Couple Sues Cruise Line for Its Handling of Engine Failure Aftermath
In February, the Norwegian Epic cruise ship crashed into a dock in Puerto Rico as the ship was pulling into the port for repairs. No passengers were physically harmed in the incident, but much of the ship’s itinerary was significantly altered as a result of the incident. Now, an American couple that was sailing on the Epic during the fated voyage is suing the cruise line.
Published reports indicate that Tanya Pool and her husband are suing the company because of how it handled it incident. Speaking to WPRI News, Pool said “We were told we weren’t going to go to the next island because there were still issues with the engine. Then they made another announcement that we weren’t going to go to the third island. It was just one thing after another.”
Pool is upset that instead of offering passengers their money back, the company instead offered a 50% credit towards a future cruise. In response to customer outrage, the company subsequently upped the credit to 100%. But Pool was not satisfied with the offer.
“Who’s to say that we wanted to cruise with them again? How come we can’t have our money back and make that choice if we want to cruise with them or not,” she questioned.
In its defense, Norwegian claims that refunds are typically only offered for cancelled itineraries. The ship technically completed a voyage, though nothing like that for which travelers paid. Hence, according to Norwegian passengers are not due any compensation, and any offer of compensation is by default a courtesy.
Attorney John H. (Jack) Hickey and his team handle a wide range of cases, including but not limited to cruise ship accidents, admiralty and maritime accident cases, medical malpractice, wrongful death, premises liability, railroad accidents and car accidents. We represent victims from all over the nation, the world and the state of Florida.