Key Aspects:
- The FBI is investigating a guest’s death following Carnival Horizon‘s November 2 sailing, a 6-night cruise.
- No details about the guest’s age, identity, or cause of death have been confirmed by authorities.
- There has been no delay to Carnival Horizon and the ship has already set sail on her next voyage.
A cruise vacation is supposed to be a fun and memorable time, but some guests aboard Carnival Horizon will be remembering their sailing for all the wrong reasons.
When the ship returned to PortMiami on Saturday, November 8, 2025, members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were on hand to look into the death of a passenger.
Few details are available at this time, but according to CBS Miami, Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed that it is cooperating with the FBI Miami office to facilitate the investigation.
“Our focus is on supporting the family of our guest and cooperating with the FBI,” a statement from the cruise line read.
This only confirms that it is a guest who is deceased, but no further details have been released. There is no information about the guest’s age, traveling party, or the cause of death.
There are various rumors on social media groups about the incident, including the suspicion of foul play or substance abuse, that the guest was found unresponsive in a stateroom, and that it may have been a young woman. These are not officially confirmed, however, and are speculation only.
Some guests onboard the sailing have recalled a medical emergency call to Deck 8 on the last day of the sailing, but this may have been unrelated. Medical emergencies are not uncommon on cruise ships.
Some guests on Deck 8, however, did receive notification in their staterooms that they would have priority debarkation in order to stay clear of investigators.
“Authorities will be joining the ship first thing upon arrival to complete an investigation and will be in the area of your hallway,” the notification said. “It could be noisy and disruptive, so we kindly ask that you be out of your stateroom by 7:00 am.”
Those guests had an option for breakfast, then were escorted first off the ship. It is unclear, however, whether they were personally involved in the investigation or simply in nearby staterooms that needed to be emptied to facilitate the investigation and protect the privacy of those involved.
An FBI spokesperson also released a brief statement confirming the investigation.
“I can confirm that the FBI has responded to the scene,” the spokesperson said. “Because this is an ongoing matter, no further information is available at this time.”
Is the Next Sailing Impacted?
Carnival Horizon just completed a 6-night Western Caribbean itinerary that initially departed on Sunday, November 2. The ship delivered relief supplies to Ocho Rios, Jamaica and enjoyed port visits to Grand Cayman and Cozumel before returning to Miami.
It is not known when the guest may have passed, though cruise ships are equipped with morgues if necessary. A Medical Examiner van from Miami-Dade County was on hand when the ship arrived back to port.
While some guests noticed a delay with the morning’s debarkation, there was no delay to Carnival Horizon‘s next voyage. The Vista-class ship has already departed on the 8-night Southern Caribbean “ABC” itinerary.
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Carnival Horizon can welcome 3,960 guests aboard at double occupancy, or as many as 4,977 travelers when fully booked with all berths filled. There are also roughly 1,400 international crew members onboard.
Cruise Hive’s thoughts are with the impacted guests and crew members aboard Carnival Horizon at this troubling time.
