"If I understand you," Stevens told Spector's attorneys, "your case really isn't limited to cruise ships."
But Ginsburg -- arguing on both sides at times -- told Spector's lawyers that applying U.S. law to ships that also travel to foreign ports could be overreaching. "You are in effect saying that the U.S. rules the world," she said.
Spector lawyer Tom Goldstein pointed out that 95 percent of cruise industry ships go in and out of American ports. Goldstein argued that Americans who purchase their cruise tickets in the United States should expect to be protected by U.S. law.
Doug Spector and his wife boarded their ship in Houston to embark on their Caribbean vacation. Spector says the problems began almost immediately.
Spector says his handicapped-accessible room on the Norwegian Sea had a six-inch step into the shower, which he had to crawl over. Spector says he was charged up to $900 more for his room than the comparable class of cabins of relatives with whom he was traveling. He alleges the public bathrooms were not big enough for scooters or wheelchairs, requiring him to take a 15- to 20-minute trip back to his cabin.
Spector also says the deck with the lifeboats where the emergency evacuation drills were held was only accessible by stairs.
"That kind of thing stays in the back of your mind during the whole cruise," Spector said. "You're always thinking, 'Well, chances are nothing's going to happen, but if it does I'm going down with the ship, I guess.' "
Frederick, the cruise line's lawyer, called Spector's allegations "categorically false." The company says the ship Spector sailed on is one of its older vessels and is being phased out later this year.
The company has equipped its newer ships with a range of amenities for the disabled -- from grab rails in the bathroom and flush walkways into rooms and showers to adjustable clothing racks in the closets that lower to a wheelchair-user's level. Around the ship are handicapped-accessible public restrooms and room in the ships' casinos and entertainments theaters for wheelchairs.
