CDC Cuts Impacted Cruise Ship Health Inspectors—Here’s What It Means for Travelers

The entire full-time workforce of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) has been laid off, according to a report in CBS News.

The VSP was established in 1975 to work with the cruise industry to protect travelers’ health. The program undertakes vessel inspections, responds to outbreaks like gastroenteritis, and trains the industry on best public health practices. It is wholly funded by the cruise industry. Cruise lines participate on a voluntary basis. 

The news comes as the U.S. battles a new strain of norovirus and cruise lines face an upsurge in onboard outbreaks. The VSP’s website currently reports 12 outbreaks in 2025 thus far, with all but two of them norovirus. In 2024, there were 18 outbreaks.

The layoffs are part of a wider culling of employees at the CDC by Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Although the full-time employees have been cut, 12 U.S. Public Health Service officers remain. 

A spokesperson for CLIA told Travel + Leisure that its current understanding from the CDC is that the VSP will continue to operate. “Public reports have noted that the program is administered and staffed primarily by commissioned U.S. Public Health officers, so we expect programmatic activities to continue in some capacity,” the spokesperson said.

The fact that the cruise lines themselves have funded the VSP should be kept in mind amid the shake-up, cruise ship and hospitality public health specialist Iain Hay told T+L. “Although the government has made this move, the cruise industry will most likely back (a vessel sanitation program) financially, because they are the ones already funding the inspections,” Hay, the managing director of Anchor Hygiene Services, said.

“The VSP exists because the cruise industry wanted a higher standard of inspection than the U.S. Food & Drug Administration could offer hotels and clubs in the United States at the time,” Hay continued. “The industry wants (the VSP), and they will fight to keep it.”

CLIA’s spokesperson re-affirmed that the cruise industry is a model for health and wellness protocols and practices and that the comprehensive industry-wide cleaning and sanitization practices, passenger screenings, and frequent inspections that are the hallmark of the VSP are unparalleled in comparison to other hospitality settings.

The spokesperson added that cruise lines are the only travel sector that routinely reports illnesses to the CDC—and as such, cautions against confusing the wider availability of cruise health data with a higher incidence rate on cruise ships compared to settings like restaurants, hotels or airplanes.

Ships participating in the VSP can expect two unannounced inspections every year, with eight areas coming under the microscope: medical facilities; potable water systems; swimming pools and whirlpool spas; galleys and dining rooms; child activity centers; cabins; ventilation systems and common areas. 

The findings are available to the public at cdc.gov, with a score of 86 and above deemed satisfactory and anything under considered unsatisfactory. A dozen vessels inspected in the last six months, including, most recently, Disney Magic, Virgin Voyage’s Valiant Lady, and Explora I, have scored a perfect 100. The average rating for the past 24 years has been 95.95, according to CLIA.