Cruises are sometimes seen as an opportunity to loosen up, get pleasure from leisure at sea, and go to lovely tropical locations. However for one South Florida household, a themed getaway aboard a Royal Caribbean ship took a devastating flip.
Final yr, a passenger on a Taylor Swift-themed crusing aboard Attract of the Seas tragically went overboard. Now, greater than a yr later, her household has filed a lawsuit towards Royal Caribbean Group, in search of accountability and alter.
Nevertheless, when requested in regards to the lawsuit, the corporate responded with a six-word assertion.
Here is a more in-depth have a look at what occurred aboard Attract of the Seas and why the case is sparking debate over limitless alcohol packages at sea.
Royal Caribbean Breaks Its Silence With A Six-Phrase Assertion Relating to The Household’s Lawsuit
What was meant to be a mother-daughter journey sadly became tragedy aboard Royal Caribbean’s Attract of the Seas. On October 22, 2024, 66-year-old Dulcie White went overboard throughout a Taylor Swift-themed cruise. A yr later, her physique nonetheless hasn’t been discovered, and her household needs Royal Caribbean Group to be held accountable.
This week, White’s daughter, Megan Klewin, filed a wrongful demise lawsuit in Miami federal courtroom on behalf of her mom’s property. In keeping with a news release by Aronfeld Trial Lawyers, which represents the property, the crew members served White—who had a limiteless beverage bundle—a minimum of seven alcoholic drinks inside roughly six hours at a number of bars on the ship, regardless of displaying seen indicators of intoxication.
The lawsuit argues that the cruise line failed to chop off alcohol service and didn’t carry out a direct “man overboard” rescue maneuver after Klewin alerted employees that her mom had fallen from the cabin balcony.
When CBS Information reached out for remark, Royal Caribbean Group issued a six-word assertion: “We don’t touch upon pending litigation.”
The household shouldn’t be solely in search of damages but in addition calling for stricter guidelines round limitless alcohol packages onboard, a coverage they imagine encourages binge-drinking and endangers passengers at sea.
Ought to Cruise Strains Rethink Limitless Alcohol Packages?
In an interview with CBS Information, Megan Klewin mentioned she believes Royal Caribbean’s limitless beverage bundle performed a big function in her mom’s demise.
“Due to that, she did overdo it—simply attempting to get her cash’s value. It saddens me that that’s my final reminiscence of her. I really feel that the overconsumption of alcohol and the overservice of alcohol [were] the reason for this,” Klewin mentioned.
The household’s lawyer, Spencer Aronfeld, who echoed her issues, advised CBS Information that it might be a serious step ahead if Royal Caribbean—and the cruise trade as an entire—reconsidered all-you-can-drink packages. He famous that bartenders aboard ships are sometimes incentivized to serve extra drinks to earn increased ideas.
At the moment, Royal Caribbean offers three beverage packages: the Traditional Soda Package deal, the Refreshment Package deal, and the Deluxe Beverage Package deal. The latter permits friends to “go all out with limitless alcoholic drinks,” together with cocktails, spirits, liqueurs, beer, and wines by the glass. Whereas the choice appeals to many vacationers, it additionally raises questions on how a lot alcohol an individual can safely devour in a single day—and whether or not extra guardrails are wanted.
On Reddit travel forums, cruisers have lengthy debated how “limitless” these packages really are. Many have shared their very own interpretations of the foundations:
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They wrote: |
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“If there’s a restrict, I can confirm it is better than 27.” |
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“They reserve the appropriate to briefly or completely minimize you off in the event you get drunk sufficient to be an issue.” |
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“I heard a bartender inform a woman 5 minutes. He mentioned if he tried to run one other via instantly, it might cost her.” |
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“I do know with the alcohol bundle there is a time restrict—one drink, I believe, per quarter-hour. That is to keep away from sharing alcohol.” |
These so-called “limits” aren’t listed wherever on Royal Caribbean’s web site, and enforcement seems to differ by crew and venue. Nonetheless, current incidents—including one earlier this year when a drunk passenger caused a late-night disturbance aboard Mariner of the Seas—spotlight rising issues about overservice at sea.
Whereas nobody was harm in that case, the tragedy aboard Attract of the Seas is a sobering reminder that extreme ingesting on cruise ships can have devastating penalties.
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