Cruise ships: They're as much a part of Florida’s tourism industry as beaches and surf.
But an Action News Jax Investigation uncovered that many of the ships that sail out of Jacksonville and the Space Coast have sanitation violations.
Our Ben Becker went through inspection reports for every local cruise ship and found violations you need to know about before booking your next trip.
A relaxing vacation, where you float on the ocean, in a sea of tranquility. Cruise ships have names like Majesty, Dream and Elation.
The Carnival Elation is Jacksonville’s only home port cruise ship. We were there as Michael Cain returned from his trip.
"I would definitely do it again if I didn't have to pay for it," Cain said.
But Paula Wright had a different experience entirely.
"We’ve been on seven cruises and his was probably the worst one we've been on," Wright said.
Twice a year at every port across the country, cruise ships go through an unannounced inspection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All major areas of the ship are inspected, including dining rooms, medical facilities, swimming pools, hot tubs, kids’ areas and cabins
"Our room did flood one night while I was taking a shower," Wright said.
We dug through the Elation's most recent inspection report. Anything below 85 out of 100 is considered a failing score; it scored a 95. But we discovered 14 minor violations found by the CDC.
“The crew has no idea, so when they come on board, they are doing a thorough investigation," said travel agent Scott Lara.
Lara said there's increasing pressure on cruise lines to keep their ships clean.
"The cleaning is happening on 24/7 on that ship. You can be walking around at 2 a.m. and see crew wiping down the railings," Lara said.
Before the Elation, Jacksonville was home to Carnival's Fascination. In January of this year, it scored a 97. But as recently as 2013, the Fascination had an unsatisfactory score of 84, hit with a whopping 88 violations including dead flies, leaking brown water and a cockroach 'nymph' found on board.
"Every time I hear good reports, '100 percent, 100 percent, yeah high five' and when barely an 85 or 90 it's ‘oh my gosh,’" Lara said.
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Cape Canaveral is a popular port for local families. We looked at the more than dozen ships there and found serious issues, including two cases of Norovirus this year. One hundred and seventy-three passengers were sickened on the Carnival Sunshine in February. Then in April, 131 people fell ill on the Disney Wonder.
Disney didn't respond to our request for comment, but Carnival and an industry trade group did, saying in part, "Cruise lines voluntarily work with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) to study, learn and continually evolve best practices."
Wright said this ship has sailed: she's making different plans next time.
Action News Jax: “Would you go on this cruise again?”
Wright: “Probably not this ship. We would go on Carnival, but not the Elation."
According to the CDC, there have been 11 cases of the Norovirus aboard cruise ships so far this year. There were 12 all of last year. According to the CDC, there were 1,400 people impacted by the Norovirus on ships in 2015 compared with 20 million people on land.
Cox Media Group
