Going on a cruise? Enjoy yourself. Just don’t let that multi-page cruise ticket ruin your trip. Because if you read what is on that cruise ticket, you may think twice about booking that trip.
If You Cruise, You Agree
Most people don’t understand that a basic rule of contracts is that you don’t have to sign a document to accept the terms of a contract. Your performance, and actions, can signify that you accept the terms of a contract or agreement. And by getting on that cruise, you are signifying that you agree to all the terms and conditions on that cruise ticket.
Where Can You Sue?
One thing that almost every cruise ticket does, is that it limits where you can sue the cruise line. Now, sure, there aren’t any cruises that leave out of Nevada, so you probably figured that if you had to sue, it would have to be in another state.
But how about another country? That’s right — most cruise tickets say that you agree to sue the cruise lines only in foreign countries. These are often countries that aren’t favorable to injury victims — and even if they are, the time, hassle, and difficulty of finding competent representation in some far-off country, will make your cruise injury lawsuit that much more difficult.
Different Time Limitations
How much time do you have to sue a cruise line? Well, don’t worry about looking up the state of wherever the cruise left from, because again, the cruise ticket itself will limit the time you have.
Not only do most cruise tickets limit the amount of time that you have to sue, but they even have a notice period — that is, a period that you have to tell them what happened to you, which is shorter than the actual time that the contract gives you to sue in court.
And if you don’t notify them on time, you may be legally barred from suing, even if you do sue under the contractually stated period.
Third Parties and Vendors
OK, well, maybe you’re willing to accept all of these restrictions and take your chances. At least you can sue anybody else who may injure you on your cruise, if it’s not the actual cruise line, right?
Not so fast. The cruise ticket often expands all of these limitations to cover not just the cruise line, but also, anybody the cruise line works with or through — including the companies that handle the excursions off the trip.
So, for example, if you take a sightseeing tour, a scuba expedition, or an animal adventure of some sort, you’re once again limited in your ability to sue these companies, even though they are often separate companies from the cruise line itself.
You are even limited in your ability to sue cruise doctors if they commit medical malpractice in the course of rendering treatment or aid to you.
Are you a Nevada resident injured on a cruise? Contact the Las Vegas personal injury lawyers at Cameron Law today for a free consultation.
