Centers for Disease Control

Published on: August 7, 2025

Ship Sailing Around the World Fails Public Health Inspection. What to Know.

A residential cruise ship on a three-year voyage was just shy of a few points it needed to pass a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health inspection, officials said.

The Villa Vie Odyssey received an 81 during its July 9 inspection when it needed an 86 to pass, according to reporting from USA Today. Inspectors with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) reported issues in areas such as potable water to food safety and housekeeping. One inspector reportedly discovered a waffle iron that was allegedly covered in grease and “black debris” that was being stored with clean equipment. Water was also found pooled beneath one of the wine cellar refrigerators. Near another refrigerator on another deck, inspectors said they found fruit flies.

Safety signs were also reportedly missing from the ship’s pool which would indicate depth markers in both feet and meters.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Officials: Over 130 Passengers Sick on Royal Caribbean Ship. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Over 130 passengers were sick with gastrointestinal illnesses on a Royal Caribbean ship that sailed from Los Angeles over the Fourth of July weekend, CNN reported this week.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention said the official number of passengers who were sick was 134, with at least seven members of the crew that were also afflicted. Those who were infected were beset by symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal cramps.

The outbreak happened on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas and was reported to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) on July 11. VSP officials are tasked with tracking and reporting gastrointestinal illness outbreaks, including norovirus, on cruise ships.

Published on: March 25, 2025

Cruise Line Narrowly Misses Failed Health Inspection, CDC says. What to Know about Leesfield & Partners’ Cruise Cases.

By Leesfield & Partners

A Royal Caribbean ship scored just one point above “unsatisfactory” in a recent health inspection conducted by the Centers for Disease Control; now ship officials are working to fix the issue.

In February, Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas had its regular health inspection in which inspectors found over 50 hygiene and safety protocol violations, according to media reports. The violations included improper food storage and crew members handling ice with open forearm wounds. Youth programs also failed to properly report children with GI symptoms, a cause for concern given news reports of a recent string of norovirus outbreaks on ships.

Typically, cruise lines must score above an 85 to pass evaluations. Symphony of the Seas narrowly passed the threshold with a score of 86, according to media reporting. To correct the issues, the cruise line alleges some of the steps taken included retraining employees and amending standard operating procedures related to food storage and reporting illnesses in youth centers.