Two more Carnival Cruise Line ships have received failing grades from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) USPH Vessel Sanitation Program. The Carnival Vista was issued a failing grade of 79 out of 100 on an inspection that took place December 2, 2017, while the Carnival Breeze was issued a score of 77 on an inspection that took place December 10, 2017. A Carnival representative tells Travel Agent that the cruise line has taken immediate action to identify the issues identified during the inspections.
The report on Carnival Vista identified a number of issues, including failing to isolate two crew members suffering gastrointestinal symptoms until symptom-free for a minimum of 48 hours. The crew members did not work or eat in a crew mess while symptomatic. On the Carnival Breeze, issues included inaccuracies and incomplete information in the ship’s medical surveillance log, as well as maintenance issues with the ship’s espresso machines in Fahrenheit 555, Cucina and Tandoor.
The new reports follow the publication of a failing grade by the CDC for the Carnival Triumph earlier this month. The Triumph received a score of 78 during an inspection that took place in November. Carnival told Travel Agent it addressed the issues raised in that report, and the ship received a score of 98 during a re-inspection that took place January 6.
“The most recent USPH re-inspection of Carnival Triumph, which resulted in a score of 98, is indicative of the swift corrective measures we take in response to an inspection,” a Carnival representative tells Travel Agent. “We have taken the same immediate approach with Carnival Breeze and Carnival Vista.”
Carnival also noted that it funds the Vessel Sanitation Program, along with other cruise operators, in order to ensure that the line is continuously auditing its shipboard operations.
“Rest assured we will leverage our learnings from this process as a best practice,” Carnival said. “Our most important focus is always the safety and well-being of our guests. We remain confident that our shipboard operations, especially in food handling and preparation, are of the highest quality and we are always committed to delivering an exceptional experience to our guests.”
The Vessel Sanitation Program assists the cruise ship industry in preventing and controlling the spread of gastrointestinal illnesses, such as norovirus. Any score below an 86 out of 100 is considered a failing grade.
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