f you’ve ever searched Disney cruise cleanliness, you’ve probably noticed something frustrating: there are plenty of opinions, but not many clear explanations. Some people swear Disney Cruise Line feels cleaner than other cruise lines. Others aren’t sure what to believe — especially if you’re an adult or senior who cares more than ever about comfort, health, and peace of mind while traveling.
In this article, we’ll look at the most objective comparison available to the public: CDC VSP inspection scores. Then we’ll connect that data to what we consistently hear from adults and seniors in our Disney for Seniors community — especially the repeated comments about noticing crew cleaning throughout the day and ships feeling well maintained.
What “CDC VSP” means (in plain English)
The CDC’s VSP is the Vessel Sanitation Program. When cruise ships sail from U.S. ports, many ships can receive unannounced public health inspections using a 100-point scoring system.
These inspections focus on sanitation systems and illness-prevention practices, including areas like food handling, water systems, pools, and cleanliness procedures.
One important detail: a score below 85 is considered failing.
This is why VSP scores are useful: it’s the same scoring approach applied across multiple cruise lines — including Disney Cruise Line and several major competitors.
Why we use 2024 (and then 2025 “so far”)
A common misunderstanding is that every ship is inspected every year. In reality, CDC inspections don’t happen on a neat annual schedule for every ship. Some ships may have multiple inspections in a year, and others may have none.
So for a fair comparison, we use:
- 2024 (the most recently available full calendar year of inspection results)
- 2025 so far (partial-year inspection results released to date — which will change as more inspections are posted)
2024 results: Disney compared to 4 major cruise lines
Using the most recent full-year comparison (2024), here is the overall pattern:
- Disney Cruise Line: average score 98.8
- Holland America: average score 98.6
- Celebrity Cruises: average score 97.9
- Royal Caribbean: average score 96.5
- Princess Cruises: average score 94.9
And this matters just as much as the scores:
- Each cruise line had a different number of ships inspected in that year
- More inspections can create more variability (for better or worse)
- That’s why this is best viewed as an overall comparison, not a single “winner” moment
Plain-English takeaway: In 2024, Disney’s average cleanliness inspection scores were at or near the top among these five major cruise lines.
2025 results so far: what the early data shows
Next, we look at the most recent CDC inspection results available for 2025 so far. Because this is partial-year data, it should be treated as a snapshot, not a final year-end ranking.
Here is the pattern using 2025 inspections released to date:
- Disney Cruise Line: average score 98.8 (5 ships inspected)
- Holland America: average score 98.6 (9 ships inspected)
- Celebrity Cruises: average score 97.9 (12 ships inspected)
- Royal Caribbean: average score 96.5 (22+ ships inspected)
- Princess Cruises: average score 94.9 (13 ships inspected)
Important context: 2025 results will shift as more ships are inspected and more scores are posted.
Plain-English takeaway: So far in 2025, the overall pattern is consistent with 2024 — Disney continues to score very strongly compared to major competitors.
What these scores do (and do NOT) mean
This is critical: a high score does not mean a ship is “germ-free.”
A high CDC VSP score means:
- the ship’s sanitation systems and procedures scored well at inspection time
- practices that reduce illness risk were in place and functioning
A high score does NOT mean:
- you cannot get sick on a cruise
- a ship is perfect all the time
- other cruise lines are unsafe
It’s best to think of these scores as a strong, standardized way to compare how well-run the sanitation systems are across cruise lines.
Why adults and seniors care so much about this
In our Disney for Seniors community, the “why” often comes up in everyday language. Members frequently mention things like:
- noticing crew cleaning “all the time”
- ships feeling well maintained
- feeling more comfortable relaxing on vacation when cleanliness feels handled
- peace of mind matters more now than it did years ago
For many older adults (and grandparents traveling with family), cleanliness isn’t about obsessing over germs — it’s about protecting the vacation you’ve waited for and avoiding the stress of getting sick while traveling.
Bottom line: how Disney compares
If your question is simply: how does Disney compare to other cruise lines for cleanliness?
Using the best available standardized inspection approach:
- In 2024, Disney scored at or near the top among five major cruise lines
- In 2025 so far, the pattern appears consistent — with the reminder that partial-year data is incomplete
Sources and links
CDC sources used in this article:
1) CDC VSP FAQ (explains 100-point scale and that 85 or below is a fail):
https://www.cdc.gov/vessel-sanitation/faq/index.html
2) CDC: Public Health Operational Inspections (overview of CDC inspection role):
https://www.cdc.gov/vessel-sanitation/php/our-role/public-health-inspections.html
3) CDC VSP Operations Manual (2018 PDF – background on the program and standards):
https://www.cdc.gov/vessel-sanitation/media/files/vsp_operations_manual_2018-508.pdf
4) CDC Inspection Search Tool (use this to pull the inspection lists that the 2024 and 2025 charts are based on):
Basic search:
https://wwwn.cdc.gov/inspectionquerytool/InspectionSearchBasic.aspx
Advanced search:
https://wwwn.cdc.gov/inspectionquerytool/inspectionsearch.aspx
5) CDC “Green Sheet” (most recent score by ship):
https://wwwn.cdc.gov/inspectionquerytool/inspectiongreensheetrpt.aspx
How to reproduce the chart data exactly (the CDC site does not provide a single permanent “average-by-line” URL):
Run the CDC inspection search with these filters and compute the average score from the returned inspections.
A) 2024 FULL-YEAR window (for each line):
Date from: 2024-01-01
Date to: 2024-12-31
Cruise lines: Disney Cruise Line / Royal Caribbean / Celebrity / Princess / Holland America
B) 2025 “SO FAR” window (for each line):
Date from: 2025-01-01
Date to: (today’s date or latest inspection date shown)
Cruise lines: Disney Cruise Line / Royal Caribbean / Celebrity / Princess / Holland America
