A passenger packing more than sunscreen was arrested in Oranjestad, Aruba, after trying to board a Royal Caribbean cruise with a revolver in his possession.
The incident unfolded on February 26, 2025, during the 5,602-guest Oasis of the Seas’ call in the Caribbean nation’s capital city.
According to reports from a local news outlet, the ship’s security crew discovered the firearm during a routine screening process.
The unidentified male passenger was immediately detained with police arresting the would-be cowboy and escorting him off the ship. He was transported to the local precinct for questioning.
Key inquiries will likely focus on whether the guest had been carrying the gun since the ship’s February 22 departure from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, or whether he purchased the item during the vessel’s 14-hour call in Aruba.
While details remain unclear, firearms are on Royal Caribbean’s prohibited list. This includes rifles, shotguns, pistols, revolvers, and other dangerous items.
“For security reasons, our company policy does not permit guests to carry firearms onboard during their voyage or otherwise secure weapons for anyone on our vessels or at the pier,” says Royal Caribbean.
But it’s not just policy, it’s the law. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) specifically says weapons are a no-go when cruising and passengers sailing to Aruba with a firearm, or even purchasing one in the country, can take a lot of heat for packing heat.
“If you are traveling to the Caribbean, know that it is illegal to import or export firearms or ammunition to or from any CARICOM (Caribbean community) member states unless you have a firearm import license or a firearm export license granted by the appropriate authority (such as the Commissioner of Police),” the ATF states.
The minimum civil fine for bringing a firearm through security when arriving in Aruba is $1,500. If loaded, the passenger faces a minimum $3,000 fine. The passenger could also face jail time for his mistake.
The 226,838-gross-ton Oasis of the Seas was sailing on an 8-night roundtrip voyage from Fort Lauderdale, and on its second call when the arrest was made.
It is unknown whether the man was able to reboard the ship or if he was detained in Aruba.
Additional passengers were not affected by the incident, continuing on to the cruise line’s Perfect Day at Coco Cay in the Bahamas on March 1 and returning to homeport on March 2, 2025.
A Case of Déjà vu?
Unfortunately, passengers sailing with prohibited items seems to be a repeat offense on Royal Caribbean vessels.
Last April 2024, a male guest from Virginia sailing on the cruise line’s 4,375-passenger Independence of the Seas was arrested during a call in Turks and Caicos for possession of ammunition.
Tyler Wenrich had been on a bachelor party with friends when a routine security search during a call on the island uncovered two bullets.
He claims they were mistakenly left in his bag and had passed through airport security in Virginia, as well as initial security checks when he first boarded the ship in Florida.
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Regardless, he served three weeks in jail in Turks and Caicos, narrowly avoiding the country’s mandatory minimum 12-year prison sentence after his congressman advocated for his release. He also paid a $9,000 fine.
The US government makes it very clear on its Turks and Caicos travel advisory page that passengers need to “carefully check their luggage for stray ammunition or forgotten weapons before departing from the United States.”
Although a similar warning isn’t in place on the Aruba page, claiming a forgotten revolver in a pocket might not pass muster.
