Cruises for Marriott Vacation Club Destinations Program Members

In February 2018, a federal judge preliminarily approved a settlement agreement that would resolve a false advertising class-action lawsuit alleging that Marriott Ownership Resorts and International Cruise & Excursion Gallery deceptively hid the cost of cruises to members of the Marriott Vacation Club Destinations Program. Specifically, the complaint alleges that the companies inform members that their points, which are allocated to them each year, can be used on cruises, among other things, without informing them that the points will not cover the total cost of cruises and that they will need to spend their own money to cover the remainder.

The settlement agreement provides class members with reimbursements for a portion of the money they paid toward cruise bookings. Class members may receive either:

• a 50% cash refund of the cruise lines’ non-commissionable fare,
• Exchange Program PlusPoints for 75% of the cash value of the cruise lines’ non-commissionable fare, or
• 75% of the cash value in an ICE-branded Gift Card that can be redeemed online.

In addition, the companies agreed to change the Exchange Program to allow members to use points to pay for the total cost of cruises (except for the government fees) and to include any non-commissionable fees in the “cruise fare” amount on booking confirmations. (Finerman et al v. Marriott Ownership Resorts, Inc. and International Cruise & Excursion Gallery, Inc., Case No. 14-cv-1154, M.D. Fla.)