Update: Since this article was originally published, more inspections have been added to the CDC’s inspection database. As of June 6, 2025, there were now eight inspections listed for April 2025 and one inspection for May 2025. Both of these figures are still well below the 20+ inspections performed in each of the prior five months.
Original article:
Trump Administration cuts to federal programs have been felt across the government. And while you might think that cruising would be immune to a dismantling of federal agencies, it’s actually seeing a big impact in the form of less oversight and public information regarding health and cleanliness.
Cruzely warned passengers last month that cuts at the CDC could mean the end of the health agency’s Vessel Sanitation Program. This program acts as a health department for cruises. This includes monitoring outbreaks of gastro illnesses and health inspections of cruise ships.
And as CBS News reported, a shutdown of the VSP appears to be the case:
“All of the full-time employees in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program are now off the job, multiple officials tell CBS News, gutting the agency’s ability to investigate outbreaks and conduct health inspections on cruise ships,” CBS News’ Alexander Tin wrote.
“The steep cuts to the program’s inspectors baffled CDC officials since the small team’s staff is not paid for by taxpayer dollars. Fees from cruise ship companies pay for the program, which is supposed to inspect large vessels at least twice a year.”
Now we are seeing the first signs of those cuts.
After listing 24 ship inspections in March 2025 — and 68 through the first three months of the year — the Vessel Sanitation Program’s list of reports shows just one inspection in the weeks since.
On April 12, 2025 — nearly a month ago — inspectors gave Carnival Jubilee a strong score of 97 (anything less than 86 is considered a failing grade). But that is the only inspection listed for that month according to the CDC’s list of inspection scores.
That’s a sharp contrast to March’s two dozen inspections listed across cruise lines before the layoffs were announced.
So far for May, the CDC’s inspection database shows zero inspection reports.
Past Inspection Scores Were High, But a Backstop Removed
As said, these inspections are supposed to happen twice a year on ships sailing from the United States. You can think of them as similar to a local health department inspecting a restaurant on land.
Depending on a ship’s size, a cruise ship can have up to four inspectors roving the ship during their checks. An inspection covers eight different areas, from medical centers to water systems, from galleys to pest management.
These reports are then scored and posted publicly on the CDC website, along with the complete reports of any violations found.
In general, cruise ships score well on these inspections. As mentioned, a “failing” grade is below an 86. Of the dozens of scores listed for 2025, no ship scored below this mark. (Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas did score exactly 86 in February). Six different ships have scored a perfect 100 this year. The average score across all inspections was a 96.
And without inspections, it’s unlikely that cruise lines will relax health protocols on ships. After all, news of illness outbreaks or viral social media posts of dirty ships would be bad publicity.
But having independent inspections of cruise ships sailing from the United States has been an important backstop in assuring the public that health standards are met. That backstop now seems gone.
