Twice a year, every cruise ship that sails to or from a U.S. port is subject to an unannounced health inspection carried out by the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP).
Utopia of the Seas was one of four Royal Caribbean cruise ships to ace its health inspection this summer.
For the summer of 2025, the CDC has so far released the health inspection scores for 44 cruise ships across 16 different cruise lines. It is important to note that health scores are not posted right away on the CDC’s website, it is typically done between three to six weeks after the inspection takes place.
Out of the 44 ships inspection scores for this summer, five cruise ships scored a perfect 100 with four of them being from Royal Caribbean and one from Viking.
The ships that scored a perfect 100 and the dates that they were inspected are listed below.
- Adventure of the Seas – June 3
- Icon of the Seas – June 4
- Ovation of the Seas – July 1
- Viking Orion – July 12
- Utopia of the Seas – July 21
Royal Caribbean also had one ship just missed a perfect score when Radiance of the Seas received a 99 during a July 13 surprise inspection.
You can see a list of all cruise ships that had a perfect 100 health score in the first half of 2025 here.
Hot tubs are one of the many areas that are checked out during the VSP’s surprise health inspections.
The reason for the unannounced inspections is to help the cruise industry prevent and control public health issues.
During the inspections, the VSP inspectors evaluate the following eight specific areas on cruise ships:
- Medical centers
- Drinking water
- Galleys and dining rooms
- Swimming pools and whirlpools
- Housekeeping
- Pest and insect management
- Child activity centers
- HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning)
Depending on the ship size, one to five inspectors conduct these inspections while the vessel is at a U.S. port.
The inspections take six to eight hours to complete and are done twice a year. If a ship sails outside of the U.S. for an extended time, it may not be inspected twice a year. However, it will be inspected again when it returns to the United States.
To read more about the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program on cruise ships, you can visit the CDC’s website here.
Appeared first on: Cruisefever.net
