Worried about catching “cruise cough” or norovirus on your next sailing? A lot of people are. But here’s the surprising part: some cruise ships are actually cleaner than many five-star hotels.
Cruise ships are inspected regularly, and the results are published publicly. Some ships score almost perfectly. Others… not so much.
That’s why I dug into the latest CDC inspection reports to find the ships that perform best when it comes to hygiene and safety.
So which cruise ships come out on top when inspectors are looking closely?
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, cruise ships are inspected regularly, usually about twice a 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.
List of the Cleanest Cruise Ships
In VSP inspections over the last year, 53 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 21st August 2026. More ships may have been inspected since then. You can see the latest VSP statistics here.
| Cruise Ship | Cruise Line | Inspection Date |
| Anthem of the Seas | Royal Caribbean International | 11 June 2026 |
| Disney Destiny | Disney Cruise Lines | 6 June 2026 |
| Oceania Riviera | Oceania Cruises | 25 May 2026 |
| Seven Seas Explorer | Regent Seven Seas | 22 May 2026 |
| Viking Polaris | Viking Epedition Operations | 21 May 2026 |
| Star of the Seas | Royal Caribbean International | 13 May 2026 |
| Regal Princess | Princess Cruises | 12 May 2026 |
| Noordam | Holland America Line | 7 May 2026 |
| Disney Dream | Disney Cruise Lines | 2 May 2026 |
| Celebrity Xcel | Celebrity Cruises | 22 April 2026 |
| Norwegian Luna | Norwegian Cruise Line | 21 April 2026 |
| Disney Magic | Disney Cruise Lines | 19 April 2026 |
| Celebrity Apex | Celebrity Cruises | 19 April 2026 |
| Norwegian Viva | Norwegian Cruise Line | 14 April 2026 |
| Explorer of the Seas | Royal Caribbean International | 13 April 2026 |
| Seven Seas Grandeur | Regent Seven Seas | 7 April 2026 |
| Queen Elizabeth | Cunard Line | 2 April 2026 |
| Resilient Lady | Virgin Voyages | 31 March 2026 |
| Valiant Lady | Virgin Voyages | 28 March 2026 |
| Norwegian Aqua | Norwegian Cruise Line | 25 March 2026 |
| Oceania Allura | Oceania Cruises | 23 March 2026 |
| Carnival Celebration | Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc | 15 March 2026 |
| Icon of the Seas | Royal Caribbean International | 14 March 2026 |
| Seven Seas Splendor | Regent Seven Seas | 13 March 2026 |
| Quantum of the Seas | Royal Caribbean International | 10 March 2026 |
| MSC Seascape | MSC Cruise Management (UK) Ltd | 8 March 2026 |
| Vision of the Seas | Royal Caribbean International | 8 March 2026 |
| Carnival Jubilee | Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc | 7 March 2026 |
| Carnival Legend | Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc | 6 March 2026 |
| Margaritaville at Sea Islander | Margaritaville at Sea | 27 February 2026 |
| Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | Margaritaville at Sea | 23 February 2026 |
| Celebrity Beyond | Celebrity Cruises | 18 February 2026 |
| Disney Treasure | Disney Cruise Lines | 17 February 2026 |
| Carnival Sunrise | Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc | 12 February 2026 |
| Norwegian Bliss | Norwegian Cruise Line | 8 February 2026 |
| Celebrity Silhouette | Celebrity Cruises | 7 February 2026 |
| Enchantment of the Seas | Royal Caribbean International | 26 January 2026 |
| Grandeur of the Seas | Royal Caribbean International | 24 January 2026 |
| Carnival Breeze | Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc | 17 January 2026 |
| Koningsdam | Holland America Line | 6 January 2026 |
| Brilliant Lady | Virgin Voyages | 22 December 2025 |
| Norwegian Gem | Norwegian Cruise Line | 12 December 2025 |
| Oceania Insignia | Oceania Cruises | 7 December 2025 |
| Silver Ray | Silversea Cruises | 5 December 2025 |
| Oceania Vista | Oceania Cruises | 3 December 2025 |
| Seabourn Encore | Seabourn Cruise Line | 2 December 2025 |
| Celebrity Eclipse | Celebrity Cruises | 22 November 2025 |
| Celebrity Apex | Celebrity Cruises | 15 November 2025 |
| Explora I | MSC Cruise Management (UK) Ltd | 12 November 2025 |
| Viking Polaris | Viking Epedition Operations | 6 October 2025 |
| Norwegian Encore | Norwegian Cruise Line | 28 September 2025 |
| Crystal Serenity | Crystal Cruises LTD | 27 September 2025 |
| Jewel of the Seas | Royal Caribbean International | 12 September 2025 |
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.
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 Clean 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.
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.
The Bottom Line
Although these ships scored highest in recent inspections, the vast majority of cruise ships maintain very high sanitation standards.
Cruise lines invest heavily in hygiene, with regular inspections, strict cleaning protocols and crews working around the clock to keep ships clean.
So while some ships top the rankings, passengers can feel confident that cleanliness is taken seriously across the industry.
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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.
Princess Cruise Lines are not on your list. Do they not meet standards.
Not very true-just read an article where Seascape failed and here is top-where is the truth?
Hi Nel. It was Seaside that failed the inspection. Here’s the link for you: https://www---cruisemummy---co---uk.lsproxy.app/msc-seaside-fails-cdc-inspection/ Jenni