Is a "food fight" a good reason to sue a cruise line?

Nearly everyone who takes a cruise can't help but comment on the food. More often than not, they are in awe of how much food is available and the many choices they are offered. So, why are Eva Gularte, her sister, and mother suing Norwegian Cruise Line over the food? According to reports in the Miami Herald and Washington Post, the women were unhappy during their Norwegian Star cruise because they felt they received second-class treatment.

In a lawsuit filed Monday, the trio claims that NCL fails to disclose to passengers that making reservations for specialty restaurants might be difficult (or impossible) because passengers accommodated in suite accommodations receive priority seating. According to the Washington Post, the suit states, "The rest of the passengers are effectively disenfranchised from effectively participating in the freestyle [dining] program." Naturally the women want a refund. But wait! There's more! The lawsuit seeks class-action status for all NCL passengers who may have experienced similar situations in the past three years. NCL apparently hadn't been served with the paperwork when the story broke and hasn't commented publicly.

Now, I could understand suing a company if a product weren't delivered AT ALL, or if the company were grossly negligent. However, while we don't have all the facts (for instance, their cabin category), the women took the cruise and I'll bet they didn't starve. Maybe they didn't get to eat where they wanted to at the exact time they wanted to every night, but life's like that. You can't always get what you want (hat tip to the Rolling Stones for singing that). Restaurants on NCL ships are open in the evening from 5:30pm until midnight, and they seat diners until 10:30pm. It stands to reason that the most popular restaurants get busy during peak dinner hours (have you ever tried to get into your local Applebee's at 7pm?). With 14 dining spots to choose from on Norwegian Star, it's hard to believe that something wasn't available when the women were hungry. If they didn't have dinner reservations, they could have checked the video screens in public areas to see which restaurants weren't busy and gone to the one with the shortest waiting time. As a recent NCL cruise passenger related to me, that was the procedure he successfully followed.

I'll bet even the passengers accommodated in NCL's high end suites don't always get everything they want, although they do have dibs on a lot of good stuff. And, check the fare structure--good stuff doesn't come cheap. Like everything else in life, is it wrong for people to receive priority treatment when they've put out top dollar for it? Don't first class airline passengers (whose tickets are more expensive) sip champagne before take-off? Yes, I always notice that as I make my way to a coach seat. So what? It doesn't mean my treatment is second-class, it just means I'm frugal and get what I pay for, which doesn't include beer, let alone champagne.

Personally, I don't see what the women's problem is. It's not like cruise ships have steerage anymore. Nor does anyone go hungry unless they want to. Maybe the suite occupants on Ms. Gularte's sailing were reservation hogs. But, as NCL's advertising says, "whatever."