Carnival's Fantasy is the line's second ship in a few months to fail the Centers for Disease Control's twice-annual Vessel Sanitation Inspection. Fantasy, which recently scored an 83 (86 is passing), follows Carnival Pride; the latter vessel had also failed with an 83.

Carnival Pride has since passed the mandatory re-inspection required of all ships that miss the passing grade with the proverbial flying colors -- the ship actually achieved a perfect tally of 100.

On Fantasy's part, big deductions came in food service areas -- particularly in cases of potentially hazardous food temperatures and damaged galley equipment, ranging from cracked glasses and plates to fridge and freezer thermometers. Its most eye-catching offense occurred in the ship's meat preparation and buffet areas. According to the CDC's report, "numerous roaches were observed ... the roaches were in various stages of development."

The ship will face a mandatory re-inspection and, according to a Carnival spokesman, "corrective action was immediately taken regarding all of the various items noted during inspection and this information has been submitted to the CDC." The spokesman noted that this was the first time in a decade -- and some 83 inspections -- that Fantasy has scored less than a passing grade.

I have to disagree. Ships of all classes have failed and passed inspections. The QE2 has failed many times, and she was not a cheap fare!

I don’t regard failing the inspection as a black mark, in the same way that if my car fails its annual safety checks (M.O.T). I look at it as a way of highlighting the problems and ensuring that they are put right.

Although I agree that ‘Cock Roaches’ are far from trivial, many of the problems identified onboard ships galleys are not quite so dramatic.

I wonder how many of our own kitchens would fail the inspections? Are you work surfaces 'really' clean? Is you Fridge/Freezer operating at the correct temperature? Is you dish-washer?

P.S. I hear that 'Horizon' failed recently.

[ 12-07-2004: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
I guess you can't have a clean ship and cheap cruise fares??

I have to disagree. Ships of all classes have failed and passed inspections. The QE2 has failed many times, and she was not a cheap fare!

[ 12-07-2004: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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Malcolm,
I was being sarcastic. Of course you can have cheap fares and still pass the inspection. One should really have nothing to do with the other as I suggested. The same goes without saying for safety.

While failing the inspection is not the end of the world, it doesn't promote a very good picture as to the operation of the ship. It's certainly not the type of PR most cruise lines would want. If a good number of ships didn't pass the inspection, then it might send a message that their is a problem with the inspection process. The reality is that the vast majority of ships pass the inspection with flying colors. I think more ships receive a perfect score of 100 then actually fail the inspection. This definitely indicates there is a problem with the particular ship. If several ships of one company begin to receive failing scores (as seems to be the case with Carnival lately), then I have to question if there is a larger problem with their corporate program regarding health and cleanliness. Could it also indicate cost cutting? Absolutely.

quote:

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
[b]
Although I agree that ‘Cock Roaches’ are far from trivial, many of the problems identified onboard ships galleys are not quite so dramatic.

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If you always turn the lights off when you leave your cabin and always find them on when you return, it is a good indicator that there are roaches in your cabin.