A fight among passengers on one of the biggest cruise ships was so bad that Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas had to go back to port.
The incident occurred on Monday night, which was the first day of the cruise. Wonder of the Seas had departed Miami to begin a 4-night Bahamas cruise.
According to a report by Local10, the ship returned to PortMiami on Monday night because the fight onboard injured some guests.
When the ship arrived, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel were waiting at the pier to provide medical care.
In a statement by Royal Caribbean, they explained, "Our team provided medical care to adult guests who were involved in an altercation onboard, and the guests are being treated for their injuries."
"We notified local authorities and are working closely with them. As this is an ongoing investigation, we have no more information to share at this time."
Wonder of the Seas is an Oasis Class cruise ship, capable of accommodating 6,988 passengers.
The ship launched in 2022 and just shifted to offering short 3- and 4-night cruises as part of a new strategy by the cruise line to embrace short sailings as a way to draw in new cruisers.
What happened onboard?
None of the media reports regarding the incident share what exactly occurred, but the incident caused some injuries.
Our team scoured the Facebook groups for the sailing to get witness reports from onboard the ship.
Here are what some people report, although most of it seems to be second-hand reports.
"2 incidents. Lady with broken ankle and a huge brawl. Saw the lady with her ankle and leg wrapped up and the guy into the fight with blood everywhere"
"A ships officer said there was at least two [incidents], one with the lady with a broken foot/ankle, and another one with a fight."
"A family group was just escorted off with their suitcases, by Security, from the back exit door on 5 (Royal Promenade)"
Cruise ship security measures
A fight on a cruise ship isn't common, but each ship is prepared to deal with it.
The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act requires all cruise lines to have a security guide.
Wonder of the Seas has dedicated security and medical teams to respond to an incident onboard. Each member of the team lives on the ship and is on duty and available at all times.
According to Royal Caribbean, crime allegations are reported to law enforcement officials in the next port of call, as well as to the nation where their ships are flagged.
The company also reports allegations of crime to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and United States Coast Guard (USCG), in compliance with United States laws.
For a crime such as the man allegedly assaulting with serious bodily injury, US federal law requires Royal Caribbean to report the incident to the FBI by telephone as soon as possible, to the United States Department of Homeland Security electronically and to the USCG in writing.
