If you were injured on a cruise ship, a nationwide maritime lawyer at Your Insurance Attorney will review your claim for free. It does not matter which state you live in or which port you sailed from. Cruise injury claims are governed by federal maritime law and by your ticket contract, and that contract usually decides where you must file and how fast you must act.
Many major cruise lines require passengers to sue in federal court in Miami, often within one year of the injury and after written notice within about six months. Our Miami-area office is in Coral Gables, in Miami-Dade County, where that court sits. We also review boat, jet ski and watersports injury claims.
A fall on a pool deck looks like any other slip and fall. Legally it is not. Once the injury happens on a ship in navigable waters, a different set of rules applies, and a claim handled like an ordinary injury case at home can be lost on a technicality.
A nationwide maritime lawyer starts with the ticket contract, because it controls the rest of the case.
A nationwide maritime lawyer at our firm reviews passenger claims against any cruise line, on any itinerary. These are the main case types.
Any injury caused by an unsafe condition or a careless crew member: falls on stairs and gangways, tender boat transfers, heavy doors that close on hands, falling objects, bunk and ladder failures, and injuries in rough seas.
Bus and van crashes, zip line and ATV accidents, and snorkeling, catamaran and jet ski injuries on trips sold through the cruise line. The line may answer for failing to warn of dangers it knew about or for a careless choice of tour operator.
Anaphylaxis and other reactions after you disclosed an allergy and were served the allergen anyway. Claims involve ignored allergy notes, cross-contact in the galley, mislabeled buffet items and slow emergency treatment.
Missed heart attacks, strokes and infections, medication errors and delayed evacuation by the ship's doctor or nurse. Federal courts in Florida allow passengers to hold the cruise line responsible for its medical staff. See our medical malpractice lawyer page.
Assault, groping or abuse by a crew member or another passenger, including assaults on minors in youth programs and cabins. Claims can also rest on poor security, missing cameras and overserving alcohol. Calls are confidential.
Courts applying maritime law in Florida have held cruise lines strictly liable when a crew member rapes or sexually assaults a passenger. A civil claim is separate from any criminal case and does not depend on an arrest.
Wet pool decks, buffet spills, slick bathroom floors, raised thresholds and worn stair edges. The claim usually turns on whether the crew knew or should have known about the hazard. See our slip and fall lawyer page.
Wipeouts on surf simulators cause neck, spine, shoulder and ankle injuries. Claims focus on instruction, supervision and what the cruise line knew from earlier injuries. A federal appeals court refused to enforce a cruise line's FlowRider waiver against an injured passenger.
Drownings and near drownings in ship pools, at private islands and on excursions. Claims involve missing lifeguards or supervision, crowded pools, poor rescue response and delayed medical care. See our wrongful death lawyer page.
Collisions in the run-out, riders sent too close together, riders stuck in enclosed tubes, rough seams, and height or weight limits that were not enforced.
The court is usually picked by the cruise line, not by you. These are the courts named in the published passenger ticket contracts of the major lines for voyages that touch a U.S. port.
Cruise lines: Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas and Virgin Voyages.
Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami. If the federal court lacks jurisdiction, the contracts point to a court in Miami-Dade County.
Cruise lines: MSC Cruises.
Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Fort Lauderdale.
Cruise lines: Disney Cruise Line.
Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division.
Cruise lines: Holland America and Seabourn.
Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle.
Examples: Some lines name a federal court in California. A voyage that never touches a U.S. port may name a court in another country or require arbitration.
What to do: Send us the ticket contract for your sailing.
Cruise lines change these terms, so the contract for your sailing controls. This is why a passenger from Ohio, Texas or New York who is hurt on a Caribbean cruise usually ends up with a case in Florida. A nationwide maritime lawyer handles the claim where the contract sends it, and you do not need to travel to get started.
Cruise deadlines are shorter than the injury deadlines in most states. Count from the day you were hurt, not the day the cruise ended.
Typical ticket deadline to give the cruise line written notice of your claim. Carnival's contract sets it at 185 days.
Typical ticket deadline to file the lawsuit in the court the contract names. Some contracts also set a deadline to serve the suit.
The general maritime deadline for a personal injury claim when no valid contract term shortens it.
Federal law sets the floor. Under 46 U.S.C. § 30526, on voyages that touch a U.S. port a cruise line cannot require notice of an injury claim in less than six months or a lawsuit in less than one year. Most lines set their contracts at or near those minimums. The three year period comes from 46 U.S.C. § 30106.
The same statute has limited exceptions. Missing the notice deadline does not always bar a claim, for example when the cruise line already knew of the injury and was not harmed by the lack of notice. Extra time can apply when the injured passenger is a minor or is legally incompetent, and in wrongful death cases. These exceptions are narrow and fact specific.
Do not plan around an exception. Treat one year from the injury as the outside limit and six months as the notice limit until a lawyer has read your contract.
A cruise line is not automatically responsible for every injury on board. Under general maritime law it owes passengers reasonable care under the circumstances, a standard the U.S. Supreme Court set in Kermarec v. Compagnie Generale Transatlantique in 1959. A claim usually turns on these questions:
Many passengers assume the fine print waives their rights. Under 46 U.S.C. § 30527, on voyages that touch a U.S. port a cruise line cannot use its ticket contract to escape liability for personal injury or death caused by its negligence. The contract can still set the court and the deadlines, which is why those terms matter so much.
Maritime law is not limited to cruise ships. Our firm also reviews injury and wrongful death claims involving private boats, rentals, charters and watersports operators:
When an accident happens on navigable waters, such as the ocean, the Gulf, the Intracoastal Waterway and the rivers and lakes that connect to them, federal maritime law may apply even to a small boat or a jet ski. On landlocked waters, state law usually applies. The answer changes the deadline: three years for most maritime injury claims, and as little as two years under state law, including negligence claims in Florida.
Two more issues come up in these cases. Rental and tour operators rely on signed waivers, and whether a waiver holds depends on the activity, the wording and the law that applies. A vessel owner can also ask a federal court to cap its liability at the value of the vessel under the Limitation of Liability Act, and the owner's deadline to do that runs from written notice of your claim. Have a lawyer handle the first letter.
Depending on the facts, a claim can include:
When a death is caused by negligence more than three nautical miles from the U.S. shore, the federal Death on the High Seas Act usually applies. It generally limits the family's recovery to financial losses, such as lost support and funeral expenses. Where the death occurred changes what can be recovered, so the location needs to be pinned down early.
Your Insurance Attorney is a law firm that represents injured people and policyholders against insurance companies and large corporations. The firm has recovered more than $1 billion for its clients. When you bring a nationwide maritime lawyer from our firm into your claim, this is how it works:
Before you give the cruise line a statement, call Your Insurance Attorney.
Usually one year from the date of the fall. Most ticket contracts also require written notice to the cruise line within about six months. Your home state's injury deadline generally does not apply to a fall at sea.
No. One year is the shortest period federal law allows on voyages that touch a U.S. port, and most lines use it. The general maritime deadline is three years when no valid contract term applies, and some itineraries carry different terms.
The claim is not always lost. Federal law excuses late notice in limited situations, such as when the cruise line already knew about the injury and was not harmed by the delay. Have the contract reviewed right away.
In the court your ticket contract names. For many major lines that is federal court in Miami. Others name Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Seattle or a court in California.
In most cases, yes. Your home state does not decide where a cruise claim is filed. The ticket contract does. Send us your contract and we will tell you where your case belongs and whether we can take it.
Not to start. The review, the paperwork and most of the case can be handled by phone, email and video. Later, the court or the cruise line may require you to appear in person for a deposition, a medical exam, mediation or trial.
Sometimes. It depends on who ran the excursion, what the cruise line knew about the risk, how the trip was sold and what the contract says. Keep the excursion ticket and any marketing material you saw before you booked.
Yes, if the cruise line was negligent. These cases usually rest on proof that you disclosed the allergy and were served the allergen anyway, or that the medical response was slow. Keep your booking notes, the menu and your medical records.
In many cases, yes. Federal courts in Florida allow passengers to hold a cruise line responsible for negligent care by its onboard doctors and nurses. Request your shipboard medical records before you leave the ship.
Get to safety, get medical care and report it. Report the assault to ship security and to the FBI, ask for a medical exam, and keep clothing and messages. Federal law requires cruise ships that call on U.S. ports to carry sexual assault exam supplies and to report these crimes to the FBI. The civil deadlines are the same short ones, so speak with a lawyer early.
Often, yes. Federal law bars a cruise line from waiving liability for its own negligence on voyages that touch a U.S. port, and a federal appeals court applied that rule to a FlowRider waiver. Waivers from independent rental and tour operators are treated differently, so have the document reviewed.
The cruise line can be, if its negligence played a part. Common issues are missing supervision, a slow rescue and delayed medical care. If the death happened more than three nautical miles from the U.S. shore, the Death on the High Seas Act can limit what the family recovers.
It can. Maritime law generally reaches accidents on navigable waters, including many involving small boats, rentals and watersports. On landlocked waters, state law usually applies.
It depends on which law applies. Most maritime injury claims have a three year deadline. State deadlines can be shorter, including two years for negligence claims in Florida. Get the deadline confirmed for your accident.
Nothing up front. The case review is free, and the fee is contingent, so you owe no attorney fee unless there is a recovery. The written fee agreement states the percentage and how case costs are handled.
If you or a family member was hurt on a cruise ship, a boat or a watersports trip, find out where your claim must be filed and how much time is left. The review is free, and there is no fee unless we win.
Court and deadline information is based on published cruise line ticket contracts and 46 U.S.C. §§ 30106, 30526 and 30527 as of November 2026. Cruise lines change contract terms, and the contract for your sailing controls. The firm's attorneys are not licensed in every state. Cases outside the states where they are admitted are handled as court rules allow or with co-counsel. This page is general information, not legal advice. Past results do not guarantee a future outcome.
We truly care about getting the best results for you. Our goal is to help you through powerful representation from start to finish. We work with clients all over the states of Florida, Georgia, Colorado, North Carolina, and Texas.
