On May 12, 2025, Hannah Smith’s celebratory cruise onboard Carnival Celebration turned into a fight for her life after a shore excursion in Nassau, Bahamas, went very wrong.

Near the end of a shore excursion to Pearl Island’s Sun Cay Beach Club, the recent college graduate was sucked into the propellers of the ferry used by the tour company, which resulted in life threatening injuries.

After 25 surgeries and losing both of her legs, the Tennessee resident is pursuing legal action against tour operators Sun Cay and Pearl Investment Management Group, as well as Carnival Corporation.

The lawsuit was originally filed with the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida on December 17, 2025,  but was amended on March 11, 2026. 

Smith’s travel companion and friend, Brooklyn Pitre, also filed her own complementary lawsuit against Carnival on May 11, 2026.

Cruise Hive reached out to Carnival, the cruise line said:

“Our thoughts are with Ms. Smith, and we wish her strength and healing. At Carnival Cruise Line, we continuously strive to keep our guest and crew safe as a priority. Out of respect for ongoing legal proceedings, we are unable to comment further. We remain committed to supporting safety and wellbeing in all we do.“

Was Alcohol a Factor?

According to the lawsuits filed by both Smith and Pitre, the young women were encouraged to drink excessive amounts of alcohol, and that at least some of the drinks were spiked by tour employees.

The claim specifically states that Smith and her companions were lured into a private cabana during the excursion and offered excessive amounts of complimentary high-proof alcohol and marijuana.

Allegedly, the bar tenders also performed “liter pours” with spiked alcohol poured directly into guests’ mouths. Smith’s blood alcohol level reached 0.447, which is well over the legal limit of 0.08% in Florida.

When Smith eventually had to use the restroom, she says that tour staff told her that “the ocean is your toilet.” 

She was encouraged to go into the water while highly intoxicated, where she subsequently got caught in the ferry’s propellers after urinating. This occurred during the disembarkation process at the end of the excursion after guests had been returned to Nassau.

This allegation also comes soon after news broke on April 15, 2026, that another former guest won a $300,000 lawsuit against Carnival Corporation over dangerous alcohol service.

Is Carnival Corporation to Blame?

Smith’s legal team has accused Carnival of negligence. The lawsuit argues that the cruise line marketed the excursion as a safe and vetted experience for passengers and should bear some responsibility for the tragic accident that unfolded.

It goes on to say that Carnival should have known the excursion was dangerous due to public reviews about the sketchy ferry conditions dating back to 2023 and social media posts about overservice of alcohol during the tour that go back to 2018.

However, Carnival has made it clear that the cruise company does not operate or take any responsibility for its shore excursions. It simply sells them as a convenience for its guests.

“All of the shore excursions, including any related transportation, are operated by local independent companies and they are solely responsible for their products, excursions and any related transportation,” Carnival’s website states.

“Carnival is not responsible for any losses, damage, death, injuries or claims whatsoever arising from, connected with, or related to any activities engaged in by guests while off of Carnival’s ships or tenders in any port of call. This includes all shore excursions…” the brand continues.

According to Daily Mail, Carnival has asked Florida Judge William Dimitrouleas to throw out the lawsuit because the excursion was operated by independent Bahamian companies, not Carnival itself. However, this was denied.

Peter Rebmann, managing partner of Pearl Investment Management Group, also tried to get the suit dismissed by arguing that Florida courts in the US have no jurisdiction over a Bahamian business.

The shore excursion Smith took, which is called “Sun Cay Beach Club with Lunch,” is also still available for purchase on Carnival’s website as of the time of this writing, though it is poorly reviewed at only 2.8 out of 5 stars.

Millions of people have begun receiving emails from Carnival Corporation, the parent company of Carnival Cruise Line, informing them that their personal data was leaked in a cyber-attack earlier this year. The Miami-based cruise company has also issued a notice on its website.

“Unfortunately, we are writing to inform you of a recent cybersecurity event affecting certain of your personal information,” the company wrote in the notice.

“We have been conducting a thorough and time-consuming analysis of the impacted data to determine what personal information it contained and to whom that information belongs.“

Cruise Hive reported on the original attack as news broke in mid-April this year. At that time, it was reported that more than 8.7 million records had been stolen by the extortion group, ShinyHunters, but it was unknown how much of that was personal data vs corporate data.

This escalated when, by the end of April, three lawsuits were already filed against the cruise line, accusing them of negligence in the handling of customers’ personal data.

On May 27, 2026, the company disclosed the exact number of impacted people to U.S. authorities: 5,995,277, just shy of six million people.

The notices were sent out to those impacted on the same day.

“While this analysis is ongoing and the affected data varies by individual, to date, the impacted data is known to include the following personal information: name, address, email address, phone number, date of birth, and government-issued identification number (e.g., driver’s license number and passport number),” the notice said.

One VIFP member, whose passport number was leaked in the attack, posted his notice on Facebook.

“Thank you Carnival Cruise for giving out my confidential information!” he posted.

According to CyberInsider, the leak does not appear to include credit card details or passwords, but names, birthdates, VIFP loyalty status data, and other identifying information may be included.

What is Carnival Doing About It?

According to the notice, Carnival has been hard at work enhancing and further safeguarding its cybersecurity systems, though that’s little consolation to the nearly six million people already affected.

For them, Carnival is offering a free, 24-month subscription to TransUnion’s credit monitoring service. With a provided activation code, guests can register for free with TransUnion by August 31, 2026. This service monitors your credit and flags potential fraud or suspicious activity.

Carnival Corporation has also set up a dedicated call center for questions about the data breach and the TransUnion services offered.

While Carnival is taking these actions, they still warn impacted people to be vigilant and aware of identity theft or other cyber threats. 

“If you ever suspect that you are the victim of identity theft or fraud, you can contact your local police,” the notice reads.

While it does seem like Carnival Corporation is doing the right things in response, with nearly six million people affected, this is surely not the last we’ll hear of this cybersecurity snafu.