There are some jokes that simply cross the line – and one TikToker learned that the hard way after telling a crew member that she was going to jump overboard as a prank.
Megan Million (@meganmillion100) has 138,000 followers and over 24 million likes on her TikTok page, which is oriented around “pranks” and “good vibes.”
While some of her more harmless jokes may be funny, she took things too far by telling a crew member at dinner onboard an unspecified Norwegian Cruise Line ship that she intended to jump overboard that night.
“I have a secret, I have a secret…don’t tell anyone but I’m jumping off the boat tonight,” she says at the beginning of her TikTok, which has been viewed 1.4 million times in two days.
The crew member visibly became quite worried as he tried to gauge how serious the social media influencer was – telling Million not to do it.
He seemed to realize she was joking once she started to talk about riding whales and dolphins, but still appeared shaken by her comments.
You can watch their interaction in Million’s TikTok Below:
All cruise lines – including Norwegian Cruise Line – take safety extremely seriously. Even jokes need to be investigated to make sure there is no threat to the guest or others onboard.
They have to due to the danger associated with what Million was suggesting doing. While going overboard doesn’t usually happen often, it’s almost always fatal. According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), only around 28% of people who fall or jump off their ship are successfully rescued.
The crew member Million approached likely was required to report their conversation. But even if the crew member didn’t, NCL knows about the incident now – as another content creator and cruise fan named Alex Roberson made sure of it.
He sent his own reaction video to the cruise line through direct messaging on social media.
“Thank you for sharing this with us, and we have shared it with the appropriate team members. We take Guest safety seriously,” the cruise line replied to Roberson.
It’s also not uncommon for cruise lines to detain guests who may be a danger to themselves or others by confining them in their cabins under the supervision of security team members – or in severe cases – locking them in the brig.
Bad Joke Met With Backlash
Million may have found her joke funny, but with the danger going overboard poses, many online and in the cruising community did not.
Some like Roberson, actually called for Million to be banned from cruising. It’s unclear if the Miami-based cruise line will take such a harsh stance, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they did, considering how seriously they take safety concerns.
Roberson posted his own reaction video on Facebook, calling for all cruise lines – not just Norwegian – to ban the social media influencer immediately.
“There was a video earlier this year of someone on a carnival ship who made a comment that she wanted to die. They locked her in an inside cabin for the rest of the cruise. This isn’t funny at all and you are right she should never cruise on any ship ever again,” Roberson wrote in response to one of the comments he received.
Read Also: What Happens If You Jump Off a Cruise Ship?
Others admonished the TikToker for scaring the crew member and putting him in a sticky situation.
“You scared him, it’s basically death,” one woman wrote in response to the TikTok.
“It’s not a funny joke at all. It’s like prank calling 911. You’re making this dude obligated to report you to security. Any threat or comment of jumping off the ship are taken seriously. For the same reason you wouldn’t tell an airport worker you have a bomb,” another person commented.
The joke is also in particularly poor taste, considering multiple overboard tragedies have occurred in the past month.
Sadly, Norwegian Epic, Sky Princess, and Ruby Princess all had passengers lose their lives in overboard incidents throughout December.
Guests of Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas also reported another man overboard incident on December 17, but it’s unclear how this situation was resolved.
