During a surprise inspection on May 1, CDC officials found 65 different concerns on the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise in multiple areas, including how the food preparation for both guests and crew members was handled, cleanliness of plumbing, pool maintenance, and the cleanliness of the ship’s medical facility.
The agency gave the vessel an 83 score during the inspection, which means that it falls below the 86 threshold the agency has established. An 85 score or lower, according to the CDC is “NOT satisfactory.”
Some of the issues that the CDC found include allowing six people to be inside whirlpools that are designed for only four people, food and drink sanitation concerns, and questions about whether crew members can handle food without washing their hands first.
“The gloves worn by the crew member handling the ice making components of the ice machines were stored with tools,” the CDC report said. “It was unclear if the crew member washed his hands before putting on gloves. There were glove boxes for food handlers on the bulkhead next to the ice machines that could be used instead.”
CDC officials found that the ship did not properly store drinks, had poorly lit or soiled food preparation areas, and broken freezers, fryers, and refrigerators.
A crew member, the CDC report said, was not able to show how to use an anti-microbial product for fruits and vegetables on board the ship.
“The crew member washing lettuce heads and immersing them in an antimicrobial solution for fruits and vegetables could not demonstrate competency in verifying the concentration of the chemical used,” the agency reported. “The crew member could not use a test strip correctly to verify the concentration of the solution and did not know what an acceptable test result would be.”
Officials with the health agency also found various issues such as a “plastic curtain separating the bar from the pantry was torn and in disrepair,” and a “trolley plastic covers were torn and in general disrepair” in several locations.
Regarding the whirlpool issue, the CDC said: “on several occasions, up to six bathers were noted in each whirlpool. Each whirlpool is designed to have a maximum bather load of 4 persons.” It recommended the ship operators to make sure that “the maximum passenger bather load number is not exceeded, so the proper halogen and pH values are not adversely affected.”
It isn’t the first time Margaritaville at Sea Paradise failed a surprise CDC inspection. In 2019, the cruise ship scored an 81 out of 100, according to CDC data. The ship scored an 87 in May 2023 and an 88 in October 2019.
In 2024, ships from Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Viking Cruises, and MSC Cruises have scored 100 out of 100, according to the CDC website.
The Epoch Times contacted the operator, Margaritaville at Sea, for comment on Friday. The company said in a statement posted online this week that corrective actions have been taken since the CDC inspection.
Formerly Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, Margaritaville at Sea operates two-day trips from Florida to the Bahamas. The company in 2022 was rebranded after a partnership between Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line and the late singer Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville brand, according to the cruise operator’s website.
The singer, known for his 1977 smash hit song “Margaritaville,” passed away at age 76 in September 2023.
