Solicitor was ‘falsely imprisoned on cruise ship after row with crew’ (2024)

A Dublin solicitor is suing a travel agent and a Caribbean cruise company for assault, false imprisonment, defamation and breach of contract because of how a ship’s crew reacted to her sea sickness.

Caroline Fanning is seeking damages from Trailfinders and Royal Caribbean Cruises over her treatment on a 2015 cruise, including being forced to disembark with her teenage daughter after complaining about her cabin. The High Court case was lodged in 2016 but has been delayed by pre-trial hearings.

In August 2015, according to court filings, Fanning booked an all-inclusive cruise costing €3,776 on the Oasis of the Seas, which can carry more than 5,600 passengers. She and her daughter were due to spend seven days on the voyage from Florida to the Bahamas.

Fanning said she requested a cabin that would be quiet and not susceptible to turbulence because she suffered from sea sickness and noise sensitivity, but was given a forward cabin on a high deck. The solicitor claims she was awoken at 2am on the first night by crashing waves and the rolling of the ship and began to feel unwell.

She phoned reception to request a move to a different room but was told there were no free cabins. She alleges the receptionist was “hostile”. When she rang a second time Fanning said the same receptionist “sarcastically” asked if it was a medical emergency and she replied with “equal sarcasm” that there “might be one tomorrow” if she was forced to stay in the room.

She said she requested ear plugs and would have been happy to deal with the issue the following day.

Fanning, however, alleges that the receptionist “maliciously” activated the ship’s suicide prevention protocol to “punish” her.

She alleges that six uniformed male officers arrived and she was “effectively arrested” and made to attend the ship’s doctor. When she refused to leave her daughter, Fanning claims she was then “falsely imprisoned” for eight hours in their room.

In the morning she claims she was subjected to intrusive telephone questioning by an American psychiatrist, who declared her fit to travel. Fanning alleges the security team then “manhandled” her, said her “punishment” was not over, and walked her through the ship, causing her “severe humiliation”. She was told she would have to disembark at Nassau.

At her own expense she arranged a flight the next day back to Miami where she said Trailfinders helped to find her a hotel. However, this was completely unsuitable for a woman travelling with a teenage child as it had “a female topless nude bar”. Fanning said this compounded her trauma, despair and misery.

Both Trailfinders and Royal Caribbean Cruises are represented by the same legal team. They deny Fanning requested a quiet room or that she told them she suffered from sea sickness. They say Fanning was offered a midship cabin but opted for one at the front.

They also say that Fanning told the receptionist the crew would be dealing with a medical emergency if she was not given a different room after she rang to complain. The receptionist was required to inform security immediately.

They say three crew, including one woman, attended her room and offered to move her to an inner stateroom but this was refused. They say Fanning warned there would be a medical emergency unless she was moved to a balcony stateroom.

The defendants say all steps taken by the crew after this were “reasonable, proportionate and in accordance with policies for the preservation of life and the protection and safety of other passengers”.

The defendants also deny booking Fanning into an unsuitable hotel in Miami. They say that if Fanning suffered any loss, damage or inconvenience it was due to her own negligence and actions.