A family vacation meant to celebrate a birthday aboard Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas turned into a tragedy on September 7, 2024, when a 12-year-old boy fell to his death from the balcony of his family’s cabin during the cruise’s return journey to Galveston, Texas.
The heartbreaking event unfolded during a sea day on the 14th deck of the 226,963-gross-ton ship. The boy fell to the Central Park atrium below on deck 8 around 5 p.m. while playing with friends.
The incident occurred in front of numerous passengers who were sitting in the area’s bars and restaurants.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm the guest of one of our guests,” a Royal Caribbean International spokesman told People. “Our Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guest’s family during this difficult time.”
The passenger and his family were sailing a 7-day, roundtrip Western Caribbean cruise that had departed from Galveston on September 1, 2024, aboard the 5,479-passenger vessel. With 18 decks, the ship is divided into seven neighborhoods.
The Oasis-class ship’s Central Park neighborhood, filled with more than 12,000 plants, is flanked by interior cabins with balconies that face the open-air area. It is surrounded by some of the ship’s most popular eateries, Park Café, Jamie’s Italian, Trellis Bar, 150 Central Park, Rising Tide Bar, and Chops Grille.
Witnesses reported that the young boy had been playing with friends he had met on the ship shortly before the fatal fall.
Despite immediate efforts by ship staff to provide medical assistance, the boy succumbed to his injuries before the ship could reach its homeport.
Guests on the ship, which had visited Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico, and Roatan, Honduras, recounted seeing cops investigating the room, which still had birthday decorations on the door and inside the room, and “a chair pushed against the balcony.”
This is not the first such incident on Harmony of the Seas. A similar tragedy occurred in 2019 when a 16-year-old boy fell to his death, also on Deck 8, while attempting to climb into his stateroom from the balcony after he had forgotten his room key.
Similarly, a 16-year-old boy died after falling from the interior balconies on the 225,282-gross-ton sister Oasis class Allure of the Seas. That voyage, which departed from Port Canaveral, Florida, took place on November 24, 2023.
Photos from various Oasis class ships have shown guests sitting on and walking along the balconies, despite warnings from the cruise line that specifies, “sitting, standing, jumping, laying or climbing on, over or across any exterior or interior railings or other protective barriers is strictly prohibited.”
Emergency Prompts Delay
Due to the incident, Royal Caribbean had to delay the sailing of its following cruise on Harmony of the Seas, departing September 8. Passengers anticipating their voyage received a special advisory from the cruise line adjusting their arrival plans for the departure.
“Due to an emergency on our previous sailing, our boarding tomorrow will be delayed. As a result, the terminal will be closed until 12 p.m.,” said the message. “To ensure a smooth boarding process, all guests must arrive one hour after their pre-selected arrival time.”
It continued, “Plan on arriving no later than 3 p.m. All guests must be checked in and onboard by 3:30 p.m.”
The ship departed on its 6-day Western Caribbean cruise at 4 p.m. and is currently in Roatan following its first call in Costa Maya on its roundtrip journey.
