Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Pennsylvania
Recently I booked a cruise for my wife and I to Alaska. After flying from Philadelphia Pennsylvania to Seattle Washington to board the cruise ship we were denied boarding. The reason was because we had photo copies of our birth certificates. The copies we had were not legal. They told us that because that the last stop the boat would make is in Canada we where not legal. We told them that once the boat docked in Canada that we would not get off the boat. They said that it didn't matter. We were still in Canadian waters. Needless to say you can only imagine how we felt. Once we got home we faxed a letter to the cruise line HQ asking for our money back. About two weeks later we received a letter stating that we were denied a refund because in the brochure it stated you must either a passport or birth certificate (original). Question: Is there any chance of getting my money back if I sue the cruise line?
1 Answer from Attorneys
No. You should have reviewed the foreign travel rules. Passports are now required. Did you have trip insurance? If so, you might be able to see if it provides coverage for this sort of thing, but I doubt it. Don't be too hard on yourself, but consider this a lesson learned and read the travel policy before you go outside the US even if only to Canada.