To what health standards are onboard dining venues held to?

[GSOTall1]

All restaurants in the US are required by law to display their health score and are to be inspected periodically by a health inspector.

 

Are cruise ship dining venues like the MDR, buffet, and specialty restaurants held to any similar standard? I don't believe I've ever seen posted scores anywhere. Are the kitchens/dining areas inspected by a 3rd party?

 

If they are, is there any way to view recent scores?

[Underwatr]

All restaurants in the US are required by law to display their health score and are to be inspected periodically by a health inspector.

 

Are cruise ship dining venues like the MDR, buffet, and specialty restaurants held to any similar standard? I don't believe I've ever seen posted scores anywhere. Are the kitchens/dining areas inspected by a 3rd party?

 

If they are, is there any way to view recent scores?

First of all, not *all* US restaurants are required to display health inspection scores. That requirement varies by state. In PA where I live the results (pass/fail) are published the the paper there is a notice in the restaurant that the inspection results are available to inspect on request.

 

Having said that, if the ship's itinerary has it visiting the US it is subject to government inspection under the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program. Inspection scores are published here.

[chengkp75]

That is correct. Ships calling at US ports are required to meet the USPH/CDC requirements, and those requirements, both for original construction and operation are published here:

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiY3cu00c7WAhWHzxQKHS6JCu8QFggmMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fnceh%2Fvsp%2Foperationsmanual%2Fopsmanual2011.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3R9sGPSa8gudKwseUMu2SN

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiY3cu00c7WAhWHzxQKHS6JCu8QFgg0MAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fnceh%2Fvsp%2Fconstructionguidelines%2Fconstructionguidelines2011.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2iUePu2aNLac7YtmL0BTQ2

 

Ships calling at EU ports must meet the EU's ShipSan program, which is similar to the USPH/CDC VSP.

 

In other areas, those nations have their own sanitation regulations, or they adopt the minimum WHO ship sanitation regulations.

 

The USPH/CDC is tasked with preventing the introduction of contagious disease into the US, so it is not primarily concerned with the health of passengers while on the ship, but they don't want sick passengers disembarking in the US. So, their mandate is to board and inspect every ship that enters the US from a foreign voyage, and to conduct health interviews with passengers and crew, every voyage. You can imagine the mess that would make of disembarkation. So, the USPH/CDC and the cruise lines have joined into the VSP which says that USPH will only inspect the ships randomly, typically twice a year, if the ships agree to follow the construction and operation requirements in the VSP.

 

And, the aegis of the VSP is not limited to the dining venues on the ship, but the sanitation of the entire vessel, including potable water safety, swimming pool sanitation, lighting, ventilation, kid's center sanitation, laundry, etc, etc.

 

As underwatr has posted, there is a link to inspection scores.

[Keith1010]

All restaurants in the US are required by law to display their health score and are to be inspected periodically by a health inspector.

 

Are cruise ship dining venues like the MDR, buffet, and specialty restaurants held to any similar standard? I don't believe I've ever seen posted scores anywhere. Are the kitchens/dining areas inspected by a 3rd party?

 

If they are, is there any way to view recent scores?

 

They answer to your question is yet.

 

They are available on the CDC web site about a month after the actual inspection and include the score, the specific areas with problems and remedies required.

 

https://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/InspectionSearch.aspx

 

Keith

[bUU]

Beyond all that, I think that cruise ships from major cruise lines endure special scrutiny from the media whenever passengers become ill in numbers, far beyond what a restaurant on land typically endures, a back door way by which these ships are prompted to keep things clean.

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

[idraconis]

Don't you love cruise line bashers.

[XBGuy]

Don't you love cruise line bashers.

 

While I think the OP could have framed it better, I thought it was a fair question, and I found the answer from knowledgeable contributors to be very interesting.

[sail7seas]

Cruse ships which call at U.S.ports 'voluuntarily submit' to unscheduled inspection by U.S. PH and it is very rfigid with poinst taken off for a huge nmber of seemingly 'small things'. If they fail the inspection they will be held in port and not premitted to sail with guests until infractions are corrected and re -inspected. FEW if any shoreside restaurants /hotels couuld f pass those inspections with the scores most of these ships achieve. Thogh most of us think ouur kitchens at home are clean, safe up tto date- it is questionable if we wold have no infrations. Pioints, taken off for a speck of anything on refigerator g askets along doors. Temoeature ofdf all ccold food in refrigerators and freezers, P:oints off for any debris on knives where blade meets the handle. Points, for any gop on can opener where cuutting device meets the can metal... Do not leave a sponge or wash erag in youur kitchen sink. Do not store cans of paint anywhere near..Wash sinks at every work area. Termperatres of food ready to be served is taken and cold must be held agt established safe temperautre, same foree hot.. Proper serving utgensils, ceilings, floors and overr head light fixtuures. Storage rooms, spaces are careflly inpsected. BARs, and loungres are not neglected. dishwashers for the vlasses and utnsil s used muust meet hot water temperatuure standards. As mentioned above, inspections are not lilmited to juust food and drink... don't forget swimming pools, hot tubs, salons, steam rooms etc.

 

The scores are made public and can be viewed on line..Inspections are held about every 6 months IF the ship continuues to call at U..S. port. Of course, when a ship is in another part of the world, other countriescdan do inspections. Canada, also inspects which call at their ports.

 

They also uundergo Coast Gard inspections for maritime safetty and meajsres of cc rew training and readiness for an emergency

, OP, it was a good question, do you think your kitchen/ bathhrooms/ home would pass ? :) I think I have a well maintained, clean home but woluld hate for those intpectors ro go over every inch of it. :eek: :D

 

 

Are you in North America, Europe?

Edited October 1, 2017 by sail7seas

[A2Mich]

I think part of the reason why cruise ships are scrutinized for a Noro outbreak is that the cases have all or mostly been reported, and with the passengers being in a relatively small space and a captive audience, they are all still together. Land based restaurants may have guests from am you different places, and may not report any symptoms of Noro, as the victims may or may not be able to determine where they contracted the illness, and without multiple reports, others may not be able to determine the source, either.

[sail7seas]

I think part of the reason why cruise ships are scrutinized for a Noro outbreak is that the cases have all or mostly been reported, and with the passengers being in a relatively small space and a captive audience, they are all still together. Land based restaurants may have guests from am you different places, and may not report any symptoms of Noro, as the victims may or may not be able to determine where they contracted the illness, and without multiple reports, others may not be able to determine the source, either.

 

 

 

Hotels, schools, nrrfsin homes so not havve the same reporrting reqiermewnts as criis ships. When they raeafh a certain pecfentage ofcrew andd/or gests having Noro, it mst be reported. gests fcome and go in hotels. they do not all fcheck in smae day and most do nott leave same day ashappens on ships. ., no one llikely knows if someone had Noro. the y\cannot get a cont and report accurately. I yo were ill in a hotel, unless you wanted the hotel to get yo a doctor, wold yo contact their front desk that you had a gastro-intestinal illness?

Edited October 1, 2017 by sail7seas

[bUU]

"Health care facilities, including nursing homes and hospitals, are the most commonly reported settings for norovirus outbreaks in the United States and other industrialized countries (see*Norovirus in Healthcare Settings). Over half of all norovirus outbreaks reported in the United States occur in long-term care facilities." https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/trends-outbreaks.html

 

This post may have been entered by voice recognition. Please excuse any typographical errors.

[iancal]

Who really knows what goes on in the kitchens and food prep areas of any cruise ship, hotel, or restaurant?

 

I have to believe that the standards are very high on all of major cruise lines/cruise ships. The only food area that we are careful about is the buffets. It i not a question of the staff, food prep, or food handling. It is the customers.

 

Our issue is with a minority of customers who paw the food, take plates, etc and them put them back, or insist on squeezing the bread with their hands. Or in the case on one person we saw, pick up six or seven cookies with his bare hands, examine them, and then select the one that had the most whatever in it...I think chocolate chips. Or the woman who picks up and touches various pieces of fruit until she finds one that she likes.

[GSOTall1]

Thanks everyone. By no means was I bashing cruise ship cleanliness or having doubts about the work that the ships go through to keep things delicious and germ free.

 

 

I just wasn't sure who or how the cruise ships are inspected since some ships never dock in the US, some never in EU, etc. Good to know that the inspections are somewhat standardized across the world just with different names for the organizations that perform the inspections. I found the list of ship scores by the CDC since I'm US based and the vast majority are in the high 90s to perfect score.

[spleenstomper]

We toured Carnival galley during the super club and it was immaculate.