The Centers for Disease Control annually inspects hundreds of passenger cruise ships to prevent and control public health issues. But not every vessel receives a perfect score.
The CDC uses a 100-point scale to evaluate multiple key areas of a cruise ship under the Vessel Sanitation Program, including food safety, water systems, housekeeping, medical center procedures and ventilation.
Hygiene and sanitation scores of 86 or above are considered satisfactory, while scores of 85 or lower are considered a failing score, according to the agency’s website.
Cruise ships in VSP jurisdiction carry 13 or more passengers and have an international itinerary with port stops in the U.S.
About 13% of all vessels the CDC inspected for 2025 received a perfect sanitation score, accounting for 24 out of 191 cruise ships.
You can see all the cruise ship scores here.
Here’s the list of the cleanest cruise ships in 2025, according to the CDC:
Here are the cleanest cruise ships on the ocean, according to the CDC
