In a bizarre legal twist, a cruise passenger has been awarded €9,000 after being ejected from a sailing over an incident involving a glass of urine – a case that has sparked debate about cruise ship conduct, crew welfare, and contract law.
According to court proceedings in Düsseldorf, Germany, the unnamed man had been enjoying drinks at an onboard bar with two travel companions when the alleged misbehaviour occurred.
Witnesses claimed the man urinated into a glass and left it on the table.
Later, a crew member reported discovering the glass and noted a strong smell of urine. But the ship took no immediate action.
It wasn’t until three days later, at a port of call, that the man and his two fellow travellers were prevented from reboarding the vessel. The cruise line told them to arrange their own transport home.
Guests Removed Without Warning
Crucially, only one member of the group was alleged to have misbehaved, yet all three were expelled. There was no formal notice, hearing, or opportunity to respond to the accusation prior to their removal.
The man denied the incident entirely and decided to take the cruise line to court, claiming that his contractual rights as a paying guest had been violated.
The Düsseldorf court ultimately sided with the passenger, finding that:
- The cruise line’s guest conduct policy only permitted removal for violent, abusive, or discriminatory behaviour
- The urination incident, while undeniably unpleasant and inappropriate, did not meet the contractual threshold for removal
- No official warning or due process was given before the guests were barred from returning
The cruise line was ordered to:
- Refund the cost of the cruise for the missed days
- Reimburse travel costs incurred for flights and taxis
- Compensate the man’s companions, as he had booked on their behalf
In total, the court awarded €9,000 (approximately £7,500/$10,000).
Was the Cruise Line Wrong? Public Opinion Is Divided
While the man won the legal case, cruise enthusiasts and hospitality workers have expressed frustration over the outcome.
Many commenters argued that forcing a crew member to handle bodily fluids should be considered abusive behaviour, even if it doesn’t involve physical violence.
“Expecting the crew to clean up your bodily fluids is abusive. That’s a health risk and completely unacceptable.”
“He might have escaped legal punishment, but this is absolutely grounds for being banned for life from the cruise line.”
Cruisers react on social media
Lessons for Cruise Travellers and Cruise Lines
This ruling highlights how important precise wording in guest contracts can be – and how delays in enforcement or procedural missteps can lead to unintended legal consequences.
For cruise lines:
- Clear, consistent protocols are essential when addressing guest misconduct
- Immediate action and documentation help to avoid future disputes
For guests:
- Behaving respectfully and within social norms is not optional
- Even if consequences aren’t immediate, cruise lines are watching
In this case, it appears the accused passenger may have avoided consequences not because he was innocent – but because the letter of the contract didn’t support the cruise line’s enforcement actions.
Whether or not justice was truly served remains a topic of debate.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
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disgusting behaviour and these three should be banned from all cruise lines for the abuse to the crew member who had to clean up after them and indecent exposure to other passengers, not to mention health risk to the next person to use his glass! These three should be the ones that are fined, not receive a reward. Cruise line, appeal the decision from the misguided judge.
The cruise line was at fault for not acting immediately, without doubt the filthy fellow was abusive to staff and should have been made to wash the glass and the table before being ejected from the ship the same day, unfortunately the judge must have been an EU Human Rights whalla!!!