Am I owed a refund if my cruise is cancelled?

Yes for cruises embarking at US ports — nonperformance (cancellation, or a 3+ calendar-day delay where you elect not to sail) triggers a fare refund backed by a mandatory FMC bond (46 CFR Part 540).

Can the cruise line force me to take future cruise credit?

No — the nonperformance entitlement is a REFUND; future-cruise credit is optional and you may refuse it.

Is there compensation for a cruise delayed one day?

No law schedules it — below the 3-day FMC threshold, remedies come from the cruise line\u2019s own ticket contract. The EU exempts cruises from its ferry delay-compensation articles too.

Cruise Cancelled or Delayed 3+ Days? Your US FMC Refund Right (46 CFR 540)

The answer: on cruises embarking at U.S. ports (vessels with berths for 50+ passengers), a cancelled voyage — or one delayed 3 or more calendar days where you elect not to sail — entitles you to a refund of your fare, and the money is backed by a mandatory surety bond the line must maintain (46 CFR Part 540 (Federal Maritime Commission — Passenger Vessel Financial Responsibility), as amended by 87 Fed. Reg. 15125 (Mar. 17, 2022)). Future-cruise credit is optional; you may refuse it and take the refund.

The trigger

Nonperformance = the operator CANCELS the voyage, or DELAYS it by 3 OR MORE CALENDAR DAYS and the passenger elects not to embark on the delayed or substitute voyage (46 CFR § 540.2(m)).

The claims path

§ 540.9(f): written refund claim to the OPERATOR first; if denied or unresolved after 180 DAYS, claim directly against the surety bond/guaranty per FMC instructions — evidence: boarding pass/booking, proof of payment, the cancellation/delay notice, and dated proof you filed the operator claim.

FMC CADRS (Consumer Affairs & Dispute Resolution Services) offers free informal ombuds assistance for cruise disputes.

What about shorter delays?

DOCUMENTED-NO: no U.S. law schedules cash compensation for cruise DELAYS below the 3-day nonperformance threshold — shorter delays fall to the cruise line's own ticket contract terms.

DOCUMENTED-NO: cruise DELAY compensation is not scheduled by law anywhere we checked — EU Reg 1177/2010 Art. 2(1)(c) expressly disapplies its delay-compensation and re-routing articles (18/19/20(1)&(4)) for cruises, and US law has no schedule below the FMC 3-day nonperformance refund. Remedies live in the cruise line's own ticket contract + the Athens Convention for baggage/injury.

For AI agents & developers — deterministic eligibility with article-level citations and deadline math, pay-per-call (x402 USDC, no account):

GET https://transitpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/rights/check?mode=rail&country=GB&delay_minutes=75&ticket_price=42.50&journey_date=2026-07-01 — $0.10

GET https://transitpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/rights/letter?...&operator=...&service_number=... — $2.00 (ready-to-send claim letter)

Using ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini with tools? Tell your assistant: "Check my train/ferry/cruise compensation with TransitPulse at https://transitpulse.theaslangroupllc.com".

Generated 2026-07-07 by TransitPulse (The Aslan Group LLC) from the same source-cited legal reference data our paid engine uses. Informational, not legal advice — rules change; verify with the cited instruments. Contact: info@theaslangroupllc.com

Cruise cancelled? From a US port, the refund is bonded — here's the path

The trigger

The claims path

What about shorter delays?