Mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month won't stop cruise ship inspections from continuing.

Earlier this month, news leaked that many workers let go at the Department of Health and Human Services, including people that inspect cruise ships. More than 2,400 employees at the CDC were let go.

Multiple CDC officials said the epidemiologist that lead the agency's outbreak response on cruise ships was included in the layoffs.

The work falls under the Vessel Sanitation Program, who's job it is to prevent and control public health issues.

According to a report by USA Today, a CDC spokesperson confirmed the ship inspections will continue.

"This work has not stopped, as the VSP is primarily staffed by USPHS commissioned officers who were not subject to the reduction in force," is what the spokesperson said.

Specifically, 12 U.S. Public Health Service officers will remain with the program, and they will continue the work.

How the CDC inspects cruise ships

The VSP was created to develop and implement a comprehensive sanitation program in order to minimize the risk of outbreaks on cruise ships and provide the public information on these health issues.

Random inspections of cruise ships occur throughout the year.

A cruise ship is given a rating on a scale of 0-100 once the inspection is complete.

In addition, the Vessel Sanitation Program shares information about incidents onboard ships where more than 3% of passengers or crew report being sick

posts outbreaks on its website if the ship is under the agency’s jurisdiction and 3% or more of the passengers or crew are reporting being sick, such as symptoms of GI illness.

"Cruise lines paid for this staff, yet it needed to be cut?"

Cruise fans were swift to question why the VSP staff had to be impacted at all.

On the Royal Caribbean subreddit, many shared their opinions on the cuts at the CDC and what it means for cruise ships.

"So...Time for more Norovirus?" asked archaego after hearing of the news. "This is just mind boggling. Cruise lines paid for this staff, yet it needed to be cut?"

That comment is based on the fact cruise lines pay fees that fund both the program and the staff. It is not funded with federal tax dollars.

ragingstallion1 posted, "I’d like to think lines would still do everything possible to keep ships clean for PR purposes, but greed will get the best of them."

therin_88 questioned how effective it was in the first place, "You really think the CDC was stopping norovirus outbreaks on ships?"

archaego wrote back, "Its like a front door lock, it keeps honest people honest. Outbreaks will still happen of course, the severity and the ability of the ship to deal with them is impacted by how prepared they are."

Thousands of federal employees were informed they would be laid off this week, which include divisions that inspect cruise ships.

Beginning on Tuesday, mass layoffs began at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of a plan to cut 10,000 jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services.

It's all part of an initiative by President Donald Trump to shrink the size of the federal workforce.  So far, more than 100,000 workers have been let go over the last two months.

Several internal agencies are being closed as part of this week's sweeping change, and the cuts have impacted one area that has the potential to impact cruise ships.

According to a report in Wired, workers in the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice (DEHSP) received a reduction in force notification on Tuesday. Other divisions received similar notices, such as the Division of Population Health, the Division of HIV Prevention, the Division of Reproductive Health, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

The CDC's DEHSP center director sent an email saying its division would be "slated to be eliminated in its entirety."

Among the work DEHSP conducted, included the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program. The VSP was created to develop and implement a comprehensive sanitation program in order to minimize the risk of outbreaks on cruise ships and provide the public information on these health issues.

The report says it's unclear if the program’s work involving cruise inspections, or the lists of outbreaks on cruises, will continue. 

What the VSP does

CDC random inspections of cruise ships are meant to ensure cruise lines meet the standards expected of them and to mitigate the chances someone would get sick on a ship.

In each check, a cruise ship is given a rating on a scale of 0-100 once the inspection is complete.

In 2024, the CDC conducted a total of 151 inspections and most scored a 95 or better. Of those, 29 were Royal Caribbean ships.

After each inspection, crew members respond to the results and offer corrective actions to remedy the issues inspectors found.

As an example, a recent inspection of Symphony of the Seas revealed over 50 violations that raised serious concerns about the ship's hygiene and safety protocols.

Royal Caribbean swiftly implemented 57 fixes to address those issues.

Cost savings measure

The specific cuts within the Department of Health and Human Services was delegated by President Donald Trump, who sees this as part of a strategy to save money for taxpayers, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

"The president has given the responsibility to his Cabinet secretaries to hire and fire at their respective agencies," Leavitt said in a press conference on Tuesday.

"You saw the secretary of Health and Human Services announced more layoffs today. This is all part of the administration’s effort for a mass reduction in force in the federal bureaucracy here in Washington, D.C., to save American taxpayers money."

In a recent press release, HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that these layoffs, along with early retirements and deferred resignations, would reduce the agency workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees.

Ship safety and health goes beyond inspections

With or without the the inspections, the health and welfare of guest and crew members is work that is more than what federal workers account for.

The inspection reports are not the only factor in ensuring a cruise ship is clean.

No cruise line wants negative press because of sick passengers. Not only is that sort of attention bad for business, Royal Caribbean wants its customers to have a wonderful vacation so they'll come back and book another one.

Every ship features several health awareness tactics and oversight of outbreak prevention.

If guests do fall sick, Royal Caribbean has a series of health protocols to prevent further infection, no matter the source.

1. Stop buffet self-service if the onboard norovirus rate exceeds 1.5%
2. More crew training on acute GI symptoms and avoiding cross-contamination
3. More GI training for onboard medical teams
4. Increased oversight of the Outbreak Prevention Plan
5. Switching to PDI SaniCloth Prime hospital-grade disinfectant wipes, which carry a claim against norovirus (Contains an affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra to use)
6. Contactless tap technology, so crew members don't have to handle SeaPass cards

Guests on Royal Caribbean ships will spot hand-washing stations, free hand sanitizer, health awareness signs, and even crew members reminding guests to clean their hands.

A member of the Trump administration made a bold warning to foreign flagged vessels, including cruise ships, regarding avoiding paying taxes.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick appeared on Fox News on Wednesday talking about how U.S. President Donald Trump wants to abolish the Internal Revenue Service. He then went on a tirade about how cruise ships, super-tankers, and foreign produced alcohol don't pay taxes.

"None of em pay taxes...this is going to end and those taxes are going to be paid," Secretary Lutnick said.

He then pointed out how large ocean going vessels are all flagged in different countries, such as Panama or Liberia, in an effort to avoid federal income tax.

$CCL $RCL | Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said President Trump’s goal is simple—abolish the IRS and “let all the outsiders pay.” He even pointed to cruise lines not paying taxes as an example.pic.twitter.com/2sXbMucD2p

— Wall St Engine (@wallstengine) February 20, 2025

The statement instantly sent cruise line stock prices down, with Royal Caribbean Group's stock down about 9% for the day on the Nasdaq exchange.

While no one disputes the fact the ships are foreign flagged, Secretary Lutnick is missing the bigger picture surrounding taxes and what cruise lines pay.

Cruise lines do a pay lots of taxes

Federal income tax is one tax, but there are many others that cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean, pay in large amount.

The major cruise lines have their headquarters in the United States.  Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line all have offices in Florida, where they employ thousands of Americans in their offices and across the country. They pay payroll taxes as well as a variety of fees.

Those fees include port fees, with just over 30 million passengers sailing through U.S. ports in a given year. As an example, Alaska alone adds $250-300 per person to a sailing in port fees.

According to Cruise Lines International Association, cruise lines pay nearly $2.5 billion in taxes.

Plus, CLIA points out the halo effect the cruise industry has, which amounted to $65 billion in meaningful economic contributions to the US economy in 2023.

U.S. laws make it impossible to build a cruise ship with a U.S. flag on it

"You ever see a cruise ship with an American flag on the back?" Lutnick said. 

Modern cruise ships simply aren't built in America, because the law has made it nearly impossible.

In 1886, U.S. President Grover Cleveland signed the Passenger Vessel Services Act into law to protect American jobs. Among the regulations this law added, for a ship to qualify to be flagged by the United States, it must be made at a U.S. shipbuilding facility, owned by an American company and staffed by an American crew. All the officers must be U.S. citizens and 70% of the crew must be at least resident aliens (Green card holders).

With that one exception, for the last 50 years, American shipbuilders have not riveted together a single cruise ship that fulfills the requirements set forth in 1886.

The only U.S flagged ships operating within the United States are river and coastal cruise lines that are quite small and extremely expensive. And Norwegian Cruise Line has Pride of America, which operates in Hawaii.

Following World War 2, the United States added strong protectionist legislation meant to preserve the maritime industry, but it actually had the reverse effect. Many shipyards domestically closed, and the few left are only focused on military work that rely on government paid contracts to ensure there is a profit.

You'll find most cruise ships built in shipyards in Europe or Asia.  In fact, all of Royal Caribbean's ships have been built in one shipyard or another in Europe over the years.

According to Commander Don Goldstein, Retired United States Coast Guard, American shipyards are not equipped with the experience building modern cruise ships, nor do they have the capacity or supply chain to assemble cruise ships. 

Even if you wanted to convert a Royal Caribbean ship to a U.S. flagged one, it's impossible once again to U.S. law.

Coast Guard regulations provide that a U.S.-built vessel must be assembled entirely in the United States and all “major components of the hull and superstructure” must be fabricated in the United States.

The Coast Guard's policy through a number of precedents, has determined that a "component" must exceed 1.5 percent of the vessel’s steelweight to be considered "major."

Could additional port fees be the answer?

The comments about the cruise industry prompted speculation about what would realistically happen, if anything.

Vince Ciepiel with Cleveland Research thinks the most plausible "tax" would be to raise port fees for U.S. ports, similar to what Greece and Mexico have alluded to.

"Taking a quick look at port passengers, the U.S. sees just over 30M in passengers travel through U.S. ports (the two largest being Miami over 7M and Port Canaveral near 7M). If the U.S. government were to impose an additional ~$30 fee (not anchored to this guess, we welcome any feedback here) on passengers, that would raise about $1B in tax revenue," he explained.

He believes if that scenario did materialize, the added taxes would be passed along to consumers, "An incremental $1B in price hikes on what is like $40B of ocean cruise industry revenue touching U.S. shores would be equivalent to a 2.5% price hike, which again does not seem that material/could probably easily be passed on to the consumer."

As Congress remains stuck in how to fund the country, a government lockdown looms large.

If a funding bill isn't passed by midnight on Friday, most federal agencies would stop work, and most government workers would be furloughed, except for those who work in agencies deemed as "essential services."

The good news is federal workers involved in travel are deemed essential, but there could still be impacts to your upcoming trip.

How would the government shutdown affect cruises?

The good news is control of the ports would not be impacted because they are one of those essential groups.

Based on what we've seen in previous shutdowns, agencies like customs and the Coast Guard remain operational. Immigration, border patrol, TSA are all essential government functions and will continue during a shutdown.

Funding to agencies like Customs and Border Protection would be on hold. However, the agents who you typically interact with at cruise ports are considered essential and will be working without pay during the shutdown. 

All federal employees will receive back pay. They won’t be paid during the shutdown, they will get paid when the money becomes available.

The bigger impact is long term, as hiring and training functions get halted. Crucial safety functions like inspections should continue.

Will the shutdown impact air travel?

Just as important as the ship is getting to your cruise, so what should air travelers expect?

It's a mix of good and bad news.  

The government deems agencies like the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration essential services. Also, airport security workers and air traffic controllers will still be required to work even though they will not receive paychecks until the shutdown eventually ends.

That sounds good, but the issue the TSA has faced in the past has been agent no-shows.

When there was an extended government shutdown in 2019, after about two weeks of no pay, FAA controllers and TSA agents started not showing up for work. That lead to delays at security checkpoints and flight times.

A few airports actually shutdown, including airports in Philadelphia, Newark, New York, and Atlanta. One benefit to that was it exacerbated the problem and arguably got the shutdown to end quicker.

What should you do if you have a cruise during a government shutdown?

While no one knows if there will be a government shutdown, how long it would last, and what impact it would have, there's a few good ideas to consider.

First and foremost, you should pack extra patience. If ports are understaffed, inspections by local authorities could take longer to clear your cruise ship.

When a ship returns to port in the United States at the conclusion of a sailing, the ship needs to be cleared before passengers can disembark.

Under normal circumstances, this could be a very quick process.  However, sometimes customs agents want a more thorough look before they can allow passengers off the ship.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Don Goldstein shared an experience where he was on a ship returning to port the day after a shutdown begin, "[We] came into port after a cruise, Port Everglades, I think, and it took us about 4 hours to get off the ship due to lack of ICE staffing at the port."

Can I renew my passport for my cruise during a shutdown?

The Department of State says passport processing is essential and will continue during the shutdown.

However, if a passport office is in a building run by a different shuttered agency, then it could close.

Just like the airports, employees in the State Department would be unpaid during the shutdown and there could be absenteeism issues.

The cruise industry received a temporary reprieve for cruises to Alaska this year, but one Senator wants it to become permanent.

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has introduced a new bill to repeal and reform the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 (PVSA).

The Passenger Vessel Service Act (PVSA) of 1886 requires foreign flagged cruise ships to call on a foreign port if sailing a closed-loop cruise form the United States.

This means, cruise ships cannot sail from Seattle and only visit Alaska ports.  It must make a stop outside the country, and Canada is the only place between Seattle and Alaska for that.

For two years, Canada has banned cruise ships from being able to enter their waters due to the global health crisis, thus making cruises to Alaska from the United States legally impossible under the PVSA.

The justification for both the PVSA is to protect the U.S. Merchant Marine (the licensed (officers) and documented (trades) personnel on the ships) and to protect U.S. shipyards that both build and repair the ships.

Senator Lee calls it an "outdated, protectionist law that harms American jobs and American tourism."

"This arcane law benefits Canada, Mexico, and other countries who receive increased maritime traffic, at the expense of American workers in our coastal cities, towns, and ports. Reducing demand for jobs and travel opportunities here in the U.S. is the opposite of ‘America First.’ And in the context of ocean liners, this ‘protectionist’ law is literally protecting no one, as there hasn’t been a cruise ship built domestically in over half a century. The PVSA is bad economics and bad law, and it’s far past time that Congress reconsider it."

Senator Lee introduced three bills aimed at undoing the PVSA, and potentially allow cruise ships to be able to sail from the United States without a foreign port stop.  The "Safeguarding American Tourism Act" is primarily aimed at cruise ships and specifically talks about them.

Open America’s Ports Act

• Would repeal the PVSA and adjust cabotage requirements accordingly, allowing all ships that qualify under the laws of the United States to transport passengers from U.S. port to U.S. port.

Safeguarding American Tourism Act

• Would exempt large passenger vessels (“vessels with 800 or more passenger berths”) from PVSA requirements, and adjust cabotage requirements accordingly, allowing these ships to transport passengers from U.S. port to U.S. port.
• This targeted approach would not affect or harm any existing industry, as there hasn’t been a cruise ship built in the U.S. (and which would therefore meet the PVSA’s high bar) since 1958. 

Protecting Jobs in American Ports Act

• Would repeal the “U.S.-built” requirement for passenger vessels operating between U.S. ports, thereby incentivizing American companies to develop voyages that increase traffic and economic activity – and opportunities for port workers – in American coastal cities and towns.

Earlier this year, Congress passed the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act (ATRA) and President Joe Biden signed it into law.

ATRA applies to only cruises this year from the Pacific Northwest, and only on select cruise ships.

Cruise ships have not been able to sail for a year from the United States and many cruise fans think cruise lines should do more to try to fight the ban.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) implemented a ban on cruise ships in March 2020, and has yet to approve any ship to resume service.

Lawsuits, press conferences, social media call-outs and even protests have all been suggested by cruise fans who think the cruise lines are being held to a double standard by the CDC compared to other travel industries.

Cruise lines were the first industry to voluntarily shut itself down at the beginning of the global health crisis, and they are the only industry that has not had the opportunity to reopen since.

All cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, have been very leery of negative statements towards the CDC. This has left a lot of fans, travel agents, investors, and industry insiders confused why more is not being done to highlight the problem.

During a webinar with travel agents, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service, Vicki Freed, answered this topic directly after one travel agent brought it up as a concern.

The question raised was why hasn't Royal Caribbean been more aggressive with the federal government.

Ms. Freed's response was, "When you're working with the government, it has to be a partnership and it's not one sided. We can't push them to make a sale. It is has to be jointly agreed upon."

"We have to tread with them very carefully and we want to work with them as a good partner. So we don't we we don't have answers yet because we're waiting for answers."

The topic of if the CDC is holding up cruise lines has been brought up a number of times over the last year.

Just last month, one Wall Street analyst asked repeatedly Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald if the CDC was delaying test cruises beginning. Mr. Arnold tip-toed around the answer.

Analyst: "So it sounds like you're waiting specifically for the CDC to issue some specific guidance around the test cruise timing."

Donald: "To answer your question about specific timing on test cruise, yes, we would be waiting."

At a meeting in September 2020, Miami-Dade officials called out the CDC for being slow to get cruises to restart.

"While other industries have been allowed to reopen in phases, the cruise industry remains totally shut down," said Vice Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa at the meeting. "In April, the CDC gave the cruise industry seven days to come up with a lay-up plan, and the cruise industry worked tirelessly and gave them the plan in seven days. The CDC took 14 weeks to somewhat respond to the plan that was presented."

"The problem is that's not fair, that the CDC is not paying attention and communicating with the cruise industry on the plans that they are created so they can tell them this is right, this needs more work, so they can be prepared."

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain spoke a bit about the CDC in a video update he released in November, saying he was determined to work with the agency to get cruises back up and running.

"We are determined to work with the CDC to implement, adjust and clarify all those requirements so that we can meet the goal of safe and healthy sailing."

"It won't be easy and it won't be quick, but it will be thorough and it will be effective."

The United States Senate passed on Friday a $741 billion year-end defense spending bill, and it apparently included new regulations for the cruise industry.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was passed on Friday, and there is language attached to require cruise ships to have a trained doctor onboard, as well as other safety requirements.

Section 8222 of the bill addresses "medical standards" for passenger vessels and has 3 main parts to amend Chapter 35 of title 46:

• A physician is always present and available to treat  any passengers who may be on board the vessel in the event of an emergency situation
• The vessel is in compliance with the Health Care Guidelines for Cruise Ship Medical Facilities established by the American College of Emergency Physicians
• The initial safety briefing given to the passengers on board the vessel includes
  • the location of the vessel’s medical facilities
  • the appropriate steps passengers should follow during a medical emergency

In effect, the government now requires cruise ships to have a doctor always onboard and the muster drill informs guests where the medical center is located, as well as what to do in the case of an emergency.

Section 3507(b) of title 46 also requires cruise lines to install video cameras in all public places and hold onto surveillance footage for 20 days. 

The purpose of the camera surveillance is "to deter, prevent and record criminal behavior."

These changes are not massive changes, and much of these changes may already exist on cruises.

On Royal Caribbean's first cruise ship back in service, Quantum of the Seas, the ship offers "highly trained and credentialed medical teams, consisting of doctors, nurses, and specialists, on both land and sea."

In addition, Royal Caribbean says it has added more doctors and registered nurses to each ship, as well as an Infection Control Officer who will monitor and coordinate the implementation of the company's infection control plan onboard. And all Royal Caribbean onboard physicians receive mandatory acute respiratory training.

In terms of the safety drill, Royal Caribbean has always conducted a safety drill in compliance with international maritime law on the first day of any sailing, where important steps to follow in the case of an emergency are explained.

Royal Caribbean has also upgraded its safety briefing going forward, providing the important safety information via a guest's smart device or stateroom television instead of a group setting.

Read more: Top 10 questions about Royal Caribbean's new Muster 2.0

The safety drill instructs passengers were to go in case of an emergency, and instructions on how to properly use a life jacket. 

After reviewing the safety information on a mobile device or cabin TV, passengers then will complete the drill by visiting their assigned assembly station, where a crew member will verify that all steps have been completed and answer questions.

Credit to the Miami Herald for first spotting this news.

Two members of the United States Congress are demanding answers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about decisions related to cruise ship operations.

The Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) sent a lettter to the CDC and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) asking why they have not received records related to decisions made surrounding the cruise industry.

In the letter, the Congressmen asked the CDC more than seven months ago for records related to "the dangers posed to the cruise industry" from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In particular, they were interested in knowing how the Carnival Corporation and its affiliated cruise lines, had responded to the pandemic. 

Essentially, the CDC dragged its feet and has only sent back  a single records production on July 10, 2020.  Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard has sent over more than 10,000 pages of requested information in the same time frame.

The CDC's response has been "completely unacceptable", according to both Congressmen.

"The documents are a key part of the Committee’s ongoing oversight efforts regarding the actions taken by both the Carnival Corporation and the CDC in response to the threat of COVID-19 on cruise ships," the members of Congress said in a statement.

In short, they believe the thousands of documents needed are part of a greater "concern that Carnival and its nine affiliated cruise lines were ignoring the public health threat of the pandemic in its public-facing marketing materials".

Last week, two U.S. Senators introduced a new piece of legislation to Congress that it hopes will get cruise ships sailing again while changing the structure of how cruise lines are regulated, but does this bill have a chance of actually becoming law?

Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio introduced the Set Sail Safely Act that if passed, will create a Maritime Task Force focused on the health, safety, security, & logistical changes to allow cruise lines & ports to resume operations. 

While this proposed new law sounds great, what exactly should cruise fans and the industry expect going forward? 

The reality of most bills

In order to get some answers, I turned to Kelli Davis, who is an adjunct government professor and high school social studies teacher in Texas.

In order for any bill to become law, it has to pass a few key steps, including a few votes along the way. In fact, only about two to three percent of legislation that gets introduced actually becomes law.

Otto von Bismark famously said, "If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made," and digging into the nuances of Congress, it becomes quite clear why.

Many times in Congress, bills are introduced as so-called "PR bills", whose purpose is to build public relations with constituents or other allies within the Senate or House of Representatives.

While these PR bills may not ever have a chance of becoming law, it does bring attention to the issue. In the case of the Set Sail Safely Act, both Senators issued press releases related to it, and it got national attention across major media outlets.

The Set Sail Safely Act

While we won't know the full intention of this bill without talking to either Senator, it does stand to reason that both Florida Senators created this bill as a way to demonstrate they recognize the concern for the cruise industry and the ripple effect it is having on their constituents.

Ms. Davis provided her opinion of the motivation behind proposing this kind of legislation, "It's the people that own businesses in Fort Lauderdale, in Miami, in Cocoa Beach, who are dealing with the ripple effect of the cruisers and the cruise industry not being there. And so Rubio and Scott, both with this bill, are able to say, if anything, they're able to put out a press release. Hey, we're trying to do something for you. We're trying to help you."

The Set Sail Safely Act has been introduced, and has been read into the record and referred to the Commerce Committee that deals with science and transpiration.

Ms. Davis points out that of the twenty three members of the Commerce Committee, only six have cruise ports their states. Not to mention the Senate is currently embroiled in the fight over whether or not to replace the vacancy on the Supreme Court.

"Ultimately what will determine whether or not this bill gets a vote is whether it's deemed important," Ms. Davis explained. "Is it important enough to the committee members to give it a hearing, to give it time, to give it consideration, to give it a vote, because it requires a vote from the committee to get it to the floor for a full Senate vote."

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain was asked about the new legislation during a webinar with travel advisors on Wednesday, and he also seems to feel the thought behind the bill means more than the potential new law itself.

"I'm not really going to comment so much on the legislation that's been proposed, but I think what it does show is it's another example of the desire of people to get back to closer sense of normalcy if and only if we can do it in a healthy and safe manner."

"I think the introduction of that legislation shows there is political support and we have it in so many other ways that provided we can do so in a healthy and safe manner."

Next steps for the bill

In order for the Set Sail Safely Act to become law, it would have to get enough votes to make it out of committee, then it goes to the full floor for a debate on the full floor. 

Depending on how the debate turns out, then it would go to full vote and then the whole process has to start all over again in the House of Representatives.

You can track the progress of the bill on the U.S. Congress website.

Two United States Senators introduced a new bill that aims to reopen the cruise industry to start sailing again.

Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio announced new legislation known as the Set Sail Safely Act.

The bill creates a Maritime Task Force focused on the health, safety, security, & logistical changes to allow cruise lines & ports to resume operations. 

As we work to safely reopen Florida's economy, @marcorubio & I introduced the Set Sail Safely Act.

This bill creates a Maritime Task Force focused on the health, safety, security, & logistical changes to allow cruise lines & ports to resume operations. https://t.co/YZlGSlYvfD

— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) September 16, 2020

At its heart, the Set Sail Safely Act would do two basic things:

• Require the proper federal agencies, led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to work together with input from private sector stakeholders to develop a plan for the safe resumption of cruise line operations.
• Create a timeline for meetings of the Task Force, recommendations, and implementation of the Task Force’s recommendations.

The Maritime Task Force would include representatives from several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Coast Guard, Health and Human Services, Department of Transportation, Department of State and the Federal Maritime Commission.

Private Sector stakeholders would include representatives from the passenger cruise line industry, U.S. ports, commercial fishermen, small businesses and health professionals.

Senator Scott emphasized this new law will ensure developing the proper guidelines for cruises to resume, "this legislation will support the development of guidelines needed to ensure the safe resumption of our cruise lines and port operations."

Senator Rubio echoed his colleague's support of the bill by saying he believes this is part of the path to recovery, "I am proud to join Senator Scott in introducing legislation that will provide a roadmap for cruise lines and port authorities to safely resume operations, allowing our valuable tourism economy, and the people it employs, to begin to recover."

Lots of support already

The legislation has the backing of many organizations, including the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

CLIA Global Chair (and former Royal Caribbean International President) Adam Goldstein commented on the new proposal, "The cruise industry is an important economic contributor in the United States, supporting nearly half a million U.S. jobs, and over 150,000 in Florida alone, prior to the pandemic. The Senators’ bill draws much needed attention to the importance of strategic dialogue between appropriate federal agencies and a broad group of public and private sector stakeholders to safely advance a resumption of cruising in the U.S. that mirrors the gradual and successful restart of cruise operations in Europe."

A number of other high ranking industry officials have already voiced their support for the bill, including:

• PortMiami Director & CEO Juan M. Kuryla
• Miami-Dade Tourism and the Ports Committee Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa,
• Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez
• Florida Ports Council President and CEO Doug Wheeler
• American Association of Port Authorities President and CEO Christopher J. Connor