Which Cruise Line Is Cleanest, According to CDC Data?

As cruise travel continues to rebound, new analysis of federal health inspection scores offers one of the clearest snapshots yet of which cruise lines are operating the cleanest ships in 2025.

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How the CDC Rates Cruise Ship Cleanliness

Cleanliness on cruise ships sailing from United States ports is tracked through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program, or VSP. The program oversees unannounced public health inspections on ships that carry 13 or more passengers and have international itineraries with calls at United States ports. Inspectors review everything from galleys and dining rooms to potable water systems, medical facilities, pools and spas, and housekeeping practices.

Ships are scored on a 100-point scale. Publicly available information from the CDC explains that a score of 85 or higher is considered satisfactory, while anything below 85 counts as a failed inspection. Scores in the high 90s indicate very strong performance on sanitation, food safety, and disease prevention standards, with a perfect 100 signaling that no significant violations were observed during the visit.

The VSP database allows the public to view the latest score for each ship, a rolling list of inspections that achieved 100, and detailed reports describing any violations and corrective actions. Recent media coverage and third-party analyses have used that raw data to compare overall performance by cruise line, averaging scores across each brand’s fleet to determine which companies are consistently operating the cleanest ships.

Although the program has faced staffing and budget pressures, the most recent postings and reports show that inspections are still taking place and that scores for 2024 and 2025 sailings are continuing to be added to the CDC’s online tools.

Viking Emerges as the Top-Ranked Cleanest Cruise Brand

A recent analysis by travel insurance comparison provider Squaremouth, reported by several travel outlets, examined CDC Vessel Sanitation Program scores across cruise brands and found that Viking’s fleets lead the industry in average cleanliness scores for 2025. According to that analysis, Viking’s ocean and expedition operations both posted average sanitation scores of 99 out of 100 across their inspected ships.

The report grouped inspections by brand to produce an average score for each cruise line. In that ranking, Viking Expedition Operations and Viking Ocean Cruises appeared at the top, ahead of both mass-market and luxury competitors. The findings suggest that Viking’s smaller-ship model, coupled with policies that emphasize hygiene and public health controls, has translated into consistently high inspection results across multiple vessels.

This is broadly consistent with individual inspection reports in the CDC database, where many Viking ships have posted scores in the upper 90s, and some have achieved perfect 100s during recent unannounced visits. While individual ships from other lines also score at or near 100, Viking’s strength lies in the uniformity of its results across its inspected fleet.

The Squaremouth analysis indicates that, based purely on current CDC inspection data and averaged by brand, Viking stands as the cleanest cruise line operating in the United States market so far in 2025.

Virgin and Norwegian Also Post Strong Sanitation Scores

Although Viking leads the latest rankings, other operators are also performing strongly under CDC scrutiny. The same analysis of 2025 scores highlights Virgin Voyages and Norwegian Cruise Line as high performers, with average sanitation scores in the upper 90s.

According to coverage of the Squaremouth study in travel media, Virgin Voyages recorded an average score of about 97.7, while Norwegian Cruise Line posted an average near 97.4. Those figures place both brands just behind Viking, reinforcing a picture in which several major operators are maintaining very high sanitation standards on ships sailing from United States ports.

Separate reporting has also pointed to Norwegian’s record of perfect scores. Earlier coverage summarizing CDC data noted that Norwegian had multiple ships earn 100 during recent inspections, underlining the line’s strong performance when individual vessels are examined. Virgin, which operates a smaller fleet of newer ships, has likewise drawn notice for consistently high marks.

The clustering of scores near the top of the scale suggests that competition on cleanliness is intensifying among cruise brands targeting North American travelers. For passengers comparing options, the difference between an average of 97 and 99 may be less important than the fact that all of these lines are performing well above the CDC’s pass threshold.

Other Major Cruise Lines and How They Compare

Beyond the top three brands, CDC data show that many large cruise companies continue to earn generally strong marks, even if their fleetwide averages come in slightly lower. Analyses of 2024 and early 2025 inspection results indicate that some of the biggest mass-market operators post averages in the mid- to high 90s, with a mix of standout ships and occasional weaker scores.

For example, media summaries of 2024 results highlighted Norwegian as one of the cleanest large mainstream lines that year by total number of perfect scores, even as individual ships from several other brands also earned 100. More recent coverage of 2025 inspections notes that Carnival Cruise Line, one of the largest operators serving United States ports, recorded an average sanitation score in the mid-90s based on CDC data compiled for that study.

Luxury and niche operators do not always dominate the rankings. While some small upscale brands post very high scores, others have had ships fall below expectations, including a few high-profile failed inspections with scores under the CDC’s 85-point pass mark. Those outliers underscore that price point alone is not a guarantee of superior sanitation performance.

The CDC’s own database, which lists the most recent score for each ship, also illustrates how quickly fortunes can change. Vessels that once failed an inspection have later returned to service with substantially improved scores after corrective actions, while ships with long records of high marks must still navigate the risk of lower scores if inspections uncover lapses.

What Travelers Should Know When Choosing a “Clean” Cruise

While the latest rankings put Viking at the top of the list for average cleanliness, public health experts and industry commentators note that travelers should look beyond a single brand label. CDC inspection scores are a valuable snapshot, but they represent conditions observed on a particular day, and they can change over time as crews, management, and operating conditions shift.

Consumer advocates often recommend that travelers review the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program database directly, checking both the most recent score and the history of inspections for the specific ship they are considering. A pattern of high scores across multiple inspections can be a more reliable indicator of strong sanitation practices than a single 100-point result.

Travelers may also want to consider ship size and itinerary. Smaller ships can be easier to keep clean and may post higher scores on average, while very large ships are subject to more complex operations that can create additional challenges. At the same time, many of the newest megaships have recently earned perfect or near-perfect scores, suggesting that design improvements and updated protocols can offset the complications that come with size.

Ultimately, the latest analysis of CDC data identifies Viking, followed closely by Virgin Voyages and Norwegian Cruise Line, as the cruise brands with the cleanest fleets on average in 2025. For travelers weighing where to book their next voyage, those findings offer a data-backed starting point, but the most informed decisions will also take into account specific ships, recent inspection histories, and each traveler’s comfort level with health and hygiene at sea.