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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: 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 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 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.

Published on: December 31, 2024

At least four dead from cruise-related incidents on various cruise lines, officials say.

By Leesfield & Partners

A woman was found unresponsive in the water while on a cruise excursion and a man who died in a cruise line security’s custody, prompting an FBI investigation, are among four of the people who have recently died aboard cruises.

On Dec. 17, a crew member went overboard as the ship he was on was headed back to port in Baltimore, prompting a seven-hour-long search. The man in that incident tragically passed away. He was 23.

A woman died at the hospital after she was found unresponsive in the waters at Blue Lagoon, a popular cruise excursion in Nassau, Bahamas. Additional information, including the extent of her injuries or whether she died from ingesting a substance, were not immediately available Friday morning. The woman’s name has not been released.

Published on: December 19, 2024

Royal Caribbean Cruise Passenger Accused of Verbally Attacking Crew Dies in Security’s Custody.

By Leesfield & Partners

A Royal Caribbean passenger who is accused of verbally attacking the crew and kicking at a door on board has died while detained by the cruise ship’s security.

Michael Virgil, 35, has been identified as the passenger who died on Dec. 13 aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas. He was traveling with his fiancé and 7-year-old son.

The incident happened about an hour after the ship left from the port of San Pedro, near Los Angeles, California. Cell phone footage of Virgil that has gained traction online shows him attempting to kick down a door, trying to get at one of the crew members.

Published on: December 18, 2024

College Athlete Convicted of attacking 17-year-old on Carnival Cruise Ship, officials say

By Leesfield & Partners

A man convicted of raping a 17-year-old on a Carnival Cruise sexually assaulted at least half a dozen other people, according to an FBI investigation.

Jalen Thomas Kelley, 22, of Abingdon, Maryland, was convicted of aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse and assault after police say he raped a minor aboard the Carnival Legend in January 2023. During the two-week trial, six other people spoke out against Kelley and testified that he had sexually assaulted them in separate incidents.

Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland said in a news release that Kelley could face a maximum sentence of life in prison. As of Tuesday morning, he had not been sentenced. His sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge.

Published on: December 13, 2024

Fire Breaks Out on Cruise Ship with Headquarters in Miami. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

An electrical fire broke out on the first night of a cruise leaving Port Canaveral over the weekend.

The electrical fire allegedly started in an emergency generator room of MSC Seashore Sunday. No injuries were reported in this incident and the fire was quickly put out, according to reporting from media outlets following cruise line news. As a result of the incident, guests reported smoke, dining room closures and elevator shutdowns.

The ship is set to return to Port Canaveral on Dec. 15.