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Sailing the high seas isn't always smooth! Join us as we explore the most horrifying incidents to occur on cruise ships. From devastating collisions and pirate attacks to mysterious disappearances and disease outbreaks, these maritime mishaps will make you think twice before booking your next ocean getaway!
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00:00All the power shut off, at life once.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most dreadful incidents to have happened on cruise ships.
00:08We won't be examining moments when boats sunk or capsized with people on board.
00:12The liner crashing into the rocks after dark, seawater rushing in.
00:18Number 10. Boat Brawl
00:19After a nice vacation, most people will leave in a state of relaxed bliss for a bit.
00:24But one group of boat tourists had nothing but aggression immediately.
00:28In 2025, after spending seven days in the Caribbean aboard Carnival Cruise Line's boat, Carnival Jubilee, the ship arrived at port in Galveston, Texas.
00:36However, some tourists were still holding grudges from a basketball game during the journey.
00:40It reportedly started on the basketball court on the last sea day of the cruise.
00:45Soon after arriving at the debarkation customs area, a massive brawl erupted, a portion of which was filmed and put online.
00:51Multiple security guards can be seen running toward the fight, but they struggle to immediately contain the melee.
00:56In the end, one passenger, Ethan Merrick Clark, was arrested for attacking an older man who tried to stop the fight.
01:02And 24 people were banned from further trips with Carnival.
01:05A Carnival spokesperson told media, quote,
01:08We will not tolerate such behavior. These individuals can seek other cruise lines, but they are not welcome on our ships.
01:15Number 9. Cozy Mill Carnival Cruise Collision
01:17Sometimes when on a vessel, other boats can get pretty close.
01:20Usually there's still loads of distance and everything's fine.
01:23However, in 2019, the Carnival Glory and Carnival Legend cruise ships got way, way too close, while near the port in Cozumel, Mexico.
01:31Tonight, massive ships on a collision course in Mexico.
01:34When the Glory attempted to dock as the Legend had already done so, its stern smashed into the Legend's bow.
01:40He's gonna hit us next!
01:41The Legend sliced into the Glory, completely destroying large portions of multiple decks.
01:45Despite the very visual collision, with the Glory's Platinum Restaurant being thankfully empty at the time, only six people required treatment for minor injuries.
01:53It's believed heavy winds played a major factor in this dramatic collision.
01:57It was very scary, traumatic, and just glad that it wasn't worse.
02:01Number 8. Entertainment to the Rescue
02:02There's a long-held tradition that a ship's captain should be the last to leave when being rescued.
02:07Apparently, this isn't something Yannis Avranas followed.
02:10I still thought that the captain was on the bridge, doing whatever he needs to do.
02:14In 1991, he was in charge of the MTS Oceanus, as it went to Durban, South Africa.
02:20A big storm contributed to an explosion, causing the boat to lose power and begin flooding.
02:24With no alarm sounded and the ship appearing to sink, onboard entertainer Moss Hills went to the bridge, only to find it empty.
02:30Hill used the radio to call for help and then took charge as other entertainment staff helped to organize the passengers and keep them calm.
02:37We didn't know how many people to put into each lifeboat. We hadn't been trained for anything like that. We were entertainers.
02:43When the rescue helicopter arrived, Avranas reportedly insisted on being rescued first.
02:47After everyone was saved, the Oceanus then sank.
02:50Every single person was saved. There wasn't a single life lost.
02:54Number 7. Pacific Sun's Injury Storm
02:56The seas can be a violent entity. As such, storms out there can wreak havoc on boats.
03:06In 2008, P&O Cruises Australia's Pacific Sun ship was north of Auckland, New Zealand, during an eight-day trip.
03:13However, while in the ocean, a massive storm struck, causing 23-foot waves and 50-knot winds to crash into the vessel, forcing it to roll up to 31 degrees.
03:22Unsurprisingly, this caused a lot of danger for the passengers and crew.
03:25In 2010, CCTV footage from inside the Pacific Sun was released.
03:30One video from a restaurant showed crew, passengers, and equipment being thrown violently from side to side.
03:36This carnage resulted in over 42 people getting injured.
03:39Number 6. Seaborne Spirits Pirate Heroics
03:42In 2005, the Seaborne Spirit was traveling in Africa for a 16-day trip.
03:47While on its way to Mombasa, Kenya, two small boats of Somali pirates approached the ship.
03:51I'm relaying your transmission now, but chances are it's just fishermen.
03:55They're not here to fish.
03:57The group fired weapons, including an RPG, one of which stuck into the spirit but thankfully didn't explode.
04:02With the danger to everyone on board, the crew sprang into action.
04:06Stop it, Danny!
04:07Oh!
04:08Without using any firearms, the ship's master at arms, Sombaha Dewar Gurung, used a long-range acoustic device, or LRAD.
04:19However, he was struck non-fatally by a bullet.
04:22As the captain tried to ram the pirates with the spirit, Michael Groves dragged Gurung to safety.
04:27He then turned on the sonic weapon deterring the pirates.
04:30You know, we take the prosecution of these pirates very seriously.
04:34In 2007, Gurung and Groves were awarded medals by Queen Elizabeth II.
04:39Number 5, Runaway Ship
04:40The footage of this 2019 incident looks more like a disaster film than real life.
04:44Nine stories high, 65,000 tons, capable of carrying 2,500 passengers.
04:51In 2019, the MSC Opera experienced engine troubles in Venice, Italy.
04:55Unable to stop the boat from driving forward, as backup plans failed, the captain blared the sirens, causing tourists and locals to run for safety.
05:03Delta Echo! Delta Echo!
05:05The announcement, Delta Echo, is code for the crew.
05:08Damage to the ship and collision imminent.
05:11Hold on!
05:12The massive ship smashed into the wharf and the already docked Uniworld river cruise ship, the River Countess.
05:18The much smaller ship suffered massive damage and five people were injured.
05:21I heard this deafening noise coming closer, the sound of the horn.
05:24We were lucky because it could have been much worse.
05:27This incident sparked locals and politicians to call for more restrictions on cruise ships in Venice's waters.
05:33The opera's captain and bridge staff were deemed at fault for the incident and sentenced to jail, which was later commuted to fines.
05:39Number 4, Explorer of the Disease
05:41At one point, the Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas was the biggest cruise ship in the world.
05:46The company would rather everyone focus on that than on what happened in 2014.
05:50When I was in my room, I didn't know about the other people until my husband went out and told the crew attendant.
05:56Shortly after leaving Cape Liberty, New Jersey, disease began to run rampant through the vessel.
06:01By the time the ship docked at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, 281 passengers and 22 crew members
06:06had reported symptoms of the highly infectious neurovirus.
06:10Neurovirus can spread very readily from person to person.
06:13So when you have people confined, the spread can be quick and explosive.
06:17The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, quickly arrived to assess the situation.
06:23In the end, nearly 700 people aboard had neurovirus.
06:26The CDC confirmed that this was one of the worst outbreaks they had seen in 20 years.
06:30Everybody was, you know, using buckets to do what they had to do.
06:35Number 3, The Poop Cruise
06:36In 2013, while in the Gulf of Mexico, the Carnival Triumph experienced a fire in the engine room.
06:41Were you scared?
06:42I was pretty freaked out.
06:43While that was quickly dealt with, the damage caused the ship to lose power.
06:46On top of food and water requiring rationing, the sewage system was backed up.
06:51People were using the restroom in little red plastic bags and throwing them out into the hallway.
06:55This forced human waste to leak all over the ship, hence the colorful nickname of the cruise,
07:00as the passengers were stuck aboard.
07:02It took four days for the Triumph to be taken by tugboats to a port in Mobile, Alabama.
07:07However, two months later, the ship escaped its moorings during a storm,
07:10causing significant damage to another boat.
07:12Due to the high winds, the Carnival Triumph broke its moorings,
07:17drifted over across the Mobile ship channel.
07:19It had a small collision with the Army Corps visionary boats and a deck barge.
07:24To make sure a fire like that doesn't happen again,
07:27Carnival announced a $300 million plan to upgrade its fleet.
07:31Number 2, Murder at Sea
07:32In May 2025, the MSC Virtuosa left Southampton, England for a two-day cruise to Bruges, Belgium.
07:3960-year-old retired stunt performer James Messam was on board reportedly as part of a bachelor party,
07:45as several were being held.
07:47Yet, soon after embarking, brawls allegedly happened as the alcohol flowed freely.
07:51However, a couple of hours after the Virtuosa had departed and while the vessel was still in British waters,
08:01horror struck.
08:02A violent altercation took place, resulting in Messam being severely injured.
08:06While the crew and a trained medic guest tried to help him, Messam sadly died.
08:10Two men were soon arrested for murder and were released on bail as the investigation continued.
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08:30Number 1, The Disappearance of Rebecca Coriam
08:33In 2011, Coriam was working aboard the Disney Wonder as a youth worker.
08:37She sent her parents a message that she would call them the next day.
08:40Sadly, she didn't and didn't arrive for her next shift.
08:42Well, we got the phone call about quarter to 11 here, the Tuesday evening here,
08:46just before we'd gone to bed from Disney to say that Rebecca is missing at sea.
08:53The investigation found CCTV footage in the early hours of Coriam looking distraught
08:57while talking to someone on one of the boat's internal phones.
09:00After another crew member checked on her, Coriam left and wasn't seen again.
09:04Disney believed she went overboard accidentally when a rogue wave hit the ship.
09:07You had a potential crime scene, but you certainly had evidence that needed to be preserved.
09:14However, the controversial police investigation and doubts about Disney's explanation contributed
09:18to several theories, including that Coriam was murdered as part of a love triangle or for
09:23other motives. Coriam's family sued Disney, which was settled in 2016.
09:27I don't think it gets any easier. I think the longer it goes on, the harder it seems to get.
09:32What was your worst experience on board a cruise ship? Let us know below.
09:35We pride ourselves in providing our guests with a great vacation experience,
09:39and clearly we failed in this particular case.
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