Posts by Hickey Law Firm
Grand Celebration Set Out on 2-Day Itinerary but Returns 6 Days Later
After more than a week’s worth of cruise itinerary changes and cancellations due to Hurricane Dorian, the storm continues to make waves in the travel industry. WPTV News reports that the Grand Celebration cruise ship has just returned to its South Florida port after being rerouted due to Hurricane Dorian. The Celebration’s most recent voyage…
Read MoreNorwegian Cruise Line Passenger Claims Company Treating Passengers Like “Animals”
For years we have advised cruise ship travelers that, according to their cruise tickets, cruise ship captains can change the ships’ itineraries at any time and for virtually any reason. Most people never imagine that their voyage will experience significant changes. But, as Hurricane Dorian has loomed in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean for…
Read MorePort Canaveral Closure Leads to Cruise Passengers Being Stranded at Sea
to strike Florida as well. Weather forecasters have had significant difficulty predicting Dorian’s path, leading to weather related travel delays, cancellations, and closures up and down the Southeastern Coast. Dorian’s threat has caused the U.S. Coast Guard to declare ‘Hurricane Condition Zulu’ at Port Canaveral, reports WTVR.com, effectively closing the port to returning cruise ships.…
Read MoreCancelled Royal Caribbean Cruise Leaves Passengers Stranded in Baltimore
Thousands of cruise ship travelers were supposed to set sail for Bermuda from Baltimore this past weekend, on a 5-day itinerary for fun in the sun. But just hours after their ship departed from port the vessel was forced to return due to mechanical problems. With the trip cancelled, thousands of would-be travelers were left…
Read MoreBaltimore Based Royal Caribbean Ship Returns to Port Due to Mechanical Problems
A Royal Caribbean cruise ship returned to port in Baltimore just hours after setting sail on Saturday, after the ship suffered from a mechanical issue that the company felt would make the voyage untenable. The Grandeur of the Seas returned to Port Covington shortly after departing from port due to mechanical issues affecting the ship’s…
Read MoreCarnival Cuts a Cruise Short and Lengthens Another as Hurricane Dorian Looms
As Hurricane Dorian strengthens and seems to take aim at Florida, cruise line officials are scrambling to adjust to the rapidly changing weather conditions. This has caused in disruptions of over half a dozen cruises, and has even resulted in one cruise line offering passengers the choice of cruising in the midst of the hurricane…
Read MoreCruise Line Gives Passengers Choice of Sail in Midst of Hurricane Dorian Or Refund
For days cruise companies have been rescheduling itineraries and warning travelers who are already at sea that they may be returning home later than expected.These changes come as Hurricane Dorian strengthens in the Caribbean with a trajectory that seems to be headed for Florida. With this as the backdrop, the operators of the Bahamas Paradise…
Read MoreFlorida Ports Bracing for Possible Hurricane Conditions as Cruise Lines Change Itineraries
Weather.com reports that several ports in the state of Florida are bracing for a possible hurricane landfall next week, even as cruise lines are changing itineraries for ships that are sailing in the area of the storm. Ports, including Miami, Port Everglades, Port Canaveral, and ports in Tampa and Jacksonville have been put on “Whiskey”…
Read More8-28 U.S. Appeals Court: Amazon Can Be Held Liable for Defective Products of Third-Party Vendors
Over the summer, consumers were handed a major victory against Amazon, one of the world’s largest retailers. In the decision, a federal appeals court ruled that consumers can sue Amazon after purchasing defective products from third-party sellers on the company’s website. Heather Oberdorf filed the original suit in federal court against Amazon in 2016 after…
Read MoreWhat You Need to Know About Maritime Law & Accidents
Accidents that happen on bodies of water can be complicated when it comes to filing a claim. Injuries or sexual assault on cruise ships are common types of maritime lawsuits, and victims need to know the time limits and critical steps required to pursue a case. Our Miami attorney explains more about maritime accidents in…
Read More2019 Cruise Line Report Card Gives Carnival Corp. an “F”
Each year, the Friends of Earth organization completes a cruise ship report card that grades the environmental impact cruise lines have on the ocean and what green initiatives they use to reduce the effect their ships have on our planet. Friends of Earth looked at sewage treatment, air pollution reduction, water quality compliance, and the…
Read MoreTropical Storm Dorian Prompts Cruise Ship Itinerary Changes
As weather experts predict that Tropical Storm Dorian may soon reach hurricane strength, cruise ships traveling in the Caribbean are diverting their paths to avoid the powerful storm. Cruise Critic.com reports that major cruise lines, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Disney Cruise Line, have made changes to their scheduled travel plans. The changes include: The…
Read MoreFire Aboard Russian Cruise Liner Leaves One Dead and Over 300 Evacuated
A fire aboard a Russian cruise ship left one person dead last week, and resulted in the evacuation of approximately 320 more. The river cruise ship Pyotr Tchaikovsky was docked in St. Petersburg on Thursday morning when a fire broke out in one of the mechanic’s cabin rooms reports BusinessInsider.com. Other reports indicate that the…
Read MoreSexual Assault On Cruise Ship- What Do I Do?
If you have been sexually assaulted aboard a cruise ship, there are actions that you should take in the immediate aftermath of the incident in order to ensure your safety and to help authorities hold the perpetrator accountable. In the following video, cruise injury attorney Jack Hickey details the steps you should take if you…
Read MoreFlorida Highway Patrol: Two Dead Following Fiery Miami-Dade Crash
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reports that two people died in a fiery Miami-Dade area crash today. Local10.com reports that the incident involved two crashes. The first crash occurred in the northbound lanes of I-95 near Northwest 95th street, and involved a Chevy SUV and a BMW. “The Chevy changed lanes into the path of…
Read MoreUtah Man Sentenced to Three Years Prison for Cruise Ship Sexual Assault
A Utah man has been sentenced to prison for sexual assault, after he was accused of sexually attacking a woman aboard a cruise ship in late 2018. 31-year-old Saul Clemente Monago was sailing aboard the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship with a group of people when the group entered the victim’s cabin room on October 11,…
Read MoreFamily Of Missing Cruise Passenger Believe He May Still Be Alive
Earlier this month an elderly cruise ship passenger went missing from the ship on which he was traveling. After several weeks missing, the man’s family continues to believe that he may still be alive and adrift at sea. 74-year-old Goh Hai Peng, a retired electrician, went missing under mysterious circumstances from the Genting Dream cruise…
Read MoreRoyal Caribbean Is Being Sued for Negligence in Alleged Gang Rape of 15-Year-Old Passenger
A 15-year-old girl is suing Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, accusing the company of negligence in an incident in which she was allegedly served alcohol and gang raped aboard one of the company’s ships. The victim, identified as K.T. in court documents, claims that while she was on a seven-day holiday cruise with her sisters and…
Read MoreAlan and Kimberly Wiegand Appear on the TODAY show and Discuss Child’s Cruise Ship Death
Alan and Kimberly Wiegand appeared on the TODAY show this morning and provided additional details about their daughter’s cruise ship death, as they expressed the anguish the family is experiencing as a result of her loss. The Wiegands asked why there was an open window in the children’s play area of the Royal Caribbean Freedom…
Read MoreInquiry Finds that Cruise Ship Worker Was Crushed to Death by Window Washing Machine
A 57-year-old Pakistani man was killed while working aboard a cruise ship in 2018. An investigation to the man’s death has now concluded that he was killed by a piece of heavy machinery which is used to clean the vessel’s windows. The BBC reports that 57-year-old Arshad Mehmood was working on the MV Azura cruise…
Read MoreAir Force Major Identified As Man Who Died in Cruise Ship Pool
Yesterday we blogged about a man who was found dead in a cruise ship swimming pool in the early morning hours of June 14. Now, Various news outlets are reporting that the man was a major in the US Air Force. Photo courtesy Military.com Military.com reports that the victim was 37-year-old Stephen Osakue, who worked…
Read MoreLawsuit Claims Cruise Company Failed to Evacuate Man Suffering Major Heart Attack
A lawsuit claims that a cruise ship passenger was prevented from leaving the ship for medical treatment while he was having a heart attack, ultimately costing the man his life. Newsweek.com reports that while Jeffrey Eisenman, age 65, was sailing aboard a Carnival cruise ship he began to suffer from pain in his left arm…
Read More20-Year-Old Man Suddenly and Inexplicably Dies Aboard Cruise Ship
A 20-year-old man suddenly died while sailing aboard a cruise ship earlier this week, and authorities are trying to piece together what happened to him. Newsweek.com reports that the man died on June 3 while sailing aboard the Norwegian Getaway cruise ship. Though authorities have not been able to explain what happened to the man,…
Read MoreCarnival Cruise Lines – Convicted Felon That Purposefully Violated Its Probation
In a Federal Court hearing in Miami, Florida on Monday, June 3, 2019, the Court approved of a plea agreement, entered into between Carnival Corporation and Princess Cruises on the one hand and the United States of America on the other hand. Carnival admitted that it had violated the terms of its probation, probation which…
Read MoreFederal Government Imposes $20 Million Pollution Penalty on Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line has been hit with a $20 million penalty after it was found to have deliberately dumped pollution in violation of a probation agreement. The company had agreed to the probation measures as punishment for previous acts of pollution. NPR.com reports that Carnival, and its subsidiary Princess, agreed to pay the criminal penalty…
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