A deadly crash between a boat and the Fisher Island Ferry led to the shutdown of the Port of Miami and left many cruise passengers stranded for hours.
"There was no empathy for the people. And everybody was getting frustrated," Thomas Sindoni, a passenger, told NBC6 Responds.
What was meant to be the finale of an eight-day Caribbean cruise turned into frustration for Sindoni and his family.
They, along with hundreds of other passengers, spent hours waiting to either disembark or board their cruise ships.
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Sindoni shared a video with NBC6 showing how tempers flared inside the ship as passengers waited to disembark.
"…There were arguments, fights, and people pushing and cutting in line," Sindoni said. "I just sat down in the corner because I had my daughter. And it was very frustrating."
Sindoni says he is now reconsidering future cruise vacations.
"It makes me think,” Sindoni said. “I used to love cruises because, you know, it's like a whole experience and they treat you beautifully.”
Cruise lines have their own policies when it comes to unforeseen events and there is no federal government agency that regulates cruise customer service issues.
But The Federal Maritime Commission recommends potential passengers to take certain steps before booking their next cruise trip to be as prepared as possible.
Among them, getting travel insurance.
It will generally cover passenger cancellations for specific reasons, such as illness or various family emergencies. The scope of coverage can vary widely depending on the plan.
You can also look into cruise cancellation waivers. These are not the same as insurance policies, instead they operate on a fee basis, where the cruise line waives the cancellation schedule and refunds the entire fare to the customer under certain circumstances.
And consider booking your cruise using a credit card, which offers more protections than using a debit card or cash, especially during such unforeseen circumstances.
NBC6 reached out to several cruise lines impacted by the crash and asked about their policies in this type of cases:
A spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line told NBC6 Responds: “Throughout the day, we communicated directly with our guests as updated information became available. We embarked our guests last night and they sailed on their cruise.”
MSC Seascape told NBC6 guests onboard:
- Retained access to their cabins (and restrooms) throughout the day all the way up until disembarking the ship
- Public restrooms throughout the ship also remained open
- Nine bars onboard were open and providing access to a full complement of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (including water)
- The buffet was open for breakfast and had its hours extended during that time, was open again from 11:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., and opened again from 7 p.m. onward to ensure guests were fed as disembarkation took place. (The buffet also had water and other beverages available)
- The captain and cruise director made announcements regarding the status of operations in the channel and eventual disembarkation on 15-minute intervals in English, Italian, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
- Pools and Jacuzzis were opened for guests to enjoy
- Movies were shown
- Live music was performed
- The Kids Club was open
- Free Wi-Fi was available throughout the day to ensure guests were able to communicate as needed
And said guests arriving for departure on the following cruise:
- Began receiving regular text messages and robocalls at 8:40 a.m., advising them of the situation at Port of Miami and asking them not to come to the terminal until further notice, which continued throughout the morning and afternoon
- Guests who chose to come early received regular updates in the terminal via announcements made in English, Spanish and Italian
- Guests at the terminal also received a printed letter recommending they go to nearby Bayside Marketplace (as Port of Miami’s terminals are not equipped with food facilities) and letting them know they would each receive a $20 onboard credit for the cruise to offset the cost of eating while waiting for embarkation to commence
