Hantavirus, another outbreak has caused the rights of cruise passengers to worry as experts step in

As health concerns increase for those who enjoy sailing, passengers are taking a closer look at what protections they have in place should something go wrong on their ship.

New concerns are rising due to the hantavirus outbreak on board the MV Hondius and a separate norovirus outbreak on the Caribbean Princess last month. However, cruise experts say there are many safeguards in place to protect travelers’ rights.

“The Passenger Bill of Rights is a voluntary set of cruise standards adopted in 2013 that lays out what passengers can expect when things go wrong on a cruise,” Gene Sloan, director of tourism at The Points Guy, told Fox News Digital.

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Sloan said he recommends that passengers look at the bill before sailing.

“It ensures things like access to emergency medical care, refunds for canceled trips and timely communication during disruptions,” he added.

With outbreaks under scrutiny, travelers worry they could be stranded at port, lose thousands of dollars in canceled vacations or face additional costs to find their way home.

The Cruise Lines International Association, the industry’s largest trade group, adopted the Cruise Industry Passengers Bill of Rights in 2013 after several cruise ship disasters — including the Carnival Triumph’s infamous “poop cruise,” in which passengers were stranded for days without working restrooms or reliable power after an engine fire, according to Cruise Critic.

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Under the Passengers Bill of Rights, cruise passengers are promised several basic protections.

One is “the right to a full refund for a trip canceled due to equipment failure, or a partial refund for a trip terminated early due to such failure.”

A group of MV Hondius passengers boarded an emergency bus at Granadilla Port in Tenerife, Canary Islands, recently. (Andres Gutierrez/Anadolu)

Passengers also “have the right to transfer to the ship’s scheduled port of disembarkation or to their hometown when the ship is prematurely terminated due to mechanical failure.”

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“The right of accommodation if disembarkation and overnight stay at an unplanned port is necessary” during emergencies is noted.

Sloan said the safeguards were originally written with mechanical breakdowns in mind, not medical outbreaks.

The Cruise Lines International Association adopted a Bill of Rights in 2013 after a series of high-profile cruise disasters. (Andres Gutierrez/Anadolu)

In that sense, he said, the Bill of Rights of Passengers did not anticipate a situation like the one on Oceanwide’s Hondius.

“A model of what is happening in these [medical]]conditions were shown during the COVID. It was a nightmare for the passengers who were stuck on those ships during the COVID outbreak,” Michael Winkleman, a partner at the Miami-based law firm Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, told Fox News Digital.

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“Passengers have rights, but if you’re stuck on a ship when violence breaks out, your rights often outweigh public health and safety issues,” said Winkelman, whose maritime law firm specializes in ship damage, assault and passenger rights.

‘Be sure’

For many travelers, the worry is immediate: Will they be far from home if the ship is grounded or the trip is abruptly cut short?

“Passengers can rest assured that cruise lines will not leave them stranded in a situation like this,” Sloan said.

The Bill of Rights focuses more on equipment failure – not public health emergencies. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“All the major cruise lines have committed in writing … to repatriate people if a cruise is terminated early due to a mechanical malfunction, and they have traditionally followed this policy when a voyage is terminated early due to a medical issue,” he said.

“They will also refund money for canceled or shortened cruises,” he said.

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Details can vary greatly, Sloan said.

“Some airlines will arrange new flights home while others will help you rebook your existing flights home and usually cover any change costs,” Sloan said.

Still, some maritime lawyers and consumer advocates warn the Passenger Bill of Rights for the travel industry has limitations. The policy is voluntary and focuses primarily on equipment failure, not public health emergencies or mass confinement, Sloan noted.

Fine print

Critics say the protections are not enforced in the same way as federal airline passenger rules.

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In many cases, passengers’ rights are governed by the fine print in travel ticket contracts, which can limit where and when travelers are allowed to file claims, according to Elliott Advocacy, an organization that provides mediation services in disputes between travelers and cruise lines, airlines and hotels.

Critics say protections for cruise passengers are not enforced in the same way as federal airline passenger rules. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group)

“In the real world, if it’s something like hantavirus, and the world pays attention, the cruise lines go ahead, give full refunds, credit for future cruises, include flights home and a big apology,” said Christopher Elliott, based in Spokane, Washington.

“But if no one is looking, it’s very little.”