While most people enjoy the cruise experience free of any incident there are so many elements involved, such as travel, accommodation, food and recreation that there is potential for things to go wrong and for passengers to suffer illness or injury.

Macks Solicitors offers specialist legal advice to passengers who have suffered illness on a cruise or have been injured in an accident on a cruise and are happy to discuss the making of a claim for cruise ship compensation to anyone who has had an accident or illness on a cruise ship.

Modern cruise ships have been designed with safety, as well as comfort and luxury in mind. Despite this, accidents on cruises still happen and when they do it is often the carrier or organiser who is held liable for any injury that occurs as a result.

Accidents on cruises can range from a slip or trip to a catastrophic incident involving the vessel.

Under the Package Travel Regulations 1992, passengers that had an accident on a cruise excursion may make a claim against the company the cruise was booked through.

Many cruise ships now carry as many as 3,000 passengers who, apart from brief visits ashore remain together on the ship throughout the cruise. Any illness on a cruise, caused by bacteria, viruses or other micro organisms, such as norovirus, is passed readily from person to person especially if measures are not taken to prevent its spread.

Once an illness on a cruise has been identified, the ship may not be allowed to enter or leave port and crew and passengers may be confined on board. Confinement of so many people in a relatively small area increases everyone’s risk of catching the illness.

As the carrier or company that booked the cruise is liable for the health and safety of their customers they may be held liable for any claim for compensation arising from illness on a cruise.

Food poisoning is caused by poor hygiene in the kitchen, food that has been incorrectly stored, cooked or reheated. As passengers on cruise ships eat in the same restaurants and consume food and drink that has been prepared, cooked and served by the same people in the same kitchen any incident of food poisoning on a cruise tends to involve a large number of people.

If there is an outbreak of food poisoning on a cruise the carrier or cruise booking company is considered to be responsible and may be pursued for compensation by the victims of food poisoning.

Most cruises that have been purchased in the UK are protected by the Package Travel Regulations 1992 which, amongst other matters, regulates the liability of the holiday company for any illness, food poisoning or accidents on a cruise.

Sometimes the courts allow cruise lines to refer to international conventions, such as the Athens Convention, in order to limit their liability. Cruise ships tend to operate in international waters and therefore may come under the jurisdiction of a number of different countries during the cruise. The Athens Convention sets out regulations covering cruise compensation claims made by passengers.

Anyone who has suffered an illness, food poisoning or accident on a cruise may be entitled to make a cruise compensation claim. Claims arising from illness, food poisoning or accidents on a cruise differ significantly from other types of personal injury claim and therefore require specialist legal advice.

Macks Solicitors is a modern, independent law practice with considerable expertise in cruise compensation claims. If you have had an illness, food poisoning or accident on a cruise you are welcome to discuss the possibility of making a claim with an experienced solicitor at this firm without obligation.

Our Guarantee

Macks operates on a No Win No Fee basis and our skilled solicitors do everything possible to ensure that clients get the maximum amount of compensation available to them.

We guarantee that our clients keep the whole of the compensation they are awarded and that no deductions are made. Fees and costs are always recovered from the third party on conclusion of a successful claim and, in the unlikely event the claim is not successful, they are written off.

All of the staff at Macks Solicitors are committed to providing a quality caring service to clients and a stress-free path to compensation.