Ultra luxury cruise ship fails health inspection

[Jason]

One of the world's most luxurious cruise ships has failed a health inspection conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In what is a rare occurrence for modern day vessels, the U.S. health agency gave a failing score of 84 out of 100 to Silversea Cruises' 382-passenger Silver Shadow, an all-suite icon of luxury cruising that boasts rooms for two starting at over $1,000 a night.

The surprise health inspection took place in Skagway, Alaska on June 17 but is just now coming to light.

As part of its Vessel Sanitation Program, the CDC conducts unannounced inspections of passenger ships docking in U.S. ports twice a year and grades them on a 100 point scale. A score below 86 is considered failing.

The CDC has yet to make its report listing reasons for the failing grade public. The agency normally posts reports on failing ships on its website within a few months of inspections.

In a statement sent to USA TODAY, Silversea says the failure is an aberration, noting that the 13-year-old vessel never has failed an inspection before.

"Silversea is deeply disappointed by this specific and only unsatisfactory score and has taken immediate measures to address the issues identified in the inspection report," the line says in the statement.

The last six inspections of the ship by the CDC have resulted in scores ranging from 95 to 99, according to CDC records.

By Gene Sloan, USA Today

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[DebbieandJerry]

Goes to show - no matter what it cost, there will always be inspection issues

[WeCruiseToo]

It’s nice to see that the “fancy” ships are held to the same standards as the more mainstream ships!

[Mach]

I just visited the CDC website and found the report on the Silver Shadow dated 6/17/2013. http://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/InspectionDetailReport.aspx?ColI=MTgwMDAzOTQ%3d-n6DxX6qpl9c%3d

The actual reported score was 82. Most of the violations were really quite minor but there were several that were amazingly egregious including attempts by the galley crew to hide galley equipment that they knew were in violation; failure to accurately report several instance of AGE (Acute Gastroenteritis) experienced by crew members; dirt and debris accumulating in one of the fresh food refrigerators and raw meats stored at improper temperatures (too warm.) No corrective report has yet been filed.

Regardless of the cruise line, be it NCL, Carnival or Silver Seas, violations of the health code are serious and must be addressed immediately. It should be interesting to see how the Silver Shadow does on her next inspection.