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

Currently, there are only two ships in Virgin’s fleet but there are more on order currently being constructed at the Fincantieri shipbuilding company that is based in Trieste, Italy.  Fincantieri is currently the largest shipbuilder in Europe and builds both commercial cruise ships and military vessels. In addition to building new ships for Virgin, Fincantieri is building ships for MSCNorwegianPrincessHolland America, and many others.

Virgin Voyages Fleet: 

  • Valiant Lady: Built: 2020, Passengers: 2,700, 
  • Scarlet Lady: Built: 2019, Passengers: 2,770
  • Resilient Lady: Est. 2023, Passengers: 2700
  • Brilliant Lady: Est. 2023, Passengers: 2700

If you or a loved one has been injured on a Virgin Voyages Cruise Ship, anywhere in the world, or while on an excursion purchased through the cruise line- in some port or terminal, we strongly recommend that you consult immediately with an experienced Miami maritime lawyer who is familiar with the law surrounding maritime cruise ship injury litigation.

Cruise cases against Virgin start with understanding how and why the accident happened. Not all accidents on board a Virgin cruise ship are necessarily the cruise line’s fault or even a case. Understanding maritime law and liability theories is integral to successfully winning your cruise ship claim. 

Additionally, understanding the injury is equally important. Since a claimant in a cruise ship accident case also has to prove what the injury is and that it was caused to some degree by the accident. In other words, assuming one can prove that a fall is due to the cruise line’s failure to maintain a wet and slippery deck or to warn of a steep gangway or threshold- the claimant still has to prove that that fall caused the injury.  All of these elements of a case require expert witnesses and consultants that can evaluate the facts. Often our maritime lawyers will have to board the ship- with our client, and engineers to understand how and why a particular accident occurred. 

Due to the complexity and cost of suing a cruise line like Virgin, the sooner our firm can begin its investigation the more likely we can succeed in helping our clients recover money for their pain and suffering, medical bills, time off of work, loss of enjoyment of the cruise and travel expenses. 

We are pleased to offer a free initial consultation to anyone that has been involved in an accident while on a Virgin cruise- by Zoom, FaceTime, or Skype.  Simply call us today, and a maritime injury attorney will speak with you at no charge.  If we take your case, we do not get paid unless we win.  

We have nearly 5O years of combined experience holding major cruise lines accountable when they put their profits over passenger safety. 

We are passionate about helping the injured. Call us today, we are ready to help. 

Miami-based Aronfeld Trial Lawyers was established by Board Certified Trial Lawyer, Spencer Aronfeld in 1991. The firm represents cases resulting in serious injuries in the areas of Defective Product Liability, Maritime Law, Automobile AccidentsPremises LiabilityCycling AccidentsSlip and Fall IncidentsWrongful DeathMedical and Dental Malpractice, Civil Rights Claims, Workplace InjuriesSexual Assault, and others. Every client receives the full benefit of our experience, our resources, and our commitment. The practice of personal injury law is our calling. We are a firm of high-profile, nationally recognized legal advocates who work for you, our client, never big business. All attorneys and staff members at the firm are bilingual speaking Spanish. To learn more, visit https://www.aronfeld.com/ or contact Aronfeld Trial Lawyers directly at (305) 441-0440.