Passenger satisfaction rates on cruises are high but there are times when things do go wrong.
A popular new Netflix show,Trainwreck: Poop Cruise, is an extreme example of the challenges a cruise ship can face at sea, such as electrical faults, rough seas and illness outbreaks. While most won’t experience anything as disastrous as Poop Cruise, sailings can be delayed by a host of reasons – sometimes before the ship has even left the port.
Passenger rights for cruises can be less generous than those for airlines. Often, passengers will not get any automatic compensation.
But there are protections in place, especially if you use an ABTA-registered travel agent or cruise brand.
Here are your consumer rights if a cruise goes wrong.
Read more: What happens when someone falls off a cruise ship?
What happens if your cruise is cancelled?
A cruise can be cancelled for a variety of reasons, including faulty ship engineering or issues at itinerary destinations.
But unlike a flight delay or cancellation, there is no set rate of compensation.
Mark Barton, cruise expert at travel insurance provider Avanti, says: “Cruise passenger rights aren’t as robust as airline compensation. While cruise operators typically offer full refunds or future cruise credit for cancelled cruises, there’s no automatic fixed compensation like airline regulations.”
Many cruise lines are members of travel trade body ABTA in the UK, which can give you some rights if there are delays or cancellations.
According to ABTA regulations, cruise passengers subject to a delay have the right to an alternative cruise or a refund if it causes a significant change to their original booking.
The ABTA rules say: “In practice this means that the delay would have to be quite long. As a rule of thumb, on a 14 night trip, the delay would need to be longer than 12 hours, and longer for longer cruises.”
If a sailing is cancelled or delayed and an overnight stay becomes necessary, the cruise operator should offer the passenger free of charge accommodation where possible.
ABTA says this can be on the ship or ashore.
What are your rights if you miss a port?
Cruise routes may need to change unexpectedly during a sailing. This can be due to bad weather prohibiting access to a port or unwell passengers needing to leave the ship.
Your rights depend on the terms and…
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