Cruise Line Lawsuits and Cruise Ship Injury Claims By Miami Cruise Injury Attorney Alex Perkins, Esq.

I have been a personal injury lawyer for twenty-five years. My law firm, Perkins Law Offices, focuses on cruise ship injuries. It’s what we do. We are based in Miami, Florida where most of the major cruise lines are headquartered and where the busiest cruise terminal, PortMiami, is located. When I tell people I am a cruise ship injury lawyer, people raise their eyebrows in surprise and ask “are there really that many injuries on cruise ships to support being a cruise ship injury lawyer?

What if I told you that 37 million people are projected to take a cruise in 2025? There has never been more people taking cruise vacations than at this time in history. Since the pandemic lifted, year after year more passengers take to the seas, and more and more ships are ordered, built and put into service. The cruise business is booming. Newer ships are gigantic. Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas each hold over 7500 passengers and over 2300 crew. With record numbers of cruise passengers, unfortunately comes more injuries. Its inevitable.

• 2023: Approximately 31.7 million ocean cruise passengers worldwide, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
  Source: Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), cited in Statista, April 11, 2024.

• 2024: Approximately 35.7 million passengers globally, reflecting continued growth.
  Source: CLIA, cited in Expedia Cruises, July 2, 2024.

• 2025 (Expected): Projected to hit 37.1 million passengers, a 4.9% increase over 2024 and 125% of 2019 levels.

If you or a loved one have suffered an injury aboard a cruise ship, you’re not alone. Thousands of passengers experience serious accidents at sea, on excursions or on private islands owned or leased to cruise lines—many of which could have been prevented by the simple exercise of reasonable care by the cruise line and its crew. I have seen all kinds of strange and unexpected incidents that have led to serious injuries and deaths aboard cruise voyages. The most common accident is a slip and fall on a wet floor or deck leading to a broken leg, ankle or hip. However, other terrible things occur on these floating cities as you would expect when you pack thousands of people in a confined space doing all kinds of activities in unfamiliar settings on a moving ship.

Having worked on cruise ship accident cases representing injured cruise passengers for over 2o years, I understand how the cruise industry operates, the pitfalls of the application and intersection of maritime law with international nature of cruises, and the physical and emotional toll these injuries can take on a person.

In many instances my clients are repeat cruisers who love taking vacations on cruise ships. They are reluctant to take legal action against their cherished cruise line which gave them so many fond memories. But a common thread is that once a passenger gets injured, there is a paradigm shift.

Suddenly, staff from guest services and security aren’t so receptive and friendly when they go into risk management mode. My clients often say they feel like they become the accused in a criminal investigation once they report an injury. Security gets involved and takes statements. They may ask for a breathalyzer test or blood test to get blood alcohol level. They will take pictures of your shoes. The incident report form will even have a question that says “who do you blame for the incident?” and the only two boxes you get choose from are “yourself” or “other”. Injured passengers are sometimes asked or forced to leave the ship in foreign ports and not allowed back on the cruise. Passengers often feel abandoned upon disembarking with no wheelchair or transportation to the hospital or hotel. It’s understandable the cruise line wants to mitigate risk and liability but its often not executed delicately by crew. This is when a passenger injured on a cruise decide to call me after googling something like “Best Cruise ship Injury Lawyer”or “Cruise Ship Accident Attorney near me” or “Miami Cruise lawyer”. I even get angry inured clients calling me from the ship, ready to take legal action.

As I write this article, I received an email from a woman from the UK currently on a cruise somewhere in the Caribbean near St. Thomas. Her child got their finger crushed in automatic opening and closing bathroom door causing a fractured finger. She reported that she was not inclined to take any legal action until how poorly she was treated by security who couldn’t care less about fixing the malfunctioning safety sensor on the door. Instead the “bedside manner” of the security officer was accusatory, blaming a 9-year-old for having their hand near the malfunctioning door that closed automatically without reopening when it came in contact with the child. This mom would not have reached out to me had the crew been kind and proactive as my this mom was genuinely concerned for others who also may get hurt.

So, whether you’re dealing with a slip and fall accident, medical negligence, or even a wrongful death at sea, my experienced legal team of cruise ship lawyers and staff is here to fight for your rights and get the settlement and money compensation you are entitled to under the law. My firm is your pole star in rough seas if you have serious injury during a cruise. Bookmark this article as this website is your resource about Cruise Line Lawsuits and Cruise Ship Injury Claims Brought By A Miami Cruise Injury Attorney.

Cruise Line Injury Claims Require A Special Type Of Lawyer

Not all personal injury lawyers are cruise ship injury lawyers. While the types of injuries to the body may be the same, the way the cases are litigated and the law and procedure that applies to cruise injury cases is not standard.

Cruise Line Lawsuits are governed by a unique mix of maritime law, contract law, personal injury law, and at times international treaties and jurisdictions. Every cruise voyage and cruise line can create different factual and legal scenarios that necessitates experienced cruise counsel. The law that governs a Royal Caribbean ship in port does not apply to a Norwegian Cruise line ship that may be in international waters.

These variations based on location of incidents, nationality of passengers, and domicile of the cruise line can influence what laws apply and the value of you injury or death case. That makes them far more complicated than your average personal injury case on land stateside. Your cruise lawyer must know these nuances that can make or break a case. That’s why having a dedicated cruise ship injury lawyer—like the experienced maritime injury lawyers at Perkins Law Offices—is critical in ensuring you taking the correct steps to secure yourself justice. Do not gamble with your life. You only get one shot at legal action. If you have an injury on a cruise due to the crew or cruise line’s carelessness or intentional acts, you have a cruise lawyer right here waiting for your call. It’s what we do.

Examples Of Types Cruise Ship Incidents

Injuries on a cruise can happen anywhere and anytime: slipping on a wet deck, tripping on poorly maintained stairs, suffering from severe food poisoning or outbreaks, tender boat accidents, gangway falls, excursions injuries, ceiling collapses, rough seas, malfunctions of automatic sliding doors, or even experiencing a physical or sexual assault. When these injuries occur due to a cruise line’s negligence, passengers have the right to seek legal recourse in the form of money damages. But cruise ship injury claims are not always straightforward. Accidents at sea aren’t all just freak mishaps. Many are the direct result of negligence, carelessness, poor safety protocols, inadequate security, overcrowding, or improper crew training and supervision. Some of the most frequent types of cruise ship accident cases we handle include:

Slip and Fall Accidents

These are the most common injuries aboard cruise ships. Wet lido decks, steep gangways, worn out anti skid tape on steps, slippery painted metal decks, loose carpets, spilled drinks, and unmarked hazards make slips and falls a real threat. Broken ankles, broken hips, broken writs, broken legs, broken feet, and broken kneecaps seem to be the bones that break during slip and falls and trip and falls. If your accident was preventable or the dangerous conditions were created by the cruise line, you may have grounds for a Cruise Ship Slip and Fall Lawsuit.

Medical Negligence

Many ships have onboard medical staff, but not all are properly trained or licensed in the US. Equipment is not typically state of the art and the hours of the ships medical center is not even 24 hours. We’ve seen cases where a medical staff have made poor decisions and wrong diagnosis worsening injures, and causing deaths or unnecessary life-threatening conditions. Delayed or inadequate treatment or failing to transfer or evacuate passengers timely may also be actionable rising to the level of a Cruise ship medical malpractice claim against the cruise line.

Sexual Assault and Battery by Crew or Guests

Unfortunately, physical or sexual assaults can and do occur on cruises. Statistics are now being kept by the FBI since the advent of the CVSSA in 2010 which requires cruise lines to self report certain crimes including sexual assaults. Over 100 sexual assaults are reported each year which under represents the actual amount. Cruise Line’s can be held strictly liable for their crew member who rapes or sexually assaults a a passenger. We handle these sensitive cases discretely and file suits if need be under a pseudonym due to their traumatic nature.

Wrongful Death at Sea

Losing a loved one is always devastating. It can be even more traumatic if it happens stuck out at at or in a foreign country. Whether due to drowning, medical failure, or another preventable event, survivors can file Cruise Ship Wrongful Death Lawsuits to seek justice. Special laws like DOHSA may apply that can affect recoverable damages.

Gangway Accidents

Gangways and ramps are frequent danger spots for cruise passengers. Transferring to tenders or to piers involves gangways of different shapes and lengths. Many are metal that are slippery when wet, especially if the metal is painted. Higher tides can make for steep a pitch that older folks may not be able to handle. Rough seas and winds can make them unstable and to move about. Removable handrails can become loose and anti skid tape gets worn out. Some the worst broken legs and ankles occur from Gangway Accidents

Excursion Accidents

The cruise line offers excursions through third party contractors and sometimes directly. Activities and tours can go wrong. Tour operators may be negligently selected by the cruise line and the tour operator employees can be careless. It is possible in certain scenarios to hold the cruiser line accountable for accidents on third party excisions despite disclaimers. We have seen injuries on tenders to islands, snorkeling and scuba trips, volcano visits, hiking, zip lining, birdwatching, parasailing, etc. We have strategies to tie in the cruise line if they are involved in arranging the tour even when jurisdictional issues arise against the

Automatic Door Malfunctions

There are all sorts of automatic doors on the cruise ships. Automatic entry doors, elevator doors and even bathroom doors are automated. Many of the newer ships have common area bathrooms that have doors that slide or swing open automatically like Star Trek. Unfortunately, the sensors on automatic doors need to be inspected and maintained to ensure they open and close safely. Doors can shut too hard or too fast knocking people over. For example, we had a case where automatic sliders malfunctioned and closed on our elderly client, knocking her over and breaking her hip. We also have had cases where automated bathroom doors closed on children’s’ hands because the safety sensors malfunctioned breaking fingers and hands.

Trip and Falls

Flooring surfaces that are not level, uneven stairs, thresholds that are not flush, and chairs, loungers and luggage in walk ways are a few examples of trip and fall cases on cruise ships. Trip and falls are no laughing matter and can result in serious injuries and even death.

Shipboard Activities and Games

The cruise line often sets up entertainment and competitions for its guests, from musical chairs to couples competitions. We have seen injuries happen during cruise arranged challenges like dance offs, capture-the-flag and obstacle courses. Ships offer high risk activities onboard like the FlowRider, zip lining, rock walls and roller coasters that can lead to accidents. Entertainment for children at the Kids Club and Splash Zone also can lead to injury due to lack of supervision.

What Law Applies To Cruises In International Waters?

Maritime Law and Jurisdiction

Cruise ship voyages take place all over the world with people from many different countries. Cruise ships are flagged under several countries and headquartered in others. Cruise accidents happen in both international waters and within territorial waters of countries and states. All of these variables may subject passengers to different personal injury laws. There is no one, uniform code of laws that always applies. Cruise ship injury cases can follow one set of rules and laws for a death case that happens in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean versus a slip and fall that happens while in port at Catalina island in California.

Many nuanced factors determine the jurisdiction of the case and the law that may be applied. However, the good news is that there is consistency for cruises that touch a US port during the voyage. They’re mostly governed by general maritime law, which is derived from centuries old common laws and federal code. Cruise lines include contractual terms on your ticket. These terms and conditions are enforceable no matter whether you read them or not. The ticket not only terms impose tight deadlines and limit where and how you can file a claimThis is why it is important to hire a good cruise ship injury attorney who has the kno

For example, most major cruise lines specify that lawsuits must be filed in Miami, Florida, regardless of where the ship sailed from. More specifically the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. This applies to the folling cruise lines:

1. Carnival Cruise Line
2. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd
3. Celebrity Cruises
4. Norwegian Cruise Line
5. Oceania Cruises
6. Regent Seven Seas Cruises
7. Crystal Cruise
8. MSC Cruises
9. Costa Cruises
10. Virgin Voyage

• Royal Caribbean injury lawsuit: What you need to know
• Carnival Cruise injury lawsuit: How to file
• Norwegian Cruise Line lawsuit: Passenger rights & options
• Disney Cruise Line legal claims: What to expect
• MSC Cruises passenger injury claims
• Knowing where and when to file is crucial. Failure to act within the statute of limitations—usually just ONE YEAR—can permanently bar your claim.

What to Do After a Cruise Ship Accident

Your actions immediately after an injury can make or break your case. Here’s what we recommend:

1. Report the Incident

Always notify ship staff or security as soon as possible. Ask for a copy of the incident report. They do not have to give you a copy of the incident report or any CCTV footage but you can always try. You are entitled to a copy of your own statement and medical records though. Be sure to get a copy or take pictures of the papers if they won’t give you a copy.

2. Seek Medical Attention

Even if the injury feels minor, get evaluated by onboard medical staff. This is essentially another way to report the incident as well and to document something did indeed occur on the ship. Your medical records will serve as vital evidence later. Staff will question you with a view toward blaming you and may take blood or breathalyzer test to help show alcohol may have been involved. Be careful what you say to medical staff. Not only are they not usually foreign trained and not licensed US medical providers, they are also conducting risk management to mitigate blame against the cruise line to help reduce exposure to personal injury claims.

3. Photograph and Document Everything

Take pictures and video of the accident scene from all angles especially the dangerous condition. Also if any repairs or changes are made to the scene like wet floor sign are put out or anti skid tape is added. Get contact info from witnesses. Save emails or communications from the cruise line.

4. Don’t Sign Anything

Cruise lines may ask you to sign waivers or accept onboard credit as “compensation.” Don’t sign or agree to anything before speaking with an attorney.

Hiring a Cruise Ship Injury Lawyer

• Due to the complexity and time sensitivity of Cruise Ship Accident Lawsuits, hiring the right legal representation is essential. You need a seasoned cruise ship attorney licensed in Florida and the federal courts rather than just any personal injury lawyer in your home state or country. The best personal injury lawyer in Miami to hire is one who practices cruise ship injury law. A cruise ship attorney will have the requisite know-how to properly evaluate and file a cruise ship claim to maximize the potential recovery. At Perkins Law Offices, we have:
• Decades of maritime law experience
• Large settlements and recoveries against major cruise lines
• Resources to investigate and build strong cases
• We handle everything from filing your claim, gathering evidence, negotiating settlements, to trial representation—if needed.

Evidence Needed for Cruise Ship Injury Lawsuits

Just because you got hurt on a cruise does not mean the cruise line is responsible and must pay you money. Cruise lines do not have to guarantee your safety but do have to operate the cruise in a reasonable manner with due care. This is a legal standard that the injured passenger must be able to show was not met by the cruise line. To meet the elements of a negligence we must plead and prove that:

1. The cruise line owed you a duty of care.
2. That duty was breached.
3. The breach caused your injury.
4. The injury resulted in damages (medical bills, lost wages, emotional distress)

The cruise line owes a duty of reasonable care to passengers to get them to their destination safely. Violation of that duty can come in many forms on a cruise. Careless operation and maintenance of the ship can result in dangers conditions. Cruise lines are legally responsible if they create unreasonable dangers for passengers, like selecting flooring material that is not appropriate for outside use or placing floor mats of gangways causing tripping hazards. The courts do not set forth the this duty of care extends to all circumstances that occur during a cruise. Not all people agree on what rises to the level of negligence and whether the cruise line necessarily had the ability to prevent the incident with the exercise of due care.

Notice of the dangerous is a big issue in most negligence cases. The cruise line will only e liable if it knew or should have known of the dangerous condition that causes the accident and injury. For example, in a slip and fall on a spilled plate of food near a buffet, the injured passenger has the burden to show the food was on the floor for a sufficient enough of time that the cruise line employees should have noticed it and cleaned it up. There is no exact time frame for this but a few minutes may not be enough. There needs to have been an unreasonable amount of time the cruise line let pass to establish that the crew should have inspected and taken care of the spill. This notice can be difficult to prove for a passenger. If another passenger had just dropped the plate a minute before the slip and fall, it would not be fair to hold the cruise line liable if no crew member saw it happen. That’s not to say we don’t argue that in certain settings spills or there dangers are foreseeable, therefore a crew member should always be nearby and watching. We make this argument in gangway cases when no crew members are near by assisting passengers step on or off the gangway. Maybe the cruise should have extra cleaning staff in buffet areas as it is foreseeable food may be spilled. So how do establish notice and other elements of proof?

We build your case using:

• Surveillance footage or CCTV (when available)- Cruise lines rarely give this up voluntarily without a court order or at least suit being filed. Videos of the incident helps corroborate your clients story of what happened. Sometimes it can hurt to of the passenger doesn’t recall the indent well or intentionally fabricated. Obtaining footage from both before and after the incident can be huge in proving notice of the dangerous condition and that the condition indeed existed.
• Eyewitness statements– Independent witnesses to an incident are strong evidence. That is why it is important to get names and contact information of other passengers who may have seen first hand what happened as well as the dangerous condition. Family and friends are good, but strangers carry the most weight if they support your story.
• Maintenance logs– In cases involving allegations of failure to inspect and maintain, there may records that the crew are supposed to keep showing they did their job in accordance with cruise line policies and procedures or manufacturer guidelines of other standards.
• Safety violation records- Cruise lines must comply with certain standards even though they are not necessarily subject to all the same laws as the states.
• Discovery- The benefit of filing suit is the power of subpoenas, depositions and the required exchanged of information in the form of Interrogatories and Requests for Production.
• Experts- We retain engineers, doctors, life care planners, economists to support liability and damages.
• Private Investigators
• Legal research and online sources

Settlements vs. Trial in Cruise Ship Cases

While many cases settle before reaching court, we prepare every case as if it’s going to trial. This gives us leverage in negotiations in that the defense lawyers for the cruise line know we mean business. We will see your case all the way through to the end if necessary. The truth is that we try to properly evaluate the case before we take it on and we reassess periodically as new information comes in. This gives us a goo idea of how much money we should demand as a staring point understanding that everything is a negotiation. The truth is that it is in the best interest of injured passengers to be realistic with evaluations and to attempt to achieve a compromise rather than getting in years of litigation and risking getting nothing due to the uncertainty and unreliability of jury trials and judge. Trials are a risk for both sides because you never know what can happened at trial. All it takes is one bad juror or for an important witness not be able to testify that can sink your cruise ship case. Most cases do settle through reasonable settlement negations often between the lawyers or at mediation.

• Settlements offer faster resolution and less stress.
• Trials can sometimes yield higher compensation but take longer and are unpredictable.

We help clients weigh the pros and cons to determine the best path forward. 99% of cases settle. Trials typically only need to happen when the parties are to far apart in negotiations and see the value of the case very differently. The injury case may be so valuable there is just no way for the cruise line to be able to agree on such a large number or the converse, the liability is difficult but medical bills are so high that the Plaintiff cannot settle and must knock it out of the park to get enough to cover the damages. Alex Perkins, Esq. will always tell his client how it is and will not sugar coat the realities and the best path forward. After all, our firm is your partner in the case and we only get paid if we get make a recovery on your behalf.

• Real Case Example: Carnival Cruise Slip and Fall
• One of our clients, a middle aged woman from Indiana, slipped on a set of metal stairs on the pool deck several breaking her leg in two places. She had to be medically evacuated off the ship. The liability was that the stairs were painted white and were poorly maintained as the black sand paper-like anti-skid stop was all worn out. Her husband luckily took photos of the condition– and by luck later in the day he saw the crew close of the area and put new anti-skid tape on the stairs. Carnival’s legal team initially denied responsibility and fought hard for several months until mediation. But after gathering evidence—including a policies and procedures for maintaining stairs and replacing anti-skid tape—we secured a six-figure settlement.
• This is just one example of how Cruise Line Lawsuits can lead to justice and fair compensation.

⚖️ Legal Rights & Basics