Respondent NCL is a cruise line operating foreign-flag ships departing from, and returning to, United States ports. The petitioners, disabled individuals and their companions who purchased tickets for round-trip NCL cruises from Houston, sued NCL under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42 U. S. C. §12181 et seq., which prohibits discrimination based on disability in places of "public accommodation," §12182(a), and in "specified public transportation services," §12184(a), and requires covered entities to make "reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures" to accommodate disabled persons, §§12182(b)(2)(A)(ii), 12184(b)(2)(A), and to remove "architectural barriers, and communication barriers that are structural in nature" where such removal is "readily achievable," §§12182(b)(2)(A)(iv), 12184(b)(2)(C). Though holding Title III generally applicable, the District Court found that the petitioners' claims regarding physical barriers to access could not go forward because the federal agencies charged with promulgating ADA architectural and structural guidelines had not done so for cruise ships. The court therefore dismissed the barrier-removal claims, but denied NCL's motion to dismiss the petitioners' other claims. The Fifth Circuit held that Title III does not apply to foreign-flag cruise ships in U. S. waters because of a presumption, which the court derived from, e.g., Benz v. Compania Naviera Hidalgo, S. A., 353 U. S. 138, and McCulloch v. Sociedad Nacional de Marineros de Honduras, 372 U. S. 10, that absent a clear indication of congressional intent, general statutes do not apply to foreign-flag ships. Emphasizing that Title III does not contain a specific provision mandating its application to such vessels, the court sustained the dismissal of the petitioners' barrier-removal claims and reversed on their remaining claims.

Held: The judgment is reversed, and the case is remanded.

Full Text of Opinion