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Passenger's body recovered after falling from Rhapsody of the Seas

In:
21 Dec 2013

A passenger fell overboard while on Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas cruise and in the subsequent search, the body was found.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the incident occured at 2:00am on Saturday.

Evidently Rhapsody of the Seas was about 300 nautical miles east of Brisbane when the man was seen falling from the ship.  At that time, the ship immediately turned around and life rings and marker smoke were deployed.  Rescue boats were deployed to find the person.

Rhapsody of the Seas was on a nine-night cruise of the south Pacific.

A spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean said in a written statement another passenger had witnessed the man go overboard.

The incident was also captured on the ship's CCTV system, she said.

"The ship's captain immediately stopped the ship, turned around, and alerted the local authorities including the Australian Maritime Safety Authority," the spokeswoman said.  

"...With the assistance of the Search and Rescue aircraft, the Rhapsody of the Seas was able to locate the guest however regretfully the guest was found to be deceased at the time.

"The body of the deceased has been recovered on board the Rhapsody of the Seas.

"Royal Caribbean’s care team is providing support to the guest’s family and travelling companions and our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Autopsy reveals Royal Caribbean cruise ship passenger died of natural causes

In:
28 Mar 2013

Earlier this week the FBI investigated the death of a Virginia woman that died aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Enchantment of the Seas.  An autopsy was performed on the woman and it revealed that she died of natural causes.

FBI spokesman Rich Wolf identified the woman as 64-year-old Katherine Kennedy, of Midlothian, Virginia. Wolf says Kennedy died of heart disease.

Officials were called in after Katherine's husband found her dead Sunday in her cabin aboard the cruise ship.  FBI agents were waiting when the ship arrived back in Baltimore on Monday to begin the investigation.

Wolf says Kennedy also had a laceration on her forehead, but authorities determined that she got the cut when she fell down. They said it had nothing to do with her death.

FBI investigating death on Enchantment of the Seas

In:
26 Mar 2013

Royal Caribbean says the FBI is probing the death of a passenger aboard its Enchantment of the Seas cruise ship.

Enchantment of the Seas returned to Baltimore yesterday after a passenger reported his 62-year-old wife was found dead in their stateroom on Sunday.  

Royal Caribbean issued a statement saying it contacted the FBI and local police as part of standard procedures once the crew was aware of the incident.

The identity of the woman is unknown and there's no other details at this time other than the FBI is investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.

UPDATE: Here's Royal Caribbean's statement on this incident:

"We extend our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the 64-year-old female guest from the United States who died while onboard Enchantment of the Seas. On March 24, 2013, the guest was found by her husband deceased in their cabin.

As is our standard procedure, both the FBI and local law enforcement were notified. The FBI responded to the ship when it arrived in Baltimore, Maryland, on Monday, March 25. A member of our Care Team is providing support and assistance to her family.  

Enchantment of the Seas concluded its seven-night sailing in Baltimore, on March 25, 2013. The sailing included port calls to Port Canaveral, Florida; Nassau and CocoCay, Bahamas."

Royal Caribbean passenger dies during snorkeling excursion in Dominica

In:
19 Dec 2012

A 68-year-old man died while on a snorkeling excursion in the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica while traveling aboard Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas.

Police are investigating the exact cause of death, but Jim Caves of Riverside, California on a cruise aboard Vision of the Seas while it was docked in Dominica.  According to reports, Caves complained of feeling sick following a snorkeling at a local beach with his family members.

Caves was taken to a local hospital where he died.

Royal Caribbean passenger dies on kayaking excursion

In:
17 Jul 2012

A Royal Caribbean passenger traveling aboard Rhapsody of the Seas died while kayaking on Mendenhall Lake in Juneau, Alaska.

Michael Ray Fullerton, a 62-year-old man from Texas died late Sunday afternoon when his kayak overturned.  He was part of a group of kayakers who rented kayaks to tour the lake, which at the foot of Mendenhall Glacier.  

Tongass National Forest Supervisor Forrest Cole said Fullerton apparently became fatigued and was unable to paddle.

“The group tied their kayaks together and it’s still unclear to us at this point how the kayaks overturned,” Cole said.

Others in the group also overturned, although they survived and were treated for hypothermia.

The equipment for the excursion was provided by Alaska Boat and Kayak in Auke Bay.  The group was not part of a guided trip but they were given a safety briefing before they loaded their kayaks and gear.

“They get questioned about how much paddle experience they’ve had, and then they get a thorough safety briefing that talks about self-rescue, using the bilge pump, paddle float, wearing the PFD and spray skirt, and how to work together and paddle as a group,” owner Sean Janes said.

Forest Service Supervisor Cole said the agency continues to investigate the accident.

FBI investigating death aboard Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas

In:
30 Jan 2012

A 47-year old woman died Monday night aboard Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas after she missed a step and fell down a flight of stairs and the FBI is now investigating the incident.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Veda Coleman Wright said their department's crime scene techs were sent to Port Everglades to investigate the death of woman on the ship. However, since she died in international waters, Coleman Wright said the investigation will actually be in the jurisdiction of federal authorities.

Despite the investigation, Coleman Wright confirmed that they do not suspect foul play.

Woman dies during excursion on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas

In:
08 Jun 2011

A 51 year old woman from the United States died yesterday after suffering complications related to a pre-existing heart condition while on a diving excursion in Bermuda.

The woman was traveling on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas when the ship stopped in Bermuda on a tour with Hartley's Bell Diving.  She had come back to the surface after a helmet dive, which is a passive form of diving in shallow water where divers wear an airtight helmet to view underwater, and complained about being short of breath.

Excursion staff gave her oxygen and called for EMTs to attend to her.

Staff gave her oxygen and called Harbour Radio, who arranged for EMTs to meet the boat at Sandy's Boat Club.  When the EMT's arrived, they attended to her but she lost consciousness and later passed away at the King Edward VII Hospital in Bermuda.

Man charged with death of crew member on Allure of the Seas

In:
11 Feb 2011

Mexican authorities have charged a 24-year old national with the murder of Monika Markiewicz. The 32-year old victim was a crew member aboard the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship, Allure of the Seas.

Ms. Markiewicz did not report back to the ship before it departed Cozumel on February 4. Her body was discovered the next day in the water off of a remote beach in Cozumel. Royal Caribbean International has been informed that law enforcement in Cozumel has identified and charged a local resident and bartender, 24-year old Nelson Perez Torres, with the murder. Reports indicate that Torres and Ms. Markiewicz were casually acquainted for several months and he followed her for a period of time before killing her along the roadway on her way back to the ship. Royal Caribbean's Global Security Department fully supported and assisted Mexican officials in their investigation of this isolated and uncharacteristic crime for Cozumel.

"We thank the Mexican authorities for their commitment to quickly solving the murder of our crew member, Monika Markiewicz. Her untimely death is tragic and has saddened all of us at Royal Caribbean. We have informed Monika's family in Poland of today's news update and we will continue to be in contact with them and to support them during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends," said Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International.

Another woman dies on Royal Caribbean ship in Cozumel

In:
09 Feb 2011

Mexican authorities report a 24-year-old woman has died in Cozumel while on vacation on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.  Quintana Roo state prosecutor Francisco Alor Quezada said that the woman died Monday in a Cancun hospital from internal bleeding after ingesting a safety pin that punctured her organs.

Quezada also said the woman had two different names but no additional information was available on where she was from.  An autopsy revealed the woman suffered from diabetes, had a brain tumor and was taking anti-anxiety medication 

Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Michele Nadeem said in a statement that the tourist debarked Friday and didn't return to the ship before departure.  Nadeem also said, "out of respect for patient confidentiality, we cannot discuss her medical situation with the media, nor can we release personal information until her next of kin is contacted."

This death is the second in as many days after a Royal Caribbean musician was found dead from being beaten and drowning, but authorities do not believe the two fatalities are related. 

Royal Caribbean musician found dead on cruise

In:
07 Feb 2011

A Royal Caribbean crew member, Monika Markiewicz,  was found dead in Cozumel this past weekend in Couzmel, Mexico.  Authorities report the 32 year old suffered a blow to the head and died of drowning and they believe foul play is to blame.

Markiewicz was a musician on Allure of the Seas and her body was found on the southern part of the Cozumel Island on Saturday.

Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez says Royal Caribbean believes Markiewicz "was the victim of a violent crime and did not drown accidentally. Tragically, we recently became aware that the crew member was a victim of a violent crime while ashore in a remote area in Cozume. We extend our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of our crew member."

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