FL Tag Archives — Cruise Ship Lawyers Blog

Published on: August 5, 2025

Cruise Ship Left Drifting Off Italian Coast with no Power. What to Know.

Electrical failure resulting in a power outage caused thousands of passengers aboard a Celebrity Cruise Line ship without power and drifting off the Italian coast for several hours over the weekend, officials say.

The Royal Caribbean Group, which is the cruise line’s parent company, said that the 2,170-passenger ship was without power for at least three hours while it was repaired. The outage was the result of a technical issue, but the company did not elaborate further on what caused the issue. The outage cut off things like lighting, air conditioning, kitchen facilities and the ship’s toilets.

While the power outage affecting some of the ship’s essential functions is eerily similar to the 2013 incident aboard the Carnival Triumph — which caught the attention of the public online when it was revisited in a viral Netflix documentary — these passengers were fortunate to avoid a prolonged ordeal. In that incident, thousands of passengers and crew were stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for almost a week after a fire cut power to the ship. Over time, the toilets began overflowing, causing sewage to leak into the hall and over the floors of the ship. With no air conditioning, no way to cook meals and the foul stench filling the ship, conditions quickly worsened for those on the ship.

Published on: July 30, 2025

Woman Survives Stabbing Stemming from ‘Personal Dispute’ Aboard Cruise Ship, officials say.

By Leesfield & Partners

A woman working on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship who was stabbed by another member of the crew before he went overboard has survived her injuries, according to reporting from national news outlets.

The woman was stabbed multiple times in what cruise officials are calling a “personal dispute” on July 24. She was attended to by the ship’s onboard medical staff and is now in stable condition, Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

The incident happened around 7 p.m. while the ship was heading to the Bahamas’ CocoCay. The male employee who cruise officials said was involved in this incident allegedly fled the area where the stabbing took place before jumping from the ship into the water.

Published on: July 10, 2025

Body of Missing Norwegian Cruise Ship Passenger Found on Trail, officials say

By Leesfield & Partners

Authorities have recovered the body of a missing cruise passenger after she went missing on a hike last week in Juneau, according to media reporting.

The body of Marites Buenafe, 62, of Kentucky, was found Thursday by an Alaska Army National Guard helicopter crew below the ridge line of the Gold Ridge Trail. Buenafe, a doctor with UK Healthcare, a series of hospitals and clinics with the University of Kentucky, was reported missing to the Juneau Police Department on July 1 by family members. Her family told authorities that she had gone for a hike that morning and planned to take a tram part of the way up a mountain before walking to Gastineau Peak and Gold Ridge.

She did not return to the cruise ship that was docked in Juneau by its departure time.

Published on: July 7, 2025

Father, Child Rescued After Going Overboard on Disney Cruise from Florida, officials say.

By Leesfield & Partners

A father went overboard after his daughter fell from the Disney Dream Cruise as it sailed back to Florida from the Bahamas Sunday, according to reporting from various media outlets.

The four-day cruise was sailing back to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale when the child went overboard and her father followed after her. The child allegedly fell from the ship’s “deck 4,” according to media, which is about 20 feet above the waterline. That area has a walkable promenade with a railing and plastic covering meant to block anyone from climbing over.

The man and his child treaded water for about 20 minutes before they were rescued by crew, according to media.

Published on: July 1, 2025

Bus Malfunctions, heat and abandoned passengers. Find out what ‘went wrong’ on this cruise ship excursion.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least two passengers were left behind after an excursion “went wrong,” involving extreme heat and bus malfunctions, according to reporting from Cruise News Today.

A Norwegian Cruise Line excursion began to “fall apart” after mechanical issues caused a bus delay, said Cruise News’ Doug Parker. The two guests were left behind after a scheduled stop in Germany was cut sort during the excursion. The pair was helped by another cruise ship and was later able to re-board.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported in this incident, however, Leesfield & Partners attorneys knows that accidents and injuries can happen at any time.

Published on: June 27, 2025

Netflix’s New Documentary Releases Details of Horror ‘Poop Cruise’ Incident from 2013. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

The horrors of a February 2013 Carnival Cruise are being revisited in a new Netflix documentary that dropped this week, and the story is nothing short of a total shipshow.

What was meant to be a four-day roundtrip from Galveston, Texas, to Cozumel, Mexico, turned into at least 4,000 passengers and crew being stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for almost a week after a fire damaged cables powering the Carnival Triumph. The toilets began overflowing and there was sewage dripping down the walls, witnesses can be seen explaining in the documentary, which was released Tuesday.

‘It Got Bad Fast’

Published on: June 25, 2025

Man Accused of Assaulting Minor Aboard Carnival Cruise Ship. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A man, 71, faces criminal charges after police say he grabbed a teenager while aboard a cruise ship off the Australian coast.

Jeffrey Mark Spiro, of New Zealand, was charged with deprivation of liberty and two counts of common assault.

The alleged incident happened on June 19 at around 11 p.m. aboard the ship where a 14-year-old girl was waiting near the elevators. Spiro allegedly grabbed the child and took her to the ship’s security office because he claimed she was running with a “small toiletry item,” according to reporting from cruise news sites. The item was later identified as a pair of tweezers.

Published on: June 18, 2025

Member of Cruise Ship Crew Injured in Fall. How Leesfield & Partners has Represented Passengers and Crew for Decades.

By Leesfield & Partners

While a cruise ship was docked in Santorini, Greece, a 31-year-old engine department worker fell, prompting an emergency evacuation.

The incident happened on Sunday, June 15, 2025, while the worker was heading down the stairs to the engine room. During the fall, he injured his left leg. He was transported to an emergency clinic, according to Cruise News Today, before being taken to a medical center on shore in Athens, Greece.

In nearly five decades of personal injury practice and representing countless passengers and crew hurt on cruise ships, Leesfield & Partners attorneys are familiar with the many ways in which injuries can occur on these ships. From terrible falls, excursion injuries, inadequate medical care and crimes aboard ships, our attorneys have seen it all — and all the ways in which cruise lines will attempt to skirt liability.

Published on: June 16, 2025

Cruise Ship Adds ‘Thrill Ride’ this November. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Cruise passengers are sure to get a thrill out of “robotron,” a robotic arm ride, on the top deck of the MSC Seascape this November.

Robotron will be the first of its kind at sea, suspended about 175 feet above the water. Passengers will be offered panoramic views of the sparkling water and white-tipped waves while on the ride, flipping and spinning as they go. Riders may even be dangled over the side of the ship’s deck, according to media.

While this ride is sure to get adrenaline junkies’ hearts racing, Leesfield & Partners has seen numerous times how ships’ onboard adventures have meant injuries for passengers.

Published on: June 12, 2025

Passengers Banned from Cruise Line for Brawling, Throwing Chairs. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Several passengers have been permanently banned from sailing with Carnival Cruise Line for fighting on board and throwing chairs.

A fight broke out on the Carnival Sunrise over the weekend as the ship sailed from the Bahamas, cruise media reported Tuesday. A video that surfaced online shows multiple passengers in what appears to be a sunroom throwing chairs and brawling while other passengers observed the chaos.

Security was quick to break up the fight. The cruise line has since announced that the passengers involved in the incident have been permanently banned from sailing with the company.