Legal Aspects of Cruises

Book excerpt: This book presents a comparative study on various issues regarding legal aspects of cruises – mainly, the importance of the cruise business, the impact of cruise tourism, general and specific rules applicable to cruises, liability issues, cruise passengers as consumers, package travel, labor rules for cruise workers, relevant rules on ports (e.g. on taxes, costs and rates charged to cruises in different ports), rules on the environmental impact of cruises, jurisdiction, arbitration, and choice of law in cruise contracts, and general conditions used by companies offering cruise services – in order to identify the current sources of law on these matters and determine whether or not they are appropriate and sufficient. Combining a general report with individual national reports, the book offers not only a general overview, but also the perspectives of selected jurisdictions in the Americas, Europe and Asia, namely: Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Japan, Poland, Romania, Spain, Turkey, the United States, and Uruguay.