Royal Caribbean takes action after nearly failing CDC inspection
The cruise line filed a corrective action report detailing how it responded to numerous vessel sanitation violations.
Royal Caribbean has officially responded to a concerning vessel sanitation inspection report released in February for one of its ships that revealed a number of violations.
With a score of 86, the ship was just one point away from receiving a failing inspection score, prompting one attorney to blast the cruise line in a TikTok video that discussed the “horrifying” findings.
Related: Royal Caribbean under fire over troubling CDC report
Among the many violations were instances of improperly stored food, crew member hygiene issues, and failure to appropriately handle several vomiting and diarrhea incidents in the ship's Adventure Ocean kids’ club.
For those with upcoming sailings booked on this particular ship, the report was especially concerning, but also served as proof of how vital these inspections are to ensure cruise lines maintain high public health standards.
Some “loyal to Royal” cruisers even pointed out in the Royal Caribbean community on Reddit that passengers booked on sailings after the inspection may actually be lucky since the crew would have quickly corrected the violations.
According to a corrective action report recently filed by Royal Caribbean in response to the worrisome inspection, that may very well be the case.
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Royal Caribbean files corrective action report for Symphony of the Seas
Royal Caribbean recently submitted its corrective action report to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for Symphony of the Seas’ troubling inspection, responding to the many operational sanitation violations documented in the Feb. 9 inspection report.
According to the eight-page corrective action report, Royal Caribbean addressed every one of the many inspection violations. The cruise line took actions like retraining crew members on proper protocols for handling illness incidents in the kids’ club and modifying standard operating procedures for food storage at the ship’s Johnny Rockets burger restaurant to avoid potential cross-contamination.
Related: Royal Caribbean quietly fixed two passenger problems
Royal Caribbean reported that corrections occurred immediately regarding a number of the violations. The report also detailed how cleaning, sanitizing, repairs, and staff retraining were carried out to rectify various food safety and sanitation issues.
It’s very likely that this inspection served as a wake-up call for Symphony of the Seas’ crew members. Passengers can expect the crew to be eager to bounce back with a much better report when inspectors return to conduct the next unannounced inspection of the ship. Cruise ships are typically inspected by the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) twice a year unless they sail outside of the U.S. for an extended period of time.
Passengers can access cruise ship inspection reports on the CDC website
The CDC provides cruise passengers with access to cruise ship inspection scores and reports on its website. For travelers planning a cruise, VSP inspection reports can be helpful sources of information, allowing passengers to see how well the cruise ship they may choose to sail on maintains public health standards.
When reviewing an inspection report, it’s important to keep in mind that the VSP requires cruise ships to correct all violations like Royal Caribbean did for Symphony of the Seas. Some violations can be corrected immediately during the inspection, while others may take longer to remedy.
Related: Royal Caribbean has bad port news for passengers
After an inspection, the VSP requires all ships to submit corrective action statements for deficiencies found, as Royal Caribbean did for Symphony of the Seas. Once filed, corrective action reports can be accessed alongside ship inspection reports on the CDC website.
It’s important to note, though, that the VSP does not verify that the deficiencies have been corrected until it performs the next vessel inspection or re-inspection.
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