Yesterday, the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) announced that its member lines are voluntarily adopting a passenger bill of rights. According to the CLIA

“…member cruise lines are each immediately verifying in writing that they have adopted the Passenger Bill of Rights, which is a condition of membership in the Association. CLIA also will submit the Passenger Bill of Rights to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), requesting formal global recognition and applicability under the IMO’s authority over the international maritime industry.  The Passenger Bill of Rights will be effective immediately for U.S. passengers who purchase their cruise in North America on CLIA’s North American member cruise lines, regardless of itinerary.”

The bill of rights reads as follows:

INTERNATIONAL CRUISE LINE PASSENGER BILL OF RIGHTS

The Members of the Cruise Lines International Association are dedicated to the comfort and care of all passengers on oceangoing cruises throughout the world.  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.
My take – this was coming, one way or the other. This “bill of rights” is not unlike the airline customer service plans many of us are intimately familiar with, which were also voluntarily implemented to head off legislation back in the late 90’s and early 2000s’. Whether it represents a plus up to initiatives the cruise lines were already doing is subject to interpretation. I like the fact that it makes at least a minimal commitment more formal.
Of course, I’m a fan of cruising as you all know, and haven’t experienced any major difficulties in 31 sailings. I don’t expect that to change. That said, I think this is a positive and proactive step. What do you think?