TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A cruise ship that sails out of Port Canaveral received a failing cleanliness score from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC inspected the MSC Seaside on April 27. The ship was given a score of 67 out of 100. The ship was last inspected in Feb. 2019, receiving a score of 92 out of 100.
The inspection report showed that a crew member failed to wash his hands after handling raw hamburgers at the hamburger buffet station. The report said management quickly instructed the crew member to wash his hands.
The CDC’s report also said, “multiple potentially hazardous food items were measured in the temperature danger zone,” including chopped lettuce, six bins of slice honeydew and cantaloupe and two bins of raw chicken. Crew members said they threw away the food.
According to the CDC’s website, the MSC Seaside has not submitted its corrective action report.
MSC told News Channel 8 that it has averaged an inspection score of 94.5 since 2004.
Recent scores from the U.S. fleet include:
- MSC Seashore: 95 (11/6/2022)
- MSC Seascape: 100 (2/5/2023)
- MSC Meraviglia: 98 (2/26/2023)
MSC released the following statement regarding the inspection:
“MSC Cruises rigorously adheres to health protocols, and the results of this inspection do not reflect the brand’s high standards. We launched an internal investigation based on the inspector’s concerns and took immediate corrective actions. MSC Cruises is dedicated to ensuring that MSC Seaside provides the experience our guests have come to expect, which has been marked by high scores on this type of inspection for the past twenty years across our fleet.”
In the past five years, only three other cruise ships have failed their inspections. The Le Boreal ship failed with a score of 84 out of 100 in Oct. 2017. The Regal Princess failed its inspection report in Feb. 2020 with a 77 out of 100. The Safari Endeavour failed its inspection in Sept. 2018 with a score of 79 out of 100.
You can view every cruise ship’s inspection report on CDC’s website.
