In recent years, there has been a seeming increase in the number of public confrontations occurring on cruise ships. Viral videos plague social media, showing what should be a relaxing vacation with friends and family, devolving into chaotic conflicts, ranging from one-on-one altercations to all-out brawls between dozens of passengers.
One incident shared on social media last year shows what ostensibly began as a friendly game of pickup basketball on a Carnival cruise quickly descended into a violent fistfight between several members. The X account CrazyF***ingVideos uploaded the footage with the caption, “Group fight over #basketball breaks out on the #cruise #ship #carnival #Sunshine.”
The footage featured text that offers additional context, reading, “Carnival Sunshine basketball court big fight after pickup games go wrong.” The clip appears to show two teams who were playing each other feuding over the game, where a barrage of punches are thrown by various people. The incident was recorded by an onlooker from outside the net enclosure around the basketball court.
Watch the fight below:
While most of the videos circulating throughout social media seem to come from altercations on Carnival Cruise ships, Dallas Texas TV posted a fight earlier this month between two passengers allegedly on competitor cruise line Royal Caribbean Cruise during a trip out of Galveston, Texas. The incident features two males hashing out a disagreement in a hallway.
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The clip begins by showing one of the individuals picking up the other and body slamming them on the ground, creating a resounding thud that drew an emphatic “Oooh!” from the man recording the incident. The altercation continues with body-slammer pinning down the body-slammee and proceeding to pummel the individual with an onslaught of punches.
“Are there jails on cruise ships?” one person commented. “When the unlimited drink package….hits!” another person added, suggesting that excessive alcohol consumption may have contributed to the fight. “A bunch of loser men, just stood by and watched. Ladies stepped up to break a dangerous fight that could’ve been worse. That guy would’ve thrown him off the balcony if that fight continued..” another user weighed in, criticizing the lack of intervention from those who just stood and watched.
Watch the altercation below:
Among the altercations on these cruises, there often seems to be a common denominator: alcohol. Another fight was uploaded to X in 2023 that features shirtless men engaging in a brutal fistfight in the hallway outside of an elevator. The account that uploaded the footage wrote, “Two Drunk guys on A Carnival Cruise Ship Fight …. After Hour Battle To Many Free Drinks.”
The fight began with the two men squaring up. Acknowledging his state of insobriety, one of the individuals said, “I’m drunk but I’m [indecipherable] to rock yo a**.” The two exchanged a couple of jabs before one knocked the other to the ground and began to viciously pummel him with punches to the back of the head in a very dangerous manner. Watch the incident below:
As social media has been plagued with these incidents, it has led to many questions as to what is driving the ever-so-apparent decline in social decorum. Is it the economic accessibility to budget cruises that attracts a rambunctious party crowd? Is post-pandemic human socialization forever changed by the lockdowns? Or is it simply the fact that everyone has a smartphone to record the incidents? Regardless, the trend is disturbing.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.