Disney Lawsuits: Why The Cruise Line Is Being Sued 4 Times Over The COVID Pandemic

Disney (DIS) Cruise Line has found itself embroiled in four lawsuits that stem from the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the cruise line was sued by a series of passengers in Utah and Arizona, who claim they contracted the coronavirus while onboard the Disney Fantasy ship in March 2020.

The passengers are seeking unspecified damages after contending that Disney refused to let them cancel or reschedule their cruises even if they had “autoimmune diseases and compromised health conditions,” the Sentinel said.

The passengers claim in the suit, according to the news outlet, that they were “left without any option” other than to go on the cruise trip, which was scheduled for March 7-14.

The Sentinel reported that an email from Disney was sent to passengers, which allowed them to change their cruise reservation up until the day of embarkation and still receive a 100% cruise credit.

Disney Cruise Line spokeswoman, Cynthia Martinez, told the Sentinel that the company denies the lawsuit allegations.

“We disagree with the allegations and will respond to them in court. No guests or Crew reported symptoms of COVID-19 while aboard the Disney Fantasy during the March 7, 2020, sailing. Disney Cruise Line communicated health and safety information with guests in advance of and during their sailing and had numerous protocols in place at the time," Martinez said.

The lawsuit claimed that Disney put passengers in at-risk situations during the COVID-19 outbreak, saying that the company “continued to allow passengers ... to eat in buffets settings, provide group entertainment activities aboard the vessel (such as dancing) and otherwise allowed passengers to fully participate in the subject cruise as if there was no COVID-19 outbreak or threat thereof aboard the vessel.”

Disney eliminated its buffets on March 12.

In one of the lawsuits, the plaintiffs’ claim their child was taken to a hospital intensive care unit with fever and difficulty breathing, and another suit said that a child with an unspecified autoimmune disease tested positive for the virus on May 1 along with their parents, according to the lawsuit obtained by the Sentinel.

Another autoimmune-compromised child on the cruise experienced chills, fever, body aches, and cough, while another child with asthma had migraines, high fever, and difficulty breathing. They both tested positive for COVID-19 on April 15.

The lawsuits also said that the “Plaintiffs feared for their own lives as well as the lives of each other.”

Disney does have a pandemic warning listed on its website that reads: “By sailing with Disney Cruise Line you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.”

The Disney Fantasy left port on March 8, a day after the Department of State recommended that Americans avoid traveling on cruise ships. Disney has since canceled its sailings through at least May 2021.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit have all hired the same Miami law firm, the Sentinel reported.

Shares of Disney were trading at $197.48 as of 11:13 a.m. ET, down $4.43, or 2.19%.