TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Cruise lines are struggling across the board. One ship after another was quarantined because of coronavirus concerns, and now the entire industry is just treading water.
But Florida’s attorney general is looking into allegations that one company went too far in an attempt to boost sales.
In a news release, Ashley Moody’s office said it’s launching a consumer protection investigation into questions of “misleading and potentially dangerous sales pitches by Norwegian Cruise Lines.”
Moody wants to find out if Norwegian gave its sales team “inaccurate one-liners” to calm customer concerns about COVID-19 – and close more cruise package deals.
“We are in the thick of a public health crisis like our modern world has never experienced. My Consumer Protection Division is conducting an extensive investigation to get to the bottom of the disturbing allegations against Norwegian Cruise Lines,” Moody said in the release, which points to media reports in Miami for bringing up the allegations.
“Let this serve as a warning to anyone seeking to mislead consumers during these challenging times."
According to the AG, the reports quoted some of the alleged one-liners, which were leaked by a whistleblower. They included:
“The only thing you need to worry about for your cruise is do you have enough sunscreen.”
“The coronavirus can only survive in cold temperatures, so the Caribbean is a fantastic choice for your next cruise.”
The Centers for Disease Control has urged all Americans to avoid cruise travel entirely for the time being. The attorney general’s office says, at this point, Norwegian is fully cooperating.
10News reached out to Norwegian for comment on this story. We will update this article if we hear back.
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