potable water, lack of equipment and procedures needed to ensure quality of potable water, improper food storage
T7. Grande Caribe
Cruise line: Blount Small Ship Adventures
Date of inspection: July 13, 1998
Inspection score: 61
Violations: A lack of backflow-prevention equipment between potable and non-potable water systems, improper food storage, storing dirty and clean food-preparation equipment together
T7. Kydon (December 2017)
Cruise line: Ferries Del Caribe
Date of inspection: December 27, 2017
Inspection score: 61
Violations: Improper food storage, broken kitchen equipment
T7. Pearl Mist
Cruise line: V. Ships Leisure USA
Date of inspection: July 15, 2014
Inspection score: 61
Violations: Improper food storage, a lack of sneeze guards in food-service areas, broken refrigerators
4. Kydon (July 2017)
Cruise line: Ferries Del Caribe
Date of inspection: July 28, 2017
Inspection score: 58
Violations: Improper handling of potable water, improper food storage, storing dirty and clean dishes and kitchen equipment together
3. Stad Amsterdam (2007)
Cruise line: Rederij Clipper Stad Amsterdam
Date of inspection: March 29, 2007
Inspection score: 56
Violations: Improper food storage, storing clean and dirty food-preparation equipment together, dirty kitchen equipment
2. Nippon Maru (1995)
Cruise line: Mitsui OSK Passenger Line
Date of inspection: June 9, 1995
Inspection score: 48
Violations: Improper handling of potable water, improper food storage, a lack of sneeze guards in food-service areas
1. Nippon Maru (1998)
Cruise line: Mitsui OSK Passenger Line
Date of inspection: July 4, 1998
Inspection score: 36
Violations: Improper handling of potable water, improper food storage, handling food without gloves, dirty kitchen equipment
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