A maritime attorney is calling out Royal Caribbean after its massive cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, barely passed a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sanitation inspection.
The ship scored 86—just one point above the failing threshold—raising concerns about food safety, hygiene, and illness reporting on board.
Dozens of Violations Across Kitchens, Dining, and Childcare Facilities
Spencer Aronfeld, widely known as the “cruise ship lawyer,” highlighted the vessel’s February 9 inspection, which uncovered 44 violations. Issues ranged from improper food storage temperatures to serious hygiene lapses. Its most alarming findings include:
- Raw eggs and hamburgers stored at unsafe temperatures
- Crew members with open wounds handling ice with their bare hands
- Gastrointestinal illnesses among children that went unreported
Royal Caribbean’s Delayed Corrective Report Sparks Concern
Beyond the violations, Aronfeld is questioning why Royal Caribbean has yet to submit its corrective action report—a document outlining how the cruise line plans to address the CDC’s concerns. In a TikTok video posted Friday, February 21, he expressed frustration over the delay.
“…they have not filed a corrective report which leads me to believe they haven’t fixed it. Which means that these problems are still existing,” Aronfeld stated.
Though Royal Caribbean is preparing the report, the company has not commented on Aronfeld’s concerns or its relatively low vessel sanitation score. Additionally, as of this writing, the report has yet to be added to the CDC website.
“I sure hope that Royal Caribbean’s done at least enough to correct these issues, but they should at least report it to the CDC,” Aronfeld added.
It should be noted that the CDC typically runs a few weeks behind on making inspections and reports public.
Mixed Reactions From Cruise Passengers
While some travelers share Aronfeld’s concerns, others have defended Royal Caribbean, saying their recent experiences aboard Symphony of the Seas were positive.
“I was on Symphony over New Year’s and everything seemed great to me. I know there’s a good amount of behind-the-scenes stuff that I don’t see, but I was happy with the state of the ship,” a previous passenger shared.
Another wrote, “Literally just got off Symphony and guess what, what we didn’t know didn’t hurt us.”
A History of Stronger Sanitation Scores
Despite its latest struggles, Symphony of the Seas’ sanitation scores haven’t always hovered near failure.. In past CDC surprise inspections, the Oasis-class ship earned scores above 90, even achieving a perfect 100 on October 29, 2022.
Meanwhile, other Royal Caribbean ships have maintained high cleanliness standards.
Brilliance of the Seas received a perfect score of 100 last July. Jewel of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, and Radiance of the Seas have also been recognized for their exceptional sanitation records.
