Cruise Passenger Protection Act

Summary#

This bill is called the Cruise Passenger Protection Act of 2025. It creates a new Office of Maritime Consumer Protection inside the Department of Transportation. The bill sets rules for large passenger vessels (cruise ships) that carry 250 or more passengers and that embark or disembark in the United States. Key provisions in the bill include: clear summaries of ticket contract terms for U.S. passengers; a toll-free hotline and consumer complaint website; a public, regularly updated database of incidents and reported crimes on ships; requirements for faster reporting of certain incidents to the FBI and to U.S. consulates; stronger video-surveillance retention rules and standards; requirements for medical staffing and basic life-support training for crew; a director of victim support services and a 24/7 toll-free victim support number; rules about crew access to passenger staterooms and electronic logs of such access; and a rule that predispute arbitration clauses and class-action waivers in cruise tickets cannot be enforced unless parties agree to arbitration after a dispute arises. The bill also creates an advisory committee to advise the Secretary on consumer protections and requires a study on having onboard victim support personnel.

What it means for you#

• If you are a U.S. citizen traveling on a covered cruise ship, you should receive a short, clear summary of key contract terms before they become binding.
• There will be a toll-free hotline and a consumer-complaint web link to report problems such as cancellations, lost baggage, deceptive advertising, or trouble getting refunds.
• Incident and crime data involving passengers and crew will be posted and updated monthly on a public website, aggregated by cruise line.
• If an employee is notified of certain serious incidents, the ship owner must contact the FBI within 4 hours in many cases, and notify the nearest U.S. consulate after arrival when a U.S. national is involved.
• Victims who are U.S. passengers will be able to contact a director of victim support services and access free, confidential support services and a written summary of rights.
• Cruise lines must keep surveillance footage and other logs for longer periods and follow new retention standards.
• Predispute arbitration and class-action waivers in ticket contracts will not be enforceable for covered tickets unless all parties agree to arbitration after a dispute arises.

Expenses#

The bill creates new offices, a director of victim support services, a toll-free hotline, public websites and databases, new reporting and recordkeeping duties, and a required study. The bill text does not include specific funding amounts or a cost estimate. No publicly available information on estimated federal costs is provided in the bill text.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.