Two more Carnival Cruise Line ships got unsatisfactory scores in their latest review by inspectors from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On one of the two ships, inspectors said crew members made an organized effort to hide food items and soiled dishes from inspectors by stashing them in crew corridors and a cabin during the inspection.
The reviews were conducted on Dec. 2 for the Carnival Vista and Dec. 9 for the Carnival Breeze. The Vista scored a 79 out of 100 and the Breeze received a 77.
Cruise ships visiting U.S. ports are boarded unannounced by inspectors from the Centers for Disease Control’s Vessel Sanitation Program. Ships are typically visited twice annually. Deficiencies are noted and numerical grades from 1 to 100 are issued. Scores of 85 or below are considered unsatisfactory.
The Breeze and Vista are the second and third Carnival ships to get unsatisfactory grades in 2017, following a score of 78 issued to the Carnival Triumph in November.
In a statement, Carnival said that it takes the inspections very seriously, that it shares lessons learned and best practices across its fleet and that it has taken immediate action to address the issues uncovered during the inspections.
When cruise ships are graded unsatisfactory, it is very unusual for inspectors to find that the crew has attempted to hide conditions from inspectors. In one previous example in 2013, Silversea Cruises’ Silver Shadow was graded 82 after inspectors found the crew made an organized effort to physically remove 15 trollies of food and equipment to crew cabins.
Silversea made corrections and the ship was eventually re-inspected and received a passing grade.
In addition to the crew misbehavior, deductions to the Vista score were made because logs of gastro-intestinal illness episodes were incomplete and crew members who were sick reported their symptoms later than required. Food on a trolley being taken to the lido deck was not adequately covered, the report said.
On the Breeze, levels of water purification chemicals in the spa fell below required minimums and garbage was stored improperly near an elevator and next to containers used to transport food. The Breeze was also docked for a late report of illness by crew members.
