Cruise lines — how complaints work

In short

Ask the cruise line in writing first and keep the booking number, the cancellation notice and proof of payment. If a cruise from a U.S. port was cancelled or delayed by three or more days and you chose not to sail, you are owed a refund unless you agree to something else, such as a future cruise credit. If the refund has not come after 90 days, the Federal Maritime Commission's free dispute service can step in, and after 180 days or a denial you can claim against the line's FMC-filed bond. The FMC does not handle itinerary changes, missed ports, cabin problems or your own cancellation; those depend on the cruise ticket contract, which has short claim deadlines. Unsolicited "free cruise" calls are illegal robocalls that lead to fees.

How complaints work in this industry

• The 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. FMC: Cruise passenger assistance
• The FMC does not regulate customer service issues such as itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, denied boarding and cabin concerns, and does not regulate travel agents; it sends people to the state consumer protection agency where the company operates or is headquartered. FMC: Cruise passenger assistance
• The FMC has no jurisdiction over cruises that do not embark from a U.S. port; it points those passengers to travel.state.gov. FMC: Cruise passenger assistance
• If a cancelled cruise has not been refunded after more than 90 days, you can send the FMC's Dispute Resolution Service Request (Form FMC-32) to complaints@fmc.gov. FMC: Cruise passenger assistance
• The FMC's Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services offers ombuds assistance and mediation with "no fees for services" (202-523-5807). FMC: CADRS
• Ombuds and mediation are voluntary: either side or CADRS staff can end them at any time, and CADRS staff act as neutrals who cannot give legal advice. The form authorizes CADRS to contact the cruise line and share what you send unless you mark it confidential. FMC Form FMC-32
• Cruise lines take written complaints through their own forms. Carnival sends post-cruise questions to its Guest Care form and post-cruise ADA concerns to access@carnival.com, which it says it answers within 30 days. Carnival: Contact us, Carnival: accessibility FAQ
• The FMC publishes a list of links to each certified cruise line's nonperformance refund policy or instructions. FMC: How to obtain a refund from a cruise line
• Disability access on cruise ships is enforced by the Justice Department under ADA Title III. DOJ takes complaints at civilrights.justice.gov/report or on the ADA Information Line (800-514-0301, TTY 1-833-610-1264), and says it cannot investigate every complaint. ADA.gov: File a complaint

Your leverage

• Nonperformance means a voyage cancelled or delayed by three or more calendar days when you choose not to sail on the delayed voyage or on a substitute the line offers. The rules cover ships with berths for 50 or more passengers that embark passengers at U.S. ports. 46 CFR 540.2
• For nonperformance, first make a written refund request under the line's claims procedure. If it is not resolved within 180 days (or the line's shorter period), or the line denies it, you may claim against the line's financial instrument. Contact pvo@fmc.gov for the claim process. 46 CFR 540.9, FMC: Cruise passenger assistance
• Cruise lines must keep nonperformance coverage on file with the FMC; the FMC says the required amount is "currently capped at $32 million". The coverage reimburses passengers when a line fails to complete booked cruises, for example after bankruptcy, and has taken no further action to refund them. FMC: Passenger vessel operators, FMC: Bureau of Certification and Licensing
• A cruise line between U.S. ports, or between a U.S. and a foreign port, may not give you less than 6 months to give notice of a personal injury or death claim, or less than 1 year to sue. Contractual notice periods are tolled for minors, mental incompetents and wrongful death claims. 46 U.S.C. 30526
• The Supreme Court held in Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line (June 6, 2005) that ADA Title III generally applies to foreign-flag cruise ships in U.S. waters, but does not require structural changes that conflict with international legal obligations. Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line, syllabus
• In a July 23, 2015 ADA settlement covering Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line (62 ships), Carnival Corporation agreed to make 3% of cabins on each ship accessible, paid a $55,000 civil penalty and $350,000 in damages. DOJ fact sheet (archive.ada.gov)
• Card dispute: a charge for services not delivered as agreed is a billing error under the Fair Credit Billing Act if the card issuer receives your written notice within 60 days after the first statement that shows it (rule fcba-billing-error). 12 CFR 1026.13
• If a travel agent sold the cruise, the FMC does not regulate it. In California, sellers of travel must register with the Attorney General, which takes complaints online, by phone at (213) 269-6564 or at sellers.travel@doj.ca.gov. California AG: Seller of Travel

Traps

• The FMC rule lets you and the cruise line agree to another form of compensation, such as a future cruise credit, in place of a refund. Read the credit's terms before you accept it instead of the refund. 46 CFR 540.9
• A delay of less than three days, a changed itinerary or a skipped port is not nonperformance under the FMC rules, and the FMC says it does not regulate itinerary changes. 46 CFR 540.2, FMC: Cruise passenger assistance
• Royal Caribbean issues a future cruise credit automatically when it cancels a cruise or delays embarkation by 3 or more days; you must ask for a refund instead within 6 months of the cancellation date or the scheduled embarkation date, whichever is earlier. Royal Caribbean: cancellation and refund policy
• Ticket contracts let the line change ports, itineraries or ships without compensation, except for mechanical failure or where the law requires it. Carnival Ticket Contract, section 8(d), Royal Caribbean Ticket Contract, section 7
• Notice deadlines for non-injury claims are short and differ by line: Carnival wants written particulars within 30 days after you leave the ship and a suit within six months; Princess wants written notice within 15 days of the end of the cruise and a suit within 1 year. Carnival Ticket Contract, section 14, Princess Passage Contract, section 17
• Contracts send disputes to Florida and to arbitration, and waive class actions. Carnival sends non-injury claims under $8,000 to small claims court in Miami-Dade County and larger ones to binding arbitration; injury claims go to federal court in Miami. Royal Caribbean requires AAA arbitration for claims other than injury, illness or death, started within one year. Carnival Ticket Contract, sections 14 and 15, Royal Caribbean Ticket Contract
• Royal Caribbean's contract limits its liability for anything other than injury, illness or death to a future cruise credit not exceeding the fare paid. Royal Caribbean Ticket Contract, section 12
• Cancellation charges climb to 100% close to sailing: at 14 days or less before departure on Carnival, and at 30 days or less on Royal Caribbean bookings made on or after October 11, 2026. Non-refundable deposits are kept even in the free window. Carnival: cancellation policy, Royal Caribbean Ticket Contract, section 8
• Credits from your own cancellation are limited: a cancelled Carnival Early Saver fare becomes a future cruise credit worth the deposit minus $50 per person, usable within 12 months. Princess says its standard cancellation policy does not grant cruise credit. Carnival: cancellation policy, Princess: standard cancellation policy

Scams to watch for

• The FTC charged operators of a "free cruise" robocall scheme that made millions of illegal calls, spoofed local caller ID and offered two free cruise tickets for a survey, then pushed cruise extensions, upgrades and $59 per person in port taxes and fees. The FTC says to hang up without pressing any numbers and report the call at donotcall.gov. FTC consumer alert, January 10, 2020
• The BBB warns that "free" cruise offers by phone, text, mail or email can carry port charges, taxes, tips and airfare, or require a timeshare or vacation club presentation. It says any trip or prize that requires a wire transfer is suspicious and to hang up on pressure to accept now. BBB tip, updated June 5, 2024
• Robocalls that try to sell you something are illegal unless the company has your written permission; report them to the FTC. FTC consumer alert, January 10, 2020