Mother and her adult son allegedly beat up 65-year-old woman on cruise ship amid argument



An Alabama woman was arrested for allegedly assaulting a passenger on a cruise ship. Meanwhile, the woman's son was kicked off the ship after allegedly striking the same senior citizen victim.

Kelli Lyn Ryan, 49, and her 23-year-old son Dylan Ryan sailed on the MSC Seascape cruise ship on Oct. 5. A day after leaving Port Miami, the mother and son from Huntsville allegedly got involved in a physical confrontation with a 65-year-old woman in the ship’s two-deck theater.

Authorities did not specify whether the victim and alleged assailants knew each other or what ignited the altercation.

WHNT-TV reported that the ship's deputy chief of security informed the Miami-Dade Police Department that Kelli Lyn Ryan was seen "hitting the victim with an open hand" after an argument around 9:30 p.m. Oct. 6.

The Miami-Dade Police Department said the altercation was captured on surveillance video.

The ship's deputy chief security officer said Dylan Ryan was caught on video striking the victim multiple times.

The police report said the senior citizen victim suffered multiple injuries on her face and head.

Dylan Ryan was booted from the MSC Seascape at the first port of call in Falmouth, Jamaica. Authorities said he was removed from the ship for unspecified “excessive behavior.”

Kelli Lyn Ryan was allowed to remain on the week-long cruise as it made stops in the Cayman Islands, Mexico, and MSC Ocean Cay — the cruise company’s private island in the Bahamas.

However, Kelli Lyn Ryan was arrested once the ship docked in Miami. She was taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and charged with battery on a person 65 or older.

Authorities did not specify whether the victim and alleged assailants knew each other or what ignited the altercation.

MSC Cruises has not commented on the incident.

The FBI said it had received 180 reports of alleged criminal activity on board cruises in 2023.

FBI Tampa Special Agent Mat Pagliarini and FBI Los Angeles Special Agent Matt Parker noted that incidents of sexual assault were the most common crime on cruise ships, followed by physical assaults.

The Department of Justice said there were 24 physical assaults with serious injury on cruise ships in 2023 — 14 physical assaults happened on Carnival cruise ships. There were reportedly 33 sexual assaults on cruise ships last year.

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FBI investigating death of 12-year-old boy who fell from balcony of cruise ship



A 12-year-old boy has died after falling from the balcony of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas was on a seven-day cruise in the western Caribbean with stops in Honduras and Mexico.

'We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our guests.'

On Saturday, the ship was en route to Galveston, Texas.

On the last night of the cruise, a 12-year-old boy plummeted to his death after falling from a balcony.

According to People magazine, the boy fell from the ship's "Central Park" neighborhood — an open area in the ship's interior on the 8th deck — which includes bars, restaurants, shops, and more than 10,000 plants and flowers.

The FBI confirmed that it was investigating the incident, according to the Washington Post, noting that it's “the primary federal agency authorized to investigate potential crimes on the high seas,” and was coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection.

Royal Caribbean released a statement on the boy's death: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our guests. Our Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guest’s family during this difficult time. For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share.”

The FBI and Royal Caribbean did not reveal the circumstances of how the boy fell from the balcony.

The Harmony of the Seas cruise ship docked in Galveston at 7 a.m. Sunday, according to cruise tracking site CruiseMapper.

In 2019, a 16-year-old boy fell to his death while attempting to climb into his room from the balcony of the Harmony of the Seas ship. The teen was on the eighth floor, according to the Broward Medical Examiner’s Office. The teen reportedly fell and landed on a pier after attempting to climb into his room from a nearby balcony because he forgot his room key.

Under the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act that was passed in 2010, railings on cruise ships must be at least 42 inches tall.

Harmony of the Seas was first launched in 2016 and has 18 decks and a maximum capacity of 6,687.

Between 1995 and 2024, there were 416 people who went overboard while on cruise ships, according to data compiled by cruise industry researcher Ross Klein.

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CDC confirms spread of 'unknown' outbreak on cruise ship



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the spread of an "unknown" outbreak on a cruise ship.

The outbreak on the Queen Victoria cruise ship was first reported in early February when 15 people suffered from an undiagnosed illness.

Passengers on the cruise ship suffered from symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea.

However, the mystery illness quickly spread throughout the cruise ship.

The CDC reported that at least 154 people had been stricken with a sickness – 129 passengers and 25 crew members.

There are 1,824 passengers and 967 crew members aboard the cruise ship.

Despite investigating the illness more than two weeks ago, the CDC said that the cause of the outbreak is "unknown."

The outbreak is being monitored by the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program, which "helps the cruise ship industry prevent and control the introduction, transmission, and spread of gastrointestinal illnesses on cruise ships."

Cunard Cruise Line, which operates the Queen Victoria, said it had increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, isolated ill passengers and crew, and "notified current and embarking passengers and crew of the situation onboard and encouraged prompt illness reporting and good hand hygiene."

According to Cruise Mapper, the Queen Victoria cruise ship is currently on a 55-day voyage that began on Jan. 22 in Hamburg, Germany. On Tuesday, the ship arrives at its next port of call in Apia in the South Pacific island nation of Samoa. The cruise ends on March 4 in Sydney, Australia.

The Epoch Times reported, "While the CDC report still hasn’t revealed the cause of the Cunard cruise ship’s outbreak, norovirus has been the most common source of illnesses on cruise ships in recent years."

The CDC defines norovirus as: "A very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get infected and sick with norovirus. Norovirus is sometimes called the 'stomach flu' or 'stomach bug.' However, norovirus illness is not related to the flu, which is caused by influenza virus."

The health agency noted that most norovirus outbreaks in the United States happen between November and April.

There is a yearly average of around 20 million who get infected by norovirus, 109,000 hospitalizations, and 900 norovirus deaths – mostly among adults aged 65 and older.

Norovirus is prevalent on cruise ships because of close living quarters and new people boarding the ship.

The CDC reported 14 illness outbreaks on cruise ships in 2023. Norovirus was the cause on 13 occasions and the other was caused by E. coli and salmonella.

This year, there has already been one norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship.

In January, a norovirus outbreak struck the Celebrity Constellation cruise ship. There were 92 passengers and eight crew members who fell ill.

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YouTube DJ feared dead from jumping off cruise ship after fight with love interest, allegedly said he wanted to kill her



A Brazilian YouTube DJ is feared to be dead after he reportedly jumped from a cruise ship after getting into a fight with his love interest.

Carlos Alberto Mota Candreva, 32, was on a two-day New Year’s cruise from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro aboard the MSC Preziosa ship. Joining Candreva on the voyage was his 27-year-old love interest, Vitoria Barbara Momenso.

Just hours before his disappearance, Candreva was filming himself in exuberant travel videos and sharing them on social media.

However, Candreva and Momenso got into a heated argument about their relationship status during the cruise.

Momenso said, "While I was in the bathroom, Carlos took my cell phone. I didn't even know he had the password. He saw my conversations with other men and sent screenshots to friends saying he was thinking about killing me. He intended to kill me."

Metrópoles reported, "The sending of the messages was confirmed by people close to Carlos."

Momenso said she was not Candreva's girlfriend, and that their relationship was casual.

"He always said that I didn't care about him, that I didn't recognize the things he did for me. I made a point of throwing it in the face," Momenso said. "The moment he fell, just before the Alexandre Pires show, he wanted to resume this discussion. I said: 'Please, let's enjoy the cruise.'"

However, Candreva allegedly jumped off the cruise ship early Saturday morning.

"There were people on the side, there was even someone to hold them back, but no one reacted. I was close to the stairs, there was no way I could run after him. It was very quick," Momenso noted of Candreva leaping off the cruise ship.

According to Momenso, Candreva's last words before jumping off the cruise ship were: "Do you doubt it?"

Candreva reportedly jumped off the cruise ship approximately 25 miles off the coast of São Sebastião, on the north coast of São Paulo.

The Brazilian Navy launched a search mission to find Candreva, which has fruitless thus far.

MSC said in a statement, "A thorough search was carried out on board and it was confirmed that the guest intentionally jumped overboard. The incident was immediately reported to the competent authorities and the Coast Guard released the ship to continue its journey."

Momenso reportedly required medical attention following Candreva’s jump. She disembarked the cruise the next day after speaking to police.

"Carlos was a person full of light, happy. But, over time, his shine faded," Momenso said. "He said that everything in his life was fine, except the love part, because he wanted to win me over. His goal in life was for me to be his girlfriend. He did what he could and what he couldn’t in pursuit of that."

Candreva's family blames Momenso for the tragic incident.

"Carlos was practically bankrupt. She consumed him financially. He paid for the trip, because it was her dream. He freaked out. She will never admit it, but she is responsible for what happened. She didn’t play him, but she was the one who made him get to that point”, said Christiane Mota – Candreva's sister.

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Carlos Mota Candreva: Tragic Journey's End - YouTuber DJ's Heart-Wrenching Leap from Cruise Ship www.youtube.com

Cruise ship youth counselor admits to molesting several young girls, FBI says



A Celebrity Cruises youth counselor admitted to molesting young girls while working at the ship's youth center, according to the FBI.

Cris John Pentinio Castor, 35, was taken into custody on Friday after the Celebrity Silhouette cruise ship returned to Port Everglades in Florida. Castor — who is a citizen of the Philippines — remained at Broward County’s Paul Rein Detention Facility on U.S. Marshals and immigration holds, according to jail records.

Castor was charged with abusive sexual contact of a minor under 12.

The cruise ship left Florida on Nov. 20 for a 10-day voyage in the Caribbean.

On Nov. 27, a 6-year-old girl told her parents that the youth counselor molested her while she was at the ship's Camp at Sea youth center, according to a criminal complaint. The young girl said "CJ" — the name the children called Castor — inappropriately touched her "private parts," according to the affidavit filed in federal court in Florida on Friday.

WPLG reported, "Upon the ship’s return to South Florida, she told a forensic investigator that Castor touched her 'where the pee comes from' while she played a video game, the complaint states."

Law enforcement officials said the security camera video didn't show the alleged molestation but did show Castor's hand reaching towards the child’s lap as she was playing.

"(Castor) told law enforcement that he was aware and understood that he knowingly touched the minor victim in the vicinity of her vagina," according to the FBI complaint.

The FBI said Castor confessed to molesting multiple children.

"(Castor) also admitted to the inappropriate sexual touching of other minor children that were in his care at the youth center, on multiple occasions, while consciously hiding his acts from the youth center’s security cameras,” the complaint read. “Furthermore, (Castor) admitted to inappropriately touching at least three additional minor children in their vaginal area, in some cases making skin-to-skin contact.”

A Celebrity Cruises spokesperson told USA Today, "We have zero tolerance for this behavior. We reported this to law enforcement and terminated the crew member, and we will continue to fully cooperate with authorities."

Castor’s attorney, Robert Berube, declined to provide a comment to the outlet.

Castor had reportedly worked as a youth counselor since August.

Castor is scheduled to appear in Fort Lauderdale federal court on Friday for a detention hearing.

USA Today reported that there were 87 allegations of sexual assault on cruise ships embarking and disembarking in the U.S. last year, based on a cruise line incident report from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

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Teen goes overboard the largest cruise ship in the world, family says officials 'barely telling us anything'



A teen went overboard while vacationing on the largest cruise ship in the world earlier this week. The search is ongoing, but the teen's family said officials have "barely" provided any updates on the missing cruise passenger lost at sea.

Around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, a passenger went overboard during a cruise on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas ship. Sigmund Ropich, a Texas native, reportedly went overboard into the Caribbean Sea when the cruise ship was off the coast of Cuba.

Rhode Island resident Jenna Izzo, who is on the cruise ship, told CNN that the ship's captain made an announcement that a passenger had gone overboard on Tuesday. She recalled that the captain was going to turn the ship around so a search and rescue operation could be conducted. However, after an unfruitful three-hour search, the cruise ship continued to the next destination port of Grand Cayman, according to Izzo.

The Cuban Border Guard began a search and rescue mission.

Savannah Ropich, Sigmund's sister, said on Friday that the U.S. Consulate informed the family that the Cuban Border Guard is "going to stop the ocean search and are only doing a coastal and land search."

Savannah Ropich told CNN, "We just want our brother home. They’re taking too long and barely telling us anything."

"I just want my brother home," Savannah wrote in a Facebook post. "He is a son, a big and a little brother, a cousin, an uncle, a nephew, a friend, a homie, a classmate, a co-worker, a neighbor."

Royal Caribbean issued a statement on Wednesday that said the ship’s onboard crew "immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities."

Savannah said her brother was enjoying the cruise with friends when he went overboard from the 230,000-ton vessel.

It is not currently known how Ropich fell off the massive cruise ship.

The Wonder of the Seas set sail on a 7-day cruise starting on Aug. 27, when it departed from Port Canaveral, Florida. The 19-year-old college student went overboard on the second day of the cruise. The Wonder of the Seas is scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on Sunday.

The U.S. Coast Guard will conduct an investigation into the overboard incident when the ship returns to the U.S., according to a spokesperson.

The Wonder of the Seas is 1,188 feet long and features 18 decks. The largest cruise ship in the world has a capacity of 7,084 passengers and 2,204 crew members. Wonder of the Seas first launched in March 2022.

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Cruise ship passengers traumatized after witnessing bloody slaughter of 78 pilot whales, company apologizes



A cruise line has apologized to passengers who were traumatized by witnessing dozens of pilot whales being slaughtered in a bloody harbor.

On Sunday, the cruise ship Ambition – owned by the U.K.-based Ambassador Cruise Line – arrived at the port of Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands between Scotland and Iceland. The Ambition cruise ship was reportedly carrying more than 1,000 passengers when it sailed by the whale hunt.

Yahoo News Australia reported, "Cruise ship passengers were shocked when the luxury vessel Ambition moored at a European island where locals were butchering wild dolphins with knives and metal rods."

The pilot whales were reportedly forced into the harbor and then killed.

Graphic photos of the whale hunt – known as the "grindadrap" or "grind" – were posted on Facebook by Captain Paul Watson Foundation U.K.

Photos show that the harbor turned red from the massive slaughter of the pilot whales – which are actually dolphins.

Ambassador Cruise Lines issued an apology on Thursday: "We were incredibly disappointed that this hunt occurred at the time that our ship was in port. We strongly object to this outdated practice, and have been working with our partner, ORCA, a charity dedicated to studying and protecting whales, dolphins and porpoises in UK and European waters, to encourage change since 2021."

"Sustainability is one of Ambassador Cruise Line’s core values, and we fully appreciate that witnessing this local event would have been distressing for the majority of guests onboard," the cruise line said. "Accordingly, we would like to sincerely apologize to them for any undue upset."

Christian Verhounig, the CEO of Ambassador, said the cruise line had "constructive dialogue" with the Faroese government. He advised guests and cruise crew "not to buy or eat any whale or dolphin meat and stand against any profiteering from commercial whaling and dolphin hunts."

Defenders of the whale hunt say the event is a tradition in the Faroe Islands – a self-governing nation under the external sovereignty of Denmark.

The government of the Faroe Islands responded by saying, "As has been the case for centuries, whaling still occurs in the Faroe Islands today. The Faroese have eaten pilot whale meat and blubber since they first settled the islands over a millennia ago. Today, as in times past, the whale drive is a community activity open to all, while also well organized on a community level and regulated by national laws."

"Pilot whales are actually large dolphins; they are the second largest member of the oceanic dolphin family (second only to orcas in size)," according to Whales.org. "Pilot whales are extraordinarily social; their strong bonds with one another motivate them to stick together through thick and thin, even when that means putting themselves at risk."

There have been 646 whales killed in the Faroe Islands this year, including the 78 killed on Sunday.

NPR reported, "They're protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, but not currently listed as an endangered species."

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Carnival cruise ship hammered by party-crashing winds and gargantuan waves



A cruise liner completing its journey from the Bahamas to Charleston, South Carolina, was battered in its final stretch Friday by a powerful storm, which left glass shattered, hallways flooded, and some passengers praying for relief.

The gargantuan waves and strong winds that rocked the Carnival Sunshine, a 102,853-ton ship with a guest capacity of over 3,000 souls, were resultant of a low-pressure storm system that hit the East Coast over the weekend.

Daniel Taylor, a passenger aboard the vessel, told the Daily Mail that around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, the ship sailed into choppy waters, prompting the captain to both issue an advisory about adverse weather conditions and warn of a possible delay.

"He said that the staff would do everything they could to minimize discomfort," said Taylor. "I went to a show in the Liquid Lounge at the front of the ship at that time. ... The sound of us crashing into the swells could be heard over the music playing."

Taylor's intended distraction at the lounge served only to highlight the intensity of the storm.

"Stage lights mounted on the ceiling began to shake, the disco ball started swinging, and the LED wall on the stage ... began rolling side by side on its own," added Taylor.

Sharon Tutrone, a professor at Coastal Carolina University who was a passenger on the battered ship, noted on Twitter that the Sunshine spent "11 hours pitching, diving, and rolling," all the while surrounded by lightning.

Tutrone added that at one point, "the ship took a huge hit by a wave and sounded like it split in two."

The situation reportedly continued to deteriorate into the night, with only sporadic updates from the crew as water began pouring from the ceilings and into the hallways.

WCIV reported that passenger Christa Seifert-alicea said the silence from crew members amid the dark and rocking was the "worst part."

"What we endured is indescribable, not only to feel it yourself but to hear and see it set in on every single person around you from adult, child, and the elderly is something I will never forget," said Seifert-alicea.

Videos shared online by various passengers show the ominous weather that delayed the ship's return as well as the damage wrought within the vessel.

\u201cFootage from the Carnival sunshine cruise \ud83d\ude33\ud83c\udf0a Video credit: \ud83d\udcf9 TT: k8lyns_m\u201d
— Wow Terrifying (@Wow Terrifying) 1685403445


The Daily Mail reported that minor injuries were sustained and one person aboard indicated, "You could smell people being sick walking down the halls."

Vomit ejected by the panic-stricken was not the only thing racing down the halls during the ship's Odyssean thrashing.

One video of a lower deck shows debris, broken doors, and waste traveling down one hallway on a surge of water:

\u201cThe aftermath aboard Carnival Sunshine after a severe storm. \nThe crew from Deck 0-4 evacuated to the theater, and anywhere they could rest\u2026 the crew bar destroyed.\u201d
— Crew Center (@Crew Center) 1685268922


Passenger Brenda Shobert wrote on Facebook, "We had a 40 foot wave hit our side of the ship,.. we almost fell out the bed.. things were crashing all around us and the carpet on my side of the bed was soaked bc water came in thru our balcony door."

The cruise line said in a statement to Fox Weather, "Carnival Sunshine’s return to Charleston was impacted by the weather and rough seas on Saturday. The weather’s prolonged impact on the Charleston area delayed the ship’s arrival on Sunday and as a result, the next voyage’s embarkation was also delayed. We appreciate the patience and understanding of all our guests."

Carnival added, "The weather and rough surf led to some crew cabins being temporarily taken out of service while we clean up water damage. All the public areas of the ship are open and in service and Carnival Sunshine is currently operating its next cruise, a five-day Bahamas sailing."

\u201c@CarnivalCruise #carnivalsunshine The morning after the storm. 9:07am.\u201d
— FlyersCaptain\u2122\u00ae\u00a9 (@FlyersCaptain\u2122\u00ae\u00a9) 1685319945

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