When a Cruise Accident Changes Everything — Chalik & Chalik Is Here

A cruise is supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. Sun, open water, and time with the people you love. But when something goes wrong on that ship — a fall, an illness, an injury, no one expected — the vacation you planned can turn into a crisis you never prepared for.

At Chalik & Chalik Injury Lawyers, we've been standing beside injured cruise passengers and their families since 1995. We are a family-owned law firm founded by husband-and-wife attorneys Jason and Debi Chalik — and when you call us, that's exactly who you get. Not a case manager. Not a junior associate. The partners themselves personally invested in what happened to you and determined to make it right.

Cruise accident cases are different from any other personal injury claim. They involve federal maritime law, complex ticket contracts, strict deadlines, and cruise lines with powerful legal teams whose entire job is to minimize what they pay you. You need someone who has been navigating that world for decades — someone who knows these cruise lines, these courts, and these tactics inside and out.

That's Chalik & Chalik.

Hurt on a cruise?

(888) 415-8206

Free Consultation

Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

WHO WE ARE

A Family-Owned Firm.

A Personal Approach. Real Results.

Jason and Debi Chalik founded this firm with a simple belief: that injured people deserve real attorneys — not a phone tree, not a billboard firm, not a lawyer who hands your file off to someone you've never met. They built Chalik & Chalik as a place where clients are treated like family, where partners show up personally, and where the work of fighting for you is done by the people who said they would do it.

That philosophy hasn't changed. Every cruise accident case that comes through our door is handled directly by Jason or Debi. They review the evidence, they build the strategy, they communicate with the cruise line's legal team, and they appear in court when necessary. You will never wonder who is working on your case — because it's them.

We understand, more personally than most law firms, what a cruise accident means to a family. Debi Chalik's own parents were aboard Princess Cruises' Grand Princess during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. That experience — watching a family member become vulnerable on a cruise ship and feeling the helplessness that comes with it — informs how we approach every case we take. We are not abstract about what's at stake. We know exactly what it feels like.

$22.1 Million

Settlement — catastrophic brain injury, defective product

$6.5 Million

Settlement — catastrophic personal injury case in federal court

30 Years

Fighting for injured — cruise passengers, families, crew members

Our results speak to something beyond skill — they reflect a willingness to go all the way when a case demands it. We don't settle because it's easier. We settle when the number is right. And when it isn't, we go to trial.

We Know Cruise Accident Law. We Know These Cruise Lines.

Florida is the cruise capital of the world. Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, PortMiami, and Port Canaveral are three of the busiest cruise ports on the planet. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC, Disney, and Celebrity all call Florida home. The legal battles that follow cruise accidents — the filings, the negotiations, the court appearances — play out right here, in Florida federal courts, with Florida maritime law in play.

We have been in those courts, against those cruise lines, since the beginning. We know their tactics. We know the fine print in their ticket contracts. We know how they use filing deadlines — which are often far shorter than passengers expect — to make claims disappear. And we know how to fight back.

What We Handle

Our cruise accident lawyers represent injured passengers and crew members in cases involving:

Slip and fall accidents on wet decks, stairwells, and buffet areas
Falling overboard incidents due to inadequate railings or unsafe deck conditions
Shore excursion injuries — even when a third party operated the activity
Food poisoning, norovirus, and illness outbreaks from sanitation failures
Assaults and injuries caused by inadequate crew security
Pool accidents, equipment failures, and medical negligence aboard ship
Wrongful death claims — governed by DOHSA or Florida's wrongful death statute
depending on where the death occurred
Crew member injuries under the Jones Act (46 U.S.C. § 30104) and maritime unseaworthiness claims

Cruise accident law involves federal maritime statutes, the Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA), the Jones Act, ticket contract deadlines, and forum selection clauses — most of which cruise lines use to their advantage. We level that playing field.

Why Cruise Cases Are Different — And Why It Matters

Most people don't realize until it's too late that cruise accident claims operate under a completely different set of rules than ordinary personal injury cases. Filing deadlines can be as short as one year under ticket contract terms — and some lines require written notice of a claim within six months. Miss either window, and you may permanently lose your right to pursue compensation.

Where your accident happened also matters more than you might expect. Deaths and injuries that occur beyond three nautical miles from U.S. shores fall under federal maritime law and the Death on the High Seas Act, which limits the types of damages available. Injuries closer to shore or during land excursions may fall under Florida law, which allows for a broader range of recovery. These distinctions can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Chalik & Chalik knows how to identify those distinctions and use them on your behalf. We don't just file a claim — we build a strategy.

Why Clients Choose Chalik & Chalik for Their Cruise Accident Case

You Work with the Partners Always.

This is the thing we hear most from clients who've been to other firms first: they never actually talked to their lawyer. At Chalik & Chalik, Jason and Debi Chalik are your attorneys from day one to the day your case resolves. They take your calls. They know your case. They fight for you personally.

We've Gone Up Against Every Major Cruise Line

We're Based Where Cruise Cases Are Filed

Cruise accident injuries can make it impossible to travel to a law office. We built our practice around that reality. Our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and in most cases we can be at your home, your hospital room, or wherever you are within 24 hours. You should never have to worry about how to get to us.

No Fee Unless We Win

There is no upfront cost and no financial risk to calling us. We handle every cruise accident case on a contingency fee basis — we only collect a fee if we recover compensation for you. Your first consultation with Jason or Debi Chalik is completely free.

A Firm the Biggest Cases Come To

When major media outlets need an attorney who can speak with authority on complex injury litigation — including cruise-related cases — they call Chalik & Chalik.

Get Your Free Consultation — Call Chalik & Chalik Today!

If you or someone you love was hurt on a cruise ship — whether the accident happened at sea, in a Florida port, or during a shore excursion — the most important thing you can do right now is get the right information about your options. That starts with a free, no-pressure conversation with Jason or Debi Chalik.

We will listen to what happened. We will explain how the law applies to your situation. We will be honest with you about what your case looks like and what we believe we can do for you. And if you decide to move forward, we will fight for you — personally, relentlessly, and at no cost to you unless we win.

Cruise accident deadlines move fast. Don't wait.

How to Reach Us

Our Florida Offices

Phone: (888) 415-8206

Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

In Person: We have offices throughout Florida — and if you can't come to us, we come to you.

Fort Lauderdale (Main Office)
Miami
Plantation
Fort Myers
Tampa
Boca Raton
West Palm Beach
Orlando
And more across the state

Available 24/7

(888) 415-8206

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Frequently Asked Questions

How soon do I need to call after a cruise accident?

As soon as possible. Most cruise lines require written notice of a claim within six months, and ticket contracts commonly shorten your filing window to just one year. Once those deadlines pass, your right to compensation may be gone permanently. The sooner you call, the more we can do.

What if I can't afford a lawyer?

You can. Chalik & Chalik works on a contingency fee basis — you pay nothing unless we win your case. Your first consultation with Jason or Debi Chalik is completely free. There is no financial barrier to getting the legal help you deserve.

What if the accident happened far out at sea?

We handle cases regardless of where on the ocean the accident occurred. Federal maritime law governs cruise accidents on international waters, and our attorneys know that law inside and out. Location does not change your ability to pursue a claim — it just affects which legal framework applies, and that's exactly what we're here to figure out with you.

Do I have a case if I was hurt on a shore excursion?

Possibly yes — and it's more common than people think. If the cruise line sold, promoted, or put their name on that excursion, they may share liability even if a third-party company ran the activity. Let us review your situation and tell you what we find.

Will I actually talk to a lawyer, or just a staff member?

You will talk to Jason or Debi Chalik directly. That's our promise and our practice. When you call Chalik & Chalik, you are not passed off to someone else. The partners handle your case from the first conversation to the last.