Bahamas - 66 y/o woman falls overboard Royal Caribbean Cruise ship

[truthfinder2019]

it's lower than I was envisioning
but I think someone would still have to climb up to lose balance and fall?

Yes probably, you are surely right. What makes me wonder is the time of the facts, 9:30 pm is not that late, a lot of people around, so I doubt murder. Being drunk at 9:30 pm…hum…but could be. Suicide? Imo probable.
Poor woman :-(

 

[LadyL]

Yes probably, you are surely right. What makes me wonder is the time of the facts, 9:30 pm is not that late, a lot of people around, so I doubt murder. Being drunk at 9:30 pm…hum…but could be. Suicide? Imo probable.
Poor woman :-(

yeah and the age - most people that age don't get so drunk that they decide to climb a rail IMO - if she was 20, I'd be more inclined to think either it was a dare or trying to take a selfie

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Assuming she is of average height for a woman, the railing would have been at least waist level. Had she had a medical event and passed out there is no way her body could have fallen over such railing. She had to have been standing on something near the railing, sitting/climbing on it, or seriously leaning well over the railing with her entire upper body when a possible event happened. As far as a 14 story drop, highly unlikely she would have survived the impact with the water.

I'm 5'4". Standard cruise ship railings are approximately 42-45" inches high. Above waist high for me. Unless I was leaning precariously over the railing, there is no way that I could "fall" overboard without being lifted and pushed. I'd also like to point out for those who haven't been on a cruise ship, in many areas of the vessel, one would not fall directly into the water. Balcony staterooms around the exterior of the ship are generally tiered (like a cake), so a passenger falling (or jumping) might end up on a deck below or hit some other obstacle during the fall/jump. No doubt this would cause serious injury, but the individual might survive.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I would imagine there was drinking on board? Alcohol consumption and bodies of water are a very risky mix, very unfortunately. moo.

Lots of drinking on most cruise ships - some feature more of a "party" vibe than others. When booking a cruise, you are encouraged to purchase a "beverage package" that might include up to 15 alcoholic beverages in a 24-hour period; some packages are actually "unlimited" meaning that you can indulge in as many drinks as you want all day, every day. These packages usually include some other perks like free WiFi, tips for crew members, coffee drinks like lattes/cappuccino, free specialty dining that make them more enticing to many passengers. When people drink too much, they are more likely to indulge in risky behaviors than when they are sober.

 

[SimplyCass]

In My Cruise Era

Join us on a 4-night Bahamian Cruise setting sail Oct 21, 2024 from Miami, FL. ***We are not endorsed or affiliated with TASRM or Taylor Swift***

travefy.com

4 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Miami | Royal Caribbean

The 4 Night Allure Of The Seas visits Miami, Florida; Nassau, Bahamas; Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas; Miami, Florida. Explore our cruise itineraries and choose from a variety of rooms depending on your needs and budget. Start planning your next cruise vacation by selecting a destination and...

www.royalcaribbean.com

Some background info
- Allure of the Seas is owned-and-operated by Royal Caribbean.
- It was built from 2008-2009 and was the world's largest passenger ship from 2009-2015.
- Maximum capacity of 5,484 passengers.
- Five days, four nights, two 'port of calls' around the Bahamas; departs weekly.

Specific to this case
- This was not a full ship charter...organized by three people, who booked 199 staterooms. Completely full, sold out.
- All booking passengers had to be 21+.
- Has Taylor Swift themed events and activities - listing things like karaoke, trivia, dance party
- Not sponsored by/affiliated with Taylor Swift
- Happened on Tuesday night, so day two.

Questions/observations
- Is there any database or info out there about these cruises, like if they're always full, or if Royal Caribbean like 'closes' half the ship? (Not really familiar with cruises)
- I get the feeling that these groups are not tightly controlled. Like, they'll check to make sure you're actually supposed to be there if you're trying to get into an event, but otherwise don't control where/how you move.
- This would explain why the news articles mention that authorities are not sure if she was part of the group or not.
- 2009 seems 'modern' enough to have things like man overboard sensors. This is opinion, based on the observation that they started searching right away (usually it takes hours for them to be aware/searching to start).
- Sadly, from what I've read of other cases, if you fall overboard, it's a pretty grim outcome. in this article (paywall) listing 10 overboard incidents from 2023, two were rescued, the other eight have not been found/recovered.

 

[truthfinder2019]

Cruise ship returns to PortMiami after woman falls overboard near Bahamas

The Taylor Swift-themed cruise from which a woman fell overboard earlier this week docked at PortMiami Friday.

www.nbcmiami.com

Search called off after woman falls overboard at Taylor Swift themed cruise

The 66-year-old woman was reported to have fallen when the Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas ship was about 17 miles from the capital of the Bahamas.

www.lbc.co.uk

…everybody was yelling, "Someone jumped!"

Passengers on cruise describe chaotic scene after woman jumped

A frantic search ensued after a 66-year-old woman fell overboard while vacationing on a Taylor Swift-themed Royal Caribbean cruise in the Bahamas.

www.dailymail.co.uk