Cruise lines try to cover themselves in the contracts they sign with passengers, in order to limit their liability should anything go wrong.
In most cases the terms absolve the cruise lines from any problems that arise due to bad weather. Generally, if a storm disrupts your cruise, the cruise line can do whatever needs to be done, and its responsibility to compensate you and the other passengers is limited.
Related: Royal Caribbean passengers angry over major change
That in turn means ports can change or be skipped altogether, and passengers will generally get refunds only for port fees and taxes as well as for any cruise-line-booked excursions. In the event of a major change, a cruise line might offer passengers some on-board credit or another perk, but it’s in no way obligated to do so.
In the event of extreme weather a ship’s captain can order all on-board services suspended and order passengers back to their cabins. That’s for safety reasons — but any major disruption to a cruise may not sit well with passengers.
One Carnival Corp. brand had what had been dubbed a “cruise from hell,” and the company has opted to settle a class-action lawsuit brought on by passengers who were on board.
Doug Parker has the full story and more on today’s edition of Cruise News Today.
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Carnival to settle lawsuit over ‘cruise from hell’
Transcript:
This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker. Good morning, here’s your cruise news for Monday, March 3.
Carnival Corp. has agreed to pay over $2.4 million to settle a class action lawsuit stemming from what passengers are calling a cruise from hell.
The lawsuit involved a 2017 sailing of the P&O Pacific Aria, which departed from Brisbane and encountered severe weather from a Category 5 cyclone named Donna, resulting in rough seas, on-board closures and missed ports of call.
Under the proposed settlement, approximately 713 passengers will each receive around $1,754, covering their cruise fare plus additional compensation. Legal fees and court costs also cost approximately $1 million.
Carnival denies wrongdoing, explaining the weather’s unpredictability, but opted to settle passenger claims to resolve the lawsuit.
Norwegian Cruise Line eyes return to controversial port; Holland America passenger rescue
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is considering a return to St. Petersburg, Russia, as soon as 2026, reversing its 2022 suspension due to the Ukraine conflict.
CEO Harry Sommer says the port’s reopening could be an opportunity, as he hopes for peace both for humanitarian reasons and a business boost.
The cruise line also plans to reinstate Israeli calls by 2027.
Now, despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings projects strong bookings and over $10 billion in revenue for this year alone.
And the U.S. Coast Guard carried out an urgent airlift over the weekend from Holland America Line’s Conings Dam after a 72-year-old passenger suffered multiple strokes on board.
The ship was sailing 300 miles off Kona, Hawaii, during a 35-day Polynesian voyage. First responders rendezvoused with the ship 57 miles south of Honolulu and transferred the patient to the Queens Medical Center.
He is now in stable condition and expected to recover.
If you have a lead on this story, let us know. [email protected].
Here aboard the Celestial Journey. We’re sailing in the Persian Gulf, about to get into Dubai here in just a couple of hours.
I’m Doug Parker with Cruise News Today. Have yourself a great Monday.
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