What do Carnival Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Costa, Princess, Disney Cruise Lines and all other cruise lines have in common? They all make you enter into a binding contract before you embark on your (hopefully) relaxing, injury-free vacation. You may be surprised to know, however, that by signing the Ticket Contract, or clicking “Accept” at the end of your online reservation, you are agreeing to some legal rights that affect you, should the carefree vacation take a wrong turn.

Most people go on cruises to enjoy a relaxing vacation.  However, sometimes an accident occurs.  As it would seem, slip and fall accidents are the most common type of accident aboard cruise ships.  The motion of the seas combined with already slippery decks and crowded areas create instances in which slip and falls inevitably occur.

Sovereign immunity originated from the old English maxim, “the King can do no wrong.” The principle of sovereign immunity now means that you can’t sue the government unless it lets you.

Costa Cruise Lines, a subsidiary of Carnival, provides in its ticket contract that any personal injury lawsuit related to a Costa Cruise departing from, returning to or visiting a U.S. Port, must be filed in Broward County, Florida.

According to the Insurance Research Council, it is estimated that approximately 24% of Florida driver’s do not have insurance.
So what happens if you are in a car accident, are injured, and the other driver doesn’t have auto insurance, or has coverage, but the limits are extremely low?