How to File a Claim Against Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

What is it?

Your user agreement with the cruise line will probably contain language that prohibits you from engaging in most lawsuits against the company but the one thing you can do is small claims court. When you file a claim against Royal Caribbean cruise line in small claims court you bring your issue before a local judge and you have a very high chance of getting compensation. Most small claims court though will only give you monetary awards so if property was damaged they won’t give you that property but they will give you the value of that property. They also have court limits on how much you can ask for so not every claim qualifies, so not every case qualifies.

When to try it

If you have a lot of time and energy to put into multiple visits to the courthouse and a lot of online filing and mail, then you can file a claim against Royal Caribbean Cruise line.

What you need to do

Locate your state court website and find out what you need to do for your state and your county specifically. Make sure you follow all of the rules because every court has its own procedure. If you miss a single step it could result in your case being thrown out.

What to expect

If you do what is required in your area and you have a good claim, chances are you will get a decent settlement. More importantly, sometimes the act of starting this process is enough to make Royal Caribbean Cruise Line take notice and give you an offer.

What is it?

The Better Business Bureau and all of its local chapters are private organizations that collect complaints from customers and publish them online and then use those complaints to give companies an overall rating. They also provide companies the opportunity to respond to the complaints on the same public forum.

When to try it

If you see that Royal Caribbean Cruise Line is actively responding to previously submitted complaints, you can submit yours and you’ll have a higher chance of getting a resolution. If they aren’t responding, you can still publish your complaint so that other people can read about it.

What you need to do

Visit the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line page on the Better Business Bureau site and follow the instructions for submitting a complaint.

What to expect

The outcome is really based on whether the company responds to you. Some companies don’t respond for years and then all at once respond to thousands of complaints while others are much more regularly involved with their page.

What is it?

If your claim cannot be submitted in any other way, perhaps it doesn’t qualify for small claims court or you want compensation rather than just the ability to lodge a complaint, the one other option you have is to use arbitration or mediation through the National Arbitration and Mediation company, or NAM.

When to try it

This is an option to try if your case doesn’t qualify for small claims court or you simply don’t have the time for small claims court. It’s usually a faster option and it does have some fees and paperwork in a few meetings but you also have the chance to work with the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line to find a solution or have a third-party render the decision for you.

In fact, simply pursuing arbitration can sometimes be enough to get the companies to offer a settlement because arbitration costs them money just like it costs you money and they might try to avoid that.

What you need to do

First, you need to submit forms to NAM which include:

• Names, addresses, and telephone numbers for each party to the case
• Internal filing numbers for corporate parties,
• Whether mediation or arbitration is selection
• The nature of the claims
• And an agreement that the settlement can’t be publicly adjudicated, the mediator (in mediations) can’t be called as a witness, and the arbitrator’s decision (in arbitration) is legally binding.

Second, you need to send copies to Royal Caribbean Cruise line with 24 hours. This is very similar to the process of serving the company in small claims court.

Third, you need to participate in the required hearings or mediation sessions depending on which option you chose.There are very specific rules for both but NAM shares their rules and procedures quite well here, or you can contact NAM at 800-358-2550.

What to expect

For either mediation or arbitration, there are hearings scheduled by NAM, and whatever decision is reached at the end, be it through mutual mediation or the ruling of an arbitrator, becomes binding.

If for some reason, Royal Caribbean cruise doesn’t participate or fails to do something they are supposed to, the arbitrator or mediator can render a judgment and give you a favorable settlement right then and there.