In case the memory of the poop cruise has faded for you, a brawl aboard a Carnival ship in the South Pacific is providing a whole new reason to think twice before you book that dream vacation.
On Friday, 23 people (all related to each other) disembarked from the Carnival Legend after they were accused of committing “disruptive and violent acts”. Six men and three teenage boys were removed from the ship at an unplanned stop at Twofold Bay in Eden, New South Wales. Another 14 passengers left the ship voluntarily.
Fellow passengers described three days of terror leading up to the family’s removal. One woman described people “walking around with cut heads and hands and bandages everywhere” in an interview with the radio station 3AW. She added that she and her husband had tried to get their kids out of the pool whenever the group was around.
Carnival (CUK) is now investigating the security response to these violent incidents, which climaxed early Friday morning when a brawl broke out at a bar on board. Video of the incident shows a large group of people fighting as security guards try to intervene, sometimes kicking people who are already on the floor as onlookers scream. One guard tries to knock the cellphone out of the hand of the person filming. Carnival has said “The actions seen on the video by our security team are not in line with our values and policies.”
The people who left the ship early, identified as the Barkho family by news.com.au, have returned to their home in Melbourne and now say they’re the ones who need protection. They have reportedly refused to leave their house and asked police for help when media tried to interview them.
All passengers are now safely on land in Melbourne. They have been offered a 25% credit for future travel.
Carnival did not immediately respond to Coins2Day‘s request for comment.