This
week the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced that
its Board of Directors approved the adoption of a “Cruise
Industry Passenger Bill of Rights” detailing CLIA members’
commitment to the safety, comfort and care of guests in a number of
important areas.
To
fulfill this commitment, our Members have agreed to adopt the
following set of passenger rights:
1. The
right to disembark a docked ship if essential provisions such as
food, water, restroom facilities and access to medical care cannot
adequately be provided onboard, subject only to the Master’s
concern for passenger safety and security and customs and immigration
requirements of the port.
2. The
right to a full refund for a trip that is canceled due to mechanical
failures, or a partial refund for voyages that are terminated early
due to those failures.
3. The
right to have available on board ships operating beyond rivers or
coastal waters full-time, professional emergency medical attention,
as needed until shore side medical care becomes available.
4. The
right to timely information updates as to any adjustments in the
itinerary of the ship in the event of a mechanical failure or
emergency, as well as timely updates of the status of efforts to
address mechanical failures.
5. The
right to a ship crew that is properly trained in emergency and
evacuation procedures.
6. The
right to an emergency power source in the case of a main generator
failure.
7. The
right to transportation to the ship’s scheduled port of
disembarkation or the passenger’s home city in the event a cruise
is terminated early due to mechanical failures.
8.The
right to lodging if disembarkation and an overnight stay in an
unscheduled port are required when a cruise is terminated early due
to mechanical failures.
9. The
right to have included on each cruise line’s website a toll-free
phone line that can be used for questions or information concerning
any aspect of shipboard operations.
10. The
right to have this Cruise
Line Passenger Bill of Rights published
on each line’s website.
In
addition to adopting the Passenger Bill of Rights, other
recent and proactive initiatives by the cruise industry to focus on
passenger safety, comfort and care include:
- Establishment of an industry-wide Operational Safety Review in 2012 resulting in the adoption of 10 safety-related policies that were submitted to the IMO;
- Launch of a Preparedness Risk Assessment in March 2013 to review and address redundancies related to power systems that provide essential services in the rare event of a loss of main power; and,
- Successful completion in early April of a multi-day emergency drill involving authorities from the U.S. and Bahamian governments, led by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The
cruise passenger bill of rights will be implemented by 22 North
American cruise lines.
