Ships That Got The Best (and Worst) CDC Sanitation Scores

Above, the Norwegian Sky scored a perfect 100 for sanitation in May. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is nice to know that a ship I took a cruise on scored well in the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vessel Sanitation Program.

Maybe that's why I didn't contract any illness during the cruise. 

USA Today reported:

Gastrointestinal illnesses like norovirus can be unfortunate anywhere, but they can be especially miserable on cruise ships, where they can easily spread without proper sanitation. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program is specifically designed to help keep GI illnesses from spreading on cruises by inspecting vessels, responding to outbreaks, training ship supervisors, and more.  

So far, this year, only two cruise ships have failed inspection, but several others have been close to the edge. Here’s how to find the sanitation reports for any ship sailing to the U.S.  

How are ships scored?  

Ships are scored on a scale of 100 for how well they’re keeping standards set in the VSP Operations Manual and given recommendations for addressing any issues.  

A score of 86 or above is considered satisfactory. Anything below that is considered failing.  

The ship I took on a cruise to the Bahamas in August had scored a perfect 100:

•  Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Sky in May 

It was one of twenty ships that scored 100. 

To read more, go here. 

Do You Need RV Dump Gloves?

Above, emptying the holding tanks at Malibu Creek State Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Emptying RV holding tanks is not exactly one of the most favorite things to do, but it is a necessary task.

The question has arisen on whether or not RV dump cloves are necessary. I don't know about necessary, but using them is desirable. If I have disposable gloves available while emptying my holding tanks, I'll use them. Otherwise, I wash my hands after the job is done.

RV Life has posted an article on the question of the necessity of wearing gloves. 

They start it with:

There are basically two types of gloves for handling the dirty work of dumping RV holding tanks. RV dump gloves seem to be either flimsy disposable gloves or more durable sanitation gloves that are meant to be washed and reused. 

Of course, disposable gloves can be washed and reused as well, but they have a tendency to tear and/or get small holes in them after several uses. There is a surprising amount of controversy among the RV community about whether you really need to wear gloves for dumping your RV. 

The health danger from RV sewage comes from E.coli and other bacteria that inhabit the digestive system. If you’re only handling plastic hoses, can’t you just wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after you dump? In this article, we’ll try to sort out what the facts are, and we’ll look for the truth in this ongoing debate.

To read more, go here.