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Unsafe On The High Seas is available now at Amazon.com. I had the opportunity to read the book recently, and found it to be the most beneficial information for the cruising public, outside of Cruise Bruise.
Maritime attorney and author Charles Lipcon, outlines a checklist of safe at sea passenger practices, and goes beyond to bring public attention to cases not readily available anywhere else, including on Cruise Bruise.
He gives good, sound legal advice, and explains the rights passengers have as well as the rights the industry has, when it comes to U.S. law.
Lipcon goes behind the cruise industry scene as well, to outline sweetheart deals the industry has made with U.S. government that many citizens might not be aware of which include secret meetings to protect their tax-free status in the U.S. while the government awarded one cruise line a government contract that rented cabins at twice the posted rate on travel sites, without putting the contract up for bids.
He touches on the hot topic of passenger travel documents and the changing date of passport deadlines that have come, gone, and been changed at the urging of the cruise industry. You will learn just how influential the industry is, and why passengers rights are not an important issue with legislators.
Other issues covered include the industry ticket language that protects the cruise lines from their own pricing errors, even after you have booked and paid for a cruise, you can be subject to additional fees to cover their own pricing errors. In one major case, this additional amount was over $500 per person, according to Lipcon‘s book. This is an area of the book, you will definitely want to pay close attention to.
The one case that touched me the most was the case Lipcon presents of a cruiser dumped in a foreign land half way around the world from his home, where English was not spoken, because the ship’s doctor incorrectly thought he had a contagious disease. He had travel insurance, but in did not cover this particular problem. The details of that case are shocking and because the case is similar to thousands of other cases each year, you really need to be informed about how this all went terribly wrong.
Some important areas of the book cover the provisions of that all-inclusive voyage, that is anything but all-inclusive. What is covered and not covered is outlined on the pages of this book and it is a long list.
But, more importantly, Lipcon outlines for the passenger how the cruise line will charge passengers for things not included in the all-inclusive cruise, such as beverages, even when the passenger never used nor received the item and how the cruise line gets away with it.
One really surprising note in the book is on the topic of disabled passengers. You would think that a disabled passenger who had made special arrangements to accommodate his disability when he booked his ticket, could at least count on those accommodations when he arrived on the ship. Not so says Lipcon, who outlines a sad case of bait of switch.
With all the sexual assaults we are hearing about, many within the passenger cabin, Lipcon gives the one piece of advice that will protect a woman from an intruder in any cabin on any ship. You won’t want to miss that important piece of advice found on page 63.
Real cases are sprinkled throughout the book, including a case of a famous athlete who was severely injured including a fractured spine and a stroke from the head injury when the ship’s tender took off as he was still exiting the boat. The athlete later died and never saw justice. This case tragically depicts how negligent the cruise line can be, and how seriously that negligence can affect the passenger. That case is on page 89.
While I could on and on about the many great benefits of reading this book, it would take another book to do it. Simply put, the book is a tremendous insider’s look at the industry, and is a must read.
The book is on sale now at Amazon.com – click here
