Princess Cruises’ Emerald Princess scored 78 on a surprise CDC inspection, and Ponant’s Le Lyrial failed a day later. Here’s what inspectors found, from moldy fruit to raw pork.
Two cruise ships just flunked their surprise health checks, one day apart.
Princess Cruises’ Emerald Princess scored 78 out of 100 on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention inspection on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, according to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program records. Ships need 86 or higher to pass.
The next day, Ponant’s small expedition ship Le Lyrial scored 83 on its own inspection, the CDC’s records show. That’s also a fail.
Crew Center, which first reported the Emerald Princess score, said the inspection happened in Long Beach, Calif. Neither Princess Cruises nor Ponant has commented publicly that we could find.
Here’s a look around Emerald Princess from Port Monkeys:
What did CDC inspectors find on Emerald Princess?
A lot of food problems. The CDC’s inspection report lists:
Moldy fruit and vegetables: Three “visibly moldy and/or rotten oranges” were on the crew mess line. Peppers and a cucumber on a prep counter also showed mold.
Storage mix-ups: Raw pork chops were stored above thawed hot dogs. The pork chops were moved.
Missing discard labels: Cold buffet foods weren’t marked with color dots showing when they had to be thrown out.
Crew Center reported more problems, including sandwiches that cooled too slowly and dishwasher spray nozzles that were blocked or dirty. It also listed debris in ice machine water trays and a gap in how crew members monitored drinking water after a blackout.
Inspectors took off 22 points in all, Crew Center reported. The biggest single deduction, 5 points, was for food temperature and time controls. Some problems were fixed on the spot, like throwing out the unmarked buffet food.
Why did Le Lyrial fail its inspection?
Le Lyrial’s report, dated Oct. 17, flags a mix of paperwork, water and kitchen issues.
There was no record of Legionella testing for any of the ship’s seven drinking water tanks or its hot water return line, the CDC report says. Inspectors also found ice machine water lines that weren’t labeled to prevent cross-connections, plus problems in the main galley’s dishwashing area.
The report also says the passenger and crew counts sent in ahead of the inspection didn’t match the ship’s own manifest. The manifest listed 170 passengers and 141 crew.
Le Lyrial is a small ship. It carries about 264 passengers and entered service in 2015, according to its builder’s records as summarized on Wikipedia.
How do CDC cruise ship inspections work?
Ships that carry 13 or more passengers on international trips and stop at U.S. ports are subject to unannounced inspections, usually about twice a year.
Inspectors look at food safety, drinking water, pools and hot tubs, medical logs and more. Ships lose points for each problem, and a score of 85 or lower is a fail.
A ship that fails has to send the CDC a corrective action statement explaining how it fixed the problems. Ships may be inspected again, and the CDC posts the corrective action statement online next to the inspection report, so anyone can read how the cruise line says it fixed things.
Have other cruise ships failed in 2026?
Very few have. Before this month, Norwegian Dawn was the only ship listed as failing in 2026, with an 84 on March 29, according to trackers of CDC scores. Click2Houston reported that Norwegian took corrective action.
Emerald Princess’s 78 is lower than that, which puts it near the bottom of the year so far.
If you’re sailing Disney, here’s some good news. Disney Destiny, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy and Disney Magic all scored perfect 100s on their 2026 inspections, according to a tracker of CDC scores.
What is Emerald Princess?
Emerald Princess is a Crown-class ship that entered service in 2007. It holds 3,080 guests in lower berths and about 1,200 crew, according to Princess Cruises. Its sisters are Crown Princess and Ruby Princess.
You can look up any ship’s latest score on the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program website before you sail.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Vessel Sanitation Program scores and inspection reports
Crew Center (Oct. 19, 2026), the first report and inspection details
Click2Houston (Aug. 19, 2026), 2026 scores and Norwegian Dawn
Gangwaze, its tracker of CDC scores
Princess Cruises, Emerald Princess ship facts
Port Monkeys on YouTube, the ship tour
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