Carnival Cruise Ship Barely Passes Health Inspection

A Carnival cruise ship scored the lowest possible passing score during a recent surprise health inspection done by the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program.

The unannounced inspection of Carnival Breeze took place in Galveston, Texas on May 14, 2026. The cruise ship barely passed the inspection by scoring an 86. Scores of 85 and below are considered to have failed.

Carnival Breeze has scored a perfect 100 five times in its history, and has only failed an inspection once back in 2017.

Carnival Breeze Inspection

A total of 36 deficiencies were found on Carnival Breeze during the recent inspection that included numerous food safety violations and several minor issues.

The eight food safety violations were:

1.  Crew incorrectly held and labeled time/temperature control for safety (TCS) / potentially hazardous food (PHF) in the crew galley.
2.  Crew insisted that 4-hour discard labels were not needed for TCS/PHF out for service on the lido buffet, despite service lasting six hours (1000-1600), and despite the statement in the time control plan that all TCS/PHF food would bear a discard label.
3. Crew incorrectly held milk on time control at the crew buffet beverage station. Milk was still available for self-service at 0910. The time control plan stated it should have been discarded at 0900.
4. Crew stored their personal water bottle inside a waiter station.
5. Two potable water containers for the mobile handwashing station were stored upright and wet inside.
6. A hazardous chemical, butane, was stored above clean knives in the main galley knife locker.
7. Improper food storage order occurred inside a main galley walk-in cooler: raw chicken above raw steak above ready-to-eat pepperoni above raw shrimp. Inspector had to guide the re-arrangement of storage.
8. A fly landed on food out for passenger service but the food was not removed until the inspector intervened.

Another major violation were two crew members who experienced symptoms of Acute Gastroenteritis, but continued to work until their shift was over. Both incidents were recorded on the ship’s public diarrhea incident (PDI) log, and they did report to medical after their shift was over.

Some of the minor infractions included a sanitized martini glass soiled with food residue and a stored wine class was chipped and cracked along its rim, making it difficult to clean.

About Inspections

All cruise ships that sail from or to a U.S. port are subject to two surprise health inspections each year. The inspections are carried out by the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program.

The following eight areas of the ship are inspected:

• Medical Center
• Drinking water
• Galleys and dining rooms
• Swimming pools and hot tubs
• Housekeeping
• Pest and insect management
• Child activity centers
• Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)

Cruise lines pay for the inspections, based on the size of the ship. One to five inspectors carry out the inspections, also based on the size of the vessel.

Carnival Breeze is currently offering four- and five-night cruises to the Western Caribbean from Galveston, Texas.