A barfing bartender, flies all over a restaurant. What inspectors found on cruise ships

Dec. 8--A bartender who worked with evident digestive issues was among the violations that Centers for Disease Control inspectors found during November's cruise ship health inspections.

All three ships inspected in November by the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program come from fleets of South Florida cruise lines. No warning is given before an inspection, which are done while the ship docked at a U.S. port. Scoring peaks at 100, but that doesn't mean there aren't violations. A score of 85 or lower is failing.

In alphabetical order:

AIDA Cruises

Ship: AIDAdiva. Inspected: Nov. 10. Score: 99. Standout violations: The inspector found out a bartender on a previous cruise threw up three times and got diarrhea once around 9 p.m.Oct. 10, "worked while symptomatic" according to medical staff and didn't report to medical staff until 11 a.m.Oct. 11.

At the breakfast buffet, "the Eggs Benedict and poached egg with spinach on the breakfast menu both were made with undercooked poached eggs. The items did not have asterisks linking them to the consumer advisory. Staff stated the egg yolks were runny and non-pasteurized shell eggs were used.

At the sushi bar, "the soap at the handwash station was discolored a yellow/reddish color and had small gritty pieces. The source soap attached to the dispenser was clear and free of grit. The soap dispenser was disassembled and evidence of corrosion was found on the interior and exterior surfaces."

Carnival Cruise Lines

Ship: Magic. Inspected: Nov. 3. Score: 92. Standout violations: There were at least 12 flies in the food preparation area and the self-service condiment station areas of the Pig & Anchor, where "food employees were working and serving food while the flies were in their area and around the food, food equipment and utensils. The area was ultimately closed due to rain and not because of the flies."

(As for the Pig & Anchor, "staff stated flies are common in this food area. Sighting records were mostly from cabins and public areas with only one from food areas.")

Plumbing problems in several places included a couple of handwashing stations that had "low water flow, which prohibited a proper hand washing."

As for workers with "acute gastroenteritis" on previous cruises who didn't report to medical staff promptly, there was a casino worker who didn't handle food and a food worker who had symptoms one day at 5 a.m. but didn't report to medical staff until 11:11 a.m.

Norwegian Cruise Lines

Ship: Sun. Inspected: Nov. 20. Score: 99. Standout violations: As the Garden Café, "The handle of one of the two ice scoops inside the ice machine was soiled with a piece of food. The scoops and their handles were covered with moisture that touched the ice."

Undercounter warewashers at two locations didn't work.

The inspector noticed problems, such as "the deck had recessed and missing grout in several areas" or "the deckhead tubular structure above clean equipment and beverages was heavily soiled with dark materials."

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