Norwegian Dawn falls below CDC sanitation passing mark
The ship scored 84 in Tampa, while several other vessels received scores just above the program’s threshold.
Norwegian Dawn received an unsatisfactory score of 84 during a March 29 inspection in Tampa, Florida, under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program.
The CDC program conducts unannounced cruise ship inspections intended to help prevent and control public-health problems. Vessels are evaluated on a 100-point scale, with scores of 85 or lower classified as unsatisfactory.
Norwegian Cruise Line subsequently submitted a corrective-action report to the CDC addressing deficiencies identified aboard Norwegian Dawn, according to cruise industry reporting.
Several vessels narrowly exceeded the passing threshold. Carnival Breeze, Kydon and National Geographic Sea Lion each scored 86. Sun Princess, MSC Meraviglia and Amadea each received 89. Carnival Breeze had previously earned 100 during a January inspection before receiving its later score of 86.
Separate reporting counted 42 ships with perfect scores in 2026. The CDC’s rolling perfect-score report includes Icon of the Seas, Carnival Celebration, Celebrity Apex, Disney Dream, Norwegian Viva and Queen Elizabeth among those vessels. Health experts have cautioned that a lower sanitation score does not necessarily mean a ship faces a higher risk of an illness outbreak.