Carnival Ship Fails CDC Inspection Citing Roaches, Flies and Broken Toilets
Carnival Cruise Lines reportedly failed an inspection after a federal inspection team uncovered roaches and flies as well as non-working toilets on board the ship.
The inspection was conducted on Feb. 21 by the Centers for Disease Control Vessel Sanitation Program, but the results were just made public this week when they were posted on the CDC's website.
Inspectors from the CDC conduct random inspection on vessels entering any U.S. port and found that the Carnival ship scored an 84. The inspection is based on a 100-point scale and anything under 85 is considered a failing grade.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The report indicated that the ship was docked points for having flies and a "roach nymph" in food preparation and storage areas. The ship also lost points for having recreational water park and water toys under federal chlorine levels.
"At the hamburger grill, there was a large fly around the uncovered raw hamburger patties. The area was open during the inspection," according to the report.
Under one kitchen counter, "it appeared that the food waste was leaking through the sealant. A small fly was in this compartment," an inspector wrote.
Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen explained that a Carnival ship failing a CDC inspection is a rare occurrence.
"In the past five years, no Carnival ship has failed a U.S.P.H (U.S. Public Health) inspection and the fleet's average score during that time period is 97. The average over 20 inspections already conducted in 2013 is 97.2," Gulliksen said in a statement.
"Corrective action was taken immediately, with several issues being resolved during the inspection and all issues resolved within 24 hours of the inspection," he added.
Carnival has a recent streak of bad publicity after another one of its cruise ships became disabled in the Gulf of Mexico in February, stranding its passengers for four days before it could be towed to a Mississippi port.
