NJ Sues RCI

[rogue]

NEWARK, N.J., Jun 15, 2006 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- New Jersey's attorney general sued Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Thursday for diverting a Bermuda-bound cruise to Canada and refusing to issue refunds.

The lawsuit alleges the cruise line violations of the state Consumer Fraud Act. It seeks restitution for the people aboard the ship plus civil penalties.

"It is unconscionable that consumers showed up for a cruise they paid for with hard-earned money, only to be sent somewhere they didn't want to go, without access to the amenities they paid for and activities they looked forward to, and were told there was nothing they could do about it," said state Consumer Affairs Director Kimberly Ricketts.

The state got complaints from 53 passengers booked on the July 24 cruise who said they were told they would lose all their money if they didn't board the ship, even though its destination had changed.

It wasn't clear why the cruise line changed the Voyager of the Seas' itinerary. A company spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday.

According to the state, the cruise line shifted the itinerary from Bermuda to ports in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick without making any effort to notify passengers. The company posted a notice of the change the night before on its Web site.

Although a cruise to Canada typically would be significantly cheaper than one to Bermuda, the state says the company offered only a credit of $42.50, representing the difference in port fees and taxes between the two destinations.

(Of course, there is no mention of the hurricaine that was bearing down on Bermuda at the time.)

[JoeyandDavid]

Very interesting...... now that is a case I would watch on Court TV!

[Joanandjoe]

I live in Joisey, and think that the AG should have better things to do. It's pretty clear that a cruise line has the right to change the itinerary. It might have been good customer relations to allow people to cancel, or to give a bigger credit; but the line has no obligation to do so. Would the AG have preferred that the ship sail into a hurricane?

On our Zenith trip to Bermuda, the ship had to skip St. George due to high winds. The thought of asking for a partial refund never occurred to us. If there had been a major weather problem in Bermuda at the time we left Bayonne, we would have been happy that the cruise line had given us a Canada/New England itinerary, even though this would have been our fourth Canada/New England cruise, and we had never before cruised to Bermuda.

It's nice that the AG wants to protect consumers; but IMHO, here the merchant is right and the consumers are wrong.

[sailingrose]

If I remember correctly there was a hurricane brewing and it was very unsteady. It seemed that when it was done with the south it was heading up to Bermuda. RCI had the right to change the itinerary but they should have done something better for the passengers. I'd have been upset if I packed for Bermuda and ended up in Canada.

[rogue]

Hurricane Franklin was dancing around near Bermuda when the ship was leaving. Back in 1999, we awoke on our 1st sea day of our 1st cruise on the edges of Hurricane Irene. We were on our way to Bermuda, but had to take a very round-about way of getting there in order to avoid going directly into the storm. This meant that we also missed St. George. I can't remember anyone talking about asking for a refund. We can get bad weather on any vacation. We just make the most of it and go with the flow. This case is rediculous.

[Joanandjoe]

I doubt that anyone will disagree. Doing nothing was bad business, even if RCI had the right to do so. They probably lost a lot of customers.

They also had a "moral obligation" to do more. At a minimum, they should have given everyone a cruise credit sufficient to enable them to buy some warmer clothes. That does not mean, however, that they had a legal obligation to do more.

[schatje]

Although it states right in your DOCS that they can change your itinerary they could have been more diplomatic about the situation and offered a goodwill credit to each cabin. I think they would have eased peoples minds to explain to them about the hurricane...if they didn't. I think most people would be grateful to be kept out of harms way, atleast I would have.

My two cents worth :smiley:

[rogue]

To be honest, I'll bet that just about every single person on that cruise knew about the hurricane long before they got to the pier. I'm also sure that most of them were not at all surprised that the itinerary was changed. We sailed on the arnival Legend a few years ago, and had our itinerary changed due to a hurricane just north of Puerto Rico, and very few people were surprised.

[Brady121291]

:cool: I'll tell ya, if I had to go to canada instead of bermuda, I wouldn't be to pleased myself!

[teacp]

I agree with you Brady...Canada..?...........Bermuda?..hmmm but I don't blame RCI for using their good judgement but I think they could have given them a little more than 42.00..............