Suing Virgin Cruise Lines

Virgin Voyages is one of the newest and most exciting cruise lines on the market. Headquartered in Broward County, Florida near the Port of Miami and Port Everglades, Virgin Voyages is a delightful addition to the cruising industry! The cruise line is owned and operated as a joint venture between Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Bain Capital.

Virgin ships are different in many ways from the typical mega cruise experience that one may encounter aboard a Royal Caribbean or Carnival cruise.

Virgin Voyages is adults only and has abandoned the classic cruise buffets and big dining halls. Instead, Virgin prides itself on its 20+ eateries spread out through the ships. Partnering with Michelin-starred chefs like Brad Farmerie of PUBLIC in NYC and Sohui Kim of The Good Fork and Insa in NYC to create an exclusive and alluring dining experience. Furthermore, essential drinks are also included in the Virgin package such as sparkling water, coffee, and non-pressed juices. Virgin does offer its passengers a $300 prepaid Bar Tab before they get on board. However, our cruise ship passenger lawyers strongly advise not to purchase an “all-you-can-drink” alcohol package as we have investigated hundreds of cases of passengers who have either been intoxicated or simply blamed for being intoxicated at the time of their injury on board a cruise ship.

Lawsuits against Virgin Voyages cruise lines for accidents that happen onboard one of their ships must be filed within one year of the date of the incident according to the latest version of their Ticket Contract- which we think is unconstitutional. 

For instance, buried deep in Paragraph 15.2.1 which is something very few passengers would ever read or understand, it says: “GUEST AGREES TO WAIVE THE RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL.” 

 This means if you or a loved one are injured aboard a Virgin Cruise due to for example a wet and slippery deck, a defectively designed staircase, or trip over an unmarked threshold, you cannot have your claim resolved by a jury. Rather you will have to file your claim in front of a Federal judge and hope that the judge will return a fair verdict for your injuries (assuming you can prove that the accident was Virgin’s fault and not yours). Although Virgin sails around the world, claims against it must be litigated in the United States District Court’s Southern District of Florida, Miami Division.  

In addition, Virgin requires that before a claim can be made for an injury or death, a written notice has to be delivered to Virgin within 6 months of the day of the event. The contract also prohibits certain types of claims against Virgin like Class Actions. 

All claims must be delivered to Virgin Cruises U.S. corporate offices which are located in Broward County, Florida at this address: 

Virgin Cruises Intermediate Limited

1000 S. Pine Island Road, #600

Plantation, Florida 33324

Attn: Legal Department