Cruise ships are regularly inspected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to confirm they're maintaining a healthy and safe environment for passengers. In 2024, only two Carnival ships received a perfect score.
The CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) randomly conducts inspections to ensure cruise lines meet their expected standards, giving each ship a rating of 0 to 100. Just like how restaurants and grocery stores are inspected, the CDC wants to reduce the chances of guests and crew falling ill on a ship.
Because cruise passengers travel in confined spaces and are exposed to high volumes of people, the chance of spreading infectious diseases is higher, making regular inspections even more crucial.
In 2024, the CDC revealed that 27 out of 151 inspected ships received a perfect sanitation score. However, most ships scored 95 or higher, including 14 Carnival ships.
Of those 14 vessels, only two received a perfect score: Carnival Magic (Inspected October 14, 2024) and Carnival Spirit (Inspected September 9, 2024).
Mardi Gras followed closely behind at 98. However, interestingly enough, there was a 6-way tie for the third cleanest Carnival ship of the year, with vessels as old as Carnival Valor and as new as Carnival Celebration receiving a score of 97:
- Carnival Freedom (Inspected June 3, 2024)
- Carnival Horizon (Inspected June 16, 2024)
- Carnival Firenze (Inspected July 30, 2024)
- Carnival Celebration (Inspected August 4, 2024)
- Carnival Valor (Inspected November 2, 2024)
- Carnival Dream (Inspected November 4, 2024)
Read more: Carnival Cruise Line Guide
What were the worst-rated Carnival ships of 2024?
According to the CDC, any ship that receives a score of 85 or higher is satisfactory.
No Carnival ship received a score below 85 in 2024, indicating that the popular cruise line maintained high cleanliness and safety standards across its fleet. However, some ships received scores in the low 90s and high 80s.
Carnival Elation, for example, received a score of 89 when the 26-year-old ship was inspected on March 14, 2024. Similarly, Carnival Miracle scored an 88 when she was inspected on April 21, 2024, making Elation and Miracle Carnival's worst-rated ships of 2024.
Read more: 10 lessons learned after trying Carnival for the first time
Following each inspection, crew members review the results and implement corrective measures to address any issues identified by the CDC. For example, inspectors aboard Carnival Celebration discovered three bowls in the Lido Marketplace soiled with food debris. The recommended corrective action is to ensure food contact surfaces are clean to sight and touch.
Plus, all ships implement health awareness measures such as hand sanitizing stations in high-traffic areas like buffets. Crew members are also trained to disinfect high-touch surfaces and encourage passengers to frequently wash their hands.
The CDC inspected 25 Carnival ships this year, with 23 scoring 90 or above. Here's a full breakdown of Carnival Cruise Line's inspection ratings in 2024:
Read more: I tried Carnival's older cruise ships and never want to go back
- 100: Carnival Magic (Inspected October 14, 2024)
- 100: Carnival Spirit (Inspected September 9, 2024)
- 98: Mardi Gras (Inspected May 25, 2024)
- 97: Carnival Freedom (Inspected June 3, 2024)
- 97: Carnival Horizon (Inspected June 16, 2024)
- 97: Carnival Firenze (Inspected July 30, 2024)
- 97: Carnival Celebration (Inspected August 4, 2024)
- 97: Carnival Valor (Inspected November 2, 2024)
- 97: Carnival Dream (Inspected November 4, 2024)
- 95: Carnival Conquest (Inspected March 15, 2024)
- 95: Carnival Sunrise (Inspected September 12, 2024)
- 95: Carnival Breeze (Inspected October 26, 2024)
- 95: Carnival Panorama (Inspected November 16, 2024)
- 94: Carnival Paradise (Inspected February 19, 2024)
- 94: Carnival Sunshine (Inspected April 18, 2024)
- 94: Carnival Vista (Inspected August 18, 2024)
- 94: Carnival Liberty (Inspected November 3, 2024)
- 93: Carnival Radiance (Inspected April 22, 2024)
- 92: Carnival Venezia (Inspected October 25, 2024)
- 91: Carnival Glory (Inspected July 8, 2024)
- 91: Carnival Jubilee (Inspected June 29, 2024)
- 91: Carnival Luminosa (Inspected May 9, 2024)
- 90: Carnival Legend (Inspected July 9, 2024)
- 89: Carnival Elation (Inspected March 14, 2024)
- 88: Carnival Miracle (Inspected April 21, 2024)
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
