Cruise turned crisis: Woman who fell overboard on Royal Caribbean ship survives

An American woman was safely rescued Sunday after falling overboard while on a cruise ship near Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Florda-based Fox 35 news outlet reported. 

According to reports, the passenger, 42, was aboard Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas heading from Florida to Willemstad, Curaçao when she fell off the tenth deck. It reportedly took about 45 minutes for US Coast Guard crews to rescue her, as numerous concerned fellow passengers watched from their balconies. The Coast Guard stated the unidentified woman was taken to the hospital but is in good condition. 

“The ship and crew immediately reported the incident to local authorities and began searching for the guest,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement to Fox35. “Thankfully, the guest was successfully recovered and was brought on board.”

How common are overboard accidents on cruise ships?

In 2019, the last full year of pre-Covid data, 25 people went overboard according to a 2020 Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) report. That number includes passengers as well as crew members.

From 2009 to 2019 only 28% of people who went overboard were safely rescued, according to a report on operational incidents from CLIA.

In 2016, Samantha Broberg, 33, a mother of four, died after she fell overboard on the tenth deck of the Carnival Liberty cruise ship off the coast of Galveston, Texas after she climbed a railing. A judge ruled Carnival was not responsible for Broberg's tragic passing.