{"id":"disney-cruise-line","page":"https://escalate.alexgaoth.com/#/c/disney-cruise-line","html":"https://escalate.alexgaoth.com/c/disney-cruise-line/","generated":"2026-10-15","company":{"id":"disney-cruise-line","name":"Disney Cruise Line","aliases":["dcl","disney cruise","disney cruises","magical cruise company"],"sector":"cruise","parent":"The Walt Disney Company","website":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com","regulators":["fmc"],"channels":[{"id":"reservations-phone","type":"phone","label":"Disney Cruise Line reservations and cruise help (U.S. and Canada)","value":"+1-800-951-3532","hours":"Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–10:00 PM ET; Sat–Sun 9:00 AM–8:00 PM ET","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","reservation_problem","accessibility"],"notes":"Listed in the Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026). Callers under 18 need a parent's or guardian's permission. Search results for the Help Center phone page show the same number and hours; that page did not load for automated fetches.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"case-request-email","type":"email","label":"Refund or cruise credit requests after a Disney cancellation or 3-day delay (nonperformance)","value":"Caserequest@disneycruise.com","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit"],"notes":"Request within 90 days of the original scheduled sail date. Include the cruise confirmation, proof and amount of payment, and the cancellation or delay notice; documents must show the vessel and sailing date.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"email-form","type":"web_form","label":"Email Disney Cruise Line (Help Center contact form)","value":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/help/email/","purposes":["poor_service","reservation_problem","refund_request"],"notes":"The Terms & Conditions point to this form. The page returned a redirect loop to automated fetches, so its fields and any sign-in step were not checked.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"tty-phone","type":"phone","label":"TTY for guests with hearing or speech disabilities","value":"+1-407-566-7455","purposes":["accessibility"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"special-services-phone","type":"phone","label":"Special Services (guests with disabilities or medical needs, U.S. and Canada)","value":"+1-407-566-3602","purposes":["accessibility"],"notes":"Printed on the Special Services Information Form (Rev. 08/26/2015). Search results for the current Guests with Disabilities page show the same number, but that page did not load for automated fetches. Reservations can also transfer callers to Special Services.","source":"https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/media/wdpro-assets/dcl/finder/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities/SpecialServicesInformationForm.pdf","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"special-services-form","type":"mail","label":"Special Services Information Form (return by fax or mail)","value":"Disney Cruise Line Special Services, P.O. Box 10210, Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830-0210","purposes":["accessibility"],"notes":"The form (Rev. 08/26/2015) says to return it by fax (+1-407-566-3760) or mail at least 60 days before the travel date. The form is old; confirm the current process with Special Services.","source":"https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/media/wdpro-assets/dcl/finder/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities/SpecialServicesInformationForm.pdf","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"claims-mail","type":"mail","label":"Written notice of claims (Cruise Contract clauses 10 and 11)","value":"Disney Cruise Line, PO Box 10210, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830","purposes":["safety_incident","lost_item","damaged_item"],"notes":"Clauses 10 and 11 require notice to \"the address set forth herein\". The contract lists 210 Celebration Place, Celebration, FL 34747 and the mailing address PO Box 10210, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830. The carrier is Magical Cruise Company, Limited, doing business as Disney Cruise Line.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/cruise-contract/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"escalation":[{"rung":"frontline","channel":"reservations-phone"},{"rung":"written_complaint","channel":"email-form"},{"rung":"regulator","regulator":"fmc","note":"For a refund Disney Cruise Line owes after it cancelled a cruise or delayed it more than 3 calendar days (nonperformance)."},{"rung":"payment_dispute","note":"Card dispute for a refund Disney Cruise Line owes but has not paid."}],"playbooks":[{"issue":"refund_request","summary":"If you cancel, the fee depends on cruise length, stateroom type and days before sailing; restricted fares are nonrefundable. If Disney cancels or delays the cruise more than 3 days, email Caserequest@disneycruise.com within 90 days of the original sail date.","evidence":["cruise confirmation number","proof and amount of payment","cancellation or delay notice","travel documents"],"steps":[{"do":"To cancel, call Disney Cruise Line (or your travel agent if one booked the cruise). Note the fee tier for the date of the call.","channel":"reservations-phone"},{"do":"If Disney cancelled or delayed the cruise more than three calendar days and you did not accept the alternative or the delayed cruise, email a refund or cruise credit request within 90 days of the original scheduled sail date, with the confirmation, proof of payment and the notice.","channel":"case-request-email"},{"do":"Return any travel documents, including airline tickets, so refund processing can begin."},{"do":"If the nonperformance claim is denied or not resolved within 180 days, file with the FMC against the line's financial instrument.","regulator":"fmc"},{"do":"Dispute the charge with your card issuer if the refund is owed and not paid."}],"facts":[{"kind":"fee","claim":"Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026), cruises of 1 to 5 nights, excluding suites and concierge: no fee 90 or more days before sailing; the deposit per guest at 89 to 45 days; 50% of the vacation price at 44 to 30 days; 75% at 29 to 15 days; 100% at 14 days or fewer. Cruises of 6 or more nights: no fee at 120 or more days; the deposit at 119 to 56 days; 50% at 55 to 30 days; 75% at 29 to 15 days; 100% at 14 days or fewer.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"fee","claim":"Suites and concierge staterooms: the deposit is charged at 45 or more days (1 to 5 nights) or 56 or more days (6 or more nights) before sailing, then 50% at 44 or 55 to 30 days, 75% at 29 to 15 days, and 100% at 14 days or fewer. Restricted Inside, Outside and Verandah categories are nonrefundable and nontransferable from the time of payment.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"If Disney Cruise Line cancels or delays a cruise more than three calendar days and you do not accept an alternative or the delayed cruise, request a refund or cruise credit by email to Caserequest@disneycruise.com within 90 days of the original scheduled sail date. For cancellations or delays before the cruise begins, Disney refunds monies paid without offset for its cancellation fees.","issues":["refund_request","travel_credit"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"Refunds of amounts paid, less cancellation fees and other amounts owed, are made promptly to the guest's credit card or through the travel agent; the page gives no number of days. Travel documents, including airline tickets, must be returned first. No refunds for interruption or cancellation after the vacation starts. Missing the deposit or final payment schedule cancels a pending reservation automatically.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"46 CFR 540.9(f): for nonperformance, the passenger first makes a written refund request to the cruise line. If the claim is not resolved within 180 days (or the line's shorter stated period) after nonperformance, or is denied, the passenger may claim against the line's FMC financial instrument.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}]},{"issue":"travel_credit","summary":"After a Disney cancellation or a delay of more than 3 days, you choose a refund or a cruise credit; request either within 90 days of the original sail date.","evidence":["cruise confirmation number","cancellation or delay notice","proof of payment"],"steps":[{"do":"Email the request for a refund (or a cruise credit) within 90 days of the original scheduled sail date.","channel":"case-request-email"},{"do":"If refused or not resolved within 180 days, file with the FMC.","regulator":"fmc"}],"facts":[{"kind":"policy","claim":"The Terms & Conditions let a guest whose cruise Disney cancelled or delayed more than three calendar days request either a refund or a cruise credit.","issues":["travel_credit"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}]},{"issue":"reservation_problem","summary":"The Cruise Contract lets Disney change the route or substitute the ship; if it cancels before you board, it owes a refund of money or fares paid.","evidence":["cruise confirmation number","original itinerary","change notices","receipts for extra costs"],"steps":[{"do":"Raise the problem before the cruise ends and keep written records."},{"do":"After the cruise, write to Disney Cruise Line through the email form with the confirmation number and the remedy you want.","channel":"email-form"},{"do":"If the cruise was cancelled or delayed more than 3 days, use the refund_request steps."}],"facts":[{"kind":"policy","claim":"Cruise Contract clause 30 lets the carrier substitute a vessel and deviate from or change the advertised route at any stage. Clause 32: if the voyage is prevented and the guest has not embarked, the carrier may cancel \"without liability except to refund money or fares paid\"; it also says the Passenger Bill of Rights controls where it conflicts with the contract.","issues":["reservation_problem","refund_request"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/cruise-contract/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}]},{"issue":"accessibility","summary":"Tell Disney Cruise Line about disability or medical needs in advance through Special Services; the published form asks for at least 60 days' notice.","evidence":["cruise confirmation number","sail date","description of the accommodation needed"],"steps":[{"do":"Call Special Services (or ask Reservations to transfer you) to discuss the accommodation.","channel":"special-services-phone"},{"do":"Return the Special Services Information Form at least 60 days before the travel date.","channel":"special-services-form"},{"do":"Guests with hearing or speech disabilities can use the TTY line.","channel":"tty-phone"}],"facts":[{"kind":"deadline","claim":"The Special Services Information Form (Rev. 08/26/2015) asks guests to return it by fax or mail at least 60 days before the travel date.","issues":["accessibility"],"source":"https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/media/wdpro-assets/dcl/finder/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities/SpecialServicesInformationForm.pdf","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}]}],"facts":[{"kind":"deadline","claim":"Cruise Contract clause 10: for injury, illness or death, written notice must be delivered within six (6) months from the day of the event, suit filed within one (1) year, and process served within 120 days after filing.","issues":["safety_incident"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/cruise-contract/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"Cruise Contract clause 11: for loss of or damage to property, written notice must be delivered within thirty (30) days after the end of the voyage, and suit filed within one year after the voyage ends, with service within 120 days after filing.","issues":["lost_item","damaged_item"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/cruise-contract/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"Cruise Contract clause 12: suits must be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in Brevard County, Florida, or the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division. The contract has no arbitration clause, but guests waive class actions and must sue individually.","issues":["safety_incident","refund_request","reservation_problem"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/cruise-contract/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"limit","claim":"Cruise Contract clause 16: liability for guest property is limited to $300 per guest per voyage, unless a higher value is declared in writing before embarkation and 5% of the excess is paid; liability then does not exceed $5,000.","issues":["lost_item","damaged_item"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/cruise-contract/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"known_blockers":["disneycruise.disney.go.com Help Center, contact and disability pages returned redirect loops to automated fetches; a person may need to open them in a browser.","The Special Services form is returned by fax or mail, not online."],"notes":"Checked on 2026-10-13 against the U.S. Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026) and the U.S. Cruise Contract (Version #16). The Terms & Conditions page is the one the FMC lists as Disney Cruise Line's nonperformance refund policy. If the two conflict, the Cruise Contract controls. The Special Services form found is dated 2015.","official_domains":["disney.go.com","disneycruise.com"],"security":{"known_scams":[{"kind":"policy","claim":"The FTC warns of illegal robocalls that promise free cruise tickets for taking a survey, then transfer you to telemarketers; in its January 2020 case each person had to pay $59 in port taxes and fees. The alert names no cruise line.","source":"https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2020/01/free-cruise-try-illegal-robocall-upsell","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}]}},"playbooks":{"refund_request":{"company":{"id":"disney-cruise-line","name":"Disney Cruise Line","sector":"cruise","website":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com","account_url":null},"issue":{"id":"refund_request","name":"Refund request"},"playbook_source":"company","summary":"If you cancel, the fee depends on cruise length, stateroom type and days before sailing; restricted fares are nonrefundable. If Disney cancels or delays the cruise more than 3 days, email Caserequest@disneycruise.com within 90 days of the original sail date.","evidence":["cruise confirmation number","proof and amount of payment","cancellation or delay notice","travel documents"],"steps":[{"do":"To cancel, call Disney Cruise Line (or your travel agent if one booked the cruise). Note the fee tier for the date of the call.","channel":{"id":"reservations-phone","type":"phone","label":"Disney Cruise Line reservations and cruise help (U.S. and Canada)","value":"+1-800-951-3532","hours":"Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–10:00 PM ET; Sat–Sun 9:00 AM–8:00 PM ET","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","reservation_problem","accessibility"],"notes":"Listed in the Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026). Callers under 18 need a parent's or guardian's permission. Search results for the Help Center phone page show the same number and hours; that page did not load for automated fetches.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"do":"If Disney cancelled or delayed the cruise more than three calendar days and you did not accept the alternative or the delayed cruise, email a refund or cruise credit request within 90 days of the original scheduled sail date, with the confirmation, proof of payment and the notice.","channel":{"id":"case-request-email","type":"email","label":"Refund or cruise credit requests after a Disney cancellation or 3-day delay (nonperformance)","value":"Caserequest@disneycruise.com","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit"],"notes":"Request within 90 days of the original scheduled sail date. Include the cruise confirmation, proof and amount of payment, and the cancellation or delay notice; documents must show the vessel and sailing date.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"do":"Return any travel documents, including airline tickets, so refund processing can begin."},{"do":"If the nonperformance claim is denied or not resolved within 180 days, file with the FMC against the line's financial instrument.","regulator":{"id":"fmc","name":"Federal Maritime Commission, Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services","level":"federal","when_to_use":"Use when a cruise that embarks at a U.S. port was cancelled or delayed by three or more days and the cruise line has not refunded you (more than 90 days for the free dispute resolution service; 180 days, or a denial, before a claim against the line's FMC-filed financial instrument), or when the line owes compensation for death or injury and has not paid. FMC does not adjudicate disputes and does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding or cabin problems, or travel agents; for those, go to the state consumer protection agency.","channels":[{"id":"cadrs-complaints-email","type":"email","label":"CADRS cruise and cargo dispute requests (send Form FMC-32)","value":"complaints@fmc.gov","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown"],"notes":"Attach the completed Dispute Resolution Service Request, Cruise (Form FMC-32) and supporting documents. Note that the FMC-32 PDF itself (version 01/2024) says \"Return to: CADRS@fmc.gov\"; the FMC web pages say complaints@fmc.gov.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"fmc-32-form","type":"web_form","label":"Dispute Resolution Service Request, Cruise (Form FMC-32, fillable PDF)","value":"https://www.fmc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/PVOForm32.pdf","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"access":"open","notes":"Asks for your contact details and ticket or booking number, the cruise line's name and contact details, whether the dispute involves casualty, non-performance or other, whether the cruise began at a U.S. port, and a timeline (complaint to the line, other help sought, travel insurance, how you booked), with the booking confirmation, ticket and other documents attached. The signer authorizes CADRS to contact the cruise line and to share the information with it unless marked confidential. Email it; it is not submitted online.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"cadrs-phone","type":"phone","label":"Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services (CADRS)","value":"+1-202-523-5807","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown"],"notes":"Fax 202-217-3552. No hours are listed on the page.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"pvo-claims-email","type":"email","label":"Passenger Vessel Operator program (claims against a cruise line's financial instrument)","value":"pvo@fmc.gov","purposes":["refund_request","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"notes":"FMC's cruise page says to email this address for claim processing information on a cruise line's financial instrument (bond, guaranty or other evidence of financial responsibility).","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"pvo-phone","type":"phone","label":"Passenger Vessel Operator program, Bureau of Certification and Licensing","value":"+1-202-523-5818","purposes":["refund_request","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"hours":"Hand deliveries 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (no call hours listed)","notes":"Fax 202-566-5830.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"general-inquiries-email","type":"email","label":"FMC general inquiries","value":"inquiries@fmc.gov","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"mail","type":"mail","label":"Federal Maritime Commission by mail","value":"Federal Maritime Commission, 800 North Capitol Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20573","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"facts":[{"kind":"process","claim":"FMC says it does not adjudicate disputes between passengers and cruise lines. It can assist with claims for voyage cancellations or delays of more than three days, and for death or injury on a voyage that embarks or disembarks at a U.S. port.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"FMC does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding and cabin concerns, and does not regulate sellers of travel (travel agents). It says to contact the state consumer protection agency where the company operates or is headquartered. It has no jurisdiction over cruises that do not embark from a U.S. port.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"If your cruise was cancelled and you have not received a refund after more than 90 days, FMC says you may use its voluntary dispute resolution process by sending Form FMC-32 to complaints@fmc.gov.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"CADRS offers ombuds assistance, mediation, facilitation and arbitration with \"no fees for services\". Ombuds and mediation are voluntary; any party or CADRS staff may end them at any time, and CADRS staff act as neutrals and cannot give legal advice or representation.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"Under 46 CFR 540.2, nonperformance of transportation means cancelling or delaying a voyage by three or more calendar days, if the passenger elects not to embark on the delayed voyage or a substitute voyage offered by the cruise line. The rules cover vessels with berth or stateroom accommodations for 50 or more passengers embarking passengers at U.S. ports.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.2","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"Under 46 CFR 540.9(f), the passenger first makes a written refund request under the cruise line's claims procedure. If the claim is not resolved within 180 days (or a shorter period in the line's procedure), or the line denies it, the passenger may claim against the line's financial instrument, with documents such as the boarding pass, proof of payment, the cancellation or delay notice and proof of the claim to the line.","issues":["refund_request","company_shutdown"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"46 CFR 540.9(f)(3) lets the passenger and the cruise line agree to another form of compensation, such as a future cruise credit, in place of a refund.","issues":["travel_credit","refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"limit","claim":"FMC says the amount of nonperformance coverage a cruise line must keep on file is \"currently capped at $32 million\". Casualty (death or injury) coverage is based on the number of passenger accommodations on the vessel (46 CFR 540.24).","issues":["company_shutdown","refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"FMC's Bureau of Certification and Licensing issues performance (nonperformance) and casualty certificates to cruise operators with 50 or more berths that embark passengers from U.S. ports. The performance coverage reimburses passengers when the operator fails to complete booked cruises, for example after bankruptcy, and has taken no further action to refund them.","issues":["company_shutdown"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/bureau-of-certification-and-licensing/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"contact","claim":"FMC publishes a list of each certified cruise line's nonperformance refund policy or instructions, for example Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC and Disney Cruise Line.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/how-to-obtain-a-refund-from-a-cruise-line/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"The current claims rules came from FMC's final rule \"Passenger Vessel Financial Responsibility\" (Docket 20-15, 87 FR 15125, published March 17, 2022, effective April 18, 2022).","source":"https://www.gao.gov/fedrules/204348","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"For seagoing passenger vessels between U.S. ports or between a U.S. and a foreign port, a cruise line may not limit the time to give notice of a personal injury or death claim to less than 6 months, or the time to sue to less than 1 year, after the injury or death (46 U.S.C. 30526). Contractual notice periods are tolled for minors, mental incompetents and wrongful death claims.","issues":["safety_incident"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/30526","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"notes":"Checked by loading fmc.gov pages on 2026-10-13. The eCFR and Federal Register would not load (they redirect automated clients), so 46 CFR part 540 text was read on law.cornell.edu, and the final-rule dates on gao.gov. FMC's past cruise notices include American Queen Voyages (shut down and filed Chapter 11, notice February 22, 2024) and Vantage Travel Services (Chapter 11, July 5, 2023). Disability access on cruise ships is enforced by the Justice Department under ADA Title III, not by FMC; health and sanitation by CDC; safety by the U.S. Coast Guard."}},{"do":"Dispute the charge with your card issuer if the refund is owed and not paid."}],"channels":[{"id":"reservations-phone","type":"phone","label":"Disney Cruise Line reservations and cruise help (U.S. and Canada)","value":"+1-800-951-3532","hours":"Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–10:00 PM ET; Sat–Sun 9:00 AM–8:00 PM ET","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","reservation_problem","accessibility"],"notes":"Listed in the Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026). Callers under 18 need a parent's or guardian's permission. Search results for the Help Center phone page show the same number and hours; that page did not load for automated fetches.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"case-request-email","type":"email","label":"Refund or cruise credit requests after a Disney cancellation or 3-day delay (nonperformance)","value":"Caserequest@disneycruise.com","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit"],"notes":"Request within 90 days of the original scheduled sail date. Include the cruise confirmation, proof and amount of payment, and the cancellation or delay notice; documents must show the vessel and sailing date.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"email-form","type":"web_form","label":"Email Disney Cruise Line (Help Center contact form)","value":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/help/email/","purposes":["poor_service","reservation_problem","refund_request"],"notes":"The Terms & Conditions point to this form. The page returned a redirect loop to automated fetches, so its fields and any sign-in step were not checked.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"facts":[{"kind":"fee","claim":"Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026), cruises of 1 to 5 nights, excluding suites and concierge: no fee 90 or more days before sailing; the deposit per guest at 89 to 45 days; 50% of the vacation price at 44 to 30 days; 75% at 29 to 15 days; 100% at 14 days or fewer. Cruises of 6 or more nights: no fee at 120 or more days; the deposit at 119 to 56 days; 50% at 55 to 30 days; 75% at 29 to 15 days; 100% at 14 days or fewer.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"fee","claim":"Suites and concierge staterooms: the deposit is charged at 45 or more days (1 to 5 nights) or 56 or more days (6 or more nights) before sailing, then 50% at 44 or 55 to 30 days, 75% at 29 to 15 days, and 100% at 14 days or fewer. Restricted Inside, Outside and Verandah categories are nonrefundable and nontransferable from the time of payment.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"If Disney Cruise Line cancels or delays a cruise more than three calendar days and you do not accept an alternative or the delayed cruise, request a refund or cruise credit by email to Caserequest@disneycruise.com within 90 days of the original scheduled sail date. For cancellations or delays before the cruise begins, Disney refunds monies paid without offset for its cancellation fees.","issues":["refund_request","travel_credit"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"Refunds of amounts paid, less cancellation fees and other amounts owed, are made promptly to the guest's credit card or through the travel agent; the page gives no number of days. Travel documents, including airline tickets, must be returned first. No refunds for interruption or cancellation after the vacation starts. Missing the deposit or final payment schedule cancels a pending reservation automatically.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"46 CFR 540.9(f): for nonperformance, the passenger first makes a written refund request to the cruise line. If the claim is not resolved within 180 days (or the line's shorter stated period) after nonperformance, or is denied, the passenger may claim against the line's FMC financial instrument.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"Cruise Contract clause 12: suits must be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in Brevard County, Florida, or the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division. The contract has no arbitration clause, but guests waive class actions and must sue individually.","issues":["safety_incident","refund_request","reservation_problem"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/cruise-contract/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"rules":{"in_force":[],"not_in_force":[]},"tips":[],"escalation":[{"index":0,"rung":"frontline","channel":{"id":"reservations-phone","type":"phone","label":"Disney Cruise Line reservations and cruise help (U.S. and Canada)","value":"+1-800-951-3532","hours":"Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–10:00 PM ET; Sat–Sun 9:00 AM–8:00 PM ET","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","reservation_problem","accessibility"],"notes":"Listed in the Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026). Callers under 18 need a parent's or guardian's permission. Search results for the Help Center phone page show the same number and hours; that page did not load for automated fetches.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"index":1,"rung":"written_complaint","channel":{"id":"email-form","type":"web_form","label":"Email Disney Cruise Line (Help Center contact form)","value":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/help/email/","purposes":["poor_service","reservation_problem","refund_request"],"notes":"The Terms & Conditions point to this form. The page returned a redirect loop to automated fetches, so its fields and any sign-in step were not checked.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"index":2,"rung":"regulator","note":"For a refund Disney Cruise Line owes after it cancelled a cruise or delayed it more than 3 calendar days (nonperformance).","regulator":{"id":"fmc","name":"Federal Maritime Commission, Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services","level":"federal","when_to_use":"Use when a cruise that embarks at a U.S. port was cancelled or delayed by three or more days and the cruise line has not refunded you (more than 90 days for the free dispute resolution service; 180 days, or a denial, before a claim against the line's FMC-filed financial instrument), or when the line owes compensation for death or injury and has not paid. FMC does not adjudicate disputes and does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding or cabin problems, or travel agents; for those, go to the state consumer protection agency.","channels":[{"id":"cadrs-complaints-email","type":"email","label":"CADRS cruise and cargo dispute requests (send Form FMC-32)","value":"complaints@fmc.gov","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown"],"notes":"Attach the completed Dispute Resolution Service Request, Cruise (Form FMC-32) and supporting documents. Note that the FMC-32 PDF itself (version 01/2024) says \"Return to: CADRS@fmc.gov\"; the FMC web pages say complaints@fmc.gov.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"fmc-32-form","type":"web_form","label":"Dispute Resolution Service Request, Cruise (Form FMC-32, fillable PDF)","value":"https://www.fmc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/PVOForm32.pdf","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"access":"open","notes":"Asks for your contact details and ticket or booking number, the cruise line's name and contact details, whether the dispute involves casualty, non-performance or other, whether the cruise began at a U.S. port, and a timeline (complaint to the line, other help sought, travel insurance, how you booked), with the booking confirmation, ticket and other documents attached. The signer authorizes CADRS to contact the cruise line and to share the information with it unless marked confidential. Email it; it is not submitted online.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"cadrs-phone","type":"phone","label":"Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services (CADRS)","value":"+1-202-523-5807","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown"],"notes":"Fax 202-217-3552. No hours are listed on the page.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"pvo-claims-email","type":"email","label":"Passenger Vessel Operator program (claims against a cruise line's financial instrument)","value":"pvo@fmc.gov","purposes":["refund_request","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"notes":"FMC's cruise page says to email this address for claim processing information on a cruise line's financial instrument (bond, guaranty or other evidence of financial responsibility).","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"pvo-phone","type":"phone","label":"Passenger Vessel Operator program, Bureau of Certification and Licensing","value":"+1-202-523-5818","purposes":["refund_request","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"hours":"Hand deliveries 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (no call hours listed)","notes":"Fax 202-566-5830.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"general-inquiries-email","type":"email","label":"FMC general inquiries","value":"inquiries@fmc.gov","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"mail","type":"mail","label":"Federal Maritime Commission by mail","value":"Federal Maritime Commission, 800 North Capitol Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20573","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"facts":[{"kind":"process","claim":"FMC says it does not adjudicate disputes between passengers and cruise lines. It can assist with claims for voyage cancellations or delays of more than three days, and for death or injury on a voyage that embarks or disembarks at a U.S. port.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"FMC does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding and cabin concerns, and does not regulate sellers of travel (travel agents). It says to contact the state consumer protection agency where the company operates or is headquartered. It has no jurisdiction over cruises that do not embark from a U.S. port.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"If your cruise was cancelled and you have not received a refund after more than 90 days, FMC says you may use its voluntary dispute resolution process by sending Form FMC-32 to complaints@fmc.gov.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"CADRS offers ombuds assistance, mediation, facilitation and arbitration with \"no fees for services\". Ombuds and mediation are voluntary; any party or CADRS staff may end them at any time, and CADRS staff act as neutrals and cannot give legal advice or representation.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"Under 46 CFR 540.2, nonperformance of transportation means cancelling or delaying a voyage by three or more calendar days, if the passenger elects not to embark on the delayed voyage or a substitute voyage offered by the cruise line. The rules cover vessels with berth or stateroom accommodations for 50 or more passengers embarking passengers at U.S. ports.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.2","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"Under 46 CFR 540.9(f), the passenger first makes a written refund request under the cruise line's claims procedure. If the claim is not resolved within 180 days (or a shorter period in the line's procedure), or the line denies it, the passenger may claim against the line's financial instrument, with documents such as the boarding pass, proof of payment, the cancellation or delay notice and proof of the claim to the line.","issues":["refund_request","company_shutdown"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"46 CFR 540.9(f)(3) lets the passenger and the cruise line agree to another form of compensation, such as a future cruise credit, in place of a refund.","issues":["travel_credit","refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"limit","claim":"FMC says the amount of nonperformance coverage a cruise line must keep on file is \"currently capped at $32 million\". Casualty (death or injury) coverage is based on the number of passenger accommodations on the vessel (46 CFR 540.24).","issues":["company_shutdown","refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"FMC's Bureau of Certification and Licensing issues performance (nonperformance) and casualty certificates to cruise operators with 50 or more berths that embark passengers from U.S. ports. The performance coverage reimburses passengers when the operator fails to complete booked cruises, for example after bankruptcy, and has taken no further action to refund them.","issues":["company_shutdown"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/bureau-of-certification-and-licensing/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"contact","claim":"FMC publishes a list of each certified cruise line's nonperformance refund policy or instructions, for example Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC and Disney Cruise Line.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/how-to-obtain-a-refund-from-a-cruise-line/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"The current claims rules came from FMC's final rule \"Passenger Vessel Financial Responsibility\" (Docket 20-15, 87 FR 15125, published March 17, 2022, effective April 18, 2022).","source":"https://www.gao.gov/fedrules/204348","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"For seagoing passenger vessels between U.S. ports or between a U.S. and a foreign port, a cruise line may not limit the time to give notice of a personal injury or death claim to less than 6 months, or the time to sue to less than 1 year, after the injury or death (46 U.S.C. 30526). Contractual notice periods are tolled for minors, mental incompetents and wrongful death claims.","issues":["safety_incident"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/30526","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"notes":"Checked by loading fmc.gov pages on 2026-10-13. The eCFR and Federal Register would not load (they redirect automated clients), so 46 CFR part 540 text was read on law.cornell.edu, and the final-rule dates on gao.gov. FMC's past cruise notices include American Queen Voyages (shut down and filed Chapter 11, notice February 22, 2024) and Vantage Travel Services (Chapter 11, July 5, 2023). Disability access on cruise ships is enforced by the Justice Department under ADA Title III, not by FMC; health and sanitation by CDC; safety by the U.S. Coast Guard."}},{"index":3,"rung":"payment_dispute","note":"Card dispute for a refund Disney Cruise Line owes but has not paid.","rules":["fcba-billing-error","efta-reg-e"]}],"known_blockers":["disneycruise.disney.go.com Help Center, contact and disability pages returned redirect loops to automated fetches; a person may need to open them in a browser.","The Special Services form is returned by fax or mail, not online."],"security":{"official_domains":["disney.go.com","disneycruise.com"],"never_asks":[],"known_scams":[{"kind":"policy","claim":"The FTC warns of illegal robocalls that promise free cruise tickets for taking a survey, then transfer you to telemarketers; in its January 2020 case each person had to pay $59 in port taxes and fees. The alert names no cruise line.","source":"https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2020/01/free-cruise-try-illegal-robocall-upsell","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"report_phishing":[]},"credibility":{"grade":"B","primary_share":0.95,"sources":{"primary":19,"reference":1},"verified_from":{"page":18,"search_snippet":2},"last_verified":"2026-10-13","oldest_verified":"2026-10-13","stale_items":0,"explanation":"Grade B (good: mostly official pages; check the flagged values before relying on them). 95% of 20 sources are the organization's own pages or government sites; 2 value(s) were read from a search snippet or an archive copy.","dossier_last_verified":null},"context":{"dossier":false,"sector_guide":true,"hint":"Call get_context for how this company handles complaints in practice and which scams use its name."},"notes":"Checked on 2026-10-13 against the U.S. Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026) and the U.S. Cruise Contract (Version #16). The Terms & Conditions page is the one the FMC lists as Disney Cruise Line's nonperformance refund policy. If the two conflict, the Cruise Contract controls. The Special Services form found is dated 2015.","warnings":[]},"travel_credit":{"company":{"id":"disney-cruise-line","name":"Disney Cruise Line","sector":"cruise","website":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com","account_url":null},"issue":{"id":"travel_credit","name":"Travel credit or voucher problem"},"playbook_source":"company","summary":"After a Disney cancellation or a delay of more than 3 days, you choose a refund or a cruise credit; request either within 90 days of the original sail date.","evidence":["cruise confirmation number","cancellation or delay notice","proof of payment"],"steps":[{"do":"Email the request for a refund (or a cruise credit) within 90 days of the original scheduled sail date.","channel":{"id":"case-request-email","type":"email","label":"Refund or cruise credit requests after a Disney cancellation or 3-day delay (nonperformance)","value":"Caserequest@disneycruise.com","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit"],"notes":"Request within 90 days of the original scheduled sail date. Include the cruise confirmation, proof and amount of payment, and the cancellation or delay notice; documents must show the vessel and sailing date.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"do":"If refused or not resolved within 180 days, file with the FMC.","regulator":{"id":"fmc","name":"Federal Maritime Commission, Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services","level":"federal","when_to_use":"Use when a cruise that embarks at a U.S. port was cancelled or delayed by three or more days and the cruise line has not refunded you (more than 90 days for the free dispute resolution service; 180 days, or a denial, before a claim against the line's FMC-filed financial instrument), or when the line owes compensation for death or injury and has not paid. FMC does not adjudicate disputes and does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding or cabin problems, or travel agents; for those, go to the state consumer protection agency.","channels":[{"id":"cadrs-complaints-email","type":"email","label":"CADRS cruise and cargo dispute requests (send Form FMC-32)","value":"complaints@fmc.gov","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown"],"notes":"Attach the completed Dispute Resolution Service Request, Cruise (Form FMC-32) and supporting documents. Note that the FMC-32 PDF itself (version 01/2024) says \"Return to: CADRS@fmc.gov\"; the FMC web pages say complaints@fmc.gov.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"fmc-32-form","type":"web_form","label":"Dispute Resolution Service Request, Cruise (Form FMC-32, fillable PDF)","value":"https://www.fmc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/PVOForm32.pdf","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"access":"open","notes":"Asks for your contact details and ticket or booking number, the cruise line's name and contact details, whether the dispute involves casualty, non-performance or other, whether the cruise began at a U.S. port, and a timeline (complaint to the line, other help sought, travel insurance, how you booked), with the booking confirmation, ticket and other documents attached. The signer authorizes CADRS to contact the cruise line and to share the information with it unless marked confidential. Email it; it is not submitted online.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"cadrs-phone","type":"phone","label":"Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services (CADRS)","value":"+1-202-523-5807","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown"],"notes":"Fax 202-217-3552. No hours are listed on the page.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"pvo-claims-email","type":"email","label":"Passenger Vessel Operator program (claims against a cruise line's financial instrument)","value":"pvo@fmc.gov","purposes":["refund_request","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"notes":"FMC's cruise page says to email this address for claim processing information on a cruise line's financial instrument (bond, guaranty or other evidence of financial responsibility).","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"pvo-phone","type":"phone","label":"Passenger Vessel Operator program, Bureau of Certification and Licensing","value":"+1-202-523-5818","purposes":["refund_request","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"hours":"Hand deliveries 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (no call hours listed)","notes":"Fax 202-566-5830.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"general-inquiries-email","type":"email","label":"FMC general inquiries","value":"inquiries@fmc.gov","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"mail","type":"mail","label":"Federal Maritime Commission by mail","value":"Federal Maritime Commission, 800 North Capitol Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20573","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"facts":[{"kind":"process","claim":"FMC says it does not adjudicate disputes between passengers and cruise lines. It can assist with claims for voyage cancellations or delays of more than three days, and for death or injury on a voyage that embarks or disembarks at a U.S. port.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"FMC does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding and cabin concerns, and does not regulate sellers of travel (travel agents). It says to contact the state consumer protection agency where the company operates or is headquartered. It has no jurisdiction over cruises that do not embark from a U.S. port.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"If your cruise was cancelled and you have not received a refund after more than 90 days, FMC says you may use its voluntary dispute resolution process by sending Form FMC-32 to complaints@fmc.gov.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"CADRS offers ombuds assistance, mediation, facilitation and arbitration with \"no fees for services\". Ombuds and mediation are voluntary; any party or CADRS staff may end them at any time, and CADRS staff act as neutrals and cannot give legal advice or representation.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"Under 46 CFR 540.2, nonperformance of transportation means cancelling or delaying a voyage by three or more calendar days, if the passenger elects not to embark on the delayed voyage or a substitute voyage offered by the cruise line. The rules cover vessels with berth or stateroom accommodations for 50 or more passengers embarking passengers at U.S. ports.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.2","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"Under 46 CFR 540.9(f), the passenger first makes a written refund request under the cruise line's claims procedure. If the claim is not resolved within 180 days (or a shorter period in the line's procedure), or the line denies it, the passenger may claim against the line's financial instrument, with documents such as the boarding pass, proof of payment, the cancellation or delay notice and proof of the claim to the line.","issues":["refund_request","company_shutdown"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"46 CFR 540.9(f)(3) lets the passenger and the cruise line agree to another form of compensation, such as a future cruise credit, in place of a refund.","issues":["travel_credit","refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"limit","claim":"FMC says the amount of nonperformance coverage a cruise line must keep on file is \"currently capped at $32 million\". Casualty (death or injury) coverage is based on the number of passenger accommodations on the vessel (46 CFR 540.24).","issues":["company_shutdown","refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"FMC's Bureau of Certification and Licensing issues performance (nonperformance) and casualty certificates to cruise operators with 50 or more berths that embark passengers from U.S. ports. The performance coverage reimburses passengers when the operator fails to complete booked cruises, for example after bankruptcy, and has taken no further action to refund them.","issues":["company_shutdown"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/bureau-of-certification-and-licensing/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"contact","claim":"FMC publishes a list of each certified cruise line's nonperformance refund policy or instructions, for example Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC and Disney Cruise Line.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/how-to-obtain-a-refund-from-a-cruise-line/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"The current claims rules came from FMC's final rule \"Passenger Vessel Financial Responsibility\" (Docket 20-15, 87 FR 15125, published March 17, 2022, effective April 18, 2022).","source":"https://www.gao.gov/fedrules/204348","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"For seagoing passenger vessels between U.S. ports or between a U.S. and a foreign port, a cruise line may not limit the time to give notice of a personal injury or death claim to less than 6 months, or the time to sue to less than 1 year, after the injury or death (46 U.S.C. 30526). Contractual notice periods are tolled for minors, mental incompetents and wrongful death claims.","issues":["safety_incident"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/30526","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"notes":"Checked by loading fmc.gov pages on 2026-10-13. The eCFR and Federal Register would not load (they redirect automated clients), so 46 CFR part 540 text was read on law.cornell.edu, and the final-rule dates on gao.gov. FMC's past cruise notices include American Queen Voyages (shut down and filed Chapter 11, notice February 22, 2024) and Vantage Travel Services (Chapter 11, July 5, 2023). Disability access on cruise ships is enforced by the Justice Department under ADA Title III, not by FMC; health and sanitation by CDC; safety by the U.S. Coast Guard."}}],"channels":[{"id":"reservations-phone","type":"phone","label":"Disney Cruise Line reservations and cruise help (U.S. and Canada)","value":"+1-800-951-3532","hours":"Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–10:00 PM ET; Sat–Sun 9:00 AM–8:00 PM ET","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","reservation_problem","accessibility"],"notes":"Listed in the Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026). Callers under 18 need a parent's or guardian's permission. Search results for the Help Center phone page show the same number and hours; that page did not load for automated fetches.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"case-request-email","type":"email","label":"Refund or cruise credit requests after a Disney cancellation or 3-day delay (nonperformance)","value":"Caserequest@disneycruise.com","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit"],"notes":"Request within 90 days of the original scheduled sail date. Include the cruise confirmation, proof and amount of payment, and the cancellation or delay notice; documents must show the vessel and sailing date.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"facts":[{"kind":"policy","claim":"The Terms & Conditions let a guest whose cruise Disney cancelled or delayed more than three calendar days request either a refund or a cruise credit.","issues":["travel_credit"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"rules":{"in_force":[],"not_in_force":[]},"tips":[],"escalation":[{"index":0,"rung":"frontline","channel":{"id":"reservations-phone","type":"phone","label":"Disney Cruise Line reservations and cruise help (U.S. and Canada)","value":"+1-800-951-3532","hours":"Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–10:00 PM ET; Sat–Sun 9:00 AM–8:00 PM ET","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","reservation_problem","accessibility"],"notes":"Listed in the Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026). Callers under 18 need a parent's or guardian's permission. Search results for the Help Center phone page show the same number and hours; that page did not load for automated fetches.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"index":1,"rung":"written_complaint","channel":{"id":"email-form","type":"web_form","label":"Email Disney Cruise Line (Help Center contact form)","value":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/help/email/","purposes":["poor_service","reservation_problem","refund_request"],"notes":"The Terms & Conditions point to this form. The page returned a redirect loop to automated fetches, so its fields and any sign-in step were not checked.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"index":2,"rung":"regulator","note":"For a refund Disney Cruise Line owes after it cancelled a cruise or delayed it more than 3 calendar days (nonperformance).","regulator":{"id":"fmc","name":"Federal Maritime Commission, Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services","level":"federal","when_to_use":"Use when a cruise that embarks at a U.S. port was cancelled or delayed by three or more days and the cruise line has not refunded you (more than 90 days for the free dispute resolution service; 180 days, or a denial, before a claim against the line's FMC-filed financial instrument), or when the line owes compensation for death or injury and has not paid. FMC does not adjudicate disputes and does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding or cabin problems, or travel agents; for those, go to the state consumer protection agency.","channels":[{"id":"cadrs-complaints-email","type":"email","label":"CADRS cruise and cargo dispute requests (send Form FMC-32)","value":"complaints@fmc.gov","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown"],"notes":"Attach the completed Dispute Resolution Service Request, Cruise (Form FMC-32) and supporting documents. Note that the FMC-32 PDF itself (version 01/2024) says \"Return to: CADRS@fmc.gov\"; the FMC web pages say complaints@fmc.gov.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"fmc-32-form","type":"web_form","label":"Dispute Resolution Service Request, Cruise (Form FMC-32, fillable PDF)","value":"https://www.fmc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/PVOForm32.pdf","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"access":"open","notes":"Asks for your contact details and ticket or booking number, the cruise line's name and contact details, whether the dispute involves casualty, non-performance or other, whether the cruise began at a U.S. port, and a timeline (complaint to the line, other help sought, travel insurance, how you booked), with the booking confirmation, ticket and other documents attached. The signer authorizes CADRS to contact the cruise line and to share the information with it unless marked confidential. Email it; it is not submitted online.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"cadrs-phone","type":"phone","label":"Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services (CADRS)","value":"+1-202-523-5807","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown"],"notes":"Fax 202-217-3552. No hours are listed on the page.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"pvo-claims-email","type":"email","label":"Passenger Vessel Operator program (claims against a cruise line's financial instrument)","value":"pvo@fmc.gov","purposes":["refund_request","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"notes":"FMC's cruise page says to email this address for claim processing information on a cruise line's financial instrument (bond, guaranty or other evidence of financial responsibility).","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"pvo-phone","type":"phone","label":"Passenger Vessel Operator program, Bureau of Certification and Licensing","value":"+1-202-523-5818","purposes":["refund_request","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"hours":"Hand deliveries 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (no call hours listed)","notes":"Fax 202-566-5830.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"general-inquiries-email","type":"email","label":"FMC general inquiries","value":"inquiries@fmc.gov","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"mail","type":"mail","label":"Federal Maritime Commission by mail","value":"Federal Maritime Commission, 800 North Capitol Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20573","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"facts":[{"kind":"process","claim":"FMC says it does not adjudicate disputes between passengers and cruise lines. It can assist with claims for voyage cancellations or delays of more than three days, and for death or injury on a voyage that embarks or disembarks at a U.S. port.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"FMC does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding and cabin concerns, and does not regulate sellers of travel (travel agents). It says to contact the state consumer protection agency where the company operates or is headquartered. It has no jurisdiction over cruises that do not embark from a U.S. port.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"If your cruise was cancelled and you have not received a refund after more than 90 days, FMC says you may use its voluntary dispute resolution process by sending Form FMC-32 to complaints@fmc.gov.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"CADRS offers ombuds assistance, mediation, facilitation and arbitration with \"no fees for services\". Ombuds and mediation are voluntary; any party or CADRS staff may end them at any time, and CADRS staff act as neutrals and cannot give legal advice or representation.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"Under 46 CFR 540.2, nonperformance of transportation means cancelling or delaying a voyage by three or more calendar days, if the passenger elects not to embark on the delayed voyage or a substitute voyage offered by the cruise line. The rules cover vessels with berth or stateroom accommodations for 50 or more passengers embarking passengers at U.S. ports.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.2","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"Under 46 CFR 540.9(f), the passenger first makes a written refund request under the cruise line's claims procedure. If the claim is not resolved within 180 days (or a shorter period in the line's procedure), or the line denies it, the passenger may claim against the line's financial instrument, with documents such as the boarding pass, proof of payment, the cancellation or delay notice and proof of the claim to the line.","issues":["refund_request","company_shutdown"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"46 CFR 540.9(f)(3) lets the passenger and the cruise line agree to another form of compensation, such as a future cruise credit, in place of a refund.","issues":["travel_credit","refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"limit","claim":"FMC says the amount of nonperformance coverage a cruise line must keep on file is \"currently capped at $32 million\". Casualty (death or injury) coverage is based on the number of passenger accommodations on the vessel (46 CFR 540.24).","issues":["company_shutdown","refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"FMC's Bureau of Certification and Licensing issues performance (nonperformance) and casualty certificates to cruise operators with 50 or more berths that embark passengers from U.S. ports. The performance coverage reimburses passengers when the operator fails to complete booked cruises, for example after bankruptcy, and has taken no further action to refund them.","issues":["company_shutdown"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/bureau-of-certification-and-licensing/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"contact","claim":"FMC publishes a list of each certified cruise line's nonperformance refund policy or instructions, for example Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC and Disney Cruise Line.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/how-to-obtain-a-refund-from-a-cruise-line/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"The current claims rules came from FMC's final rule \"Passenger Vessel Financial Responsibility\" (Docket 20-15, 87 FR 15125, published March 17, 2022, effective April 18, 2022).","source":"https://www.gao.gov/fedrules/204348","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"For seagoing passenger vessels between U.S. ports or between a U.S. and a foreign port, a cruise line may not limit the time to give notice of a personal injury or death claim to less than 6 months, or the time to sue to less than 1 year, after the injury or death (46 U.S.C. 30526). Contractual notice periods are tolled for minors, mental incompetents and wrongful death claims.","issues":["safety_incident"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/30526","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"notes":"Checked by loading fmc.gov pages on 2026-10-13. The eCFR and Federal Register would not load (they redirect automated clients), so 46 CFR part 540 text was read on law.cornell.edu, and the final-rule dates on gao.gov. FMC's past cruise notices include American Queen Voyages (shut down and filed Chapter 11, notice February 22, 2024) and Vantage Travel Services (Chapter 11, July 5, 2023). Disability access on cruise ships is enforced by the Justice Department under ADA Title III, not by FMC; health and sanitation by CDC; safety by the U.S. Coast Guard."}},{"index":3,"rung":"payment_dispute","note":"Card dispute for a refund Disney Cruise Line owes but has not paid.","rules":["fcba-billing-error","efta-reg-e"]}],"known_blockers":["disneycruise.disney.go.com Help Center, contact and disability pages returned redirect loops to automated fetches; a person may need to open them in a browser.","The Special Services form is returned by fax or mail, not online."],"security":{"official_domains":["disney.go.com","disneycruise.com"],"never_asks":[],"known_scams":[{"kind":"policy","claim":"The FTC warns of illegal robocalls that promise free cruise tickets for taking a survey, then transfer you to telemarketers; in its January 2020 case each person had to pay $59 in port taxes and fees. The alert names no cruise line.","source":"https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2020/01/free-cruise-try-illegal-robocall-upsell","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"report_phishing":[]},"credibility":{"grade":"B","primary_share":0.95,"sources":{"primary":19,"reference":1},"verified_from":{"page":18,"search_snippet":2},"last_verified":"2026-10-13","oldest_verified":"2026-10-13","stale_items":0,"explanation":"Grade B (good: mostly official pages; check the flagged values before relying on them). 95% of 20 sources are the organization's own pages or government sites; 2 value(s) were read from a search snippet or an archive copy.","dossier_last_verified":null},"context":{"dossier":false,"sector_guide":true,"hint":"Call get_context for how this company handles complaints in practice and which scams use its name."},"notes":"Checked on 2026-10-13 against the U.S. Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026) and the U.S. Cruise Contract (Version #16). The Terms & Conditions page is the one the FMC lists as Disney Cruise Line's nonperformance refund policy. If the two conflict, the Cruise Contract controls. The Special Services form found is dated 2015.","warnings":[]},"reservation_problem":{"company":{"id":"disney-cruise-line","name":"Disney Cruise Line","sector":"cruise","website":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com","account_url":null},"issue":{"id":"reservation_problem","name":"Reservation not honored"},"playbook_source":"company","summary":"The Cruise Contract lets Disney change the route or substitute the ship; if it cancels before you board, it owes a refund of money or fares paid.","evidence":["cruise confirmation number","original itinerary","change notices","receipts for extra costs"],"steps":[{"do":"Raise the problem before the cruise ends and keep written records."},{"do":"After the cruise, write to Disney Cruise Line through the email form with the confirmation number and the remedy you want.","channel":{"id":"email-form","type":"web_form","label":"Email Disney Cruise Line (Help Center contact form)","value":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/help/email/","purposes":["poor_service","reservation_problem","refund_request"],"notes":"The Terms & Conditions point to this form. The page returned a redirect loop to automated fetches, so its fields and any sign-in step were not checked.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"do":"If the cruise was cancelled or delayed more than 3 days, use the refund_request steps."}],"channels":[{"id":"reservations-phone","type":"phone","label":"Disney Cruise Line reservations and cruise help (U.S. and Canada)","value":"+1-800-951-3532","hours":"Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–10:00 PM ET; Sat–Sun 9:00 AM–8:00 PM ET","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","reservation_problem","accessibility"],"notes":"Listed in the Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026). Callers under 18 need a parent's or guardian's permission. Search results for the Help Center phone page show the same number and hours; that page did not load for automated fetches.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"email-form","type":"web_form","label":"Email Disney Cruise Line (Help Center contact form)","value":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/help/email/","purposes":["poor_service","reservation_problem","refund_request"],"notes":"The Terms & Conditions point to this form. The page returned a redirect loop to automated fetches, so its fields and any sign-in step were not checked.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"facts":[{"kind":"policy","claim":"Cruise Contract clause 30 lets the carrier substitute a vessel and deviate from or change the advertised route at any stage. Clause 32: if the voyage is prevented and the guest has not embarked, the carrier may cancel \"without liability except to refund money or fares paid\"; it also says the Passenger Bill of Rights controls where it conflicts with the contract.","issues":["reservation_problem","refund_request"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/cruise-contract/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"Cruise Contract clause 12: suits must be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in Brevard County, Florida, or the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division. The contract has no arbitration clause, but guests waive class actions and must sue individually.","issues":["safety_incident","refund_request","reservation_problem"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/cruise-contract/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"rules":{"in_force":[],"not_in_force":[]},"tips":[],"escalation":[{"index":0,"rung":"frontline","channel":{"id":"reservations-phone","type":"phone","label":"Disney Cruise Line reservations and cruise help (U.S. and Canada)","value":"+1-800-951-3532","hours":"Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–10:00 PM ET; Sat–Sun 9:00 AM–8:00 PM ET","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","reservation_problem","accessibility"],"notes":"Listed in the Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026). Callers under 18 need a parent's or guardian's permission. Search results for the Help Center phone page show the same number and hours; that page did not load for automated fetches.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"index":1,"rung":"written_complaint","channel":{"id":"email-form","type":"web_form","label":"Email Disney Cruise Line (Help Center contact form)","value":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/help/email/","purposes":["poor_service","reservation_problem","refund_request"],"notes":"The Terms & Conditions point to this form. The page returned a redirect loop to automated fetches, so its fields and any sign-in step were not checked.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"index":2,"rung":"regulator","note":"For a refund Disney Cruise Line owes after it cancelled a cruise or delayed it more than 3 calendar days (nonperformance).","regulator":{"id":"fmc","name":"Federal Maritime Commission, Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services","level":"federal","when_to_use":"Use when a cruise that embarks at a U.S. port was cancelled or delayed by three or more days and the cruise line has not refunded you (more than 90 days for the free dispute resolution service; 180 days, or a denial, before a claim against the line's FMC-filed financial instrument), or when the line owes compensation for death or injury and has not paid. FMC does not adjudicate disputes and does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding or cabin problems, or travel agents; for those, go to the state consumer protection agency.","channels":[{"id":"cadrs-complaints-email","type":"email","label":"CADRS cruise and cargo dispute requests (send Form FMC-32)","value":"complaints@fmc.gov","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown"],"notes":"Attach the completed Dispute Resolution Service Request, Cruise (Form FMC-32) and supporting documents. Note that the FMC-32 PDF itself (version 01/2024) says \"Return to: CADRS@fmc.gov\"; the FMC web pages say complaints@fmc.gov.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"fmc-32-form","type":"web_form","label":"Dispute Resolution Service Request, Cruise (Form FMC-32, fillable PDF)","value":"https://www.fmc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/PVOForm32.pdf","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"access":"open","notes":"Asks for your contact details and ticket or booking number, the cruise line's name and contact details, whether the dispute involves casualty, non-performance or other, whether the cruise began at a U.S. port, and a timeline (complaint to the line, other help sought, travel insurance, how you booked), with the booking confirmation, ticket and other documents attached. The signer authorizes CADRS to contact the cruise line and to share the information with it unless marked confidential. Email it; it is not submitted online.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"cadrs-phone","type":"phone","label":"Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services (CADRS)","value":"+1-202-523-5807","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown"],"notes":"Fax 202-217-3552. No hours are listed on the page.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"pvo-claims-email","type":"email","label":"Passenger Vessel Operator program (claims against a cruise line's financial instrument)","value":"pvo@fmc.gov","purposes":["refund_request","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"notes":"FMC's cruise page says to email this address for claim processing information on a cruise line's financial instrument (bond, guaranty or other evidence of financial responsibility).","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"pvo-phone","type":"phone","label":"Passenger Vessel Operator program, Bureau of Certification and Licensing","value":"+1-202-523-5818","purposes":["refund_request","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"hours":"Hand deliveries 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (no call hours listed)","notes":"Fax 202-566-5830.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"general-inquiries-email","type":"email","label":"FMC general inquiries","value":"inquiries@fmc.gov","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"mail","type":"mail","label":"Federal Maritime Commission by mail","value":"Federal Maritime Commission, 800 North Capitol Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20573","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"facts":[{"kind":"process","claim":"FMC says it does not adjudicate disputes between passengers and cruise lines. It can assist with claims for voyage cancellations or delays of more than three days, and for death or injury on a voyage that embarks or disembarks at a U.S. port.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"FMC does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding and cabin concerns, and does not regulate sellers of travel (travel agents). It says to contact the state consumer protection agency where the company operates or is headquartered. It has no jurisdiction over cruises that do not embark from a U.S. port.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"If your cruise was cancelled and you have not received a refund after more than 90 days, FMC says you may use its voluntary dispute resolution process by sending Form FMC-32 to complaints@fmc.gov.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"CADRS offers ombuds assistance, mediation, facilitation and arbitration with \"no fees for services\". Ombuds and mediation are voluntary; any party or CADRS staff may end them at any time, and CADRS staff act as neutrals and cannot give legal advice or representation.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"Under 46 CFR 540.2, nonperformance of transportation means cancelling or delaying a voyage by three or more calendar days, if the passenger elects not to embark on the delayed voyage or a substitute voyage offered by the cruise line. The rules cover vessels with berth or stateroom accommodations for 50 or more passengers embarking passengers at U.S. ports.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.2","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"Under 46 CFR 540.9(f), the passenger first makes a written refund request under the cruise line's claims procedure. If the claim is not resolved within 180 days (or a shorter period in the line's procedure), or the line denies it, the passenger may claim against the line's financial instrument, with documents such as the boarding pass, proof of payment, the cancellation or delay notice and proof of the claim to the line.","issues":["refund_request","company_shutdown"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"46 CFR 540.9(f)(3) lets the passenger and the cruise line agree to another form of compensation, such as a future cruise credit, in place of a refund.","issues":["travel_credit","refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"limit","claim":"FMC says the amount of nonperformance coverage a cruise line must keep on file is \"currently capped at $32 million\". Casualty (death or injury) coverage is based on the number of passenger accommodations on the vessel (46 CFR 540.24).","issues":["company_shutdown","refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"FMC's Bureau of Certification and Licensing issues performance (nonperformance) and casualty certificates to cruise operators with 50 or more berths that embark passengers from U.S. ports. The performance coverage reimburses passengers when the operator fails to complete booked cruises, for example after bankruptcy, and has taken no further action to refund them.","issues":["company_shutdown"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/bureau-of-certification-and-licensing/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"contact","claim":"FMC publishes a list of each certified cruise line's nonperformance refund policy or instructions, for example Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC and Disney Cruise Line.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/how-to-obtain-a-refund-from-a-cruise-line/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"The current claims rules came from FMC's final rule \"Passenger Vessel Financial Responsibility\" (Docket 20-15, 87 FR 15125, published March 17, 2022, effective April 18, 2022).","source":"https://www.gao.gov/fedrules/204348","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"For seagoing passenger vessels between U.S. ports or between a U.S. and a foreign port, a cruise line may not limit the time to give notice of a personal injury or death claim to less than 6 months, or the time to sue to less than 1 year, after the injury or death (46 U.S.C. 30526). Contractual notice periods are tolled for minors, mental incompetents and wrongful death claims.","issues":["safety_incident"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/30526","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"notes":"Checked by loading fmc.gov pages on 2026-10-13. The eCFR and Federal Register would not load (they redirect automated clients), so 46 CFR part 540 text was read on law.cornell.edu, and the final-rule dates on gao.gov. FMC's past cruise notices include American Queen Voyages (shut down and filed Chapter 11, notice February 22, 2024) and Vantage Travel Services (Chapter 11, July 5, 2023). Disability access on cruise ships is enforced by the Justice Department under ADA Title III, not by FMC; health and sanitation by CDC; safety by the U.S. Coast Guard."}},{"index":3,"rung":"payment_dispute","note":"Card dispute for a refund Disney Cruise Line owes but has not paid.","rules":["fcba-billing-error","efta-reg-e"]}],"known_blockers":["disneycruise.disney.go.com Help Center, contact and disability pages returned redirect loops to automated fetches; a person may need to open them in a browser.","The Special Services form is returned by fax or mail, not online."],"security":{"official_domains":["disney.go.com","disneycruise.com"],"never_asks":[],"known_scams":[{"kind":"policy","claim":"The FTC warns of illegal robocalls that promise free cruise tickets for taking a survey, then transfer you to telemarketers; in its January 2020 case each person had to pay $59 in port taxes and fees. The alert names no cruise line.","source":"https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2020/01/free-cruise-try-illegal-robocall-upsell","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"report_phishing":[]},"credibility":{"grade":"B","primary_share":0.95,"sources":{"primary":19,"reference":1},"verified_from":{"page":18,"search_snippet":2},"last_verified":"2026-10-13","oldest_verified":"2026-10-13","stale_items":0,"explanation":"Grade B (good: mostly official pages; check the flagged values before relying on them). 95% of 20 sources are the organization's own pages or government sites; 2 value(s) were read from a search snippet or an archive copy.","dossier_last_verified":null},"context":{"dossier":false,"sector_guide":true,"hint":"Call get_context for how this company handles complaints in practice and which scams use its name."},"notes":"Checked on 2026-10-13 against the U.S. Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026) and the U.S. Cruise Contract (Version #16). The Terms & Conditions page is the one the FMC lists as Disney Cruise Line's nonperformance refund policy. If the two conflict, the Cruise Contract controls. The Special Services form found is dated 2015.","warnings":[]},"accessibility":{"company":{"id":"disney-cruise-line","name":"Disney Cruise Line","sector":"cruise","website":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com","account_url":null},"issue":{"id":"accessibility","name":"Disability assistance problem"},"playbook_source":"company","summary":"Tell Disney Cruise Line about disability or medical needs in advance through Special Services; the published form asks for at least 60 days' notice.","evidence":["cruise confirmation number","sail date","description of the accommodation needed"],"steps":[{"do":"Call Special Services (or ask Reservations to transfer you) to discuss the accommodation.","channel":{"id":"special-services-phone","type":"phone","label":"Special Services (guests with disabilities or medical needs, U.S. and Canada)","value":"+1-407-566-3602","purposes":["accessibility"],"notes":"Printed on the Special Services Information Form (Rev. 08/26/2015). Search results for the current Guests with Disabilities page show the same number, but that page did not load for automated fetches. Reservations can also transfer callers to Special Services.","source":"https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/media/wdpro-assets/dcl/finder/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities/SpecialServicesInformationForm.pdf","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"do":"Return the Special Services Information Form at least 60 days before the travel date.","channel":{"id":"special-services-form","type":"mail","label":"Special Services Information Form (return by fax or mail)","value":"Disney Cruise Line Special Services, P.O. Box 10210, Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830-0210","purposes":["accessibility"],"notes":"The form (Rev. 08/26/2015) says to return it by fax (+1-407-566-3760) or mail at least 60 days before the travel date. The form is old; confirm the current process with Special Services.","source":"https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/media/wdpro-assets/dcl/finder/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities/SpecialServicesInformationForm.pdf","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"do":"Guests with hearing or speech disabilities can use the TTY line.","channel":{"id":"tty-phone","type":"phone","label":"TTY for guests with hearing or speech disabilities","value":"+1-407-566-7455","purposes":["accessibility"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}}],"channels":[{"id":"reservations-phone","type":"phone","label":"Disney Cruise Line reservations and cruise help (U.S. and Canada)","value":"+1-800-951-3532","hours":"Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–10:00 PM ET; Sat–Sun 9:00 AM–8:00 PM ET","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","reservation_problem","accessibility"],"notes":"Listed in the Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026). Callers under 18 need a parent's or guardian's permission. Search results for the Help Center phone page show the same number and hours; that page did not load for automated fetches.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"tty-phone","type":"phone","label":"TTY for guests with hearing or speech disabilities","value":"+1-407-566-7455","purposes":["accessibility"],"source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"special-services-phone","type":"phone","label":"Special Services (guests with disabilities or medical needs, U.S. and Canada)","value":"+1-407-566-3602","purposes":["accessibility"],"notes":"Printed on the Special Services Information Form (Rev. 08/26/2015). Search results for the current Guests with Disabilities page show the same number, but that page did not load for automated fetches. Reservations can also transfer callers to Special Services.","source":"https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/media/wdpro-assets/dcl/finder/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities/SpecialServicesInformationForm.pdf","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"special-services-form","type":"mail","label":"Special Services Information Form (return by fax or mail)","value":"Disney Cruise Line Special Services, P.O. Box 10210, Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830-0210","purposes":["accessibility"],"notes":"The form (Rev. 08/26/2015) says to return it by fax (+1-407-566-3760) or mail at least 60 days before the travel date. The form is old; confirm the current process with Special Services.","source":"https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/media/wdpro-assets/dcl/finder/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities/SpecialServicesInformationForm.pdf","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"facts":[{"kind":"deadline","claim":"The Special Services Information Form (Rev. 08/26/2015) asks guests to return it by fax or mail at least 60 days before the travel date.","issues":["accessibility"],"source":"https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/media/wdpro-assets/dcl/finder/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities/SpecialServicesInformationForm.pdf","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"rules":{"in_force":[],"not_in_force":[]},"tips":[],"escalation":[{"index":0,"rung":"frontline","channel":{"id":"reservations-phone","type":"phone","label":"Disney Cruise Line reservations and cruise help (U.S. and Canada)","value":"+1-800-951-3532","hours":"Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–10:00 PM ET; Sat–Sun 9:00 AM–8:00 PM ET","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","reservation_problem","accessibility"],"notes":"Listed in the Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026). Callers under 18 need a parent's or guardian's permission. Search results for the Help Center phone page show the same number and hours; that page did not load for automated fetches.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"index":1,"rung":"written_complaint","channel":{"id":"email-form","type":"web_form","label":"Email Disney Cruise Line (Help Center contact form)","value":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/help/email/","purposes":["poor_service","reservation_problem","refund_request"],"notes":"The Terms & Conditions point to this form. The page returned a redirect loop to automated fetches, so its fields and any sign-in step were not checked.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"index":2,"rung":"regulator","note":"For a refund Disney Cruise Line owes after it cancelled a cruise or delayed it more than 3 calendar days (nonperformance).","regulator":{"id":"fmc","name":"Federal Maritime Commission, Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services","level":"federal","when_to_use":"Use when a cruise that embarks at a U.S. port was cancelled or delayed by three or more days and the cruise line has not refunded you (more than 90 days for the free dispute resolution service; 180 days, or a denial, before a claim against the line's FMC-filed financial instrument), or when the line owes compensation for death or injury and has not paid. FMC does not adjudicate disputes and does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding or cabin problems, or travel agents; for those, go to the state consumer protection agency.","channels":[{"id":"cadrs-complaints-email","type":"email","label":"CADRS cruise and cargo dispute requests (send Form FMC-32)","value":"complaints@fmc.gov","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown"],"notes":"Attach the completed Dispute Resolution Service Request, Cruise (Form FMC-32) and supporting documents. Note that the FMC-32 PDF itself (version 01/2024) says \"Return to: CADRS@fmc.gov\"; the FMC web pages say complaints@fmc.gov.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"fmc-32-form","type":"web_form","label":"Dispute Resolution Service Request, Cruise (Form FMC-32, fillable PDF)","value":"https://www.fmc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/PVOForm32.pdf","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"access":"open","notes":"Asks for your contact details and ticket or booking number, the cruise line's name and contact details, whether the dispute involves casualty, non-performance or other, whether the cruise began at a U.S. port, and a timeline (complaint to the line, other help sought, travel insurance, how you booked), with the booking confirmation, ticket and other documents attached. The signer authorizes CADRS to contact the cruise line and to share the information with it unless marked confidential. Email it; it is not submitted online.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"cadrs-phone","type":"phone","label":"Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services (CADRS)","value":"+1-202-523-5807","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown"],"notes":"Fax 202-217-3552. No hours are listed on the page.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"pvo-claims-email","type":"email","label":"Passenger Vessel Operator program (claims against a cruise line's financial instrument)","value":"pvo@fmc.gov","purposes":["refund_request","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"notes":"FMC's cruise page says to email this address for claim processing information on a cruise line's financial instrument (bond, guaranty or other evidence of financial responsibility).","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"pvo-phone","type":"phone","label":"Passenger Vessel Operator program, Bureau of Certification and Licensing","value":"+1-202-523-5818","purposes":["refund_request","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"hours":"Hand deliveries 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (no call hours listed)","notes":"Fax 202-566-5830.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"general-inquiries-email","type":"email","label":"FMC general inquiries","value":"inquiries@fmc.gov","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"mail","type":"mail","label":"Federal Maritime Commission by mail","value":"Federal Maritime Commission, 800 North Capitol Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20573","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"facts":[{"kind":"process","claim":"FMC says it does not adjudicate disputes between passengers and cruise lines. It can assist with claims for voyage cancellations or delays of more than three days, and for death or injury on a voyage that embarks or disembarks at a U.S. port.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"FMC does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding and cabin concerns, and does not regulate sellers of travel (travel agents). It says to contact the state consumer protection agency where the company operates or is headquartered. It has no jurisdiction over cruises that do not embark from a U.S. port.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"If your cruise was cancelled and you have not received a refund after more than 90 days, FMC says you may use its voluntary dispute resolution process by sending Form FMC-32 to complaints@fmc.gov.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"CADRS offers ombuds assistance, mediation, facilitation and arbitration with \"no fees for services\". Ombuds and mediation are voluntary; any party or CADRS staff may end them at any time, and CADRS staff act as neutrals and cannot give legal advice or representation.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"Under 46 CFR 540.2, nonperformance of transportation means cancelling or delaying a voyage by three or more calendar days, if the passenger elects not to embark on the delayed voyage or a substitute voyage offered by the cruise line. The rules cover vessels with berth or stateroom accommodations for 50 or more passengers embarking passengers at U.S. ports.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.2","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"Under 46 CFR 540.9(f), the passenger first makes a written refund request under the cruise line's claims procedure. If the claim is not resolved within 180 days (or a shorter period in the line's procedure), or the line denies it, the passenger may claim against the line's financial instrument, with documents such as the boarding pass, proof of payment, the cancellation or delay notice and proof of the claim to the line.","issues":["refund_request","company_shutdown"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"46 CFR 540.9(f)(3) lets the passenger and the cruise line agree to another form of compensation, such as a future cruise credit, in place of a refund.","issues":["travel_credit","refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"limit","claim":"FMC says the amount of nonperformance coverage a cruise line must keep on file is \"currently capped at $32 million\". Casualty (death or injury) coverage is based on the number of passenger accommodations on the vessel (46 CFR 540.24).","issues":["company_shutdown","refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"FMC's Bureau of Certification and Licensing issues performance (nonperformance) and casualty certificates to cruise operators with 50 or more berths that embark passengers from U.S. ports. The performance coverage reimburses passengers when the operator fails to complete booked cruises, for example after bankruptcy, and has taken no further action to refund them.","issues":["company_shutdown"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/bureau-of-certification-and-licensing/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"contact","claim":"FMC publishes a list of each certified cruise line's nonperformance refund policy or instructions, for example Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC and Disney Cruise Line.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/how-to-obtain-a-refund-from-a-cruise-line/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"The current claims rules came from FMC's final rule \"Passenger Vessel Financial Responsibility\" (Docket 20-15, 87 FR 15125, published March 17, 2022, effective April 18, 2022).","source":"https://www.gao.gov/fedrules/204348","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"For seagoing passenger vessels between U.S. ports or between a U.S. and a foreign port, a cruise line may not limit the time to give notice of a personal injury or death claim to less than 6 months, or the time to sue to less than 1 year, after the injury or death (46 U.S.C. 30526). Contractual notice periods are tolled for minors, mental incompetents and wrongful death claims.","issues":["safety_incident"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/30526","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"notes":"Checked by loading fmc.gov pages on 2026-10-13. The eCFR and Federal Register would not load (they redirect automated clients), so 46 CFR part 540 text was read on law.cornell.edu, and the final-rule dates on gao.gov. FMC's past cruise notices include American Queen Voyages (shut down and filed Chapter 11, notice February 22, 2024) and Vantage Travel Services (Chapter 11, July 5, 2023). Disability access on cruise ships is enforced by the Justice Department under ADA Title III, not by FMC; health and sanitation by CDC; safety by the U.S. Coast Guard."}},{"index":3,"rung":"payment_dispute","note":"Card dispute for a refund Disney Cruise Line owes but has not paid.","rules":["fcba-billing-error","efta-reg-e"]}],"known_blockers":["disneycruise.disney.go.com Help Center, contact and disability pages returned redirect loops to automated fetches; a person may need to open them in a browser.","The Special Services form is returned by fax or mail, not online."],"security":{"official_domains":["disney.go.com","disneycruise.com"],"never_asks":[],"known_scams":[{"kind":"policy","claim":"The FTC warns of illegal robocalls that promise free cruise tickets for taking a survey, then transfer you to telemarketers; in its January 2020 case each person had to pay $59 in port taxes and fees. The alert names no cruise line.","source":"https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2020/01/free-cruise-try-illegal-robocall-upsell","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"report_phishing":[]},"credibility":{"grade":"B","primary_share":0.95,"sources":{"primary":19,"reference":1},"verified_from":{"page":18,"search_snippet":2},"last_verified":"2026-10-13","oldest_verified":"2026-10-13","stale_items":0,"explanation":"Grade B (good: mostly official pages; check the flagged values before relying on them). 95% of 20 sources are the organization's own pages or government sites; 2 value(s) were read from a search snippet or an archive copy.","dossier_last_verified":null},"context":{"dossier":false,"sector_guide":true,"hint":"Call get_context for how this company handles complaints in practice and which scams use its name."},"notes":"Checked on 2026-10-13 against the U.S. Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026) and the U.S. Cruise Contract (Version #16). The Terms & Conditions page is the one the FMC lists as Disney Cruise Line's nonperformance refund policy. If the two conflict, the Cruise Contract controls. The Special Services form found is dated 2015.","warnings":[]}},"escalation":[{"index":0,"rung":"frontline","channel":{"id":"reservations-phone","type":"phone","label":"Disney Cruise Line reservations and cruise help (U.S. and Canada)","value":"+1-800-951-3532","hours":"Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–10:00 PM ET; Sat–Sun 9:00 AM–8:00 PM ET","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","reservation_problem","accessibility"],"notes":"Listed in the Terms & Conditions (Rev. August 2026). Callers under 18 need a parent's or guardian's permission. Search results for the Help Center phone page show the same number and hours; that page did not load for automated fetches.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"index":1,"rung":"written_complaint","channel":{"id":"email-form","type":"web_form","label":"Email Disney Cruise Line (Help Center contact form)","value":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/help/email/","purposes":["poor_service","reservation_problem","refund_request"],"notes":"The Terms & Conditions point to this form. The page returned a redirect loop to automated fetches, so its fields and any sign-in step were not checked.","source":"https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}},{"index":2,"rung":"regulator","note":"For a refund Disney Cruise Line owes after it cancelled a cruise or delayed it more than 3 calendar days (nonperformance).","regulator":{"id":"fmc","name":"Federal Maritime Commission, Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services","level":"federal","when_to_use":"Use when a cruise that embarks at a U.S. port was cancelled or delayed by three or more days and the cruise line has not refunded you (more than 90 days for the free dispute resolution service; 180 days, or a denial, before a claim against the line's FMC-filed financial instrument), or when the line owes compensation for death or injury and has not paid. FMC does not adjudicate disputes and does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding or cabin problems, or travel agents; for those, go to the state consumer protection agency.","channels":[{"id":"cadrs-complaints-email","type":"email","label":"CADRS cruise and cargo dispute requests (send Form FMC-32)","value":"complaints@fmc.gov","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown"],"notes":"Attach the completed Dispute Resolution Service Request, Cruise (Form FMC-32) and supporting documents. Note that the FMC-32 PDF itself (version 01/2024) says \"Return to: CADRS@fmc.gov\"; the FMC web pages say complaints@fmc.gov.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"fmc-32-form","type":"web_form","label":"Dispute Resolution Service Request, Cruise (Form FMC-32, fillable PDF)","value":"https://www.fmc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/PVOForm32.pdf","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"access":"open","notes":"Asks for your contact details and ticket or booking number, the cruise line's name and contact details, whether the dispute involves casualty, non-performance or other, whether the cruise began at a U.S. port, and a timeline (complaint to the line, other help sought, travel insurance, how you booked), with the booking confirmation, ticket and other documents attached. The signer authorizes CADRS to contact the cruise line and to share the information with it unless marked confidential. Email it; it is not submitted online.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"cadrs-phone","type":"phone","label":"Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services (CADRS)","value":"+1-202-523-5807","purposes":["refund_request","travel_credit","company_shutdown"],"notes":"Fax 202-217-3552. No hours are listed on the page.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"pvo-claims-email","type":"email","label":"Passenger Vessel Operator program (claims against a cruise line's financial instrument)","value":"pvo@fmc.gov","purposes":["refund_request","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"notes":"FMC's cruise page says to email this address for claim processing information on a cruise line's financial instrument (bond, guaranty or other evidence of financial responsibility).","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"pvo-phone","type":"phone","label":"Passenger Vessel Operator program, Bureau of Certification and Licensing","value":"+1-202-523-5818","purposes":["refund_request","company_shutdown","safety_incident"],"hours":"Hand deliveries 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (no call hours listed)","notes":"Fax 202-566-5830.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"general-inquiries-email","type":"email","label":"FMC general inquiries","value":"inquiries@fmc.gov","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"mail","type":"mail","label":"Federal Maritime Commission by mail","value":"Federal Maritime Commission, 800 North Capitol Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20573","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"facts":[{"kind":"process","claim":"FMC says it does not adjudicate disputes between passengers and cruise lines. It can assist with claims for voyage cancellations or delays of more than three days, and for death or injury on a voyage that embarks or disembarks at a U.S. port.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"FMC does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding and cabin concerns, and does not regulate sellers of travel (travel agents). It says to contact the state consumer protection agency where the company operates or is headquartered. It has no jurisdiction over cruises that do not embark from a U.S. port.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"If your cruise was cancelled and you have not received a refund after more than 90 days, FMC says you may use its voluntary dispute resolution process by sending Form FMC-32 to complaints@fmc.gov.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/consumer-advice/cruise-service-issues/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"CADRS offers ombuds assistance, mediation, facilitation and arbitration with \"no fees for services\". Ombuds and mediation are voluntary; any party or CADRS staff may end them at any time, and CADRS staff act as neutrals and cannot give legal advice or representation.","source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/consumer-affairs-dispute-resolution-services/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"Under 46 CFR 540.2, nonperformance of transportation means cancelling or delaying a voyage by three or more calendar days, if the passenger elects not to embark on the delayed voyage or a substitute voyage offered by the cruise line. The rules cover vessels with berth or stateroom accommodations for 50 or more passengers embarking passengers at U.S. ports.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.2","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"Under 46 CFR 540.9(f), the passenger first makes a written refund request under the cruise line's claims procedure. If the claim is not resolved within 180 days (or a shorter period in the line's procedure), or the line denies it, the passenger may claim against the line's financial instrument, with documents such as the boarding pass, proof of payment, the cancellation or delay notice and proof of the claim to the line.","issues":["refund_request","company_shutdown"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"46 CFR 540.9(f)(3) lets the passenger and the cruise line agree to another form of compensation, such as a future cruise credit, in place of a refund.","issues":["travel_credit","refund_request"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/540.9","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"limit","claim":"FMC says the amount of nonperformance coverage a cruise line must keep on file is \"currently capped at $32 million\". Casualty (death or injury) coverage is based on the number of passenger accommodations on the vessel (46 CFR 540.24).","issues":["company_shutdown","refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"policy","claim":"FMC's Bureau of Certification and Licensing issues performance (nonperformance) and casualty certificates to cruise operators with 50 or more berths that embark passengers from U.S. ports. The performance coverage reimburses passengers when the operator fails to complete booked cruises, for example after bankruptcy, and has taken no further action to refund them.","issues":["company_shutdown"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/about/bureaus-offices/bureau-of-certification-and-licensing/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"contact","claim":"FMC publishes a list of each certified cruise line's nonperformance refund policy or instructions, for example Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC and Disney Cruise Line.","issues":["refund_request"],"source":"https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/how-to-obtain-a-refund-from-a-cruise-line/","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"process","claim":"The current claims rules came from FMC's final rule \"Passenger Vessel Financial Responsibility\" (Docket 20-15, 87 FR 15125, published March 17, 2022, effective April 18, 2022).","source":"https://www.gao.gov/fedrules/204348","last_verified":"2026-10-13"},{"kind":"deadline","claim":"For seagoing passenger vessels between U.S. ports or between a U.S. and a foreign port, a cruise line may not limit the time to give notice of a personal injury or death claim to less than 6 months, or the time to sue to less than 1 year, after the injury or death (46 U.S.C. 30526). Contractual notice periods are tolled for minors, mental incompetents and wrongful death claims.","issues":["safety_incident"],"source":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/30526","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"notes":"Checked by loading fmc.gov pages on 2026-10-13. The eCFR and Federal Register would not load (they redirect automated clients), so 46 CFR part 540 text was read on law.cornell.edu, and the final-rule dates on gao.gov. FMC's past cruise notices include American Queen Voyages (shut down and filed Chapter 11, notice February 22, 2024) and Vantage Travel Services (Chapter 11, July 5, 2023). Disability access on cruise ships is enforced by the Justice Department under ADA Title III, not by FMC; health and sanitation by CDC; safety by the U.S. Coast Guard."}},{"index":3,"rung":"payment_dispute","note":"Card dispute for a refund Disney Cruise Line owes but has not paid.","rules":["fcba-billing-error","efta-reg-e"]}],"security":{"official_domains":["disney.go.com","disneycruise.com"],"never_asks":[],"known_scams":[{"kind":"policy","claim":"The FTC warns of illegal robocalls that promise free cruise tickets for taking a survey, then transfer you to telemarketers; in its January 2020 case each person had to pay $59 in port taxes and fees. The alert names no cruise line.","source":"https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2020/01/free-cruise-try-illegal-robocall-upsell","last_verified":"2026-10-13"}],"report_phishing":[]},"credibility":{"grade":"B","primary_share":0.95,"sources":{"primary":19,"reference":1},"verified_from":{"page":18,"search_snippet":2},"last_verified":"2026-10-13","oldest_verified":"2026-10-13","stale_items":0,"explanation":"Grade B (good: mostly official pages; check the flagged values before relying on them). 95% of 20 sources are the organization's own pages or government sites; 2 value(s) were read from a search snippet or an archive copy.","dossier_last_verified":null},"dossier":null,"guide":{"key":"cruise","title":"Cruise lines — how complaints work","last_verified":"2026-10-13","file":"guides/cruise.md","page":"https://escalate.alexgaoth.com/#/guides/cruise"}}