Sapphire Princess: Sanitation Record & Health Report

Let's start with the good news: the Sapphire Princess cleared her CDC inspection with a 91, which means she's technically passing and you won't be evacuated in biohazard suits. But "technically passing" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there, because a 91 sits a solid four points below the fleet average of 95 — and when you're talking about a Princess ship that's been sailing since 2004, you'd hope two decades of practice would translate into something a little more impressive. She's not failing. She's just... coasting. Which is fine for the guests, less fine for the ship.

The real raised eyebrow here is the food safety situation. A score of 84.0 with a grade of "Needs Scrubbing" is not the kind of thing that pairs well with the formal dining menu. For context, that food safety score technically falls below the CDC's passing threshold, which means somewhere between the lido buffet and the galley prep stations, inspectors found enough to make notes plural. That doesn't necessarily mean your salmon tartare is a biohazard — but it does mean the kitchen discipline isn't quite where it should be on a ship that holds over 2,600 passengers. Inspectors visited in November 2025, so this isn't ancient history gathering dust in a filing cabinet.

Who it's for: Travelers who love the Princess itineraries and loyalty perks, aren't particularly squeamish, and are comfortable knowing their ship is passing inspections without exactly acing them. If you're a seasoned cruiser who has long accepted that buffet sneeze guards are aspirational infrastructure, you'll probably have a perfectly fine time. Who should skip it: Anyone immunocompromised, anyone who has ever read a CDC inspection report and actually lost sleep over it, or anyone whose idea of a relaxing vacation doesn't include mentally cataloguing which food stations scored comments. The Sapphire Princess isn't condemned — she's just not the ship you brag about booking.