Cruise Law News : Maritime Lawyer & Attorney : James M. Walker : Walker & O'Neill Law Firm : Admiralty Law, Cruise Ship Accidents & Injuries

A television station in Louisville, Kentucky reported on an interesting story today entitled "Woman Claims Cruise Company Promising Free Cruise Lied, Stole."

Amy Zetina, a hard working mother of three in Kentucky, responded to an ad which offered a "free cruise."

Ms. Zetina was taken for a ride, but it wasn't on a cruise ship. 

It turns out that "Caribbean Cruise Line" offers “free” Caribbean cruise package, with some ads featuring Carmen Electra promoting a "free" cruise.

Ms. Zetina received a packet in the mail telling her that she was the lucky winner of a "free" cruise, including a $1,300 voucher.  She agreed to pay only for port taxes and then gave her credit card number over the telephone.  The cruise company then began sucking money out of her account.

Ms. Zetina did not know that 458 customers had lodged complaints against Caribbean Cruise Line.  Nor did she know about it's "F" rating with the Better Business Bureau.  An investigation by the television station revealed that the company made unauthorized charges against customers' credit cards. 

After Ms. Zetina contacted the television station, she called the Better Business Bureau, the Attorney General's office and the local police.  Only then did she get her money back.

You can find complaints about this company on the Complaints Board and Ripoff Report and throughout the internet. 

Moral of the story?  There are no free cruises in life.  And when someone rips you off, fight back.

Enjoy the official ad of Caribbean Cruise Line with Carmen Electra (in Spanish - Cruceros Gratis!) 

PS:  There have been criticism of marketing scams by "Caribbean Cruise Line" which is not a cruise line at all but a marketing company which also sells time shares in the Bahamas.  We last mentioned this company two weeks ago in a story about an affiliated company, Celebration Cruise Line -  Report of Rape on Bahamas Celebration Cruise Ship.    

Photo Credit:  Celebration Cruise Line website

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The FBI is investigating a passenger rape aboard the MS Bahamas Celebration cruise ship which is operated by Celebration Cruise Line from the Port of Palm Beach.

A blog associated with the Palm Beach Post - Jose Mambiet's Page 2 Live - reports that a 52 year old woman was forced to have sex with a man, another passenger, on a ping-pong table on the ship's deck around 4:00 a.m. Monday.  The ship's nurse treated the passenger and administered a rape kit.

The article quotes the vice president of the cruise line's marketing, Glenn Ryerson, stating that "It's only a crime if the FBI deems it to be one.  At this point its only an alleged rape."  

This is one of the more insensitive press statements I have heard from a cruise line over the years. 

Unfortunately, the FBI's track record of successfully investigating shipboard rapes is dismal.  At a Congressional hearing I attended in 2007, the FBI admitted that its investigations resulted in prosecutions only 7 times out of every 100 sexual assault allegations. And cruise lines often work hard to make certain that no one convicted of a crime on the cruise ships.  Consider reading:

Cruise Ships Are A Perfect Place to Commit A Crime, And Get Away With It!

If You Are A Victim On A Cruise Ship, The Cruise Line Will Treat You Like A Criminal

Marketing VP Ryerson is also quoted stating that this is the first criminal allegation on the Bahamas Celebration "since its Palm Beach launch." 

That's not saying much - because this cruise ship started sailing out of Palm Beach in mid-March.

The cruise line has a Twitter page @CelebrationBS.  It is offering cruises for as little as $199 a day, although there have been consumer complaints.  Read Cruise Critic's article about about what are described as marketing scams by the cruise line or an affiliated wholesale company called "Caribbean" Cruise Line.     

I wonder if the cruise line has any surveillance cameras on the decks or security guards patrolling at night.          

Were you on the cruise or have information about this incident?  Please leave a comment below. 

Credits:     Photo        theBahamasWeekly.com

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