A Guide To The 24 Cleanest Cruise Ships In The World

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Are you put off from taking a cruise by horror stories about ‘cruise cough’, norovirus and other dirty diseases you may catch aboard a floating petri dish?

Fear not! I’ve put together a list of the world’s cleanest cruise ships!

cleanest cruise ship

Grab your rubber gloves, antibacterial wipes and sense of adventure, because we’re about to explore the most pristine corners of the cruising world. Hold onto your mops, folks, it’s about to get squeaky clean in here…

Where Data On Clean Ships Comes From

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) runs a Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) that helps cruise ships to prevent the spread of illness. 

As part of the VSP, every cruise ship is inspected for hygiene twice per year. The inspections are unannounced, and so thorough that they take a team of two to five inspectors between six and eight hours to complete.

The inspections look at medical facilities, drinking water, swimming pools, spas, kitchens, dining rooms, child activity centres, cabins, ventilation systems and common areas of each ship.

During an inspection, each cruise ship is scored on a 100-point scale. Any score of 85 or below is counted as a fail.

jacuzzi and pool on a cruise ship

List Of The Cleanest Cruise Ships

In VSP inspections over the last year, 24 cruise ships scored a perfect 100 for cleanliness. These are shown in the table below, along with links to scores in previous inspections for those ships.

This data is accurate as of 31 October 2024. More ships may have been inspected since then. You can see the latest VSP statistics here.

Cruise ShipCruise LineInspection DateAll VSP Scores
Serenade of the SeasRoyal Caribbean International10 September 2024All scores
Carnival SpiritCarnival Cruise Lines, Inc.3 September 2024All scores
ZuiderdamHolland America Line24 August 2024All scores
Viking OrionViking Ocean Cruises II Ltd18 August 2024All scores
Seabourn OdysseySeabourn Cruise Line16 August 2024All scores
Norwegian JewelNorwegian Cruise Lines24 July 2024All scores
Oceania RegattaOceania Cruises22 July 2024All scores
Radiance of the SeasRoyal Caribbean International21 July 2024All scores
MSC MeravigliaMSC Cruise Management (UK) Ltd9 July 2024All scores
Norwegian BlissNorwegian Cruise Lines22 June 2024All scores
MSC SeashoreMSC Cruise Management (UK) Ltd26 May 2024All scores
Norwegian SkyNorwegian Cruise Lines23 May 2024All scores
Brilliance of the SeasRoyal Caribbean International16 May 2024All scores
Viking PolarisViking Epedition Operations2 April 2024All scores
Celebrity EquinoxCelebrity Cruises15 February 2024All scores
Norwegian EscapeNorwegian Cruise Lines27 January 2024All scores
Explora IMSC Cruise Management (UK) Ltd25 January 2024All scores
Disney FantasyDisney Cruise Lines24 January 2024All scores
Celebrity AscentCelebrity Cruises7 January 2024All scores
Norwegian GemNorwegian Cruise Lines2 January 2024All scores
Viking SkyViking Ocean Cruises Ltd20 December 2023All scores
Celebrity BeyondCelebrity Cruises11 December 2023All scores
Voyager of the SeasRoyal Caribbean International13 November 2023All scores
Carnival PanoramaCarnival Cruise Lines, Inc.4 November 2023All scores

Cleaning Standards For Cruise Ships

Cruise ships, like any large public space, vary in cleanliness. However, it’s important to note that cruise ships are subject to stringent sanitation standards that are regularly monitored and enforced.

Despite these strict standards and regular inspections, outbreaks of illness can still occur on cruise ships. These are most commonly gastrointestinal illnesses like norovirus. Such outbreaks are usually well-publicised, but relatively rare considering the number of people who take cruises every year.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, cruise lines implemented even more stringent cleaning and sanitation procedures. These included more frequent cleaning of public areas, use of electrostatic sprayers with disinfectant, enhanced air filtration systems, and policies to encourage physical distancing and hand hygiene.

disinfecting a cruise ship

Despite this, people still catch Covid on cruise ships, which is why many crew members still opt to wear masks. I have had Covid twice, and both times I fell ill upon returning from a cruise.

How Long It Takes To Cruise A Cruise Ship

Regular daily cleaning includes tasks like tidying up cabins, cleaning public areas and maintaining dining rooms. This is an ongoing process that crew members work on around the clock.

On turnaround day (when one set of passengers disembarks and a new set embarks), a deeper cleaning takes place. This typically includes more thorough cleaning of cabins, including changing linens, vacuuming and deep-cleaning bathrooms.

On turnaround day, public spaces are also cleaned more intensively. For a large cruise ship, this process typically takes several hours and involves a large team of cleaning staff.

crew member cleaning air conditioner on a cruise ship

After a cruise ship has been in service for a while, it will occasionally undergo a dry dock. This is a period of several weeks when it’s taken out of service for maintenance and deep cleaning.

During this time, everything from the engines to the carpets can be cleaned, repaired or replaced. This could take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months, depending on the extent of the work being done.

In the case of an outbreak of illness on board, such as norovirus, a ship will undergo an intensive disinfection process. This could take 24 to 48 hours, and involves cleaning all surfaces with strong disinfectant.

deep clean following norovirus outbreak

The Bottom Line

There you have it, fellow voyagers – the cleanest cruise ships on the high seas! From gleaming decks to sparkling staterooms, these maritime marvels are setting the gold standard for the industry.

Although these ships may top the list, the vast majority of cruise ships are committed to providing a clean, healthy and safe environment for their guests. With stringent sanitation practices, regular inspections and dedicated crews working around the clock, you’re in good hands when setting sail on your dream cruise.

Whether you’re cruising on one of these squeaky-clean superstars or another vessel in the varied fleets worldwide, rest assured that your wellbeing is a top priority. Cruise ship cleanliness is taken very seriously, and the proof is in the pudding… or perhaps, in this case, the buffet line.

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Cruise Mummy

Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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4 thoughts on “A Guide To The 24 Cleanest Cruise Ships In The World”

  1. | Reply

    We were on Sky Princess 31 day cruise to Canada and USA. My husband and I caught Covid, so did people in next door cabin. Not satisfied with cleanliness precautions. Staff were outside eating venues but did not encourage peple to wash there hands until day 24. Too late for us. People were coughing from day 1 so they should have taken more care.

  2. | Reply

    Princess Cruise Lines are not on your list. Do they not meet standards.

  3. | Reply

    Not very true-just read an article where Seascape failed and here is top-where is the truth?

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