right to travel
Empty buffet and wrong cabin: How to complain about cruise trips correctly
A cruise is not always relaxing. The “Würzburg table” contains court judgments of passengers who have sued shipping companies for defects.
© Till Bartels
Dirty cabins and tips automatically debited: What shortcomings on a cruise entitle you to a reduction in the price of the trip? The magazine “Finanztest” provides useful tips.
In January 2017, the storm “Egon” with wind force ten caused waves seven meters high in the North Sea. Right in the middle was the “Aida Prima”, the flagship of Aida Cruises. Due to the heavy seas, the pool spilled over on deck 15, dishes broke in the restaurant and several people were injured when they fell. Are those affected entitled to a travel price reduction?
“Claims for damages after such incidents are usually excluded. Falls in heavy seas fall into the category of general life risk,” writes the magazine “financial test” . Under the title “This is how the dream trip works”, the editors have dealt with typical complaints about ship trips. Because the cruise industry is booming. Between 2005 and 2015 the number of Germans who booked a sea cruise had already reached 1.8 million customers almost tripled.
Money for lost holiday joy
Passengers have no chance of a refund if they complain about what is considered an inconvenience under travel law. The lawyer Kay Rodegra, who specializes in travel law, is specific: “Cruises include port noise, the smell of diesel on deck, noise when mooring and disembarking, waves during the journey or fellow passengers who misbehave.”
Better cards have guests after his”Würzburg table“, which lists numerous cases when they were assigned an inside cabin instead of the booked balcony cabin. A case is mentioned in which a guest canceled his cruise because of this, sued the shipping company and was right: 80 percent of the travel price was paid to him because of the “lost Holiday joy” awarded.
If the route is changed at short notice and a port is not called, which is the highlight of the cruise, 50 percent of the cruise price can be refunded. However, the discount will not be granted if the ship is unable to call at the announced port due to a storm.
Annoyance automatic tip debit
Another annoyance is the issue of tipping, which is treated very differently by the shipping companies: with some tour operators it is already included in the travel price, with others it is not and in some cases it is automatically debited from the on-board account, also for children traveling with you. Medium three-digit sums can quickly come together. “If tips are only mentioned in the footnotes or the terms and conditions of your booking, you can defend yourself against automatic debiting,” write the testers.
The district court in Rostock had granted a five percent discount to a plaintiff who had complained that the buffet in the self-service restaurant was worse and emptier than he was used to on other cruises.
If defects occur during a cruise, “Finanztest” advises to complain immediately on board. If the deficits are not remedied, they can be documented with photos and witness statements.
But the bottom line is that the trouble on ships is limited. “Around 80 percent of German crusaders are repeat offenders,” concludes Finanztest magazine. “Once you’ve had the ocean air blow your nose, you’ll obviously like to come back.”
The entire test “Cruise: This is how it works with the dream trip”. for a fee www.test.de.
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