Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Returns to PortMiami After Fight Breaks Out Onboard
Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas returned to PortMiami after a fight broke out leaving two passengers hospitalized. The ship was scheduled to make two stops in the Bahamas before returning on Friday.
A passenger onboard the ship said they saw people running near the pool area before the captain announced the ship would be returning to port due to an injured guest who needed to be hospitalized.
Law enforcement and first responders met the ship when it returned to port. Miami- Dade Fire Rescue personnel responded to the related medical call.
Video shared by WSVN showed a person being put on a stretcher just outside of a Miami-Dade ambulance. Authorities have not specified the number of people involved in the altercation or the reason for the fight.
The Wonder of the Seas, which was the world’s largest cruise ship when it debuted in 2022, can hold nearly 7,000 passengers and some 2,000 crew.
Why Are Fights Like This Taking Place on Cruise Ships? Cruise Ship Passenger Injury Attorney, Spencer Aronfeld Explains…
Cruise ships are concentrated cities which encounter the same obstacles as regular urban areas, at times to a more potent extent. I believe there is a combination of factors that make cruise ship fights as common and dangerous as they are.
For one, cruise ships consistently overserve their passengers alcohol. Alcohol is easily one of the most profitable and financially imperative commodities on board cruises. Massive cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, and even Disney Cruise Line market and provide packages for the consumption of alcohol on an extreme level, including unlimited drink packages with very few exceptions or procedures in place
to prevent poisoning or excessive inebriation.
It goes without saying that providing a crowd with an unlimited source of alcohol can create dangerous situations; not only for those drinking but also those surrounding the alcohol such as children or other passengers. Through my representation of dozens of clients who have been over-served alcohol, I have met with multiple expert toxicologists who have testified that cruise lines repeatedly and unhealthily over-serve alcohol without regard for their passenger’s wellbeing.
Cruise ships are already unfamiliar environments for a sober mind to navigate and safely traverse – whether that is due to the wet surfaces, unusually dark and atypically designed rooms, the rockiness of the ship, or because of the amount of pedestrian traffic. Adding alcohol to the equation makes these obstacles significantly harder to overcome and has led to thousands of injuries which our team of experienced attorneys have fought relentlessly for.
Another contributing factor for why cruise ships experience fights like the recent one on Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas has to do with insufficient security on board ships. Most cruise lines lack enough security personnel, cameras, and other safety measures which many on land businesses are forced to maintain.
Injured While on a Cruise Ship?
Although you might want to fully relax and disconnect on your next cruise, you should also keep one eye open and stay alert for your own safety. If you have been injured on a cruise ship, tender or in port, it is important that you seek immediate medical care and report the incident. Cruise lines often defend cases based upon a “lack of reported incident.” Also, immediately consult with an experienced passenger injury lawyer who is admitted to
practice in Federal Court. Our law firm is based in Miami, Florida, the hub of cruise ship law. Since 1991, our law firm has helped injured passengers hold the cruise lines accountable. We work hard to get our clients compensation for lost wages, medical expenses and pain and suffering. The cruise lines are part of multi-billion-dollar industry and employ the most aggressive and experienced lawyers–which is why you need experienced legal counsel on your side, too.