Princess Cruises class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Plaintiff Cassandra Martinson filed a class action lawsuit against Princess Cruise Lines Ltd.
- Why: Martinson claims Princess Cruise Lines sends consumers emails with misleading subject lines.
- Where: The Princess Cruises class action lawsuit was removed to Washington federal court.
A new class action lawsuit accuses Princess Cruises of sending Washington consumers emails with misleading subject lines.
Plaintiff Cassandra Martinson filed the class action lawsuit on June 9, originally in Washington state court, alleging violations of state consumer protection laws.
Martinson claims “deceptive marketing emails plague recipients’ inboxes,” and that the Washington legislature enacted the Washington Commercial Electronic Mail Act (CEMA) to prohibit any person from sending a commercial email with a “false or misleading subject line.”
The complaint claims that Princess Cruise Lines regularly offers purported discounts on its products and advertises these discounts through emails to Washington residents with subject lines promoting the discounts, such as “Don’t miss up to $700 instant savings” and “Last call for up to $1,000 instant savings.”
However, Martinson argues that the subject lines misrepresent when the sales end and the size of the discount available to recipients, violating both CEMA and Washington’s Consumer Protection Act.
Email subject lines create false sense of urgency, class action claims
The class action lawsuit argues that Princess Cruise Lines’ email subject lines often create a false sense of urgency by stating that promotions are available for a limited time or are ending soon.
Martinson claims this misleads consumers into believing the discounts are available for only a short period, when similar discounts are offered even after the purported sale ends.
Martinson alleges that this tactic is used to motivate consumers to make purchases quickly, thinking they are getting a special deal.
The class action lawsuit also claims that the advertised discounts are often deceptive, as Princess Cruise Lines frequently offers substantial discounts, making the list prices appear inflated. As a result, consumers do not receive real savings off the true regular prices, Martinson says.
Martinson is looking to represent anyone in Washington state who received promotional emails from Princess Cruises advertising sales or discounts on its products.
She is suing for violations of Washington’s Commercial Electronic Mail Act and the Washington Consumer Protection Act and is seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a permanent injunction prohibiting Princess Cruises from further violations of the act.
Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean Cruises is facing class action accusations that it sent promotional emails to consumers in Maryland with misleading information about the duration of certain cruise promotions.
Have you received emails from Princess Cruises that may have violated Washington’s CEMA? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Cody Hoesly of Barg Singer Hoesly P.C. and Jonas B. Jacobson, Simon Franzini and Martin Brenner of Dovel & Luner LLP.
The Princess Cruises class action lawsuit is Martinson v. Princess Cruise Lines Ltd., Case No. 2:26-cv-02433, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
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