Carnival Fails Health Inspection: Cockroach, Flies, Dried Food Waste Found On Ship

A Carnival ship failed a health inspection after inspectors discovered live flies, a cockroach, and leaking food waste on board.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave the Carnival Fascination a score of 84 in the February 21 inspection; on the 100-point scale, anything below 86 is counted as a “fail.” The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program also released a report on its findings this week. It does not make for pretty reading.

Amongst the violations found on board, CDC inspectors report finding a salad bar without a sneeze shield, a lack of lighting for cleaning in several food-related areas, and not enough chlorination at the ship’s water park.

However, it gets worse. Inspectors also found live flies, dried food waste and a “roach nymph” – an immature cockroach – on board the ship. The report notes, “At the hamburger grill, there was a large fly around the uncovered raw hamburger patties. The area was open during the inspection.”

Dried food waste was also found under a kitchen counter, with the report adding, “It appeared that the food waste was leaking through the sealant. A small fly was in this compartment.”

Then there was the cockroach, discovered with “four to six flies […] near the deck drain below the juice dispenser.”

Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen has pointed out to USA Today that Carnival fails health inspections only rarely:

“In the past five years, no Carnival ship has failed a U.S.P.H [U.S. Public Health] inspection and the fleet’s average score during that time period is 97. The average over 20 inspections already conducted in 2013 is 97.2.”

Gulliksen confirmed, “Corrective action was taken immediately, with several issues being resolved during the inspection and all issues resolved within 24 hours of the inspection.”

It’s not been the happiest few weeks for Carnival. Earlier this month, the Carnival Triumph came loose from its moorings during high winds, resulting in the death of Carnival worker John Johnson. In March, the Carnival Dream cruise ship, fully loaded with passengers, became stuck at a port in the Caribbean due to technical issues.

Here’s a selection of images taken aboard the Carnival Fascination. Roaches not included: