Cruise Complaints: The Federal Maritime Commission Can Help - Cruises (2023)

FAQs

How do cruise ships handle customer complaints? ›

Problems that aren't as easily resolved should be brought up to guest services. They'll usually hear you out, and if they can't help you to resolve it right away, and it's not urgent, they'll often ask you to write your complaint on a card. This is pretty much step 1, for any medium-bigger issues.

The Coast Guard conducts routine onboard inspections of cruise ships to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

If the cruise company fails to fulfill the terms mentioned on the ticket, you could sue for breach of contract. That means a cruise that is cancelled or cut short could result in a refund.

Provide any documentation that might be relevant, including your cruise booking, previous correspondence regarding the issue and/or photos. If you have questions on what you need to provide, call the office at 866-448-9586.

If you were the victim of a cruise ship accident, excursion accident or even medical negligence, you may be able to sue the cruise line that was responsible.

Describe the specific problem, concern or issue that prompted to you to write in. Include details like the date and time of the issue, names of crew members who were involved, and if you complained onboard, who you spoke to and what was done to address your concern (if anything).

About the Federal Maritime Commission. The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is the independent federal agency responsible for regulating the U.S. international ocean transportation system for the benefit of U.S. exporters, importers, and the U.S. consumer.

The Jones Act has a portion of the law that specifically covers cruise ships and their passengers. This law, the Passenger Vessel Services Act or PVSA, applies to ships carrying passengers, versus ships carrying cargo. Learn more about the Jones Act Law/PVSA and how it applies to cruise ships in the U.S.

If Royal Caribbean doesn't respond to your demand letter, you can officially begin the process of filing a small claims court lawsuit. You can do this by checking your local small claims court website and filling out all the required forms they stipulate.

Can you be denied a refund? ›

It depends on your reason. If an item is faulty or has broken - in other words, doesn't comply with the Sale of Goods Act - then the retailer has a duty to offer a refund, exchange or repair. But if you simply don't like the purchase, then that's not a good enough reason.

A Future Cruise Credit (FCC) is a voucher for future travel. It has a monetary amount associated with it, which can be used towards a new cruise booking.

Tips are not expected, as Tauck's tour prices include gratuities for ship staff (and hotel staff, if there's a land stay), local guides, drivers, Tauck directors and the cruise director. If you'd like to give a little extra to individual crew members you can do so in cash. There are no extra charges.

Ensuring Security at Sea

Major cruise lines have sophisticated security departments run by former federal, state and military law enforcement officials and are staffed by competent, qualified security personnel.

The Cruise Director is the division head for the Entertainment/Cruise Programs Department onboard the ship. All staff members in the Cruise Programs, Production/Theater, Musicians and Guest Entertainer divisions report directly and through Managers and Supervisors to him/her.

Can You Sue a Cruise Line? You'd be surprised to know how many cruise ship accidents per year affect victims, including slip and falls. If the cruise line is responsible for causing an injury or other harm, you can sue a cruise line.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines – We have filed yet another Class Action lawsuit related to the cruise industry's dramatic mishandling of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Consider that about 12-14 million people cruise from the United States in a given year. With 137 total crimes reported in the past four quarters, that means the chances of being a victim on the ship are about 1 in 88,000.

Who ya gonna call? Try the Federal Maritime Commission's Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services (CADRS). CADRS staff offer a cruise passenger assistance program for consumers with cruise line complaints.

How do you write a good letter of complaint? ›

Maritime cases do not arise under the Constitution or laws of the United States for federal question purposes and must, absent diversity, be instituted in admiralty where there is no jury trial.

"The mission of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as a United Nations specialized agency is to promote safe, secure, environmentally sound, efficient and sustainable shipping through cooperation.

Here, unlike many countries, there is no national port authority. Rather authority is diffused throughout all three levels of government-federal, state and local. That stems from the federal character of the U.S. Constitution, which reserves certain powers for the national government and others strictly for the states.

The Jones Act (also known as the Passenger Services Act) does not allow ships of Non-U.S registry to embark and debark guests at two different U.S ports, since travel between U.S. ports is prohibited on foreign flagged ships. Note: Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands (St. Thomas; St.

It is this act that prohibits commercial vessels such as cruise ships from allowing passengers to board at one U.S. port and debark at another U.S. port.

Under the Jones Act, foreign carriers and crews are banned from domestic water routes. Cabotage from one U.S. port to another is restricted to U.S.-built, -crewed and -flagged vessels. The requirement was a protectionist economic strategy designed to assist America's shipyards and maritime fleet.

Your provider has 30 days to provide you with a response to your complaint. We encourage you to reach out to your provider to attempt to resolve your issue prior to filing a consumer complaint.

PMC MOBILE APP FEATURE

Log in using employee id. Grievance dashboard (as per selected role) Category wise Grievance details (Assigned, In Process, Rejected, Closed, Reopened) Grievance workflow (option of taking action on the shown grievances)

If you have a complaint that is not related to a disputed claim, email your complaint to FEHB@opm.gov.

What do you say when a customer complains about shipping? ›

Sample Response to a Shipping Complaint

Hi, [Customer Name], Thank you for letting us know you haven't yet received your order. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and understand your frustration. According to our records, your package was sent out from our warehouse on [Date].

Report your issue or complaint with Royal Caribbean by contacting its Post Cruise Guest Relations department. Call 800/256-6649 (514/285-9723 for outside the U.S.). If you prefer written complaints, email it or send a letter to Post Cruise Guest Relations at 1050 Caribbean Way, Miami, FL 33132.

All cruise lines have Codes of Conduct, and passengers agree to abide by them when they sign their cruise contracts. The rules apply to adults, teens and kids. Misbehave onboard, and the lines reserve the right to end your cruise then and there (not to mention ban you from cruising their ships for life).

This ensures we can make things right while you're away. If you're unhappy with the resolution we provided onboard, please email CustomerRelationsUK@rccl.com to send us further details or call us on 0344 493 2063.

So, if a ship is moving goods within the U.S., they must abide by all U.S. maritime laws. The Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) applies to cruise ships because cruise ships move passengers.

The Cruise Passenger Protection Act should be passed to take an important step forward for progress to enhanced safety and security for cruise passengers. These benefits will enable the public to self- protect by providing accurate factual data for travel decisions in the free speech enabled advertising marketplace.

In the event of a cancellation of a Cruise or CruiseTour, any applicable Taxes/Fees or Fuel Supplement charges shall be refunded. For bookings made outside of the United States and Canada, a different cancellation policy may apply. Contact your local office or travel advisor for details.