The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has long played a critical role in ensuring the health and safety of passengers and crew aboard cruise ships through its Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP). The VSP conducts unannounced inspections to evaluate cruise ships’ compliance with public health standards, focusing on areas like food safety, water systems, and sanitation to prevent outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses such as norovirus. However, recent developments in Washington have many cruisers asking questions about the future of these inspections.
So, is the CDC still inspecting cruise ships?
In April 2025, the CDC faced significant layoffs within its Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, which oversees the VSP. Reports indicate that all full-time employees in the VSP were let go, leaving only 12 U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) officers to carry out the program’s duties. These cuts have many wondering if the CDC has the ability to continue to inspect ships. Typically, the CDC conducts two unannounced inspections per year for cruise ships that carrying 13 or more passengers, with a foreign itinerary and U.S. ports.
The layoffs have many left scratching their heads because the VSP is funded by fees paid by cruise ship companies, not taxpayer dollars. Despite the reduction in staff, the CDC has said that inspections will continue, with them being done by USPHS officers who were not affected by the layoffs. However, former CDC officials have warned that the loss of support staff could hamper outbreak response and the overall effectiveness of the program.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the CDC, has said that the VSP’s core functions will continue, although in a streamlined fashion. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has suggested that some programs, potentially one being the VSP, were cut mistakenly and may be reinstated. However, this hasn’t happened as of yet.
The cruise industry as a whole has stated that it will continue to adhere to VSP guidelines. Yet, without the CDC’s oversight, some worry that compliance could weaken over time, especially as 2024 saw a record surge in norovirus outbreaks, with at least 12 documented cases on cruise ships according to the VSP database.
What This Means for Cruisers and Should You Be Concerned
For now, the CDC’s website still provides access to inspection scores and outbreak reports, with the most recent inspection recorded on March 14, 2025, for Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria (scoring 96/100). However, how often future inspections will be done on ships remain uncertain.
The most effective way of avoiding norovirus on a cruise ship is prevention. Passengers should wash hands frequently, avoid contact with those who are ill, and report any signs of sickness to the ship’s medical staff immediately. While unannounced inspections are great, they’re not going to stop the spread of norovirus which can move very quickly through a ship and sicken dozens or hundreds of passengers and crew. Inspections will keep shop operators on their toes to make sure food prep areas are clean, crew is reporting illness outbreaks correctly, and sanitary conditions are being adhered to onboard.
Winter time is prime norovirus season, and it’s also prime cruising season, so wash your hands and check out my article on how to avoid norovirus on your next cruise.
Norovirus: Understanding the “Cruise Ship Virus” and How to Stay Safe