Cruise cancelled, refund late or a complaint? Where to turn in the U.S.

If the cruise line cancels or delays your cruise

The FMC says it does not decide disputes between passengers and cruise lines. It can help passengers make claims against a cruise line in two cases: a voyage cancelled or delayed by three or more days, and death or injury on a voyage that embarks or disembarks at a U.S. port.

1. Claim with the cruise line first. Send a written claim under the line's own claims procedure.
2. If it is denied or not resolved in 180 days (or the line's shorter claim period), you may claim against the money the line must set aside with the FMC (its "financial instrument"). The FMC's Bureau of Certification and Licensing gives claim instructions at [email protected].
3. If the cruise was cancelled and you have waited more than 90 days for a refund, you can also send the FMC's Dispute Resolution Service Request (form FMC-32) to [email protected]. The FMC office that handles this (Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services) says it charges no fees; the process is voluntary.

Sources (read 2026-10-20): FMC: Cruise Service Issues · FMC: Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services

What the FMC does not handle

• Customer service issues such as itinerary changes, cancellations you make yourself, denied boarding or cabin problems. The FMC suggests the consumer protection agency of the state where the company operates or is headquartered.
• Travel agents and other sellers of travel that sell cruise packages (same suggestion: the state consumer protection agency).
• Cruises that do not embark from a U.S. port. For trips starting abroad, the FMC points to the State Department's international travel emergencies page.

Source (read 2026-10-20): FMC: Cruise Service Issues

Check a ship's health inspection score

The CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program inspects cruise ships that carry 13 or more passengers and have a foreign itinerary with U.S. ports. Inspections happen while the ship is in a U.S. port, are unannounced, and usually take 6 to 8 hours. Ships under the program are subject to two inspections a year; a ship that sails outside the U.S. for a long time may be inspected less often and is inspected again when it returns.

The CDC posts every score and report. On its score list (the "green sheet"), a score of 85 or lower is not satisfactory. Look up your ship on the CDC inspection score list before you sail.

Sources (read 2026-10-20): CDC: public health operational inspections · CDC: about the Vessel Sanitation Program · CDC: inspection score list

Before you file anything

• Keep your booking confirmation, payment proof, and the cancellation or delay notice.
• Write down dates: scheduled sailing date, actual sailing date (if any), and the date you sent your claim.
• Check your own cruise line's refund instructions; the FMC requires lines to publish them.

Not affiliated with the FMC, CDC or any cruise line. We do not file claims for you and cannot give legal advice. Contacts above are the agencies' own published addresses.