Cruise Ship Injury Deadline Calculator
Cruise injury claims run on the ticket contract, not Florida's usual two-year deadline. Enter the date of the injury to see the earliest written-notice and lawsuit deadlines the cruise line is allowed to set, and how many days are left.
Quick answer: Under federal law, a cruise line on an ocean-going ship can require written notice of an injury claim within as little as six months and a lawsuit within as little as one year from the injury, in the court its ticket contract names. Your contract can give more time, never less. For a child, an incompetent passenger or a death claim, the notice period is paused until a legal representative is appointed, for up to three years.
This calculator shows the shortest deadlines federal law allows a cruise line to put in its ticket contract. Your contract may give you more time, never less, but it also controls where you must sue and may require arbitration. It is general information, not legal advice. Have a maritime attorney read your ticket contract. Nothing you enter is sent to us or saved.
Why these dates come from your ticket, not Florida law
A passenger's claim against a cruise line is generally governed by federal maritime law and by the ticket contract you accepted when you booked. Federal law sets a floor on how short the contract's deadlines can be for ocean-going passenger ships: the cruise line cannot require written notice of an injury claim in less than six months, or require a lawsuit to be filed in less than one year, from the date of the injury. The calculator above uses those minimums, because your contract can give you more time but cannot give you less. The real dates are in your contract, and so is the court where you must file.
For smaller passenger vessels covered by the same federal law, the minimum for both notice and suit is two years. Shore excursions and tour boats are frequently operated by separate companies under their own terms, which is one reason the first step in any of these cases is reading every contract involved.
Children and death claims
When the injured passenger is a child or a mentally incompetent adult, or when a passenger died, federal law pauses the contract's notice period until a legal representative is appointed, and no longer than three years after the injury. That protection is specific to the notice requirement. It is not a reason to wait on the lawsuit deadline, and the safest course is to treat the one-year date as real until a lawyer has read the contract.
What a missed notice means
Missing the written notice deadline is not always fatal. Federal law says it does not bar recovery when, for example, the cruise line already knew of the injury and was not harmed by the lack of notice, or there was a satisfactory reason the notice could not be given. Those are arguments to make after the fact, though, not a plan. Give notice on time, in writing, to the address the contract specifies, and keep proof.
Our article on cruise ship injury deadlines covers the ticket contract, the forum clause and the evidence to lock down in the first 72 hours. Scheer Legal practices both maritime law and personal injury, so a cruise case is handled by a lawyer who knows both sides of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to sue a cruise line?
It depends on your ticket contract, but federal law lets a cruise line on an ocean-going ship require suit within as little as one year of the injury, and written notice within as little as six months. Most passengers have far less time than Florida's ordinary two-year negligence deadline.
Where do I have to file a cruise injury lawsuit?
Where your ticket contract says. The major cruise lines are based in South Florida and their contracts generally require passenger suits to be filed in a specific court here, regardless of where you live. Filing in the wrong court usually gets the case dismissed.
Does a child's cruise injury claim have more time?
Federal law pauses the contract's notice period for a minor until a legal representative is appointed, and no longer than three years after the injury. Do not assume the lawsuit deadline is paused as well; have the dates checked right away.
What if I already missed the notice deadline?
It is not always the end of the claim. Federal law lists situations where missing contractual notice does not bar recovery, such as when the cruise line knew of the injury and was not prejudiced. Talk to a maritime attorney before the lawsuit deadline passes.
How are cruise injury cases paid for?
Scheer Legal handles passenger injury claims on a contingency fee: the attorney's fee is a percentage of any recovery and is owed only if there is one. Costs are explained in writing before you sign, and the first consultation for an injury matter is free.
Have a maritime lawyer read your ticket contract.
Cruise passenger injury cases are handled on contingency, and the first consultation for an injury matter is free. English or Spanish.
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