After a rocky beginning, the 3-year residential cruise aboard Villa Vie Odyssey is still far from smooth sailing. Recently, the 32-year-old ship failed a routine health inspection performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the CDC's website, the Villa Vie Odyssey received an 81 during the July 9 inspection, far below the CDC's passing threshold of 86.
The 44 violations range from issues with potable water to concerns about food safety and poor housekeeping. For example, dead fruit flies were found trapped in a light cover near a refrigerator on Deck 5.
"The seam between the fryer and preparation table was difficult to clean and soiled with greater than one day's worth of dried food debris," another violation stated.
Despite the unsettling report, Villa Vie Residences founder Mikael Petterson defended the ship and its crew
In a statement emailed to USA TODAY, he said, "It's important to emphasize that the majority of the noted deficiencies were not related to food safety, but rather to structural and design elements reflective of the ship's age and original construction – long before current U.S. public health standards were in place."
"Unlike modern vessels designed specifically for regular U.S. operations, the Odyssey was not originally built for this market, making direct comparisons somewhat unfair."
Although it's common for cruise ships to score in the 90s, anything below a 90 is considered unusually low. Some ships even score perfect scores, highlighting just how far the Villa Vie Odyssey fell short.
So far, the Villa Vie Odyssey is the only cruise ship to have scored below an 86 this year. That said, some vessels have come dangerously close to failing the routine CDC inspections, including:
- Carnival Sunshine (89/100)
- Carnival Dream (89/100)
- Holland America Line's Noordam (89/100)
- Norwegian Epic (89/100)
- Grand Princess (86/100)
- Symphony of the Seas (86/100)
Following the CDC’s inspection of a cruise ship, the cruise line must provide a Corrective Action Statement to address the reported violations.
The statement will outline the planned steps to address the issues in the report to reinforce health and safety standards for passengers and crew members.
“[W]e’ve taken the inspection feedback seriously, made the necessary adjustments, and are confident that a follow-up inspection would result in a passing score,” Petterson added.
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 traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
