Cleanest Cruise Ships from August CDC Inspections: 1 Perfect 100 from Celebrity and 9 Top Scores

The CDC recently published official health inspection reports for 10 cruise ships inspected during August 2026, representing five cruise lines: Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, and Windstar Cruises.

It usually takes a few weeks for the CDC to release cruise ship inspection reports. We now have most of the ship scores for August, although more may be posted in the coming days, and this page will be updated.

Under the CDC’s VSP (Vessel Sanitation Program) 100-point scale, any score of 86 or higher is considered a passing grade.

Not only did every ship pass with flying colors in August, but the average score for the 10 ships was 97, with the lowest being a 94.

These inspections are unannounced, and each U.S. based cruise ship is subject to at least two surprise inspections a year. The reports cover things like food preparation, drinking water systems, pool maintenance, and many other facets of health on board.

You can read about the 7 dirtiest cruise ships of the year here, based on CDC inspections.

Here is a look at how each cruise line and ship performed during their August inspections.

August CDC Sanitation Scores

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises delivered the top score of the month, grabbing the only perfect 100 score among all vessels inspected in August.

Celebrity Reflection

• Inspection Date: August 22, 2026
• VSP Score: 100
• Key Findings: Celebrity Reflection earned the highest score possible, so congrats to the crew on board! This doesn’t mean an inspection report doesn’t provide areas to work on, though. Minor observations noted during the walkthrough (such as a stray plastic straw in a pool drain and a dripping sink handle) were resolved immediately without impacting the ship’s perfect score. Reading the report shows just how detailed inspectors can be.

Celebrity Beyond

• Inspection Date: August 09, 2026
• VSP Score: 95
• Key Findings: Celebrity’s Edge-class ship lost minor points due to storage conditions for outdoor deck bars, weak chemical sanitizer mixtures at certain bar stations, and low lighting levels near some buffet lines. Inspectors also noted a missed daily disinfection log entry for a suite’s jetted tub due to a guest placing a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean also earned high scores for all three of its inspected vessels in August, with its Oasis-class ships earning near-perfect scores.

Symphony of the Seas

• Inspection Date: August 29, 2026
• VSP Score: 99
• Key Findings: Operating out of Galveston, Texas, Symphony of the Seas scored a near-perfect 99. The single point lost was due to minor technicalities, including a missing fastener on a spa pool drain cover, an isolation delay entry for a non-food-handling crew member, and minor cosmetic wear on buffet countertops.

Harmony of the Seas

• Inspection Date: August 25, 2026
• VSP Score: 98
• Key Findings: Harmony of the Seas was just two points shy of 100, losing points for a late 4-hour acute gastroenteritis (AGE) reporting update prior to port arrival, incomplete jetted tub logs, and minor food storage details like provisions temporarily stored on wooden pallets in crew corridors.

Vision of the Seas

• Inspection Date: August 15, 2026
• VSP Score: 97
• Key Findings: Vision of the Seas earned a solid 97 during its Baltimore inspection. Minor deductions were made for things like recessed tile grout in galleys, grease buildup on deep fryer exhaust hoods, and small flying insects noted near a few bar and beverage stations.

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival had two of its ships inspected in August, one in Norfolk, Virginia, and the other in PortMiami. Both scored well, with one just one point shy of a perfect 100.

Carnival Sunshine

• Inspection Date: August 16, 2026
• VSP Score: 99
• Key Findings: Carnival Sunshine delivered one of the highest scores of the month. Point deductions were limited to minor maintenance items like pooling water under beverage stations and out-of-service galley mixers. Inspectors also noted a brief reporting delay for three sick crew members who visited the crew mess before reporting to medical, prompting immediate onboard retraining.

Carnival Horizon

• Inspection Date: August 15, 2026
• VSP Score: 96
• Key Findings: Carnival Horizon received a solid passing grade in Miami. Deductions included cloudy pool water clarity at the Beach Swimming Pool, a sick crew member who worked briefly before self-reporting, ice machine cleanliness issues, and minor food storage labels missing at Guy’s Burger Joint.

Holland America Line

Holland America Line had two of its older ships inspected in August, and both maintained consistent A-grade performance. The two ships were inspected in the Northwest part of the country, with one being inspected in Juneau, Alaska, and the other in Seattle, Washington.

Zaandam

• Inspection Date: August 14, 2026
• VSP Score: 96
• Key Findings: Inspected in Juneau, Alaska, Zaandam lost points for high bromine levels in the main pool, conflicting whirlpool draining log entries, and missed quarterly Legionella sampling for a stateroom jetted tub.

Noordam

• Inspection Date: August 16, 2026
• VSP Score: 95
• Key Findings: Inspected in Seattle, Noordam’s minor point losses came from a late 24-hour gastroenteritis report submission, missing maintenance logs for whirlpool strainers, and light condensation accumulation inside walk-in cooler light fixtures.

Windstar Cruises

Star Seeker

• Inspection Date: August 28, 2026
• VSP Score: 94
• Key Findings: Windstar’s Star Seeker passed with a 94 in Juneau. Points were deducted for backflow prevention and plumbing drips, missing side sneeze guards at buffet carving and bread stations, missing handwashing facilities near outdoor dining, and a crew member handling chives without gloves.

Bottom Line

As you can see, inspectors look at details most cruisers probably never even think about when walking around the ship. Some of the things a ship can lose points for might look trivial and harmless, but it’s all part of a thorough approach to keeping passengers and crew safe at sea. 

Cruise ships sailing out of the U.S. have a much more rigorous inspection process compared to many land-based equivalents. I highlighted this in a recent article that compared cruise ships to land resorts in regard to cleaning standards.