Vacationing family accuses cruise line of fraud

An Ohio family vacationing in Alaska this past summer has accused Holland America Line of defrauding them and other passengers by engaging in intentionally deceptive financial dealings.

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A lawsuit was filed Thursday in a Seattle U.S. District court by attorney Steve Berman who proposes a national class-action lawsuit against the cruise company, which owns eight cruise ships for Alaskan-based sightseeing tours.

Among the charges are allegations the cruise line defrauds passengers by levying what it claims are government-imposed fines, and by accepting kickbacks by shore excursion providers while hiding those arrangements from passengers.

Holland America officials called the lawsuit "frivolous."

"The complaint has no merit," Holland officials said in a written statement. "Holland America Line fully complies with Alaska disclosure laws."

Berman's suit describes how the family - a father, J.B. Miller; his daughter, and her two grandparents - were set to cruise on the Oosterdam on a July 15 sailing that began in Seattle where they missed the launch time due to a delayed flight.

After being instructed by cruise officials to fly to Juneau to meet up with the ship two days later, the family was then told they had to pay a $300-per-person fine for what they termed a "Jones Act Penalty."

The penalty is a legitimate fine that cruise ships can levy, but the suit contends the government never imposed the fine on the delayed Ohio travelers and that Holland America pocketed the $1,200.

In its defense, Holland America said it tells passengers in advance there may be a government-imposed fine levied, but payment to the federal government occurs when the fine is actually assessed. This can take 60 to 90 days.

Additionally, Miller went on a four-hour salmon fishing excursion near Juneau that he booked and purchased while aboard the ship. While it is customary that a cruise ship promote onshore trips, Alaska law dictates that the company must reveal that the tourist companies pay for the promotion. Miller claims no one informed him that the company that guided him on his $219 fishing trip paid the cruise line to promote its business. He alleges that if he had gone on a similar trip that he booked on his own, the cost would have been lower.

Holland America said it does comply with the Alaska statute requiring disclosure and "in the case of shore excursions, Holland America Line purchases excursions from vendors and resells the excursions to passengers, similar to a typical retail operation."

• The Associated Press contributed to this story.