Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas has officially submitted its corrective action report to the CDC, addressing the concerns from its recent sanitation inspection.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has approved the cruise line’s action plan, marking a significant step forward after the ship’s near-failing inspection score of 86, just one point above the failing threshold.
Last month, the Symphony of the Seas faced scrutiny after a February 9 CDC inspection uncovered multiple sanitation issues aboard the vessel, including improper food storage practices, hygiene lapses, and mishandled gastrointestinal illness reports.
After reviewing the corrective action report, the CDC has confirmed that Royal Caribbean successfully addressed the major issues found during the inspection.
Among the most critical corrections made by Royal Caribbean include:
1. Properly handling of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) cases, ensuring symptomatic passengers—particularly children—are correctly identified, logged, and isolated.
2. Reinforcing strict illness-exclusion policies at the Adventure Ocean children’s area, preventing symptomatic children from returning without medical clearance.
3. Eliminating cross-contamination risks in food preparation areas, notably at Johnny Rockets, where raw meat handling was improved.
4. Removing rotten products from provisions storage and enforcing stricter checks during food loading processes.
5. Ending improper food storage and cooking practices in non-food areas, such as crew workshops.
6. Enhancing sanitation procedures across food-contact surfaces, utensils, plates, and beverage dispensers throughout dining venues.
7. Repairing critical dishwashing equipment malfunctions to ensure proper sanitation of dishes and utensils.
8. Reinforcing crew hygiene policies, especially concerning wound management and ice machine maintenance.
9. Ensuring proper placement of utensils and food items behind sneeze guards to prevent contamination in buffet areas.
With these corrective actions in place, Symphony of the Seas is positioned to restore passenger confidence and maintain Royal Caribbean’s traditionally strong sanitation reputation.
Previous CDC inspections of Symphony and other Royal Caribbean ships consistently showed high marks, with many vessels earning either perfect or near-perfect scores.
Royal Caribbean has not provided additional public comment, but approval of the corrective action report shows that the necessary steps have been taken to satisfy last month’s poor inspection.
