Cruise Ship Lawyers Blog

Published on: March 6, 2025

Passenger Could Face Criminal Charges After Trying to Board Ship in Aruba. What to Know.

A cruise passenger in Aruba attempted to board the ship with a firearm and could now faces criminal charges.

The incident happened on Feb. 26 when a Royal Caribbean passenger attempted to board Oasis of the Seas following a stop at the cruise port in Aruba. Security discovered the firearm during a routine security screening conducted when passengers return to the ship.

Local law enforcement took the passenger, whose name has not yet been released by authorities or cruise ship officials, in for questioning.

Published on: March 4, 2025

Leesfield & Partners Files Lawsuit Against Royal Caribbean After Passenger Shatters Spin in Jet Ski Crash

By Leesfield & Partners

What was supposed to be a fun adventure aboard a Royal Caribbean voyage quickly turned into a disaster for one family after a tour guide violently crashed into a woman on a jet ski excursion.

Leesfield & Partners has recently filed suit in the case seeking damages for the severe injuries that Royal Caribbean’s tour guide caused to our client in the crash. The case is being handled by Partner Justin B. Shapiro.

What Happened?

Published on: February 26, 2025

Viral Video of Thrill-Seeking Cruise Ship Activity Leaves Viewers Skeptical. What do You Think?

By Leesfield & Partners

A video showcasing a passenger testing out a new slide advertised as the “quickest way” to travel eight floors on a cruise ship has gone viral.

The video, which has over 460,000 likes, thousands of comments and has been shared nearly 60,000 times, shows a passenger getting inside a tube-like slide and securing himself in a sack. Once the passenger was loaded up, the tube door closed, and the floor vanished from underneath him.

The man can be heard yelling all the way down, his laughter echoing through the tube. The camera then pans to the side of the ship where the slide curves off the edge, suspended over the pool deck for a moment of adrenaline-spiking danger.

Published on: February 21, 2025

Over 100 Passengers Sick at Ship Docked at Florida Port. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship docked at Port Everglades on Friday left at least 169 people ill, according to reporting from local media.

Holland America Line’s Rotterdam ship was headed to the Caribbean, Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica over a 12-day voyage when it reported the outbreak of norovirus, which causes gastrointestinal illness, to the Centers for Disease Control. There were over 2,600 passengers on board with more than 900 crew. At least 152 passengers and 17 crew members reported being ill during the voyage. Common symptoms of norovirus are vomiting and diarrhea but can also include headaches, muscle pain, cramps and fever.

Holland America officials reported that their crew increased cleaning and disinfection procedures and isolated the infected to mitigate the spread.

Published on: February 21, 2025

Man Sentenced to Prison After Sexually Assaulting Teen on Cruise Ship.

By Leesfield & Partners

A man working as a chef aboard a Sky Princess ship was sentenced to prison earlier this month for sexually assaulting a young girl during a voyage.

Vincent Lucas, 34, of Goa, India, was sentenced on Feb. 14, 2025, to a year in prison for one count of sexual assault following a four-day trial.

The incident happened inside a teen area, a space exclusively designed for teens to socialize with those in their same age group, when the ship was returning to Southampton, Hampshire.

Published on: February 13, 2025

So, You Want to File a Cruise Ship Personal Injury Claim? Leesfield & Partners Has You Covered.

By Leesfield & Partners

Whether injuries take the form of slip and falls on the pool deck or refusal to evacuate amid a medical emergency, Leesfield & Partners is here to help you navigate the waters of cruise line personal injury cases.

Every year, thousands of cruise ship passengers are injured aboard ships for a wide array of reasons. And, every year, thousands of these passengers file personal injury claims against these cruise lines. Most of these claims fall under premises liability, where a cruise line fails to maintain a safe environment for passengers on its ship. However, Leesfield & Partners has extensive experience in this area of personal injury law and has encountered nearly every type of case imaginable. To date, the firm has secured over $40 million for cruise ship passengers injured due to that corporation’s negligence.

Shore Excursion

Published on: January 30, 2025

Cruise Ship Docked at PortMiami This Week Made Headlines. See Why.

By Leesfield & Partners

A new ship with the Cunard Line, a British shipping and cruise line owned by the Carnival Corp., docked in Miami last week, here’s a look inside the new ship on a line who will soon call South Florida home.

Queen Anne, which docked in PortMiami on Jan. 21, is Cunard’s first new ship in over a decade and precedes the South Florida move of Queen Elizabeth, its sister ship. That move is set to take place later this year, according to local media. The ship was docked in South Florida to give travel agents, tourism leaders and media a tour of the massive, 3,000-guest ship.

The ship is currently on a world tour, which began on Jan. 7, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. Locations already checked off the ship’s list include Hamburg, Germany, Mexico and Costa Rica. On Feb. 4, the ship will stop in San Francisco before continuing on to Honolulu.

Published on: January 21, 2025

Doctors: He Can ‘Barely Lift His Arm Away from His Body.’ Leesfield & Partners Secure Confidential Settlement for Injured Cruise Ship Passenger.

By Leesfield & Partners

A man suffered a life-changing injury when he slipped and fell, sustaining a torn rotator cuff while aboard a cruise ship in 2023.

The incident happened as the man, his wife and grandchild were walking in a dining area that had recently been mopped, but not dried. There were no signs or cones that would have prevented him from walking in the area or alerted him to the hazard at the time he fell. As a result, he suffered a torn rotator cuff that doctors later determined would require surgery.

Surgical Intervention

Published on: January 14, 2025

Boaters, Dog Stranded After Cruise Ship Sinks Vessel in Florida. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least two people and their dog were left stranded, clinging to a buoy in the Tampa Bay over the weekend, officials said in a news release Monday.

The incident happened before 6 p.m. Saturday near Gadsen Point after a cruise ship caused a wake that made their boat crash and sink. Both boaters were injured in the incident and swam to the buoy to wait for help.

U.S. Coast Guard officials as well as deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office found the trio at 6:11 p.m. Both people were taken to a local hospital.

Published on: January 6, 2025

Cruise Ships Break Multiple Bahamian Records in 2024. Leesfield & Partners Has Spent Decades Representing Injured Cruise Passengers.

By Leesfield & Partners

The latest data suggests that cruise ships that sailed in 2024 brought in $2.6 billion in annual tourism revenue to Nassau, Bahamas while bringing in the most annual visitors to date.

Tourism is a crucial factor in the country’s economy and accounts for approximately 60% of the country’s gross domestic product. About half of the Bahamian workforce is employed by the tourism industry.

In 2023, the country had a record-breaking year with over 4.4 million visitors. Before that, the record was 3.2 million visitors in 2022. In 2024, the cruise industry brough about 5.6 million visitors, according to port officials.