Thousands of travelers take advantage of cruise ships each year, enabling them to experience the open waters, enjoy sheet luxury and explore foreign countries and ports. Many save for years to enjoy this unique and special experience, sailing off into the sunset for their wedding anniversary, birthday or as a retirement gift to themselves.
As with any form of travel, there are certain factors you need to be aware of, ensuring you take the steps needed to protect yourself in the event of an injury or accident which can leave you unable to work, paying a fortune in medical expenses and losing your income.
The first thing you need to pay very close attention to is your ticket. When your ticket arrives it may look daunting, often pages in length. Go through your ticket with a fine tooth comb, read it front and back to ensure you are completely aware of what is entailed in the event of an accident. Remember not all cruise ships come from your country, which means that many of the ships operate under a different cruise law.
Another important factor to take into consideration is the medical assistance you can find on board. If you suffer from an illness or disease, it is imperative that you identify the quality of medical assistance you can find on board. Most cruise ships provide a medical doctor and nurse, though they are only suitable for minor injuries, mainly dealing with sea sickness. One of the most common things these medical professionals deal with is passengers forgetting their prescription medications at home.
Crime is possible on board. Don't be under the false idea that any crime stays on shore. The fact is that crime can occur anywhere whether it's robbery or assault. Even on board take care of your personal belongings, lock cash away in the cabin safe and ensure you take steps to ensure your own security at all times.
Something to bear in mind is that while cruise ships do take steps to ensure the safety and security of their passengers, in the event of an injury on board, the ship is going to try and protect themselves. This means if you injure yourself you need to take photographs, get witnesses contact information and ensure the injury is logged in the ships accident log. As soon as you have your feet back on home soil, all cruise ship passengers who have been injured need to seek the assistance of a specialist maritime attorney who can help them manage their claim against the cruise company.
Ensure you find a cruise ship attorney as soon as possible. As you will note from your ticket, each cruise ship company has a different rule on how claims are processed, this means that based on the company you can make your claim anywhere from six to twelve months.
In addition to this, it's always advisable to have good quality travel insurance when traveling by sea. In the event of illness or a serious injury, the doctor on board has the right to turn the ship to the nearest port to ensure you get the medical attention you need. If this port is off home soil, then having travel insurance can be a blessing, paying for all hospital and medical costs, ensuring you aren't out of pocket when you return home.
Remember that when traveling with children, you consider all the dangers of being a cruise ship passenger. Ensure the ship caters for children offering entertainment and things to do to keep the children busy and help the whole family have an enjoyable vacation experience to remember for years to come.
Crew Advocacy is a personal injury and commercial litigation law specialist with over twenty year's industry experience. This law firm offers their services in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade country. They are a team of bilingual professionals ranging from lawyers to support staff who handle a high volume of maritime claims ranging from wage disputes to personal injury claims and harassment cases to wrongful death, medical malpractice and more. Crew Advocacy offers a professional service working to a fast resolution. They ensure their clients understand the process, offering a wealth of information and a high level of service. To find out more, visit http://www.crewadvocacy.com.
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