royal caribbean cruise ship accident 2023

'Our boat is sinking!': Video shows terrifying moments ferry sank in Bahamas, killing 1

A 75-year-old American woman is dead after a double-decker ferry carrying cruise ship passengers to a popular tourist island sank in the Bahamas, local officials said.

The incident took place Tuesday as the boat departed Paradise Island, Nassau, while ferrying tourists to Blue Lagoon Island, a spokesperson with The Royal Bahamas Police Force confirmed to USA TODAY.

The tourist destination is located about three miles northeast of Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas.

Frightening video taken from the scene shows passengers wearing orange life vests around their neck, clinging to one side of the ferry as the vessel sinks into Caribbean turquoise waters.

Here's what we know:

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At least one American citizen died

Police said the ferry left a dock in Paradise Island about 9:30 a.m. with about 100 passengers on board, the Nassau Guardian reported.

"The vessel experienced rough seas in the area, which resulted in the boat taking on water and becoming submerged in waters just outside of Blue Lagoon," police chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told the outlet.

Police reported a 75-year-old woman from Colorado died in the incident, according to the outlet.

Her identity and cause of death were not immediately known.

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Passengers were reportedly all from a cruise ship

According to a statement released online from Blue Lagoon Island, the passengers on board the ferry were from a cruise ship.

The accident took place as the vessel was approaching Blue Lagoon Island, the statement said and emergency teams from the island "quickly arrived to render assistance."

“Passengers and five staff members were located and brought to the island, and two passengers were taken to the hospital for additional care," the statement continues.

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'Our boat is sinking'

"Out boat is sinking," Kelly Schissel, an American tourist on board the vessel, is heard saying in a TikTok video she filmed as the boat took on water. "Everybody is freaking out."

Chaos and screaming is heard in the background of the video which shows people with life jackets around their necks, some leaning over the boat looking into the water watching in horror as it sinks.

"I'm on the top floor of a ferry," Schissel says as she continued to film, the boat seen tipped on its side into choppy waters.

At one point, people are seen jumping off what appears to be the back of the boat into the water as others on board continue to shout.

About a half dozen people in the shot are seen swimming towards another boat stopped a short distance from the ferry.

"We were almost there... we weren't actually that close to shore it just kind of looked like it," Schissel said in a follow up video on TikTok shot after she made it to land.

She said when water began pouring into the boat, many passengers were waiting for instruction from crew members, but they reportedly did not give any.

So when they saw someone jump into the rough water, she said, they followed in suit with life jackets and swam to a nearby boat until other boats arrived to help in the rescue effort.

The conditions of those transported to the hospital were not immediately known Wednesday.

In addition to local authorities, according to the Blue Lagoon statement, the island alerted the cruise ship and the U.S.Embassy about the accident.

The statement said the organization would release more details as they become available

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.

Royal Caribbean passenger dies after excursion boat sinks on way to private island in Bahamas

The two-tiered catamaran was carrying the passengers to the blue lagoon island near nassau, bahamas, by nbc6 • published november 15, 2023 • updated on november 16, 2023 at 9:38 am.

A U.S. tourist died in the Bahamas after an excursion boat carrying more than 100 people sank while traveling to a private island, police said Wednesday.

Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told The Associated Press that the unidentified 74-year-old woman from Broomfield, Colorado , was on a five-day vacation with her family when the boat sank late Tuesday morning.

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The rest of the passengers and crew members were rescued. Two other unidentified people were taken to a medical facility, police said, but their conditions were not immediately known.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the 74-year-old woman died. Police said in a statement that the woman was found unresponsive as they helped pull the passengers and crew members from the water. They said she was given CPR and then taken to a dock where she was declared dead.

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A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean confirmed that the woman had been a passenger on one of their ships and was participating in a shore excursion.

"We are saddened to hear that one of our guests passed away following an accident on a shore excursion in Nassau, Bahamas," the spokesperson said in a statement. "Our hearts are with the families involved and our Care Team has been activated to support them during this difficult time."

Kelly Schissell, a passenger on the catamaran, recalled the moments the ferry went down.

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"So we were on a two tiered ferry to Blue Lagoon. We were almost there. We started to stop and turn to go into the Blue Lagoon area. And we kind of, I kind of thought like the captain was trying to be silly and like whip a shootie because we all kind of went forward, and the water kind of splashed up. And then all of a sudden, we stayed leaning forward," Schissell said.

Schissell also said that people didn't jump into the water right away as they were awaiting instructions from the crew, but never got them.

"You wonder why people didn't jump in right away. We were kind of waiting for the staff to tell us what to do, which they never did because they were too busy crying and freaking out," Schissell added.

Life vests were available, and those aboard were wearing them, according to authorities.

Police said the double-deck catamaran began taking on water after departing Paradise Island with a group of tourists headed to Blue Lagoon Island, a popular destination located just northeast of the capital of Nassau.

A video posted on social media showed some passengers yelling as the catamaran began listing on its right side, prompting tourists to slowly start jumping into the water as they swam toward nearby boats.

Police said the Royal Bahamas Defense Force also helped with the rescue, as well as nearby pleasure craft.

Authorities said the investigation is ongoing.

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Passenger rescued after falling off 10th deck of cruise ship, Coast Guard says

A Royal Caribbean passenger was rescued this week after having fallen overboard from the 10th deck of a cruise ship near the Dominican Republic, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Officials were alerted to the rescue of the 42-year-old woman, an American citizen, at about 5:44 p.m. Sunday, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

The Mariner of the Seas cruise ship was about 27 nautical miles south of Punta Cana on its way to Willemstad, Curaçao, when the passenger went overboard, the statement said.

“The passenger was recovered alive and reported to be in good health, after reportedly falling into the water from 10th deck of the ship," it said. "No medical evacuation of the passenger was requested by the cruise ship. The passenger was being kept on the cruise ship’s medical facility and later transferred to the Hospital in Willemstad, Curacao for evaluation."

The Coast Guard said it is investigating.

In a statement Wednesday, Royal Caribbean confirmed a passenger went overboard Sunday close to the Dominican Republic.

“The ship and crew immediately reported the incident to local authorities and began searching for the guest. Thankfully, the guest was successfully recovered and was brought on board. Our Care team is now offering assistance and support to them and their traveling party. Out of privacy for the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share,” the statement said. 

The ship continued the trip as planned, Royal Caribbean said.

Matthew Kuhn, who was on the cruise ship with his family, told WOFL -TV of Orlando , Florida, that he watched rescue efforts from his balcony.

“I think it was amazing to see everyone was on their balcony. Everyone was trying to help, and the crew was very receptive to everyone,” he said.

Kuhn said that he didn’t expect the passenger to be found alive and that he was pleasantly surprised he was wrong.

“Holy crap, they found her, and she’s alive,” he told WOFL.

Kuhn, who declined to comment to NBC News on Wednesday, shared some videos he posted on Twitter of the rescue efforts.

In one of the v ideo s , a small boat can be seen in the distance and people aboard the cruise ship are heard clapping, whistling and cheering.

Antonio Planas is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.

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3 advisories in effect for flagler, coastal, inland region, 16-year-old dies in fall aboard royal caribbean cruise ship that set sail from florida: report, allure of the seas departed port canaveral for the bahamas.

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – A 16-year-old died after falling from a balcony to the deck of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that set sail from Port Canaveral, according to TMZ.com .

The teen fell Saturday aboard Allure of the Seas, which left the port on Friday and traveled to the Bahamas before returning to Florida on Monday.

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News 6 spoke with a passenger aboard the ship, who said the cruise line made an announcement urging passengers to donate blood.

TMZ reported that the boy died at a hospital.

“We are saddened to learn of the passing of a guest, and our hearts go out to the family. Out of respect for them, we won’t provide any further comment,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

TMZ posted photos of yellow caution tape across a balcony on the ship.

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A fishing vessel in greenland will try to free a cruise ship that ran aground with 206 people, port canaveral-based gambling cruise ship catches fire, cruise ship passengers left terrified after ship sails through rough seas, crews search for man who went overboard cruise ship off florida coast, search suspended after man jumps from carnival cruise ship off florida.

Teen passenger dies after fall on Royal Caribbean cruise ship based at Port Canaveral

A teenage passenger died after falling from the balcony to a deck of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that sails out of Port Canaveral, according to the media site TMZ.

TMZ reported that a 16-year-old boy died Saturday while on a cruise, after the fall that occurred on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas. The passenger was transported to a hospital for treatment, but died there.

In a statement to FLORIDA TODAY, Royal Caribbean said: "We are saddened to learn of the passing of a guest, and our hearts go out to the family. Out of respect for them, we won’t provide any further comment."

Allure at Port Canaveral: Allure of the Seas joins Port Canaveral lineup as largest ship with twice-weekly sailings

The Allure sails out of Port Canaveral on a three- and four-night cruises to the Bahamas, with stops at Nassau and Perfect Day at Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean's private island. The cruise on which the incident occurred was a three-night sailing that left Port Canaveral on Friday and returned Monday. The ship then departed Monday from Port Canaveral on a four-night sailing.

The Allure of the Seas has 2,748 staterooms, a double-occupancy capacity of 5,496 passengers and a full capacity of 6,828 passengers. It is the world's fifth-largest cruise ship. Port Canaveral ― the world's busiest cruise port ― also is home to the world's largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas.

The Allure of the Seas joined the Port Canaveral lineup in October.

Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at  [email protected] , on X at  @bydaveberman  and on Facebook at  www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54

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Royal caribbean cruise ship passenger missing after going overboard on trip to the bahamas.

A 41-year-old man is missing after he went overboard over the weekend on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship to the Bahamas, officials said.

The Coast Guard received a call at 7:17 p.m. Sunday about the passenger, who fell off the vessel around 127 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina, Petty Officer Vincent Moreno told the Post and Courier .

“A guest went overboard from Vision of the Seas. The ship and crew immediately reported the incident to local authorities and launched a search and rescue mission,” a company rep told The Post in an email.

“Out of privacy for the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share,” the statement added Monday.

The Coast Guard deployed a C-130 Hercules plane from Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and another C-130 crew responded from Clearwater, Florida, to relieve the first.

But on Monday morning, the agency announced it had suspended the search after scouring more than 1,625 square miles for eight hours, WCBD reported .

The missing man was aboard Royal Caribbean’s “8 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Holiday Cruise,” which left from Baltimore on Friday, passengers told the Post and Courier.

Jake Utzinger, a 21-year-old film student from New Jersey who was vacationing with his girlfriend’s family, said he was lying in bed around 7:45 p.m. when the captain announced that a passenger had fallen overboard. “I instantly felt sick to my stomach knowing that one of our fellow travelers had been lost at sea,” Utzinger told the paper.

He said he, his girlfriend and other passengers rushed to the pool deck to provide “extra pairs of eyes” in the search-and-rescue effort.

Another passenger, Colin Schappi, told WCBD that he heard the announcement “Oscar! Oscar! Oscar! Starboard!” — a call to the crew signifying an overboard emergency on the right side of the ship — about 7:15 p.m.

“We were wondering what was going on with that,” he said.

Crews stopped the ship, dropped a strobe lamp, and searched for the passenger for six hours before resuming the trip around 2 a.m. “It’s definitely going to be rough continuing this voyage knowing that a family is missing their loved one,” Utzinger told the news outlet.

The Vision of the Seas’ next stop is Port Canaveral, Florida, after which it will sail throughout the Bahamas before returning to Baltimore on Saturday.

The 915-foot-long ship, which has a total capacity of 2,000 guests and 700 crew members, made its first voyage in 1988, according to the Royal Caribbean website.

In August, a Royal Caribbean passenger went overboard from the Wonder of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, while it was off the coast of Cuba during a voyage from Florida.

The passenger was identified as 19-year-old Sigmund Ropich, a college student from Washington state known to his loved ones as “Boiboi.” He had been vacationing with friends at the time.

Earlier that month, an  Indian woman died  after she apparently jumped off the company’s Spectrum of the Seas.

Reeta Sahani, 64, was reported missing after her husband, Jakesh Sahani, 70, woke up in the middle of the night and noticed she was not in their cabin.  

In June, a 42-year-old woman was rescued after she fell off Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas about 25 miles south of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic during its voyage from Florida.

Other recent incidents occurred on the cruise ships Carnival Magic, Carnival Elation and Emerald Princess. 

On average, 19 people go overboard on cruise ships every year — and of those, only about four are rescued, according to a 2020 study commissioned by the industry trade group Cruise Lines International Association.

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Distressing footage shows tourist boat sinking that left Royal Caribbean passenger dead

The catamaran capsized after hitting some rough waves, and a 74-year-old was pronounced dead after the accident..

Warning: This article contains content some readers may find upsetting

Footage has captured the harrowing moment a tourist boat sunk whilst ferrying luxury cruise ship passengers across the sea

On Tuesday (14 November) a double-decker catamaran was carrying holidaymakers to the private Blue Lagoon Island from the Bahamas’ Paradise Island.

However, the vessel began to take on water after encountering rough waves and eventually capsized in the Caribbean Sea.

You can watch the tragic footage below:

Police confirmed on Wednesday that a woman died after the boat carrying more than 100 people sank on Tuesday 14 November.

Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told The Associated Press that the unidentified 74-year-old woman was from Broomfield, Colorado and was on a five-day vacation with her family when the cruiser sank.

Police said that the woman was found unresponsive and was later given CPR before being declared dead.

As per ABC7 , police said two other unidentified people were taken to a medical facility. However, their conditions were not immediately known.

One TikTok user posted a video of the sinking on her profile, and wrote in the caption: “Our ferry capsized while going to Blue Lagoon. Absolutely traumatising.

“We were on the bottom level and had to climb out of a window while being almost vertical… So scary trying to save my parents, babies, children and elderly people from downing.”

Elsewhere, a Facebook user who was also onboard the vessel said: ”We drove into a wave and too much water came into the front of the boat and it weighed the boat down and it just kept sinking.”

Officials said that the Royal Bahamas Defence Force also helped with the rescue, as well as nearby pleasure craft.

A statement from Blue Lagoon Island said that all passengers onboard were cruise ship guests and that local authorities, the ship and the US Embassy had been notified of the tragic events.

Following the death of the Colorado woman, a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said: "We are saddened to hear that one of our guests passed away following an accident on a shore excursion in Nassau, The Bahamas.

"Our hearts are with the families involved and our Care Team has been activated to support them during this difficult time.”

The vessel involved in the incident was not owned by Royal Caribbean or linked to their shore excursions.

It is not known whether tourists from other cruise boats were on the catamaran at the time of its sinking.

The investigation is ongoing.

LADbible Group has contacted Royal Caribbean and the Royal Bahamas Police Force for comment.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677

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Brisbane man missing after falling overboard from Quantum of the Seas cruise ship near Hawaii, US Coast Guard confirms

By Ciara Jones

By Larissa Waterson

Topic: Travel Health and Safety

The US Coast Guard said it will resume its search at first light on Friday morning local time, for a Brisbane man who went overboard from a cruise ship off Hawaii on Wednesday night.

Key points:

• Life rings, search vessels, and lights were used overnight to try to locate the missing man 
• A fellow passenger described the ordeal as "very traumatic and sad" 
• Royal Caribbean staff have been described as "amazing" throughout the process

The ship, the Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas, halted its course after the incident, which took place about 500 nautical miles south of Hawaii's Big Island, and took part in the initial search for about two hours.

The cruise ship has since continued its course. 

Aimee West, from Mount Isa, and her partner were on the cruise.

"There was a lot of commotion on the boat. It all started at about 9pm," she told ABC North West. 

"There were a few medical emergencies so the loudspeaker was going off quite a lot.

"At about 11pm, midnight, we observed the vessel slowing down and turning around on our maps.

"We saw about five life rings that were floating in the ocean and there were search vessels and lots of lights on the water.

The Quantum of the Seas departed Brisbane on April 12 and is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on April 28. ( Supplied )

"They broadcast several times that there was a suspected man overboard situation and that the crews were following their procedures.

"They requested all guests return to their cabins and account for all their members and if someone was missing, to call 911 on our emergency systems here if we were missing a passenger.

"We were messaging our friends to make sure they had everyone in their party.

"To be real, for me personally it was very surreal and quite sad. It was quite confronting, we were all out trying to spot anything to help the staff.

"But it was very sad going to bed, that's for sure."

The crew of Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas launched a "huge" rescue effort after discovering a passenger was missing. ( Supplied )

The mood on the ship was quite sombre, Ms West said.

"You can tell the crew is trying to do their best to keep spirits up for everyone else on board for the rest of their trip.

"Everyone kind of realises it's very traumatic and sad and you feel for the families involved.

"We were awake until about 1.30am and they were still searching."

Brad Hardy, from Mount Isa, said he was on deck 14 of the cruise ship when he heard the emergency broadcast.

"All the staff just dropped everything and ran to every possible vantage point on the ship," Mr Hardy said.

"We looked out of the window up on the deck and [saw] a lot of life preservers … the big rings were getting thrown overboard, at least eight or nine of those got thrown overboard.

"The ship slowed right down and then did a hard turn to the left and doubled back.

"The search lights were on from the ship's bridge as well, they rapidly deployed their 'runabout' rescue vessel off the ship and then spent the next couple of hours in the water searching around.

"Probably around 1am we started moving again.

Gayle Doe, from New South Wales, is also on board and described the ordeal as "scary and unsettling". 

"We were sitting at the bar at 11 o'clock last night when we heard 'Oscar, Oscar, Oscar' which is the code for man overboard," Ms Doe said.

"There were a lot of announcements, telling us that the ship was being turned around, most people could feel the ship had changed course, it was a bit bumpy in the water.

"The crew went into their training mode, they threw lifebuoys out into the sea and they deployed their … lifesaving boats.

"Of course, it was night-time – it was black, so they had lots of spotlights on the ocean … but weren't successful [in finding the man].

"We've been told the coast guard and helicopters are still out searching in the ocean, in the area where the man went."

A view from onboard the Quantum of the Seas cruise ship. ( Supplied )

She said there was "a lot of sadness" on board the ship on Thursday.

"There are people who have been crying," Ms Doe said.

She said the cruise ship captain had been providing regular updates over the loudspeaker and had just confirmed there would be no further updates.

Cruise staff 'amazing'

Ms West said the Royal Caribbean cruise staff "were amazing" and have kept all passengers updated throughout the ordeal.

"We even witnessed staff when, we were in Tahiti [earlier], practising retrievals in the water," she said.

"The staff were all out on safety posts, there was not a space or inch on the boat where there wasn't a staff member shining a torch in the water."

The Honolulu Command Centre has confirmed that the person missing is an Australian man, but provided no further details.

A Royal Caribbean Cruise Line spokesperson confirmed the Quantum of the Seas departed Brisbane on April 12 and is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on April 28.

"While on its trans-Pacific sailing, a guest onboard Quantum of the Seas went overboard," the spokesperson said.

"The ship's crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities."

An Anzac Day dawn service was held on the Quantum of the Seas cruise ship earlier this week. ( Supplied )

At least 10 people on cruise ships went overboard this year, and 2 miraculously survived

• At least 10 people have gone overboard off major cruise line ships so far in 2023.
• Two of those people were rescued and survived.
• Despite these cases, overboard incidents are very rare, a cruise line trade association said.

The chances of you falling overboard off a cruise ship are extremely low .

But at least 10 people fell off major cruise line ships so far this year, turning fun-in-the-sun vacations into disaster situations — and only two survived the fall into the ocean.

Here's what happened to the passengers who went overboard:

Warwick Tollemache fell off a Royal Caribbean ship and wasn't found during a search

The family of 35-year-old Australian cruise passenger Warwick Tollemache told Nine News he was a "kind, beautiful, and gentle soul who was adored by everyone who knew him."

Tollemache fell into the Pacific Ocean after going overboard off Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas on April 26 at about 11 p.m. while the cruise ship was hundreds of miles off the coast of Hawaii.

The ship's crew immediately launched a search for Tollemache and the United States Coast Guard was ultimately called in to help. The Coast Guard called off its search after crew scoured the waters for two days.

Authorities didn't say how he fell in.

Ronnie Lee Peale Jr. was in his 'happy place' before he fell off a Carnival ship and was never seen again

Virginia resident Ronnie Lee Peale Jr., 35, was on a Carnival Magic cruise to celebrate his partner's birthday when he fell into the water on May 29 after officials say he leaned over a balcony railing on the vessel.

Peale Jr. went overboard as the ship was about 186 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida, and returning from the Bahamas. Carnival Cruise Line said security footage showed he "leaned over the railing of his stateroom balcony and dropped into the water" at about 4:10 am.

The Coast Guard searched over 5,171 square miles and more than 60 hours, but crews could not find Peale Jr.

"He loved the cruise life," Peale Jr.'s fiancée Jennilyn Michelle Blosser told WTKR . "Being able to drink, gamble, and socialize put him in his happy place."

A Royal Caribbean passenger beat the odds when she plunged off the 10th deck of the ship and was miraculously saved

Some who fall in are lucky to be alive.

A 42-year-old US citizen — whose name wasn't publicly revealed — fell overboard from the 10th deck of Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas vessel on June 25 at around 5:45 p.m. as the Curaçao-bound liner was more than 30 miles off the coast of the Dominican Republic.

The woman miraculously survived the fall. One witness told Business Insider that passengers lined up on their balconies and quickly banded together to try and guide the rescue boat as it scanned the water for signs of the woman.

Witnesses said cruise crew members managed to find her and brought her safely back on board in a roughly 45-minute ordeal.

The overboard woman was found to be in "good health" after the fall, the Coast Guard said. A rescue expert told Business Insider her survival was "nothing short of miraculous."

Jaylen Hill jumped off a Carnival cruise ship and was not found during a search, the company said

Carnival Elation passenger Jaylen Hill, 30, went overboard on the vessel on July 23 as the ship was on a four-day Bahamas sailing and on its way back to Jacksonville, Florida.

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Hill's travel companion reported him missing after he wasn't seen all day. A Carnival spokesperson said that the cruise line determined Hill "jumped" from the ship "after an exhaustive on-board search and a review of security camera video."

The Coast Guard called off its search for Hill when he wasn't found after covering more than 1,347 square miles.

Reeta Sahani who 'could not swim' went overboard on a Royal Caribbean ship while traveling with her husband

Reeta Sahani was on Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas with her husband on July 31 in the Singapore Strait, the last day of their four-day cruise to Malaysia.

Sahani couldn't swim, her son would tell The Straits Times .

The 64-year-old mother went overboard while the cruise was on its way to Singapore.

Sahani's husband, Jakesh Sahani, woke up in the middle of the night and discovered his wife was not in their cruise cabin, the Straits Times reported. He notified the ship's officials, who, according to the news outlet, told him that his wife was seen on CCTV footage sitting on the ship's railing at about 4 a.m.

The couple's son, Apoorv Sahani, told the Straits Times that the "ship's crew thinks she jumped."

Apoorv Sahani later said in a post on X that his family was given footage from the cruise ship. "With the footage, we have unfortunately learnt that my mother has passed away," he wrote.

Kenneth Schwalbe fell off a Princess cruise ship and couldn't be found

California resident Kenneth Schwalbe , 59, was traveling on the Emerald Princess ship when he went overboard on August 11 about eight miles off the coast of Hilo, Hawaii.

According to Hawaii authorities, police received a report on the morning of August 11 that Schwalbe was last seen on board the ship at around 8:30 p.m. the day before. Authorities searched the ship but couldn't find him.

Hawaii police said that surveillance footage from a camera on the exterior of the ninth deck of the vessel showed Schwalbe "falling from the ship" at about 4:18 a.m.

The Coast Guard couldn't find Schwalbe.

Sigmund Ropich was vacationing with pals before the teenager went overboard from a Royal Caribbean ship

College student Sigmund Ropich of Texas was vacationing with his friends on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world in August, his sister Savannah Ropich told Business Insider.

On August 29 as the ship was off the coast of Cuba, the 19-year-old Sigmund went overboard .

The ship's crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation but found no sign of Sigmund. Cuban officials called off their search for Ropich after they couldn't find the teen.

Savannah Ropich said in a Facebook post last month: "Although we are continuing to celebrate my brother's life, it does not equate to compliancy with @wonderoftheseas. I am still enraged by the fact that we are celebrating my brother's life without his body."

"The mishandling of the search and constant miscommunication throughout prompts the question.. was my brother's life valued by his ticket and age?" she wrote. "If so and if not, to what extent does this company value a human life to respond with appropriate actions of urgency?"

Royal Caribbean didn't respond to Business Insider's request for a response to Savannah Ropich's criticisms.

A crew member went overboard off an AIDA Cruises ship but couldn't be found during a search

The crew member went overboard off the German cruise ship, called the AIDAperla, on October 22 as the vessel was traveling from Hamburg to Spain.

The cruise ship company said in a statement to Sky News that the captain "immediately initiated all necessary rescue measures in close coordination with the local authorities."

However, the search for the crew member wasn't successful .

Another lucky Royal Caribbean passenger was rescued after going overboard

A passenger traveling on Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas vessel went overboard on October 29 after the ship departed Barcelona and was saved.

"The ship and crew immediately reported the incident to local authorities and began searching for the guest. Thankfully, the guest was successfully recovered and was brought on board," the cruise line told Business Insider.

A person who said they were aboard the vessel at the time posted on social media that they could see spotlights and rescue boats from their balcony during the nighttime search.

A Carnival cruise passenger was seen on surveillance footage jumping off the ship

Tyler Barnett, a 28-year-old father of two from Houma, Louisiana was on a week-long cruise with his younger sister and their uncle when he went missing in the middle of the night.

Barnett was last seen aboard the Carnival Glory — which was heading to the Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico — around 11:40 p.m. on November 12, the day of the ship's departure from New Orleans, his mother, Elisha Reid, told Business Insider.

For over 24 hours, Carnival crews searched the ship and the Coast Guard scoured a 200-mile section of the Gulf of Mexico looking for signs of Barnett.

But, on November 14, Carnival said it had finally found footage of Barnett that showed him climbing up onto a lifeboat and jumping off the ship around 1:40 a.m. on November 13, the company told Business Insider in an email.

The cruise line at first told Barnett's sister, who was also on the ship, that there was no surveillance footage of her brother that night, Reid said.

Reid said she found out her son was missing from a cousin, not the cruise company.

"I have my moments where I break, but I'm keeping the faith," she told Business Insider as the search continued. "I'm keeping the faith. I just want him home."

Despite these cases, overboard incidents are very rare, according to a cruise line trade association

According to a report from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), there were 212 overboard incidents from 2009 to 2019, and only 48 — or 28.2% — of those who fell overboard were successfully rescued.

"Even one incident is one too many," CLIA told Business Insider, explaining, "The vast majority of cases are either reckless behavior or some form of intentional act. People don't just inadvertently fall over the side of a ship."

According to CLIA, cruise lines have maintained an exceptional safety record and cruising is one of the safest forms of travel.

From 2009 to 2019, the number of "operational incidents" declined by 41% and the rate of "man overboard incidents" declined by nearly 35%, while the industry's total capacity grew by 68%, CLIA said.

Watch: The rise and fall of the cruise industry

• Main content

Man Overboard on Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship

Doug Parker

• October 30, 2023

The quickest way to end your sailing is to fall off a cruise ship. That happened to a man on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas late Sunday night as the ship sailed from Barcelona.

Just one night into a two-week repositioning cruise to Florida, the words “Oscar Oscar Oscar” (maritime code for man overboard) were broadcast on the ship’s loudspeaker system.

The ship started the turn at 11:30 p.m. for the search on Sunday evening.

Recounting the man overboard

An email to the Cruise Radio tip line from a guest onboard read, “I’m on Symphony of the Seas. We left Barcelona this evening; at about 11 pm local time, Oscar Oscar Oscar was called . The ship turned around, and a search began.”

It continued, “About an hour later, the captain announced an individual was successfully rescued and was in the medical center. Truly amazing!”

The ship’s AIS system on MarineTraffic.com shows the vessel turning to search for the missing person and eventually stopping and retrieving the man.

Statement from Royal Caribbean on Incident

Royal Caribbean told Cruise Radio, “On October 29, a guest went overboard on Symphony of the Seas. The ship and crew immediately reported the incident to local authorities and began searching for the guest. Thankfully, the guest was successfully recovered and was brought on board. Our Care team is now offering assistance and support to them and their traveling party. Out of privacy for the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share.”

Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas is on a two-week cruise to Florida with stops in Spain before reaching Port Everglades, Florida, on November 12.

The cruise line instructs guests to immediately call “man overboard!” and keep their eyes fixed on the person in the event of someone falling overboard during the safety drill.

Past overboard incidents

This year, Royal Caribbean has had its five overboard incidents , according to the CruiseJunkie website, where they track man overboard incidents.

In July, a 64-year-old woman went overboard on Singapore-based Spectrum of the Seas . Two weeks later, a 19-year-old went over on Wonder of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world. Neither of those guests was located.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, help is available. Please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text “HELLO” to 741741 to connect with a trained counselor. Your life matters.

RELATED: Royal Caribbean Hikes Daily Gratuities in November

This was updated with details and a statement from Royal Caribbean.

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Search suspended after young Brit falls off Royal Caribbean cruise ship near Croatia

R escue crews suspended their search efforts Sunday for a young British man who fell off a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the waters near Croatia early Friday morning.

The passenger, who has not been publicly identified, fell overboard into the Adriatic Sea while traveling on the cruise line’s Explorer of the Seas in the early morning hours, according to local Croatian news outlets.

The man plunged nearly 100 feet off the ship into waters near the uninhabited island of Jabuka, the local news station 24 SATA reported.

Royal Caribbean crew members who witnessed the man’s fall immediately tossed over a life ring but could not see him in the water, according to the station.

A massive multi-agency search — spearheaded by the National Center for Coordination of Search and Rescue at Sea — was launched from both sea and air and continued over the weekend.

The rescuers were hopeful that if the Brit survived the fall, he would be able to survive in the warmer waters of the Adriatic Sea during this time of year.

“Survival in these conditions is more than 12 hours, and the search lasts twice as long, at least 24 hours,” Radovan Linić, the coordinator of the search and rescue agency, told 24 SATA in Croatian.

But after three days of searching, the rescue teams were unable to locate the missing man and officially called off the search at around 2 p.m. Sunday, Croatian outlet HRT reported.

The seven-day Royal Caribbean cruise from Greece was headed to Zadar when the man tumbled into the sea.

Another passenger aboard the cruise ship said she was awakened by an emergency message blasting “Oscar Oscar Oscar off the port side. Man overboard” at around 3:40 a.m., she shared on X .

The ship canceled its docking in Zadar but continued on its path after hours of searching when the Croatian coast guard took over the immediate search, Nicole Bullock wrote.

The Post has reached out to Royal Caribbean for comment.

In May, a man reportedly jumped from Royal Caribbran’s Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, on the first night of his week-long voyage soon after it left Florida. His body was recovered, and he was pronounced dead.

A month before, a 20-year-old man believed to be drunk allegedly jumped off Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas as it sailed between Cuba and the Bahamas while on a vacation with his family.

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The 9-Month World Cruise Is Almost Over, Leaving One of Its Famous Passengers Feeling Conflicted

Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise set sail on Dec. 10, 2023 and officially comes to an end in less than a month, on Sept. 10

Natalia Senanayake is an Editorial Assistant, Lifestyle at PEOPLE. She covers all things travel and home, from celebrities' luxury mansions to breaking travel news.

Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty

The Ultimate World Cruise is officially coming to an end after nearly nine months at sea — and one of its famous passengers has mixed feelings about it. 

The cruiser, who goes by drjennytravels , has gained a loyal following sharing content from her remarkable (and lengthy) voyage. She went viral for sharing dispatches from the rocky voyage through the tempestuous Drake Passage to Antarctica in January and when the ship encountered a “scary” fog that led to a canceled port in May.

In a TikTok shared on August 10, Dr .Jenny started a countdown of the last month of cruising aboard the Serenade of the Seas and expressed her sadness over the months-long journey almost being over.

“Today marks one month to go on the nine-month world cruise and I am feeling mixed emotions about it,” she says in the clip. “In the long term I’m feeling sad, anxious, and kind of dreading the end of this adventure — but on the other hand, we still have one month of cruising to go.”

She adds that she’s excited for friends to join her for a segment of the trip from Copenhagen to Amsterdam in the last month. 

In February, the TikToker kept her followers updated when the cruise, operated by Royal Caribbean, was faced with making a significant itinerary change due to unrest in the Middle East. 

At the time, the cruise line confirmed to PEOPLE that it was going to cancel the nine-month voyage’s original itinerary through the Red Sea and Suez Canal in May to keep its passengers and crew members safe. Cruisers were then presented with two alternative itineraries that Dr. Jenny explained in another TikTok .

"We are going to Dubai. We also are going to Africa. We are gonna go all the way around the tip of South Africa,” she said. “The itinerary is not finalized; we actually have two options. One, they're calling the 'Scenic Route' — it does more of Africa. And the other is what they call the 'Highway,' which is a lot of sea days and does less stops in Africa."

She also shared footage from the cruise's town hall meeting and explained that cruisers have the option to vote on what type of route they want to go on. In the end, the “scenic route” was chosen and cruisers were able to visit more parts of Africa. 

JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty

The Ultimate World Cruise departed from Miami on Dec. 10 and will return to the same port when it comes to an end on Sept. 10. It cruises for 274 nights and hits 160 total destinations, including eight world wonders, according to the official website .

Consisting of four segments — the Ultimate Americas Cruise, the Ultimate Asia Pacific Cruise, the Ultimate Africa and Southern Europe Cruise, and the Ultimate Europe and Beyond Cruise — the voyage is currently on its last leg and making its way through Norway.

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Kingston Jamaica (Port Royal)

Cruise port schedule, live map, terminals, news.

Region Bahamas - Caribbean - Bermuda

Local Time 2024-08-23 22:13

Port Kingston Jamaica cruise ship schedule shows timetable calendars of all arrival and departure dates by month. The port's schedule lists all ships (in links) with cruises going to or leaving from Kingston Jamaica, Port Royal. To see the full itineraries (ports of call dates and arrival / departure times) and their lowest rates – just follow the corresponding ship-link.

Kingston is a cruise port, major cargo port, largest city (population around 670,000) and the capital of Jamaica (an island country in the central Caribbean Sea). The seaport is located on the island's southeastern coast and near Port Royal.

Kingston Harbour is a natural, deep-water harbor. It is well protected waterway (by a long sand spit - Palisadoes) connecting Port Royal Town and Norman Manley Airport to the rest of Jamaica. The city is the biggest south of the USA with predominantly English-speaking population. Jamaica's government bodies were established in 1923, when Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) was formed.

The city is bounded by Harbour View (east), Six Miles (west), Papine (northeast), Stony Hill (north) and also by St Andrew communities (Bull Bay, Gordon Town, Lawrence Tavern, Mavis Bank, Mt Airy) which are not part of Kingston. City's central area is made up of two parts - New Kingston and Downtown. the city is served by two airports - Norman Manley (international) and Tinson Pen Aerodrome (domestic flights only).

Liguanea Club (upper-class social and recreational club) is on Knutsford Blvd. The club owns over 14 hectares (35 acres) of land including former Liguanea Park (current Emancipation Park. Liguanea Club gave a 7 acres land as a gift to the Jamaican Government to establish the park. It is famous for the 3 m (11 ft) high bronze sculpture at the main entrance that comprises a couple naked black male and female statues gazing to the sky – symbolic of the triumphant rise from slavery.

Royal Botanical Gardens (aka Hope Gardens) is a national attraction. Sized 809 hectares (2000 acres), it is ranked the biggest botanical garden in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Kingston was Jamaica's main seaport with numerous finger piers used for docking/berthing by passenger and cargo ships. With freight containerization (shipping TEU containers on large boxships ), the seaport moved to Newport West. Kingston Freeport Terminal Ltd (KFTL) in Port Kingston Jamaica started 2019 with a 24-hour performance record (January 24) of handled 3304 TEU-container moves (1464 unloaded and 1840 loaded) on the carrier Cosco Beijing. Terminal's operator KFTL is subsidiary of CMA CGM ( world's 3rd largest shipping company ). The terminal is operated by KFTL since July 2016 under a 30-year government concession.

Port Royal, Jamaica

Port Royal is an anchorage/tender port and a small fishing town located at Kingston Harbour's mouth. The town (1518-founded by the Spanish) soon developed into the largest in the Caribbean. In its glory days (late-17th-century), it was the Caribbean's largest port and hub for shipping and trade.

Port Royal was the main homeport for pirates (privateers and buccaneers) who attacked mainly the Spanish treasure fleet of galleons. These large-sized sailing ships were used in the period 15th-18th centuries - originally as warships, later as merchant ships. The town was well known worldwide for its wealth and low morals. Unfortunately, it was completely destroyed in June 1692 by an earthquake accompanied by a large tsunami. Following the disaster, Port Royal's commerce relocated to Kingston.

There are plans to develop Port Royal into a cruise port and tourism destination themed on its unique heritage from the privateering years.

The first cruise liner docked in Port Royal on January 20, 2020. The vessel Marella Discovery 2 was on a 7-day Panama Canal Experience Cruise roundtrip from homeport Montego Bay.

The ship docked at a floating pier. For the visiting tourists, from Port Royal were organized bus tours to Kingston.

Kingston Jamaica cruise terminal

The Kingston Jamaica cruise port redevelopment project was named "Festival Marketplace". It was designed to transform the city's waterfront into a new leisure destination featuring cultural experiences, new walkways to Ocean Blvd, eateries and other tourist-oriented establishments.

Currently, Jamaica receives 1+ million cruise ship tourists per year at the country's 4 major ports -  Falmouth ,  Ocho Rios ,  Port Antonio  and  Montego Bay . In 2011 was inaugurated the newly developed by  Royal Caribbean  Falmouth cruise port (USD 269 million project).

The project included building of a new cruise ship pier. Kingston Harbour welcomed its first cruise ships in the 1950s. On February 14, 1966, SS United States (then woorld's largest cruise liner) docked here at Western Terminals.

Along with the new cruise pier, Kingston's Festival Marketplace project included building of shopping center, bars, restaurants, outdoor food bazaar, exhibition and vendor spaces, luxury loft apartments, open-air gardens, pathways, waterfront promenade, bridge over Port Royal Street (to link directly to the city's centre), renovations to Victoria Craft Market (2-floor vending shops), tourist info kiosk, car parking (capacity 62 cars plus 3 buses).

For the construction works were contracted the companies Contra Construction and Chin's Construction, with total budget USD 68 million.

Construction works were completed in August 2015.

Victoria Pier building was leased for 25-year period to Yosamini Holdings. The company transformed it into a top-class leisure complex with restaurant, lounge, art gallery, entertainment outdoor area, sporting facility.

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Royal Caribbean's next massive ship will sail from Port Canaveral with a dog and a Chicago-themed restaurant

Get ready, Orlando: Royal Caribbean is basing another massive cruise ship in Port Canaveral beginning in 2025, and it will have a resident canine and a super-exclusive supper club that's an ode to the Windy City.

Star of the Seas , which sets sail next summer, will bring with it a slew of innovations that debuted on what is currently the world's largest cruise ship , Icon of the Seas — but with a few adjustments. Largely, though, the line says the original implements have been a tremendous success, leaving little that needs to be tweaked.

"With Icon just coming out, we wanted a little time to learn what was working, and it's turned out — I don't want to say everything is working, but instead I'll say — everything is working," Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean 's chief product innovation officer, said during an interview with TPG. "The ship has done so well resonating with our guests across the board. New concepts are doing phenomenally well."

Here's what will carry over from Icon of the Seas , what's new and what you can expect from Star of the Seas' itineraries.

For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

What's returning

One of the most talked about aspects of Icon of the Seas is its chief dog officer, Rover. Yes, you read that correctly: There's a dog who lives on board and interacts with passengers. The concept has gone over so well that a second dog, Sailor, has been "hired" to fill the position on Star of the Seas.

"That program ... has been very successful, so we're excited to add the next chief dog officer to our fleet," Schneider said.

As with its Icon Class predecessor, Star of the Seas will focus heavily on youth and family with what Schneider said is an evolution of Surfside, the line's first purpose-built family neighborhood. The outdoor space, which takes up most of Deck 7, features a carousel, an arcade, a candy and ice cream shop, family-friendly food and drink outposts and the ship's family playground and water park area.

Star of the Seas will also see the return and full rollout of kid tracking. Using free wearable technology, parents can opt in to track their children's whereabouts while on the ship.

The wildly popular AquaDome — an indoor space covered by a glass dome — will also make a return appearance. As on Icon of the Seas, it will house the ship's AquaTheater high-dive and acrobatic shows, as well as the AquaDome Market, Royal Caribbean's first food hall concept.

What's different

A popular new addition to Icon of the Seas was the highly exclusive Empire Supper Club, a for-fee, adults-only, formal restaurant with a 1930s New York City theme. It features both food and entertainment in an intimate setting that accommodates just 38 people per night. The venue's eight-course meal costs $200 per person.

On Star of the Seas, the space will return under the name Lincoln Park Supper Club, featuring a similar experience but with a different menu and decor that's reminiscent of Chicago. (Schneider also told us the Supper Club will return with a Hollywood theme on Icon 3, the currently unnamed third ship in Royal Caribbean's Icon Class, set to debut in 2026.)

"Our Supper Club concept was never meant to stay the same," Schneider said. "It's kind of ... following the sun, the rotation of the Earth if you want to think of it that way. So, we started in New York [with the Empire Supper Club]. ... The evolution now moves to the Midwest; it moved to Chicago."

According to Schneider, the venue will continue to be the great "eatertainment" that's been so successful on Icon, with the core of the experience remaining the same.

"The difference is the theme, the decor, the interior, the music, and even the menu will kind of shift to a Chicagoland theme," Schneider said. "As we get to future Icon [Class ship]s, Icon 3, which we haven't named yet, will move to Hollywood."

Other tweaks include expanding amenities for passengers booked in Ultimate Family Townhouse suites, which can sleep up to eight people. These accommodations are some of the most expensive cabins afloat. They include kid and adult sleeping areas, an in-suite slide, a movie-viewing room, a karaoke machine and spacious indoor and outdoor living areas. Details about the specific added amenities have not yet been revealed.

Royal Caribbean will also expand the number of ways to play in its Adventure Ocean kids clubs.

"We have lots of great technological ways for kids to play, but one of the things we've heard is [that people want] more analog ways," Schneider said, noting that Star of the Seas will offer additional nondigital classic games like foosball.

Star of the Seas passengers can also expect more hot tubs than on Icon of the Seas, as well as what Schneider called a "pearlier" version of the Pearl, an indoor sphere that functions as an artistic stairway and a support structure for part of the vessel.

Itineraries

Star of the Seas will join Utopia of the Seas in sailing from Port Canaveral , about an hour from Orlando , Florida's theme park capital.

"We're bringing the world's best family vacation to one of the biggest family markets in Orlando and Port Canaveral," Schneider said, noting the latest play in Royal Caribbean's efforts is to capture families who might be in the Orlando area for other reasons than a cruise.

Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean, shared a similar sentiment during a media briefing to talk about Utopia of the Seas in July.

"One of the reasons we put this brand-new Oasis Class [ship, Utopia of the Seas] into this market is that we really expect to see a certain amount of demand coming from tourists who are going in [to Orlando], either for ... Disney or Universal," he said.

Despite the line's similar reasons for positioning both Utopia of the Seas and Star of the Seas in Port Canaveral, the ships' itineraries will differ. While Utopia offers short three- and four-night Bahamas voyages, Star of the Seas will operate seven-night sailings to the Eastern and Western Caribbean .

Eastern Caribbean cruises will call on ports like Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and Perfect Day at CocoCay , the line's private island in the Bahamas. Western Caribbean routes are set to visit destinations like Cozumel , Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya , Mexico; and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Schneider said Star of the Seas will also call on Royal Caribbean's two forthcoming Royal Beach Clubs, set to open in the Bahamas and Cozumel in 2025 and 2026, respectively.

Meanwhile, Icon of the Seas will continue to sail seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages from Miami , featuring what appears to be a larger variety of ports than Star of the Seas. Examples include St. Kitts and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands; St. Maarten, the Dutch side of St. Martin; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico; Perfect Day at CocoCay; and Labadee , Haiti, another of Royal Caribbean's private destinations.

Find out more about Royal Caribbean:

• The ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean cruises
• Royal Caribbean cruise ship classes explained
• Royal Caribbean cruise ships by size
• Royal Caribbean cruise ships by age
• All you need to know about Royal Caribbean cabins and suites
• Royal Caribbean food
• Royal Caribbean drink packages
• Where you can cruise with Royal Caribbean
• How to find the best Royal Caribbean ship for you
• Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program
• How to pack for a Royal Caribbean cruise