A passenger on the world’s largest cruise went overboard on Tuesday night, making a chilling announcement to those on board as rescue teams “searched for three and a half hours”
According to officials, the Wonder of the Seas was off the coast of Cuba when the person went overboard.
Passengers who posted about the incident on Facebook said the call took place around 7:30 or 8 p.m. Tuesday night.
The 230,000-ton cruise ship, the largest in the world, was two days into its seven-day voyage around the western Caribbean after leaving Port Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday.
Videos shared on TikTok captured the moment when passengers on board were informed that the passenger had fallen overboard.
The 230,000-ton cruise ship, the largest in the world, was two days into its seven-day voyage after leaving Port Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday.
According to officials, the Wonder of the Seas was off the coast of Cuba when the person went overboard
In one video, an employee can be heard saying, “We have reports of a man overboard. We have slowed down the ship, we have turned around and we are sailing back to the position we had then.
“We will start the search and rescue operations with our lifeboats, our crew will set out to search for everything.”
One passenger on board shared to TikToks about the incident. In a video, she says, “Tonight we have a missing person, right now someone is in the water.
“We have seen rescue teams searching for the person. As soon as we find out, I’ll let you know.”
The woman then pans her camera to show a rescue team in the water. She says, “This is the search boat, but I’m not sure anyone will survive this current.”
In the video, the small lifeboat can be seen bobbing around in the dark waters looking for the person.
In an update, she says: “He had jumped ship, they searched for three and a half hours and they didn’t find his body.
‘They had to stop the search because there was a sick person on board, his body will certainly never be found again. It’s so sad.
“I pray for his soul and his family, God bless you all.”
One passenger on board recounted the incident on TikTok and how the crews spent three hours trying to save the man
DailyMail.com has reached out to the passenger for further comment on the incident.
The authorities have so far not confirmed the information shared on social media.
Cruise industry blog Cruise Hive reported that members of the ship’s crew spent approximately three hours searching for the passenger before the ship continued to depart.
The Wonder of the Seas had already deviated from its original route because of Hurricane Idalia, which hit Florida with a record-breaking storm surge this week, passengers said.
The megaship is 350 meters long, has 18 decks and can accommodate almost 7,000 passengers and 2,300 crew members.
It features the largest water park at sea,that Royal Caribbean exudes as a “lost island adventure where vacationers can test their limits and climb new heights.”
This is the sixth person in the past three months to go overboard on a cruise ship, according to Business Insider.
You see the small lifeboat bobbing around in the dark water, looking for the person.
The megaship is 350 meters long, has 18 decks and can accommodate almost 7,000 passengers and 2,300 crew members.
The previous incidents occurred on the cruise ships Carnival Magic, Carnival Elation, Spectrum of the Seas, Emerald Princess and Mariner of the Seas. Only one of the passengers was successfully rescued.
On average, 19 people go overboard each year on cruise ships, with about four people being successfully rescued, according to a 2020 report commissioned by the industry trade group Cruise Lines International Association.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said: “On August 29, a guest sailing on Wonder of the Seas went overboard.
“The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and are working closely with local authorities.”
The United States Coast Guard says it is not involved in the incident. DailyMail.com has reached out to Royal Caribbean for more information.
This photo shows the central deck of the Wonder of the Seas, one of 18 decks on board
She was built in Saint-Nazaire, France, and it took three years for the 362-meter ship to be ready for passengers.
A traditional flag-changing ceremony was held in Marseille to mark the completion of construction, along with Royal Caribbean’s shipyard partner, Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
Wonder weighs 236,857 tons, has 18 decks, 24 guest elevators, 2,867 staterooms and can accommodate up to 6,988 guests, cared for by 2,300 international crew members.
She features a 25-meter long, 10-deck high zipline and Ultimate Abyss – the tallest slide at sea with a height of 10 stories.
Above is one of the pool areas on Wonder of the Seas – it features 19 pools in total
She features a 25 meter long, 10-deck high zipline and Ultimate Abyss – the highest slide at sea with a height of 10 stories
She has a Central Park area with “the first living park by the sea, with more than 20,000 plants” and multiple “neighborhoods”.
One of these is the ‘Suite Neighborhood’, which offers guests an ‘elevated suite sundeck complete with a plunge pool, wet bar and lounge chairs’.
There’s also a cantilevered pool bar called The Vue, and Wonder Playscape – an open-air children’s interactive play area with ‘awesome views’.
Other amenities include a card room, jogging track, laser tag, miniature golf, outdoor movie screen, climbing walls, solarium, karaoke and a vitality spa.
The second largest cruise ship in the world is Symphony of the Seas, another ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet.
The ship also has 18 decks, is 350 meters long, 65 meters wide, weighs 228,000 tons and can accommodate 6,680 guests.
While Wonder of the Seas is currently the largest cruise ship in service, she will be surpassed by the successor ship Icon of the Seas, which will enter service next year.
Icon of the Seas will be 350 meters long and weigh 250,800 gross tons, stats that will put her ahead of Wonder.