With up to 7,600 passengers onboard when fully booked as is common during holiday periods, it isn’t surprising that not everyone onboard the world’s largest cruise ship would get along for every minute of their 7-night cruise vacations.
What is surprising, however, is that an altercation could spread across the ship, with video evidence quickly going viral on social media.
Exactly that happened from Icon of the Seas recently, with the Instagram account @OnlyInFlorida sharing the video of the incident.
While the clip is less than a minute in length, it shows multiple passengers yelling toward one another, as well as toward other guests who appear to be simply trying to de-escalate the situation. Likewise, strong words are being exchanged with Royal Caribbean crew members and security, who are also stepping in.
The video was filmed on the Royal Promenade just outside the lower entrance to The Pearl on Deck 5. A nearby clock shows 2 a.m., but it is unknown whether or not the timepiece is actually accurate or simply a decoration. The view outside nearby windows, however, as well as the sparse crowds, do seem to indicate late-night timing.
While the date of the video has not been confirmed, it was uploaded to social media on Sunday, November 24, 2024, and already has more than 41,500 likes and more than 16,000 total comments.
This could mean the incident took place at the end of the ship’s most recent sailing, which concluded on Saturday, November 23, or at the beginning of the current sailing. Both are 7-night itineraries – the previous cruise, a Western Caribbean voyage, while the current sailing is an Eastern Caribbean route.
Icon of the Seas sails year-round from Miami, Florida, offering alternating Caribbean itineraries, all of which call on Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
While Royal Caribbean has not released any official statement about the incident – cruise lines rarely wish to draw attention to such unruly behavior onboard – it is safe to believe that a full investigation of the circumstances will already be underway.
This will include reviewing security footage, interviewing crew members, and taking note of the individuals involved. If they are found to have violated the cruise line’s code of conduct, they may face fines or other penalties, such as being banned from sailing with Royal Caribbean in the future.
Royal Caribbean’s Guest Health, Safety, and Conduct Policy explicitly states:
“Verbally abusive or offensive language directed toward anyone, including guests, crew members, governmental officials, or others is not permitted,” as well as “inappropriate or abusive behavior is not permitted.”
Who Is Responsible for the Incident?
While the short video does not show the beginning of the trouble, passengers onboard have described that it seemed to have begun in a nearby elevator before spreading to the Royal Promenade. In total, the incident lasted for more than 30 minutes before being fully broken up.
Read Also: Icon of the Seas Comparison – Facts and Stats
It should be noted that the guests in the video appear to be older teens. The cruise line defines minors as anyone under the age of 18, while young adults are defined as ages 18, 19, and 20. In this case, the guests’ parents could be held liable for their poor behavior.
“Parents and guardians are responsible for the behavior and appropriate supervision of their accompanying … young adult(s) throughout their vacation,” the conduct policy reads. “This responsibility applies at all times, regardless of whether the parents and guardians are physically in the company of their … young adult(s).”
Frequent cruisers are no strangers to the, shall we say, less than admirable behavior of teens that can occasionally happen in the later hours, especially on the last night of a cruise after youth programs have ended.
To mitigate this behavior, many cruise lines have implemented youth curfews in recent years. No official fleetwide youth curfew is in effect aboard Royal Caribbean ships, but a ship’s captain or other management officials may enact one at any time if deemed necessary.
