Just like hotels or restaurants on land, cruise ships are subject to health inspections – though they might look a bit different.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program conducts regular inspections of ships while they’re in U.S. ports. Cruise ships in its jurisdiction are typically inspected twice a year.
“If a ship sails outside of the United States for an extended period, it may not be inspected twice a year, but it will be inspected again when it returns to the United States,” the CDC said on its website.
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The inspections cover a range of onboard facilities and operations, from galleys to swimming pools and pest management. Vessels must receive scores of 86 or higher to be considered “satisfactory,” but some earn well beyond that.
