What the Cruise Industry Does Not Want You to Know

The cruise industry spends a lot of money on its image. Cruise ships are presented as magical places where everyone’s dreams come true. Sunrises and sunsets. Exotic drinks with umbrellas. Water sports and smiling families. When it comes to advertising and brand promotion, few industries do it as well as cruise ships.

The best cruise ship accident attorneys know a lot more about the cruise industry because they are fighting the cruise ship industry on behalf of their clients every day. At the Miami offices of Gerson and Schwartz, our cruise ship injury lawyers understand the good, the bad and the ugly sides of the cruise ship industry. We offer free consultations even if to only answer your questions before you go on a cruise. Call us anytime at (877) 475-2905 and let us answer your questions.

Have you ever wondered what the cruise industry does not want you to know? Consider these facts:

1. Cruise ships are a multibillion dollar a year industry. Revenues in 2016 exceeded $35 billion and are expected to rise in the future. Some forecast revenues of $57 billion in the year 2027.

2. The Center for Disease Control has a Vessel Sanitation Program where anyone can conduct their own Advanced Cruise Ship Inspection Search. You can search a cruise line or a cruise ship. You can request all reports or by specific dates. The score is available as well as the report by the CDC and the corrective report of the scored ship or line.

   The reports are very specific as to the nature of the violation which can range from sanitation to crew symptoms and illnesses. Scores of 86 and above are considered satisfactory. There is also an ongoing list of ships that scored 100 on the latest inspection. Of course, the cruise industry would like to highlight the ships that scored 100 but at the same time they probably wouldn’t want any one taking a close look at the reports for ships that scored less than perfect.

3. The good news is Customs and Border Patrol does check the passenger list of all cruise ships arriving in US Ports. The bad news is no one is checking the passengers before the end of the trip. So, some of the people you spend a week or more with in a small floating city would not be allowed to live in your neighborhood because they are registered sexual offenders and predators. Keep that in mind when you take your family on a cruise. Some of your fellow passengers may not make it past law enforcement at the port because of outstanding warrants.

4. The security officers that you see on a cruise ship may not be who they appear to be. Many of these employee’s lack law enforcement background. They are also from other countries where the background checks may be less than reliable. There is another factor to consider when it comes to the cruise ship security service – follow the money. By that we mean you should always remember and never forget that these security officers are employees of the cruise ship. Just like the bartender, the disc jockey and the lifeguard.

   If you are injured or become the victim of a crime at sea, these security officers will likely be the first responders. These individuals would be responsible for collecting evidence after a cruise ship rape or sexual assault. If that sexual assault on the cruise ship was committed by a crew member, then the security officer would be charged with collecting evidence in an investigation of his or her co-worker.

   The cruise ship industry has resisted calls for some form of independent law enforcement on cruise ships. The argument is that they already employ former law enforcement in the security departments. These same officials say that additional security requirements are not warranted because of the low crime rate on cruise ships in comparison with the large volume of guests per year.

   As it stands now, you would be well advised to keep the security officer’s employer in mind before relying on that officer any more than you have to under the circumstances.

5. Most settlement agreements with cruise lines are confidential. Furthermore, these settlement agreements do not contain admissions of guilt by the cruise ship or the cruise line. This situation presents moral and ethical dilemmas for many of the best cruise ship accident lawyers and their clients.

   Consider the client who was raped or sexually assaulted on a cruise ship. They hire the best cruise ship rape lawyer in Miami to sue the cruise line in federal court. That cruise ship crime victim has medical bills and lost wages in addition to noneconomic damages such as pain-and-suffering, humiliation and mental anguish. The client wants to collect full and fair compensation.

   They may want to make sure that this crime on the cruise ship never happens to anyone else. But it takes a unique individual to put themselves in the public eye as having been a victim of a cruise ship sexual assault or rape. Most people want to close the ugly chapter and move on in the best way they can.

   The victim and the cruise line may have the same interests in keeping the settlement and the case confidential. The cruise line also understands that there is a price for confidentiality and not admitting guilt. So that should become part of the negotiation.

   The client’s cruise ship rape attorney may personally believe that the cruise lines should be held accountable in public. That any settlement with the cruise line should be made public and come with an admission of guilt. But that attorney knows and understands that it is the client’s case and it is up to that client to make the decision on confidentiality and non-admission of guilt.