MDs required on cruises

The US Congress passed a law in December 2020 requiring all cruise ships to have a registered medical doctor on board at all times. In addition, the location of medical facilities and instructions on what to do in a medical emergency now must be included in the safety presentation given to passengers upon first boarding the ship.

The Cruise Passenger Protection Act also requires ships to install videocameras in all public spaces, with all videos being kept for at least 20 days. While cruises must comply with the physician requirements immediately, cruise lines have five years to install the cameras.