The Cruise Passenger Protection Act of 2025 aims to significantly improve security, safety, and consumer protections for passengers on certain vessels. It establishes the Office of Maritime Consumer Protection (OMCP) within the Department of Transportation, headed by an Assistant General Counsel, to serve as the primary entity for consumer protection issues related to covered passenger vessels. The OMCP's duties include providing compliance assistance, processing consumer complaints, inspecting vessels for adherence to consumer protection requirements, and investigating and enforcing violations. This new office is central to implementing the Act's provisions and ensuring a dedicated federal resource for maritime consumer issues. The bill mandates improvements in passage contracts , requiring the Secretary to develop standards for summaries highlighting key terms such as undisclosed costs, liability limitations, and arbitration clauses. Importantly, it invalidates pre-dispute arbitration and class action waiver clauses in passenger contracts, allowing arbitration only with written consent after a controversy arises and prohibiting pre-dispute joint-action waivers. For victims of crimes on board, the Act creates a Director of Victim Support Services within the OMCP, establishing a primary federal point of contact and coordinating immediate, free, and confidential support services. This includes a 24/7 toll-free hotline, a summary of victim rights, and a process for obtaining assistance, which can extend to guardians or relatives. Crime reporting and public notice are significantly enhanced, requiring vessel owners to make all logs available to federal investigators and notify the FBI within four hours of being informed of an alleged incident. If in U.S. jurisdiction, notification must occur before departure if earlier than four hours. The OMCP will also maintain a public website with statistical compilations of incidents, updated monthly and aggregated by cruise line. Security and safety requirements are strengthened through various provisions. This includes mandating that video surveillance equipment provide optimum coverage, with footage retained for one year after a voyage and incident records for five years. The Commandant of the Coast Guard will issue new standards for video retention, considering investigation needs, privacy, and technological advancements. Vessel design requirements include 42-inch high railings on exterior decks and stateroom doors with peep holes. The Act also mandates that technology for detecting overboard passengers be certified by an independent third party. Furthermore, the security guide provided to passengers must now include information on OMCP support services, victim rights, and the passage contract summary. Medical standards are elevated, requiring a sufficient number of qualified medical staff, facilities meeting American College of Emergency Physicians standards, and staff training in emergency care. All crew members must have basic life support and CPR certification, and passenger-facing crew must demonstrate basic English proficiency. The bill also addresses the return of deceased U.S. citizens' bodies, ensuring their return to the U.S. on the vessel if requested, with the owner covering transportation costs. Enforcement mechanisms include civil penalties of up to $25,000 per day for violations and criminal penalties for willful non-compliance. The Secretary of Homeland Security can withhold or revoke vessel clearance, and the Coast Guard can deny entry to vessels whose owners commit violations or fail to pay penalties under this Act, reinforcing compliance with these new protections.