American Cruise Lines Agrees to Improve Fleet Accessibility in ADA Settlement

As part of a settlement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, American Cruise Lines has agreed to improve its fleet accessibility. The line had been sued after the U.S. Department of Justice received six complaints that the cruise line’s ships were not all accessible to or usable by individuals who use wheelchairs.

According to a press release from the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, where ACL is located, “The complaints alleged that American Cruise Lines failed to provide cruise ships that were fully accessible to passengers in wheelchairs, failed to provide for safe embarkation and disembarkation procedures for passengers in wheelchairs, and failed to provide wheelchair-accessible ground transportation for passengers during shore excursions.”

The settlement requires ACL to address accessibility on all of the line’s vessels. As part of the settlement, the line will need to submit a comprehensive remediation plan to improve accessibility for passengers with disabilities aboard all ships within 18 months. The United States will have the opportunity to review and approve the plan before renovations begin.

As part of their remediation efforts, ACL must provide accessible boarding and disembarking procedures and staff training, a publicly available “accessibility request” process and reservation procedures, and portable communication devices to alert deaf passengers when there is an emergency aboard ship.

The settlement also requires ACL to: adopt ADA-complaint policies, procedures, and training; assign an ADA compliance officer; and establish an accessible website.

As U.S.-flagged ships, ACL’s fleet must comply with all requirements of the American with Disabilities Act.

“American Cruise Lines has worked closely with the government and will continue to accommodate all our guests onboard,” the cruise line said in a prepared statement. The line already has fully accessible staterooms on all its ships, and all ships have elevators to all decks

“We appreciate American Cruise Lines’ commitment to increasing access to its ships for individuals with physical disabilities and mobility challenges,” said U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery.