Second Celebrity Cruise Ship Fails CDC Inspection

[ghstudio]

Is this a reflection of the new president? I mean, ships in Celebrity's fleet did not fail these inspections before this guy took over. Don't they realize that they will lose bookings if people hear that their ships are dirty? Very stupid move if this president is downgrading upkeep.

 

New President....new ideas.

 

Look at Home Depot and most recently JCPenny. Sometimes egos get in the way of sound business judgement.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Is this a reflection of the new president? I mean, ships in Celebrity's fleet did not fail these inspections before this guy took over. Don't they realize that they will lose bookings if people hear that their ships are dirty? Very stupid move if this president is downgrading upkeep.

 

I think it's more a case of too much growth too fast. There simply aren't enough well trained, experienced staff on some of the older ships in the fleet. Also heavy corporate debt leads to staffing/maintenance cutbacks. Staff get used to just dealing with half functioning equipment and making do.

 

As with most corporations there are many department heads under the CEO. Mr Bayley may or may not know of every trim (staffing, maintenance, etc) that each department has made on each ship. Usually the CFO and their team sets the budget for each ship based on profitability. The "bean counters" are more to blame here than Mr Bayley. As Celebrity is a division of RCI and they are a publicly traded company, there is a big pressure to show corporate profits and return dividends to shareholders - and non-essential maintenance and staffing are some of the first areas affected.

[weatherman46]

We got off the Celebrity Infinity in Fort Lauderdale 3 days ago after a 2 week cruise during the which several passengers suffered the norovirus. The ship was very late leaving that day, I assume due to a deap clean and inspection problems.

[ghstudio]

I think it's more a case of too much growth too fast. There simply aren't enough well trained, experienced staff on some of the older ships in the fleet. Also heavy corporate debt leads to staffing/maintenance cutbacks. Staff get used to just dealing with half functioning equipment and making do.

 

As with most corporations there are many department heads under the CEO. Mr Bayley may or may not know of every trim (staffing, maintenance, etc) that each department has made on each ship. Usually the CFO and their team sets the budget for each ship based on profitability. The "bean counters" are more to blame here than Mr Bayley. As Celebrity is a division of RCI and they are a publicly traded company, there is a big pressure to show corporate profits and return dividends to shareholders - and non-essential maintenance and staffing are some of the first areas affected.

 

and thus you have Carnival's current situation....lots of negative publicity and PR nightmares. Who needs maintenance?

[KirkNC]

If you read the report, you' ll see that much of the problem seems to be old broken , run down infrastructure .

This is an old ship that isn't being maintained.

A 78 is really bad. Few ships EVER score that low.

 

My initial reaction was that the safest time to go on a ship is a few weeks after a problem like this as one would expect they would work really hard to get things fixed but as posted, a 78 is a really bad score. It would be similar to a C restaurant rating here in NC which is baaaaad.

[Seago2]

Whatbisnthe date of the second inspection? Is it after Summit's was released? Why on EARTH would you not tighten up EVERYTHING after receiving an 81?

[Seago2]

Ok, I jumped ship from Summit to Carnival Glory this summer. I know, I know, but I'm taking a kid with me and I'm getting the same category(ish) of cabin (aft facing) for 2/3 less $$. Canada instead of BDA. I just can't see spending almost $7K for a ship with a failed CDC inspection that also had a sister ship fail within a month- sorry for the grammatical awkwardness but we all know what I mean.

 

I would never pick Carnival again if I didn't have one of my kids with me. Believe me on that. But I've been around here for far too long and watching these scores like a hawk (I'm like that for some reason) and to me- and this is just me- it speaks of a culture of putting sick employees out on the line with communicable diseases. They didn't get the proverbial memo and boom- got nailed again with Century. I'm just going to hold on to my wallet this summer. I need an east coast sailing so----

[Dr. Cocktail]

I don't see why people are getting so upset.

 

I thought this was part of Celebrity's new : "1 2 3, probably it's pee - 1 2, more likely poo" promotion.

 

I think it started rolling out yesterday.

[jeansaussie1]

Getting a bad feeling about our Nov. cruise on the Summit. I booked this cruise for 2 reasons. One, the itinerary, and two, the cruise line. We have only sailed carnival and after our last cruise we wanted a step up because we were not happy with the quality of food among other things. Now the ship failed it's inspection along with another Celebrity ship. Along with that, when I read reviews about the Summit, there seems to be dissatisfaction about the food.

 

My DH hubby also disliked Carnival and wanted the step up. Now he's scratching his head as the Carnival ships we were on have 98 and 100 scores. We work in a industry subject to multiple quality audits each year. Many time the results are more based on the auditor you get. Let's say some wear dark shades while other are out to make a name for themselves. Just to jab at my DH him I send him copies of the CAR reports;).

 

That said, bad audit scores are the best thing to bring a business around. Don't be surprised if you see a few more low ones before this is over - but I have no worries for my upcoming trip.

[Seadays Rock]

The part of all this I am concerned about is, what additional health and safety issues effected by budgetary cuts, that wouldn't necesarily be picked up in a CDC inspection, remain hidden within Celebrity's fleet.

 

Considering the normally very high scores achieved by other Celebrity vessels, these two recent CDC failures are completely unacceptable. This is either a premium cruise line or its not, another failure or low score especially on a Solstice class ship and that will be that as far as I am concerned.

[MacFrannie]

I'm scheduled to cruise on the Century in May and even though this is my first cruise ever, I'm not concerned. I'm not going to change my plans or ship or anything. My personal opinion is that some of the reactions to this are a bit on the chicken little side however, if changing your plans because of this report makes you feel more comfortable, by all means do so.

 

I work in an industry that also falls under CDC inspections and I can attest that the outcome of those inspections can depend a lot on the inspector and their interpretation of the regulations and situations. Also, a lot of the CDC rules we follow are somewhat ill-defined (not sure how the cruise ship regs are so this might not be applicable) and we have a difficult to impossible time getting a straight answer to our questions about how to satisfactorily implement a requirement. Sometimes it is straight cut and dried yes you are compliant or no you are in violation, but in many instances it is very subjective and open to interpretation. I have faith Celebrity is fixing this and I'll report back after our May trip on our experience.

[Dick in Falls Church]

I was on the February 17th sailing, and the Executive Chef was onboard. We saw repairs and inspections being done in various places. One that comes to mind is at the Cova Cafe.

 

I guess in this case, ignorance is bliss. We had no problems on the cruise. The ship was clean, and the food was good.

 

Don't cancel....there is nothing to fear on the Century.:D

 

I totally agree.

While we obviously weren't poking around looking for problems, we found the ship clean (at least in the public areas), the food good, and staff, from top to bottom, excellent. I would not hesitate to go back on the Century (of course, if it was going somewhere we want to go). To the best of my knowledge, few if any passengers got sick --certainly no more than on other cruises.

[flames9]

Mat of the issues in the report are minor, but indicative of an older ship that needs better maintainence. The staff supervision and training also seems lacking. Celebrity should be better than this.

Just another reason why I avoid old boats.

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/InspectionDetailReport.aspx?ColI=MTgwMDAyODc%3d-OcC2%2bsPiI6g%3d

 

Being an ex-Navy guy---its the crew that makes a good ship!! A good crew takes pride in its job. Our old Cdn Steamers were spotless!! Sure one can't compare a warship to a cruise ship, but just because a ship is old, doers not give it an excuse to be dirty!!

[Ginnyfyr]

I don't see why people are getting so upset.

 

I thought this was part of Celebrity's new : "1 2 3, probably it's pee - 1 2, more likely poo" promotion.

 

I think it started rolling out yesterday.

 

LMAO...thanks for this. Brilliant!

[ariawoman]

I currently have 2 reservations for October. One on the silhouette and one on the summit. Kinda starting to wonder if i shouldn't cancel the summit and take the silhouette (we'd decided to take the summit one long ago but with these cdc scores i'm starting to worry about being 14 days on board a ship of that calibur. I've been wondering if i'd like M class as much as S class and well, these CDC issues aren't helping! :(

[SusieV]

Wow. One didn't really concern me, but two?

 

Cutbacks are one thing, but health and safety is something else entirely. This should not be happening.

[wwcruisers]

Though we are booked on Century to Hawaii Oct 22 ,2013 ,we are not concerned .That CDC inspection will vastly improve cleanliness & health issues that had occurred :).

 

Top management in any business can't be complacent about the important issues .For if they did it wouldn't be too long before the top & bottom lines would suffer greatly:rolleyes:. JMHO

 

Cliff -- we have another cruise booked on Century a couple of months after yours (Eastbound Panama Canal Holiday sailing), so I was a little alarmed by this report. On our ALOHACRUISE, I was amazed at how clean the ship was -- someone was always polishing something. And yet, almost all of us eventually got hit with that horrible respiratory virus -- you were one of the first to come down with it, as I recall. :( One of the things I worry about (and is addressed in the CDC report) is the frequency of crew members not calling off when they are sick -- that's one sure way to infect passengers, not to mention their fellow crew members. :eek: I remember our room steward on the Hawaii cruise had a runny nose and cough for most of the trip. When I asked her if she was coming down with the "bug", she just shrugged it off as allergies. Now, I'm kind of wondering....:confused:

[Shining Clem]

I wonder if this troubling inspection isn't an intersection between staff cutbacks, worldwide viruses, and pay practices by the cruise lines; as others have suggested.

 

All the re-training in the world will not help if people are run ragged with too much to do, their health declines, and they are not given some sort of modest time allowance to cover illness.

 

One of the points cited was food chunks left in the dishwashers. If there is just one less person half time on a machine, this means the single operator is expected to do 50% more than he was before during what is probably a 12-16 hour shift. Exhausted, one hour to go on the shift, he doesn't have time or energy to clean out the machine before the next shift takes over, because he's still looking at a stack of dishes which have to be finished up. He gets sick, because of all the germs floating around in the crew area.

 

Not only will he get docked pay if he doesn't show up, but probably some supervisor is on his tail to 'work through it' because he doesn't have another person to put on the job.

 

The people who clean rooms are always coming into contact with the passenger germs which arrive fresh at every port, every new cruise period. And if the passengers have gotten the norovirus, they are cleaning those rooms, bathrooms, picking up towels & sheets.

 

We all like a bargain, but at some point cuts to staff, maintenance, equipment, will come to haunt the industry. The ports are charging more, fuel costs are escalating, and experienced crew should be paid well to retain them. It'll be like a dog chasing his tail.

 

In the JMO dept, often the people at the top like Arison are getting huge payoffs, while squeezing the middle and the bottom of the totem pole (both crew & passengers). Things need to balance out a bit.

[Kevnzworld]

I wonder if this troubling inspection isn't an intersection between staff cutbacks, worldwide viruses, and pay practices by the cruise lines; as others have suggested.

 

All the re-training in the world will not help if people are run ragged with too much to do, their health declines, and they are not given some sort of modest time allowance to cover illness.

 

One of the points cited was food chunks left in the dishwashers. If there is just one less person half time on a machine, this means the single operator is expected to do 50% more than he was before during what is probably a 12-16 hour shift. Exhausted, one hour to go on the shift, he doesn't have time or energy to clean out the machine before the next shift takes over, because he's still looking at a stack of dishes which have to be finished up. He gets sick, because of all the germs floating around in the crew area.

 

Not only will he get docked pay if he doesn't show up, but probably some supervisor is on his tail to 'work through it' because he doesn't have another person to put on the job.

 

The people who clean rooms are always coming into contact with the passenger germs which arrive fresh at every port, every new cruise period. And if the passengers have gotten the norovirus, they are cleaning those rooms, bathrooms, picking up towels & sheets.

 

We all like a bargain, but at some point cuts to staff, maintenance, equipment, will come to haunt the industry. The ports are charging more, fuel costs are escalating, and experienced crew should be paid well to retain them. It'll be like a dog chasing his tail.

 

In the JMO dept, often the people at the top like Arison are getting huge payoffs, while squeezing the middle and the bottom of the totem pole (both crew & passengers). Things need to balance out a bit.

 

This may be true, yet the vast majority, over 90% of cruise ships pass the inspection, and few if any get a score as low as 78.

[X-elite]

I was on the Century when the CDC inspection occurred in Honolulu on Feb. 8. My review of that cruise is in the "member reviews" section.

 

The first item mentioned in the CC "cruise news" link is "Crewmembers working while ill." The day after the inspection, I saw a bar asst. mgr. deliver new forms to a bartender & the bar servers working in that bar. The bartender showed me the form. The form specified that staff were to report immediately to the medical center upon any symptoms of AGE and the repercussions of not reporting immediately. Each employee was to sign & date the form and return it to mgmt. So, Celebrity immediately addressed that finding of the CDC inspection.

 

"Deep cleanings" were also stepped up at the end of the night in the bar areas. I have no knowledge of extra efforts in the galleys, but I'm sure they addressed the shortcomings immediately as well. The F&B manager is the sole female in this photo: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=524733264213886&set=pb.142049019148981.-2207520000.1365056141&type=3&theater She was extremely hands on throughout the cruise, always walking around various bars, the buffet, cafe, etc. One night while I was getting some sushi, she was instructing the guys about the ice level under the sushi display. Anyway, after multiple chats with her and watching her with staff, I am 100% certain she dealt with all CDC findings in short order. As you can see in the caption of that Facebook photo (in the link above), Century won a contest for "highest food quality rating for the year" in the fleet.

 

As for the "surprise" nature of these CDC inspections, Century staff knew they were due for an inspection. They thought it was going to happen in San Diego before this cruise started. The ship had a noro-virus outbreak two cruises prior on an Eastbound Panama Canal cruise. When I got off the ship fairly early at about 7:20 a.m. in Honolulu, there was a group of six low-level cleaners standing outside the terminal building in front of the Aloha Tower. They were in uniform (not on shore leave) and lined up somewhat formally, so I was curious what they were doing. I asked one guy what was going on. He replied "CDC Inspection." So, I don't believe these inspections are complete surprises at all.

[Tiggertastic]

How many hotels fail inspections that we hear nothing about and go and stay in them. Working in healthcare I can say that many providers fail their infection control inspections regularly too and follow an action plan to rectify - as will the cruise ships.

[Mines]

Century achieved a score of 79 in November 2004, but two months later went back up to 97 and has been in the high nineties ever since, until the recent review.

 

They should correct the problems immediately, judging by previous record.

[dobes3kh]

I am already concerned about the CEO and company emphasis on bottom line from other recent events and from staff shortges in some areas.

 

On our last TA our head waiter became very ill and was unable to work for three days. During that time off, there was no replacement and his terrific assistant did everything and was run ragged. Unfortunately we watched his supervisor stand and watch him while constantly telling him other things to do. The waiter who was out ill returned only when cleared by the physicial. He did not tell us, but another one did, that our waiter's pay would be affected because of illness.

 

Completely agree. This is not acceptable.

[mafig]

Century achieved a score of 79 in November 2004, but two months later went back up to 97 and has been in the high nineties ever since, until the recent review.

 

They should correct the problems immediately, judging by previous record.

 

 

I do remember Century having a failing grade a few years back. There was quite a todo about it here on Cruise Critic.

 

What I seem to recall is that they failed twice (or is my memory bad). I remember everyone saying this was a wake up call and the next review would be better, and then the next one was just as bad and then it went to 97.

[232271]

I was on the Century when the CDC inspection occurred in Honolulu on Feb. 8. My review of that cruise is in the "member reviews" section.

 

The first item mentioned in the CC "cruise news" link is "Crewmembers working while ill." The day after the inspection, I saw a bar asst. mgr. deliver new forms to a bartender & the bar servers working in that bar. The bartender showed me the form. The form specified that staff were to report immediately to the medical center upon any symptoms of AGE and the repercussions of not reporting immediately. Each employee was to sign & date the form and return it to mgmt. So, Celebrity immediately addressed that finding of the CDC inspection.

 

"Deep cleanings" were also stepped up at the end of the night in the bar areas. I have no knowledge of extra efforts in the galleys, but I'm sure they addressed the shortcomings immediately as well. The F&B manager is the sole female in this photo: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=524733264213886&set=pb.142049019148981.-2207520000.1365056141&type=3&theater She was extremely hands on throughout the cruise, always walking around various bars, the buffet, cafe, etc. One night while I was getting some sushi, she was instructing the guys about the ice level under the sushi display. Anyway, after multiple chats with her and watching her with staff, I am 100% certain she dealt with all CDC findings in short order. As you can see in the caption of that Facebook photo (in the link above), Century won a contest for "highest food quality rating for the year" in the fleet.

 

As for the "surprise" nature of these CDC inspections, Century staff knew they were due for an inspection. They thought it was going to happen in San Diego before this cruise started. The ship had a noro-virus outbreak two cruises prior on an Eastbound Panama Canal cruise. When I got off the ship fairly early at about 7:20 a.m. in Honolulu, there was a group of six low-level cleaners standing outside the terminal building in front of the Aloha Tower. They were in uniform (not on shore leave) and lined up somewhat formally, so I was curious what they were doing. I asked one guy what was going on. He replied "CDC Inspection." So, I don't believe these inspections are complete surprises at all.

 

when was the inspeciton done, this FB pictures states The Century won and the Hotel Director, F&B Manager, Executive Chef and Restaurant Manager are getting ready to go on vacation to a wine region for a week while our corporate team covers their positions onboard!!!

interesting then they get a failing score.......hmmmm