Key Aspects:
- Carnival Jubilee has received a perfect score of 100 during its most recent health inspection.
- This is the first time the Carnival ship has received a perfect score, though it has never failed an inspection.
- Officials from the CDC randomly inspect US-based cruise ships twice a year to ensure health and safety standards are being met.
One of Carnival’s Excel-class ships is excelling at meeting health and safety standards (pun intended). The 5,362-guest Carnival Jubilee just received a perfect score of 100 on its most recent health inspection.
Brand Ambassador John Heald congratulated the approximately 1,735 crew members working and living onboard for the impressive accomplishment in a Facebook post.
“Every crew member in this photo was responsible in some way for the Carnival Jubilee receiving a 100% inspection result from United States Public Health inspectors,” Heald wrote, along with a picture of crew members holding up homemade, celebratory signs.
For context, the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) inspects cruise ships at least twice a year to ensure health and safety standards are met.
The inspections are conducted randomly in US cruise ports so that the crew members do not have notice to prepare in advance. The process typically takes 6-8 hours to complete, depending on the ship size, the number of inspectors, and both port and itinerary schedules.
The Journey to Perfection
The VSP uses a 100-point scale when grading ship inspections, but scores of 86 or above are considered to be satisfactory. While many ships do pass, scoring a perfect 100 is rare.
Carnival Jubilee has never failed a health inspection since launching at the end of 2023, but hasn’t scored a 100 until now.
Per the VSP database, the ship scored a 91 on her listed 2024 inspection and a 97 on both of her 2025 inspections.
After each inspection, the VSP gives Carnival a report on where they can improve, and it’s clear that the brand has taken this feedback in stride to reach this perfect score.
Following the previous three inspections, Carnival has issued a report showing the feedback from the VSP and how they took corrective actions to fix the identified problems.
Now, guests can look forward to both cleanliness and paradise when they board Carnival Jubilee. The 183,521-gross ton ship is currently operating Western Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries out of Galveston, Texas.
Has a Carnival Ship Ever Failed an Inspection?
Carnival has failed health inspections in the past, but it has been many years since this occurred.
The most recent failure occurred when Carnival Breeze scored a 77 (well below the 86-point threshold) in December of 2017. The ship has turned things around in the years since, scoring in the 90s in her last two inspections.
However, some are wondering if a Carnival ship is about to fail an inspection again – this time in Australia. This would, of course, fall outside the jurisdiction of the CDC (which only oversees US-based vessels).
Cruise Hive has been reporting on the tense situation unfolding between the crew of Carnival Adventure, which is based in Sydney, Australia, and the Australian Maritime Union and government officials.
The officials attempted to board the ship for a surprise inspection after receiving complaints about unsafe and unsanitary living conditions for crew members. However, the Carnival crew members did not permit them to board.
Carnival has alleged that the organizations that attempted to conduct the inspection did not have the proper authority to do so, while the union is spreading the narrative that the cruise line has something to hide.
Granted, similar accusations were recently made against Carnival Encounter, which is also based in Australia, and an inspection cleared Carnival of any wrongdoing.
