Cruise Passenger
Bill of Rights

What cruise lines must do when
their ships experience problems

Cruise Passenger
Bill of Rights

Following the deaths related to the grounding of the Concordia and a spate of fires aboard several ships in the Caribbean, a Cruise Passenger Bill of Rights was announced by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). The CLIA is the world's largest cruise industry trade association.

The following provisions apply only for U.S. passengers who purchase their cruise in North America on member cruise lines, regardless of which country a ship visits.

Provisions include:

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 the Cruise Line Passenger Bill of Rights and a toll-free phone that can be used for questions or information concerning any aspect of shipboard operations.

More information: CLIA web site

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