According to the Royal Caribbean class Action lawsuit, Hotel Marketing Group operated the auto dialer system used by all three major cruise lines to deliver their annoying spam calls to cruise ship passengers. As soon as the proposed class action settlement deal got final approval, lawsuits for past benefits are already coming flooding in. The plaintiffs’ lawyers have a difficult time explaining why their clients, former hotel and cruise customers, are experiencing the same frustrating problems once again. They are also having a hard time justifying why the cruise companies are not liable for the actions of their contractors. Hotel Marketing Group and the cruise lines are facing tough challenges in defending their actions and the case may never reach a conclusion.
One of the most significant class action lawsuit alleges that the cruise companies repeatedly fail to honor their contractual obligations with their passengers. As soon as a passenger signs up for a cruise package, he or she is obligated to follow all of the pre-trip instructions. These include booking his or her own trip and paying for his or her own tickets if different from the schedule specified in the offer. It is also required that passengers be given detailed information about the various activities onboard and the hotels’ whereabouts at regular intervals. All of these obligations are typically fulfilled by the cruise companies, yet passengers continue to experience long waits and poor customer service.
Despite the large number of class action lawsuits filed against the cruise industry, only few of them have been successful. One class action lawsuit was filed against the cruise line Royal Caribbean International for repeatedly refusing to provide replacement luggage for their passengers. Another suit was filed against the parent company of the well-known Carnival Cruise Line for repeatedly grounding ships after passengers complain about foul staterooms and other poor conditions. The latest lawsuit involves a claim by passengers of the Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines for not receiving adequate care and support after spending three days in a medically induced coma.
Although these class action claims have been able to bring large financial rewards to their plaintiffs, the cruise companies are still racking up millions of dollars in medical costs and lost income for their passengers. This is largely due to poor scheduling practices implemented by the cruise companies. Rather than take passengers who have severe medical conditions onboard, cruise companies would often simply refuse to take them on board. Even when they do provide boarding, they provide substandard accommodations and force passengers to spend the entire time in staterooms.
Several passengers filed a Class Action Lawsuit against the cruise line for their treatment during the Aug. 26 accident. After five passengers became severely ill and required intensive medical attention, the cruise ship provided inadequate medical attention and pushed them back into the stateroom. When the passengers refused to return to the stateroom for their treatment, the cruise company arbitrarily pulled them from the ship, forcing them to walk away from the accident scene.
Another passenger was killed aboard the ship after the collision. When the cruise liner’s offered medical treatment at the ship’s request, the injured passenger’s family said that the passengers were pressured into signing a form granting blanket liability coverage even if they had not actually sustained any injuries. The lawsuit also claimed that the cruise liner failed to warn passengers about hurricane-force winds and warned them that the vessel would be sailing in a “hazard zone” off the coast of Jamaica. The family of the deceased passenger also stated that the cruise liner was instructed not to contact them or offer any form of assistance after the accident. The Royal Caribbean cruise lawsuit is ongoing.
