Three cruise ships failed federal health inspections during the first three months of 2014.
However, three other ships passed with perfect scores.
The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) found Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Star, Princess Cruises’ Ocean Princess and SeaDream Yacht Club’s SeaDream all failed to reach the VSP’s pass rate of 85 points out of a maximum 100 during recent inspections.
The VSP program, which is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rates each ship’s sanitation procedures, introduced to fight the spread of shipboard gastrointestinal illnesses.
Inspections cover all major shipboard areas including galleys and dining rooms, staterooms, swimming pools, children’s facilities, water storage systems and ventilation.
The inspection reports cited lack of record keeping, some food safety violations, inadequate galley lighting levels and potable water production procedures.
All three ships took corrective action to improve conditions highlighted in the reports.
Three other ships received perfect scores of 100 during inspections in January and February, according to VSP data posted on its website.
They were Holland America Line’s Eurodam, the Carnival Legend, and the Disney Dream.
VSP inspections are unannounced and take place twice a year for US-based ships.
So far this year, 50 ships have been inspected and all scores are listed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
