Cleanest cruise lines in 2026: Explora Journeys, Viking, and Disney top U.S. News rankings

These cruise lines earned the highest sanitation scores, with protocols that go far beyond a standard clean

Credit: Explora Journeys

Cruise lines face some of the most rigorous inspections in the travel industry. No similar federal inspection system applies to hotels, airlines, or restaurants. According to U.S. News & World Report, ships docking at U.S. ports receive unannounced inspections from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vessel Sanitation Program. Cruise lines join this program voluntarily. Inspectors review eight areas: onboard medical facilities, drinking water, galleys and dining rooms, swimming pools and hot tubs, housekeeping, pest management, children's activity centers, and HVAC systems. Each inspection takes six to eight hours and results in a score out of 100. Ships scoring 85 or lower are unsatisfactory. Ships may be inspected twice a year.

Passengers are less likely to get sick on a cruise than on land. Gastrointestinal illness affects about 1 in 5,500 cruise passengers, compared with 1 in 15 on land. This difference shows how often cruise lines clean and sanitize their ships. About 95% of onboard illnesses are treated without a hospital visit. Every cruise line keeps a medical facility on each ship. Staff are equipped to handle the most common shipboard conditions, such as the flu, gastrointestinal illness, and COVID-19. For severe cases, staff arrange medical care at the nearest port, or emergency transport by helicopter or boat.

For travelers weighing their options, sanitation standards are a meaningful variable. Cruise lines that score consistently well across multiple unannounced inspections signal something beyond a single good day. They signal systems. A strong average across multiple visits reflects cleaning protocols that hold up not just on inspection day, but throughout an entire voyage. This list highlights the five cleanest cruise lines for 2026, ranked by average VSP scores collected between April 2023 and July 2025.

1. Explora Journeys is the only cruise line to earn a perfect health rating

Credit: Explora Journeys

Explora Journeys earned a perfect 5 out of 5 health rating—the only cruise line in the U.S. News analysis to do so. Its two ships, Explora I and Explora II, each received perfect Vessel Sanitation Program scores of 100 in all three inspections between January 2024 and February 2025. This level of consistency is rare. Most ships get minor deductions during surprise inspections. Achieving perfect scores in six separate inspections is a notable operational achievement, not a........

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