Royal Caribbean Tells Family To Abandon Ship [Nightmares]

here are few things in life more decadent and luxurious than a cruise vacation. Unless of course, you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise and your child gets a cold, and then a paranoid crew kicks you and your family off the ship at night in your pajamas at a foreign port where you then have to spend thousands dollars for passports and tickets to get home. It sounds like a nightmare but that's exactly what happened to this Florida family according to WFTV. Read the details of their misadventure inside

Last Monday night, The Cortes family boarded the Majesty of the Seas for what was supposed to be a lavish, 5-night cruise. On Tuesday, the Cortes' 7-month-old Zoie, starting getting ill and the ship's doctor was dispatched. With symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea, little Zoie was diagnosed with dehydration and the doctor said she needed immediate treatment, but off the ship. According to the family, a security guard gave them 10 minutes to pack their bags and leave the ship. "I asked if my wife could get out of her pajamas and there was no time for that. We had to leave," said Luis Cortes. The Cortes' speculate that the doctor suspected Norwalk virus since Zoie exhibited similar symptoms to the virus.

At 11pm the Cortes' rapidly disembarked into Nassau and sought treatment at a local emergency room. However, Zoie was diagnosed with a cold, not the Norwalk virus. Additionally, the family said she had seasickness. The Nassau doctor deemed Zoie fit for travel, however the cruise ship had already left. "We had to find our way to the U.S. Embassy. All of this on foot. A family of five in this town we knew nothing about," said Cortes. The expenses that ensued were to the tune of $3000 for the cost of the emergency room, emergency passports, and plane tickets back to Florida. Royal Caribbean responded to WFTV saying that they were concerned because the child was so young and didn't want to take chances. Royal Caribbean is giving the family free vouchers for another trip, but will not reimburse the cost of the passports and tickets "because the family didn't purchase trip insurance."

We're not impressed, Royal Caribbean. It's difficult to understand why you would have to kick a family off the boat within 10 minutes because of a case of "dehydration." And now you won't even pay for the family's trip back to Florida? We would think that the reimbursement would be a small amount compared to the money you could be losing from any passenger with a slight cough who may now be afraid to board your ships. We understand that Norwalk virus is the bane of cruise ships but your knee-jerk reaction put this family through a boat-load of unnecessary grief. What would have happened if the ship was at sea? Plank time?

If You Happen To Prevail In Arbitration, Get Ready To Lose On Appeal [Disputes]

Arbitration is even worse than we thought. We already knew that consumers lost 94% of the extra-judicial proceedings, but new data shows that the few who manage prevail are likely to have their wins overturned on appeal.

The new data applies to workplace arbitration, which is generally the same bucket of fail as consumer arbitration.

LeRoy examines a "snowballing futility for employees" who are forced into arbitration. If they manage to win, despite the built-in institutional bias, the employer can take it to state court and get the award overturned, forcing the employee to start over from scratch. On the other hand, if they lose, the courts are highly unlikely to disturb the decision.

From the study:

Remarkably, state appellate courts confirmed only 56.4 percent of employee wins in arbitration. But when the same courts ruled on employer victories, they confirmed 86.7 percent of awards.

All-Business Class Airline EOS Is Out Of Business [Bankruptcy]

Bankruptcy isn't just for discount carriers anymore! The all-business class carrier EOS filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday, and will fly its last flight tonight. Eos envisioned a beautiful world, one where business elites traveled unfettered by proles and crying babies, unless the babies were crying for more gold. That vision lies shattered, hopeless pummeled by rising oil prices and stingy business travelers who will now have to share planes with the rest of us.

Our unique relationship makes it all the more difficult to share with you the news that Eos has filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York. On April 26, 2008, we plan to operate Flight 6 (8:30pm) from JFK to STN. On April 27, 2008, we plan to operate Flights 3 (1:00pm) and 7 (6:30pm) from STN to JFK. Flight 5 from STN to JFK and all flights from JFK to STN on April 27, 2008 are canceled. We will cease operations entirely after April 27, 2008.

This announcement is particularly regrettable since we have achieved so much, including having a term sheet in hand for additional financing. Clearly, even in today's challenging economic and credit environment, investors believe in Eos. Unfortunately, some issues arose that prevented the parties from moving forward.

We sincerely apologize to those of you who have travel planned in the days ahead. Eos Guests should seek alternative arrangements for travel and should contact their credit card companies or travel agents directly for information about how to obtain a refund for unused tickets.

For our Club 48 members, unfortunately, in the face of this bankruptcy filing, you will no longer be able to redeem your points for rewards. Any value related to your membership will be determined by the court as part of the bankruptcy process.

Q: Is there a chance that Eos will emerge from bankruptcy and begin operations again?

A: We understand the affinity our Guests have had for Eos and we feel the same way about our Guests. We wish we could have pursued other options, but unfortunately, Eos is going out of business.

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