Cruise Lines are accountable for your safety

Cruise Ship Passengers Do Have Legal Rights

With more than 23 million cruise ship passengers enjoying vacations at sea each year, the opportunity for accidents and injury is always present. Regardless of whether you’ve sailed without incident – or you were a victim of an accident – as a passenger, you do have rights.

Those rights are outlined as a ‘Bill of Rights’ by the members of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and are designed to both ensure your safe passage as well as address your rights should an accident occur. For more clarification, please contact our attorneys.

Cruise Ship Passengers Bill of Rights

The Members of the Cruise Lines International Association, in an effort to address increasing demands for a codified list of rights for cruise passengers, published a Bill of Passenger Rights “dedicated to the comfort and care of all passengers on oceangoing cruises throughout the world.”

To fulfill their commitment, member cruise lines agreed to adopt the following set of passenger rights:

1.) The right to disembark a docked ship if essential provisions such as food, water, restroom facilities and access to medical care cannot adequately be provided onboard, subject only to the Master’s concern for passenger safety and security and customs and immigration requirements of the port.

2.) The right to a full refund for a trip that is canceled due to mechanical failures, or a partial refund for voyages that are terminated early due to those failures.

3.) The right to have available on board ships operating beyond rivers or coastal waters full-time, professional emergency medical attention, as needed until shore side medical care becomes available.

4.) The right to timely information updates as to any adjustments in the itinerary of the ship in the event of a mechanical failure or emergency, as well as timely updates of the status of efforts to address mechanical failures.

5.) The right to a ship crew that is properly trained in emergency and evacuation procedures.

6.) The right to an emergency power source in the case of a main generator failure.

7.) The right to transportation to the ship’s scheduled port of disembarkation or the passenger’s home city in the event a cruise is terminated early due to mechanical failures.

8. ) The right to lodging if disembarkation and an overnight stay in an unscheduled port are required when a cruise is terminated early due to mechanical failures.

9.) The right to have included on each cruise line’s website a toll-free phone line that can be used for questions or information concerning any aspect of shipboard operations.

10.) The right to have this Cruise Industry Passenger Bill of Rights published on each line’s website.

Please note that the CLIA Passenger Bill of Rights is relevant to Passengers from the USA and Canada only.

Why is a Passenger Bill of Rights Needed?

Throughout 2012 and 2013, a series of high profile events, including the Costa Concordia tragedy and the Carnival Cruise Line’s infamous ‘poop cruise‘ led to public outrage at the way in which the large cruise lines were running their operations, seemingly with more of an emphasis on profits and less on customer safety and protection.

Leading the charge for change within the cruise line industry was New York Senator Charles Schumer who called on the cruise industry to “adopt a bill of rights guaranteeing passengers certain protections while aboard their ships.”

This was a change that was a long time in coming as cruise industry experts, passengers and cruise ship injury law firms realized that certain aspects of cruise travel were becoming increasing less safe and the passengers on those vessels were less protected, both by the cruise lines and by the legal rights offered to them.

Should I Worry About Taking a Cruise Vacation?

The reality is that, worldwide, well over 20 million people a year travel without incident and thoroughly enjoy their vacations.

It’s important to remember that if you and your family adhere to the rules and regulations set by the cruise line, use common sense and avoid potential hazards (like leaving children unattended in pools), the chance of injury and accident is vastly reduced.

However, accidents do happen. And whether they’re just the result of ‘sheer accident’ or are brought upon by the negligence of the cruise line or it’s crew members, injured passengers will need the legal counsel of cruise injury attorneys.

What If I Need An Attorney?

If you are confused about your rights – or have been injured on a cruise vacation and need to speak with a lawyer – you should not hesitate to reach out to a law firm. Our firm, Waks and Barnett, P.A. provides free consultations for any questions you might have. You can contact our office at 1-305-271-8282.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is the world’s largest cruise industry trade association with representation in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australasia.

There are currently 63 Member Cruise Lines worldwide. See below for a breakout of those cruise lines.

Were you injured on a cruise?

We Can Help You Sue The Cruise Lines and Get Compensation For:

Hospital and doctor bills
Lost pay and wages
Pain and suffering
Loss of future earnings
Long-term or lifelong disability

Call today for a free injury claim assessment at 1-305-271-8282.

What Can You Expect From Our Cruise Ship Attorneys?

If you’ve been injured on a cruise vacation you want someone to fight for you against the cruise line attorneys, the insurance companies and other parties.

That is what we do for you – that is what you can expect from our firm and our attorneys. And while we can not guarantee results in the courtroom – no attorney can – we do guarantee that we will work diligently to achieve the best possible result for you.

We will thoroughly review your potential case, investigate the facts surrounding your accident and create a plan of action for pursuing compensation for your injuries.

If you choose to have us represent you, we’ll send a retainer package. From there, we’ll represent you and work toward resolution, either through a settlement with the cruise line or through a decision made by the court.

Remember, there is no fee charged to you for our services. We work on a ‘contingency fee‘ basis which means there is no charge for our services unless you receive compensation from the cruise line.

Our clients need help! It’s why they turn to us investigate their injury claims and file lawsuits on their behalf against the cruise lines for slip and fall accidents, swimming pool accidents, cases of medical negligence, rape and sexual assault and crew member injury claims.

If you or your family have questions about a cruise injury, accident or medical issue, please call us at this toll-free number, 1-305-271-8282.

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