Why is there no CDC inspection

[squirrelnancy]

The Pride of America and the Pride of Aloha have not been inspected by the CDC. Is this because they never leave American waters?

 

Just curious.

 

Squirrel Nancy

 

Next cruise - Pride of America August 2006

[newmexicoNita]

Are you sure about this? I am not doubting you, but just haven't paid enough attention to realize this. NCL ships always or almost get outstanding ratings, often 100%. Maybe it does have something to do with the USA, but I don't think so. NMnita

[squirrelnancy]

I have been checking the CDC site and it doesn't even list the ships on the green sheet inspection list and this cruise critic site also lists the ships as not being inspected. I don't know where else to check.

 

Squirrel Nancy

[johnql]

Here's what I found in the CDC web site FAQs:

 

Why isn’t the ship that I’m looking for listed in the inspection database? The ship may not be in the inspection database because it does not meet the criteria for inspection, no foreign itinerary, no U.S. port or less than 13 passengers.

 

Also on the CDC web site:

Every vessel that has a foreign itinerary and that carries 13 or more passengers is subject to twice-yearly inspections, and when necessary, a re-inspection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP).

 

From my reading of the above, it appears that the NCLA ships are exempt from CDC inspections because they don't sail a foreign itinerary.

[Jim Gallup]

johnql is correct. Strange as it may seem, the United States Public Health Service has no jurisdiction over US Flagged Ships - only those with foreign flags. This makes no sense at all, but that's the law.

 

Instead, the US Department of Agriculture has jurisdiction over the NCL America Ships. They also inspect commercial Airplanes (US and non-US Flag), Buses, and Amtrak Trains. What does this mean to the average cruiser? Since USDA has little cruise ship inspection experience or practice, their inspections might be characterized as "not the most thorough". The last time I witnessed one, the USDA Inspectors wandered around the ship with their mouths hanging open, saying (with Gomer Pyle accent)"Gooooollllleeee, this shor is a big boat."

 

The USDA doesn't do surprise inspections like the USPH. Instead, they schedule the inspection weeks in advance so the ship can be completely ready for them. A USPH surprise inspection costs the foreign cruise line around $15,000. The USDA scheduled inspection for NCL America is free of charge. Your tax dollars at work......................

[colonial traveler]

Small point, but I am very sure the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspects the ships, not the USDA. FDA has authority over interstate carriers (buses, trains, vessels, etc.). USDA inspects meat and poultry plants.

[Kuffam]

I would think the Department of Transportation and The Department of Homeland Security.

[Jim Gallup]

colonial traveler,

 

Thanks for the correction. My mistake. These American abbreviations really throw me sometimes.

An interesting sideline to all of this:

 

When Norwegian Sky originally was reflagged to USA and renamed Pride of Aloha, there were some rather bizarre procedures they had to go through. Even though all their Food and Beverage items had been purchased in the USA, by placing them on a foreign flag ship NCL had converted them to "foreign" food and beverage. This is a very important consideration, as "foreign" food and beverage becomes "foreign" garbage at some point. Unloading "foreign" garbage in a US port costs about 10 times more than unloading American garbage. So long as you have "foreign" f&B items on a ship, any new items mixed with them have to be classed as "foreign" as well, despite their origins.

So before Pride of Aloha departed San Francisco for Hawaii, the USDA had to go onboard to certify that all F&B was inded purchased in the USA, and had not been turned to the "dark side" (foreign). They had no idea what they were doing of course, so they just asked the ship management if everything had been purchased in America. The ship management really had no concrete idea either, so said, "Of course". The USDA people then produced a certificate verifying that all was Domestic. That was it.

At the same time the USDA really wanted to get into the ship inspection business. They lobbied very hard with the CDC (who oversees FDA) to take control of the process, but eventually lost out and FDA now has the pleasure (and the big budget). Once again - your tax dollars at work.

[electricron]

That must have been the equivalent of a Ali and Fraiser boxing match.:D

 

Looks like the FDA inspectors won the FREE vacation to Hawaii fight.:cool: