You know what's good when a cruise ship fails to meet Center for Disease Control standards?
It keeps the entire industry on its toes.
The most recent failures were the Celebrity Summit, the Golden Princess and the SeaDream II. Failure is a score of 85 or less, which shoots holes in our theory that 
everything which starts with an "8" is good, be they school report cards or golf scores.
Scores for the Summit and the Golden Princess were both 81. The SeaDream yacht scored 84. Here's the worst part of their inspections:
Celebrity Summit — dead insects and insect droppings in one of the bars; a food worker who worked after being stricken with norovirus symptoms, overloaded dish-washing stations. It was the Summit's 23rd test since 2001, only the second under 90.
Golden Princess — crew members at work with norovirus symptoms, a buffet worker who moved a salmon with his bare hand, a soap dispenser that didn't work. It was also this ship's 23rd test in 11 
years and its past includes four perfect scores (100) and only one other below 90.
SeaDream II — operating the system for supplying potable water (safe for drinking) through reverse osmosis while in port or at anchor, which the CDC considers unsafe; also two undercooked food items and storage of chemicals next to water, soda and beer. This ended a string of 18 straight inspections in the 90s, the last seven between 95 and 100.
Cruise lines take the inspections seriously for the obvious reasons, which have to do with the health of their passengers. There's another reason. When the CDC inspects (or re-inspects, as is the case with all failures), the cruise lines pay. Fees are based on gross tonnage. For example, the Summit's inspection cost $10,400 (according to the CDC fee schedule). When it's re-tested, another $10,400.
That hurts more than a mediocre report card or not breaking 90.
Crown Princess
7 nights
November 16, 2013
Fort Lauderdale (return): Princess Cays, Curacao, Aruba
Inside: $599
Cost per day: $85
www.princesscruises.com