Holland America Line continues to impress as the cruise line has had yet another one of their cruise ships score a perfect 100 in a surprise health inspection earlier this month.
Oosterdam’s unannounced USPH inspection was held March 3, 2017, during a turnaround at Tampa, Florida, at the start of a seven-day Caribbean cruise. The perfect score follows on the heels of sister ship ms Eurodam achieving its 11th perfect score in January, making cruise industry history with the most consecutive 100s.
Along with Eurodam in 2017, six Holland America Line ships previously earned perfect scores in 2016, including Koningsdam, ms Maasdam, ms Veendam, ms Noordam and ms Westerdam. The year prior seven ships received 10 perfect scores: Eurodam, Noordam, Veendam, ms Zuiderdam, ms Nieuw Amsterdam, ms Ryndam and ms Statendam.
Twice a year, each cruise ship that sails to or from a U.S. cruise port goes through an unannounced public health inspection. This surprise inspection is done by the VSP (Vessel Sanitation Program) to determine how well the ships are operating and to the check the sanitation standards on board.
During the inspections, all major areas of the ship are inspected including medical facilities, portable water systems, swimming pools and hot tubs, galleys and dining rooms, child activity centers, hotel accommodations, ventilation systems, and common areas of the ship.
To receive a perfect 100, the ship must receive perfect marks on all 44 items on the USPH’s Vessel Sanitation Program checklist.
Photo Credit: Sebastian Wessels via Wiki Creative Commons 2.5
Not really sure what the big deal is! There were 6 other ships from other cruise lines that scored a perfect 100% on their inspections in 2017. https://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/Inspectionwith100Score.aspx