man overboard on cruise to hawaii

Search suspended for cruise ship passenger who fell overboard off Hawaii

Coast Guard crews have suspended the search for an Australian cruise ship passenger off the coast of Hawaii following a report of a person overboard, officials said Thursday.

“After reviewing all relevant information of the case and discussing it with the next of kin, the Coast Guard has made the difficult decision to suspend the active search for the passenger aboard the Quantum of the Seas,” said Kevin Cooper, a search and rescue mission coordinator for the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu. 

The cruise ship Quantum of the Seas reported a person overboard at 11:03 p.m. Tuesday local time to the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu, the Coast Guard said in a news release Wednesday. 

“The crew of the cruise ship remained on scene to search for approximately two hours, deploying six life rings,” the release said. 

On Wednesday, an air search with the Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point C-130 Hercules aircrew launched at 7 a.m. and arrived on scene at 9 a.m. local time, searching about 500 miles south of Kailua-Kona, Big Island.

After six hours the crew returned to the air station for fuel replenishment. Officials said said Thursday that the search had been suspended.

A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean confirmed that a passenger went overboard.

"The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities," the spokesperson said.

The sprawling cruise ship has 16 decks and fits 4,905 guests and 1,500 crew members, according to its website . 

Quantum of the Seas departed Brisbane, Australia, on April 12 and is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on Friday.

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Search suspended for man overboard on cruise ship hundreds of miles away from Hawaii

The Australian man had been missing since Tuesday night.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday it has suspended its search for a cruise ship passenger from Australia who went overboard a few hundred miles off the coast of Hawaii.

The incident occurred at approximately 11:03 p.m. Tuesday night, when the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu received a report from the Quantum of the Seas cruise ship that a man had gone overboard about 500 miles south of Kailua Kona, Big Island, according to the Coast Guard.

MORE: FBI investigating 'suspicious death' of woman on Carnival cruise ship

The cruise ship's crew searched for approximately two hours, deploying six life rings, the Coast Guard said.

A Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point C-130 Hercules aircrew launched at 7 a.m. on Wednesday morning and arrived on the scene at approximately 9 a.m. but did not have any luck finding the missing man after completing five searches.

The search resumed Thursday morning, before the Coast Guard announced it has suspended the active search later that day.

"After reviewing all relevant information of the case and discussing with our Australian consulate counterparts as well as with the next of kin, the Coast Guard has made the difficult decision to suspend the active search for the passenger aboard the Quantum of the Seas," Kevin Cooper, a search and rescue mission coordinator for the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu, said in a statement.

MORE: Fisherman missing after going overboard while hooking 'huge' tuna on fishing trip

Quantum of the Seas departed from Brisbane, Australia, on April 12 and is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on April 28.

Royal Caribbean -- who operates Quantum of the Seas -- also released a statement on Wednesday confirming the missing passenger.

MORE: 9-year-old boy missing after falling off pontoon boat, being hit by propeller

"While on its trans-pacific sailing, a guest onboard Quantum of the Seas went overboard," Royal Caribbean said. "The ship's crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities."

Authorities did not give any further details on how the man may have ended up going overboard.

ABC News' Clara McMichael contributed to this report.

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Royal Caribbean cruise ship passenger goes overboard on trip to Hawaii

By Aliza Chasan

Updated on: April 27, 2023 / 12:03 AM EDT / CBS News

A passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship went overboard during a trip from Australia to Hawaii, a company spokesperson confirmed Wednesday to CBS News. 

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said the ship's crew is working with local authorities on search and rescue operations. Quantum of the Seas left Brisbane on April 12, and was scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on April 28.

The cruise line has not specified when or where the ship was when the guest went overboard. However, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson told CBS News Wednesday night that at about 11 p.m. Hawaii-Aleutian standard time on Tuesday night, it received a report of a man who had gone overboard approximately 500 nautical miles south of Hawaii's Big Island. The Coast Guard responded and conducted five searches in the course of about six hours, the spokesperson said, but the man was not located.

Another search effort would be conducted at first light on Thursday, the Coast Guard spokesperson said. 

A passenger aboard the Quantum of the Seas posted about the incident on social media early on Wednesday. 

"Three medical emergencies and now a man overboard," passenger Joshua Reynolds wrote on Facebook. "We have slowed down and are now turning around. Hope they are found."

CBS News has also reached out to Australian officials.    

In December, a cruise passenger died after falling from the MSC Meraviglia, about 18 miles off the coast of Port Canaveral, Florida. 

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Aliza Chasan is a digital producer at 60 Minutes and CBSNews.com. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo. Aliza covers trending news, often focusing on crime and politics.

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Search suspended for Australian man who went overboard from cruise ship on way to Hawaii

US Coast Guard sent a HC-130 Hercules to hunt for man, who was onboard Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas

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The search for an Australian man who went overboard from a cruise ship in a remote area of the Pacific has been called off for the day, after a US Coast Guard plane exhausted its fuel supply.

A passenger went overboard from Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas before 11pm Tuesday night, local time, two days before it was due to arrive in Honolulu. The ship left Brisbane on 12 April and was about 900km south of Hawaii at the time of the incident.

The ship launched a search and rescue operation which lasted two hours. The US Coast Guard received the report from Royal Caribbean at 1am Hawaii time, and launched a Hercules aircraft at 7am Wednesday which reached the search area at 9am. The US Coast Guard is preparing to resume the search at first light on Thursday morning local time.

Spokesperson for the 14th district coast guard based in Honolulu, Ryan Fisher, said the Hercules was the only asset on the scene conducting a search.

The plane completed five search patterns, which involved tracking drift patterns in the ocean using locator beacons, but was unable to find the man.

With six hours’ of fuel, the plane ended its search at 3pm local time, Fisher said. Search efforts will resume the next morning.

No other aircraft were available to continue the search, including the US navy, who were contacted, Fisher said. The coast guard issued an urgent call to any ships in the area that might be able to help.

Fisher confirmed the Australian went overboard 500 nautical miles (926km) south of Hawaii’s Big Island.

Georgina Thompson , a passenger on board the Quantum of the Seas, said she and her husband were in bed when they heard “Oscar Oscar Oscar” – Royal Caribbean’s emergency code for man overboard .

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Thompson told Nine’s Today Show she and her husband then went out on their deck to see the lights and lifeboats deployed, but at the time didn’t know what was happening.

“The light started searching along the outside of the ship, shining along the outside right down the bottom. We were watching it. It lit up the whole ocean. Well, most of the ocean. But it was very dark.”

“You just knew that something was wrong.”

Thompson said her husband thought the ship had stopped because it hit something, “but then we realised that there was someone overboard.”

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The mood at breakfast the next morning she said was “very sombre”.

Two travel bloggers on board the Quantum of the Seas recounted on Instagram that they felt the ship turning around shortly after 11pm and an announcement was made for passengers to return to their cabins and make sure all their party were accounted for.

They said a final announcement was made at 12.30am that the ship would reopen and passengers could leave their cabins.

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Gale Doyle, another passenger told ABC news she knew the calls of “Oscar Oscar Oscar” meant a person was overboard because she has been cruising extensively.

“Eventually they started calling a person’s name, it was a male. They called the person’s name several times so we assumed this person is the missing person,” Doyle said.

The passengers had received no news about the man the next morning, she said.

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Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Passenger Disappears Overboard on Trip to Hawaii

The Coast Guard said the cruise ship left Brisbane, Australia, about two weeks ago and was on its way to Hawaii after a stop in Tahiti. It is expected to dock in Honolulu on Friday.

Published April 27, 2023 • Updated on April 27, 2023 at 9:45 am

The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday it was searching for a cruise ship passenger from Australia in waters south of Hawaii.

The ship Quantum of the Seas notified the Coast Guard of a man overboard at 11:03 p.m. Tuesday, about 870 miles south of the island chain. NBC affiliate KHNL reports the ship's crew remained on scene to search for the man for approximately two hours.

A C-130 air crew took off at 7 a.m. the next morning and arrived two hours later at the scene about 500 miles south of the Big Island town of Kailua-Kona. After six hours on site, the air crew returned to Air Station Barbers Point on Oahu to refuel. Coast Guard crews will resume searching Thursday morning.

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Information on the missing individual was not immediately available.

Quantum of the Seas is operated by Royal Caribbean International. The company didn't immediately respond to an email message.

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Coast Guard suspends search for man missing from Pacific Ocean cruise ship

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The Quantum of the Seas cruise ship is docked at the Marina Bay Cruise Center Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020 in Singapore. Danial Hakim/AP hide caption

The Quantum of the Seas cruise ship is docked at the Marina Bay Cruise Center Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020 in Singapore.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday it will end its search for a man who reportedly fell overboard on a cruise ship traveling in the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii.

"After reviewing all relevant information of the case and discussing it with the next of kin, the Coast Guard has made the difficult decision to suspend the active search for the passenger aboard the Quantum of the Seas," Kevin Cooper, a search-and-rescue mission coordinator for the Coast Guard said in a statement .

A Coast Guard coordination center said it received a call from the Royal Caribbean ship Quantum of the Seas that an Australian man went overboard at about 11:03 p.m. Tuesday.

The cruise ship stayed on the scene to search for the man for two hours before resuming its journey.

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The Coast Guard deployed an air search crew at about 7 a.m. Wednesday to about 500 miles south of the town of Kailua-Kona on the big island of Hawaii. They arrived on the scene at about 9 a.m. and stayed for about six hours before returning to a fuel station.

The cruise ship has been at sea for 16 days and is expected to dock in Hawaii on Friday.

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Search Suspended for Man Who Went Overboard on Cruise Ship Headed to Hawaii: 'Our Family Is Heartbroken'

The Coast Guard says crews conducted five searches for the missing man in six hours on Wednesday, but were unable to locate him in the water

Abigail Adams is a Human Interest Writer and Reporter for PEOPLE. She has been working in journalism for seven years.

Authorities have officially suspended the search for an Australian man who went overboard while traveling on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship earlier this week.

The United States Coast Guard announced the suspension on Thursday, the day after a search was launched about 500 miles south of Hawaii's Big Island.

The man was on the Quantum of the Seas cruise ship when he reportedly went overboard just after 11 p.m. local time on Tuesday, according to a press release from the Coast Guard.

The victim has been identified as 35-year-old Warwick Tollemache, of Brisbane, according to The Guardian and The Sydney Morning Herald .

"Our family is heartbroken at the loss of our beloved Warwick," Mandy Tollemache said in one social media post, per the reports.

Sarah Tollemache shared a similar message on the Ormiston College Alumni Facebook page , describing Warwick as "a kind, beautiful, and gentle soul who was adored by everyone who knew him."

"He will be deeply missed," Sarah said of the Ormiston College alum, who graduated in 2005.

Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Australian news outlet Nine News reported that witnesses reportedly saw the Australian man fall from the top deck, 15 floors up.

An announcement was made on the ship requesting that all passengers return to their rooms and account for all members of their party, per the outlet.

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After he went overboard, the ship's crew deployed six life rings and searched for about two hours before continuing on to Hawaii, the Coast Guard said in a previous press release .

A Coast Guard air crew returned to the scene Wednesday morning and began searching around 9 a.m. local time, according to Thursday's press release.

The crew conducted five searches in six hours, but still did not locate the missing man.

Warwick's girlfriend Celine La Roche told The Courier Mail that she was "devastated" to learn that the search had been suspended and that she won't have closure until he is found.

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Coast guard calls off search for cruise passenger who went overboard near hawaii.

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The US Coast Guard on Thursday called off its search for the Australian man who went overboard off a cruise ship near Hawaii two days earlier.

The man, a passenger on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas trip from Brisbane to Honolulu, was identified as 35-year-old Warwick Tollemache and was remembered by family members as a “gentle soul.”

Tollemache plunged into the ocean about 500 miles south of Kailua Kona, Big Island, shortly after 11 p.m. local time Tuesday.

The cruise ship, which left Brisbane on April 12, remained at the location where he went overboard for about two hours as crews searched for the missing passenger before turning the search over to local authorities and resuming course.

“While on its trans-Pacific sailing, a guest onboard Quantum of the Seas went overboard,” a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said. “The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities.”

Coast Guard air crews scoured the waters the next morning — completing five searches over the course of six hours.

On Thursday, Coast Guard officials announced an end to the search after consulting with Tollemache’s family.

“After reviewing all relevant information of the case and discussing it with the next of kin, the Coast Guard has made the difficult decision to suspend the active search for the passenger aboard the Quantum of the Seas,” said Kevin Cooper, a search and rescue mission coordinator for the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu. 

Loved ones posted touching tributes to Tollemache on social media.

“Our family is heartbroken at the loss of our beloved Warwick. He was a kind, beautiful, and gentle soul who was adored by everyone who knew him,” Mandy Tollemache said in a statement from the family. “He will be deeply missed.”

A friend of the Brisbane man called his death “the worst news ever” in a post to Facebook.

“I will miss you dearly my friend, my brother,” Terence Dicks wrote. “My heart is aching so much knowing that I won’t get to see you again or give you a hug.”

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Brisbane man missing after falling overboard from Quantum of the Seas cruise ship near Hawaii, US Coast Guard confirms

The US Coast Guard said it will resume its search at first light on Friday morning local time, for a Brisbane man who went overboard from a cruise ship off Hawaii on Wednesday night.

Key points:

• Life rings, search vessels, and lights were used overnight to try to locate the missing man 
• A fellow passenger described the ordeal as "very traumatic and sad" 
• Royal Caribbean staff have been described as "amazing" throughout the process

The ship, the Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas, halted its course after the incident, which took place about 500 nautical miles south of Hawaii's Big Island, and took part in the initial search for about two hours.

The cruise ship has since continued its course. 

Aimee West, from Mount Isa, and her partner were on the cruise.

"There was a lot of commotion on the boat. It all started at about 9pm," she told ABC North West. 

"There were a few medical emergencies so the loudspeaker was going off quite a lot.

"At about 11pm, midnight, we observed the vessel slowing down and turning around on our maps.

"We saw about five life rings that were floating in the ocean and there were search vessels and lots of lights on the water.

"They broadcast several times that there was a suspected man overboard situation and that the crews were following their procedures.

"They requested all guests return to their cabins and account for all their members and if someone was missing, to call 911 on our emergency systems here if we were missing a passenger.

"We were messaging our friends to make sure they had everyone in their party.

"To be real, for me personally it was very surreal and quite sad. It was quite confronting, we were all out trying to spot anything to help the staff.

"But it was very sad going to bed, that's for sure."

The mood on the ship was quite sombre, Ms West said.

"You can tell the crew is trying to do their best to keep spirits up for everyone else on board for the rest of their trip.

"Everyone kind of realises it's very traumatic and sad and you feel for the families involved.

"We were awake until about 1.30am and they were still searching."

Brad Hardy, from Mount Isa, said he was on deck 14 of the cruise ship when he heard the emergency broadcast.

"All the staff just dropped everything and ran to every possible vantage point on the ship," Mr Hardy said.

"We looked out of the window up on the deck and [saw] a lot of life preservers … the big rings were getting thrown overboard, at least eight or nine of those got thrown overboard.

"The ship slowed right down and then did a hard turn to the left and doubled back.

"The search lights were on from the ship's bridge as well, they rapidly deployed their 'runabout' rescue vessel off the ship and then spent the next couple of hours in the water searching around.

"Probably around 1am we started moving again.

Gayle Doe, from New South Wales, is also on board and described the ordeal as "scary and unsettling". 

"We were sitting at the bar at 11 o'clock last night when we heard 'Oscar, Oscar, Oscar' which is the code for man overboard," Ms Doe said.

"There were a lot of announcements, telling us that the ship was being turned around, most people could feel the ship had changed course, it was a bit bumpy in the water.

"The crew went into their training mode, they threw lifebuoys out into the sea and they deployed their … lifesaving boats.

"Of course, it was night-time – it was black, so they had lots of spotlights on the ocean … but weren't successful [in finding the man].

"We've been told the coast guard and helicopters are still out searching in the ocean, in the area where the man went."

She said there was "a lot of sadness" on board the ship on Thursday.

"There are people who have been crying," Ms Doe said.

She said the cruise ship captain had been providing regular updates over the loudspeaker and had just confirmed there would be no further updates.

Cruise staff 'amazing'

Ms West said the Royal Caribbean cruise staff "were amazing" and have kept all passengers updated throughout the ordeal.

"We even witnessed staff when, we were in Tahiti [earlier], practising retrievals in the water," she said.

"The staff were all out on safety posts, there was not a space or inch on the boat where there wasn't a staff member shining a torch in the water."

The Honolulu Command Centre has confirmed that the person missing is an Australian man, but provided no further details.

A Royal Caribbean Cruise Line spokesperson confirmed the Quantum of the Seas departed Brisbane on April 12 and is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on April 28.

"While on its trans-Pacific sailing, a guest onboard Quantum of the Seas went overboard," the spokesperson said.

"The ship's crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities."

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Girlfriend shares heart-breaking confession after Australian man Warwick Tollemache fell overboard cruise ship

The “devastated” girlfriend of Brisbane man Warwick Tollemache, who fell overboard a cruise ship near Hawaiian waters, has shared a heart-breaking admission after the search for her "kind, beautiful, and gentle" partner was suspended.

The heartbroken girlfriend of the Australian man who went overboard a cruise ship has shared a devastating confession.

Thirty-five-year-old Warwick Tollemache was on board the Quantum of the Seas on route to Honolulu when he fell and went missing near Hawaiian waters on Tuesday evening (local time).

A search was immediately conducted, involving the United States Coast Guards and Navy, but was called off on Thursday when they failed to locate him.

He is presumed dead by his family, but his girlfriend still holds out slight hope.

Brisbane woman Celina La Roche told the Courier Mail she has been dating Mr Tollemache “on and off” for six years and was crushed that the search for him was suspended.

“They should have kept looking – I don’t understand why they stopped the search,” she said on Friday.

“I’m just devastated.”

The US Coast Guard in a statement confirmed they made the “difficult decision” to end the search after discussions with the next of kin.  

In a heart-breaking admission, Ms La Roche revealed she was meant to go on the cruise with him, but work got in the way.

He went with his mother, Mandy, instead.

“We were talking in the morning (before the tragedy), we were making plans for another trip,” Ms La Roche said.

“I was still hoping until I heard they’d stopped the search and now… he could still be alive in the middle of nowhere.

“I won’t have closure personally until they find him. He knows how to float in water, we did it together when we were snorkelling.

“But his mum told me straight away, ‘He’s gone,’ so I just thought, ‘That’s it, he’s dead’.”

In a statement to social media, Mr Tollemache’s mother Mandy remembered him as a “gentle soul”.

“Our family is heartbroken at the loss of our beloved Warwick,” she wrote.

“He was a kind, beautiful, and gentle soul who was adored by everyone who knew him. He will be deeply missed.

“We kindly ask for privacy during this difficult time. Thank you for your understanding.”

Royal Caribbean Cruises, who operate the cruise ship, said their “thoughts and deepest sympathies” were with his loved ones.

“While on its trans-pacific sailing, a guest onboard Quantum of the Seas went overboard,” it said in an earlier statement.

“The ship's crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and worked closely with local authorities.

“Out of respect for the family, we will not share further details about this unfortunate event. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his loved ones at this time.”

While it is still unknown how Mr Tollemache fell, passenger Ken Carcas told Sky News Australia that, according to multiple passengers, “two crew saw him go overboard".

"A lady heard a scream, went out onto the balcony and saw him drop past, hit the tender below and fall into the water," he said on Thursday.

He added the captain immediately alerted crews of the incident and begun the search.

The cruise ship Quantum of the Seas will arrive at the final stop of Honolulu on Friday, after departing from Brisbane more than two weeks ago on April 12.

The tragedy came just hours after the death of a woman on board the same cruise, who suffered a medical emergency, in an unrelated incident. 

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Just Updated: Tragic Death + Visitor Overboard On Hawaii Cruise

Updated: Passengers reported being awakened by calls of Oscar, Oscar, Oscar over the ship’s public address system, which is the codename for “man overboard.”

The search for the lost man continues today after being suspended overnight while the U.S. Coast Guard refueled its aircraft based at Barber’s Point Hawaii.

No link to a passenger who died during entertainment onboard the cruise ship.

Australian media has this morning reported that while the overboard did occur soon after a woman died on the ship, they believe that the two incidents are not related and that the two persons involved did not even know each other.

The person who is reported to have died just prior.

In sad and bizarre circumstances, the missing man was previously said to be the partner of another passenger who died during an onboard medical emergency. The passenger death onboard occurred during a show in one of the ship’s lounges. The performance was stopped when it was announced that there was a fatal medical emergency. It was shortly thereafter that the passenger overboard alarm was sounded.

After initially halting sail and dispatching tenders and searchlights unsuccessfully, the ship is once again en route to Hawaii, while a Hercules C-130 aircraft similar to the one pictured above has been deployed to help locate the passenger who disappeared sometime between 11 pm Tuesday and 1 am Wednesday.

Royal Caribbean confirmed the incident, saying, “While on its trans-pacific sailing, a guest onboard Quantum of the Seas went overboard. The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities.”

The Royal Caribbean Hawaii cruise.

The seventeen-day cruise to Hawaii began in Australia on April 12 with 16 nights en route from Brisbane, via two stops in French Polynesia. It is en route to the tender dock in Kona on the Big Island, followed by mooring in Honolulu harbor. The Quantum of the Seas is a 9-year-old ship that accommodates nearly 5,000 passengers.

Cruise ship passenger overboard events.

In the event a passenger goes overboard on a cruise, typically, the following protocol would be implemented:

First, the crew notifies the bridge, initiating a man-overboard protocol. The location and time of the incident are noted, after which a visual search is conducted in the area where the passenger was last seen. The ship repositions as necessary to return to the area. The captain determines the search initiation procedure and contacts authorities. Life rafts and rescue boats are deployed. The next of kin are notified and kept advised of search efforts.

Do passengers usually fall off cruise ships? No, they do not. Ships are built with railings high enough that either events like this are typically intentional or involve climbing onto railings or something else. Suicide at sea is something that also occurs.

In total, there may be up to 20 such events each year. These are sometimes related to alcohol or domestic disturbances.

Some people do survive overboard situations. On average, however, about 80% are never rescued alive. It isn’t clear what the wind and water conditions were at the place where the event took place nearly due south of Hawaii.

A criminal investigation is likely underway, as is typical of such cases, and the FBI gets involved when it relates to a U.S. citizen. In this case, the missing person is Australian.

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8 thoughts on “Just Updated: Tragic Death + Visitor Overboard On Hawaii Cruise”

Hi guys, What a strange and terrifically sad story. May they rest in peace. However, I can’t help but think of White Lotus…

Aloha Guys – what a tragic and sad event for the family and friends of the two deceased. May they rest in peace.

Thank you, once again, for bringing us another intriguing story. I wonder what the investigation into their deaths will reveal? Agatha Christie, indeed!

Update from news.com.au “ There reports early on Thursday that the missing man was the partner of someone who died on the ship following a medical emergency.

However, news.com.au has confirmed that the medical emergency and the man going overboard were two isolated incidents — and the the pair were not known to each other.

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said: “Out of respect for the family, we will not share further details about this unfortunate event.”

My aunts partner of 25 years died of cancer. 6 months later my aunt shot herself in the head. She sent a letter to the police as to where she was, garage. Everything in the house had post it notes, saying who got what.This was well planned. They had a pact that if one goes, the other joins them. We had no idea. Grief is overwhelming.

Aloha Rob,+Jeff. Well!!! Another interesting story with unusual circumstances. This will definitely be one to follow up on. Nevertheless, very tragic and unfortunate for the rest of the passengers and crew on board. Talk about a strange occurrence to happen. A vacation that the travellers won’t soon forget. Wonder if there is any compensation for them. It did after all upset their long awaited dream cruise. Let us know what happens with this one. Mahalo and take good care of yourselves.

Thanks. We appreciate your input here and on so many articles. This is a sad and strange story.

I doubt Royal Caribbean would compensate those indirectly affected by the event. We took an RC cruise and our cabin flooded when the toilet seal malfunctioned, but they had no available rooms to move us to, so we had to stay in the room while they dried the carpet out for the next two days using a loud fan and keeping our cabin door open, and the only compensation they gave us was a 50% off voucher if we booked another cruise within a year. Meager compensation for being directly affected by an event, so we declined to take anymore cruises with RC.

Some compensation That was!

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Australian man falls overboard from cruise ship en route to hawaii.

Australian man missing after going overboard from a cruise ship

UPDATE: The man who fell overboard has been identified by his family. Read more here.

EARLIER : There are grave fears for an Australian man missing from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship en route to Hawaii, as the United States Coast Guard prepares to resume a search at first light.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Australian man missing after going overboard from a cruise ship.

The passenger went overboard on the Quantum of the Seas in the Pacific Ocean about 800km south of Kailua-Kona, on the west coast of O’ahu also known as Big Island, at 11.03pm on Tuesday (Wednesday night AEST).

The cruise company has now confirmed a woman died from a medical episode just hours before the man disappeared.

There were unconfirmed reports the woman was the man’s partner. However, Royal Caribbean has quashed the claims, saying the incidents were not connected.

The ship had departed Brisbane on April 12 for a two-week cruise to the Hawaiian Islands before tragedy struck with a huge air and sea search so far failing to find any trace of the missing man.

Ivan Rukavina, from Melbourne, who is currently on the cruise, told 7NEWS.com.au he heard “Oscar Oscar Oscar” over the ships’ loudspeaker — a code meaning man overboard.

Rukavina claims the man fell from the 15th-floor balcony, about 20m above his room and directly above the main pool area.

Rukavina said it would not have been hard to jump over the ship’s glass railing.

“If he’s jumped off mid-ship ... he would have been sucked in by the motors,” he said.

Following the incident, crew members attempted to lower lifeboats into the water.

Rukavina said crew were “frantically” trying to get the lights on the lifeboats to work.

“I heard someone say ‘there’s no lights’,” he said.

All passengers were told to go back to their rooms so crew could conduct a head count.

Meanwhile, a search and rescue effort took place for about 2½ hours, before the cruise resumed its trip towards Honolulu.

Rukavina said the US Coast Guard had now taken over search efforts to locate the man.

Petty officer Ryan Fisher said the coast guard’s C130 Hercules aircraft dropped tracking buoys during the search to “get a better idea of what the surface ocean currents are”.

“The temperature of the water ... sea state, location, all of these factors can really play a part in the length of time someone is able to tread the water or survive,” he told 7NEWS.

“As of right now, the main concern is just dedicating as much resources as we can.”

The search will resume on Friday, Fisher added, and a safety broadcast was continuing to go out to mariners in the area urging them to keep a lookout for the man.

Rukavina said it was unclear whether the man was travelling alone or with family.

“It’s sad for their family,” he said.

“It’s a bit disturbing, to be honest.”

‘Heard a scream’

Ken, another passenger on board the ship, told 7NEWS.com.au he and his wife were awake at the time of the incident, and saw the lifeboats and search lights being used.

He said he’d heard from multiple passengers that two members of the crew saw the man go overboard.

“A lady heard a scream, went out on to the balcony and saw him drop past, hit the tender below and fall into the water,” Ken said.

He added the crew had dealt with the situation in a “very professional and respectful way”.

“The captain ... hung around as long as (he) could before being told by the US Coast Guard to resume course.”

Ken could not confirm whether an earlier medical incident was linked to the man going overboard.

He said the mood on the boat on Thursday morning was “very sombre”.

The deck area where the man is believed to have gone overboard has now been taped off.

In a speech addressing passengers on Thursday morning, the captain said his “deepest sympathies and thoughts” were with the man’s family.

“We’ll do our best to provide assistance and support to the family (and) out of respect we will not provide any other details,” the captain said.

Quantum of the Seas is on a 16-night cruise scheduled to conclude in Honolulu, Hawaii on April 28.

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An urgent appeal has been made to ships in the Pacific Ocean to assist in the desperate search for an Australian man who fell off a Hawaii-bound cruise ship as the aerial search is halted.

The man was holidaying on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship “Quantum of the Seas” before the nightmare unfolded overnight 1400 kilometres south of Hawaii.

The ship departed from a Brisbane port on April 12 and was sailing through the Pacific Ocean near the island of Honolulu when the man was reported missing,two days prior to its arrival in Hawaii.

“The ship‘s crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities,” Quantum of the Seas said in a statement on Thursday.

The cruise ship stayed in the area for a couple of hours before handing over the search to an aerial search team.

While the US Coast Guard has been combing the area, it has now also issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast, alerting all vessels south of Hawaii to help look for the man.

The Coast Guard also called the US Navy for aid after it was forced to turn back its C-130 Hercules to Hawaii to refuel, halting its six-hour search.

Cruise passenger Georgina Thompson described the harrowing moment she realised something had gone wrong.

“We were in bed and we heard it come over the PA system someone singing out “Oscar, Oscar, Oscar” and then that's when everything started to happen,” she told the Today show.

She said her husband got out of bed and went out to the deck where he saw massive lights shining onto the ocean and multiple small boats.

“We didn’t know at that time what was going on,” she said.

“It lit up the whole ocean.”

Ms Thompson said the mood on-board the cruise ship was “sombre” on Thursday morning, as passengers discussed the shocking news over breakfast.

The cruise ship has now set sail for the Hawaiian Islands where they are due to arrive on Friday.

Authorities have reportedly confirmed to 9 News that the aircraft will continue its search for the man at dawn.

The identity of the man is not yet known, nor how he fell overboard.

DFAT has been contacted for comment.

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An Aussie traveller has called out a mum at an amusement park for a single act which left him fuming.

Coast Guard abandons search for Aussie overboard from Hawaii cruise ship

The US Coast Guard has taken the difficult decision to suspend the search for an Australian man who went overboard from a Hawaii-bound cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas has lost an Australian passenger overboard in waters off Hawaii. (Image: ABC)

The passenger is believed to have fallen overboard from the Quantum of the Seas on Tuesday night, local time, nearly two weeks after the cruise left Brisbane for its journey to the Hawaiian islands.

Discussions with the man’s next of kin and the Australian consulate, as well as relevant case information, helped inform the the decision, search and rescue mission coordinator Kevin Cooper said in a statement.

“The coast guard has made the difficult decision to suspend the active search for the passenger aboard the Quantum of the Seas,” he said.

Royal Caribbean was unable to confirm reports the man’s partner had died on the ship after suffering a medical emergency.

The incident happened in the Pacific Ocean about 800 kilometres south of Kailua-Kona, on the west coast of Hawaii’s Big Island.

The cruise ship deployed six life rings and stayed in the area for two hours before continuing on its way, with the coast guard taking over the search on Wednesday morning.

A Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircrew completed five searches over the course of six hours while on scene.

The operation came as passengers left the cruise ship in Honolulu, where it docked after 15 days at sea.

One of those on board, Susan Whittington, said passengers were given little information about what had happened after they were woken at night by the ship shuddering to a halt.

“We were wondering what was going on and it was followed by an announcement over the intercom saying that a passenger had gone overboard,” she told Nine’s Today program.

“You couldn’t really see much, just the lights searching the area, but then it was very late at night.

“It was almost impossible to see anything in the water, so we didn’t hold hope for there being an outcome from it. It was quite distressing and there weren’t a lot of details after that.”

Maritime search authorities are often informed by medical experts as to survivability timeframes.

Factors include the time the man went overboard and the height of the fall.

If the passenger survived, the water entry, wave height, currents and weather conditions would impact the search area and threat of hypothermia.

Symptoms of hypothermia can develop within minutes, and at a water temperature of 32.5C, death may occur in under 15-45 minutes.

The April average for the northern Pacific is an estimated 26C.

Cruise operator Royal Caribbean confirmed the guest had gone overboard during the trans-Pacific leg of the journey.

“The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities,” a spokeswoman said.

Cruise ship passenger Georgina Thompson told Nine Network she heard repeated calls of “Oscar” over the PA system. Oscar is an emergency code indicating someone has gone overboard.

“There were lights … shining on the ocean and also there were a couple of boats out there in the water,” she said.

“The light started searching along the outside of the ship.

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Cruise passenger, 23, fell overboard and vanished after complaining he felt seasick

• A tourist, 23, fell overboard from the MSC Euribia cruise ship, say reports.
• The recently-wed student had just texted his wife that he felt seasick. 
• Liam Jones vanished during a seven-day Northern Europe tour cruise

A 23-year-old tourist is presumed dead after falling from the MSC Euribia cruise ship in the North Sea, reports say.

Liam Jones disappeared during a seven-day Northern Europe tour cruise from Southampton to Amsterdam with his family to celebrate his mother's birthday.

The social work student from Scotland was last seen on board by his sister on March 16, shortly after texting his wife, Sophia Mcphee, about feeling seasick, reports said.

Business Insider contacted MSC Cruises for comment outside office hours.

MSC confirmed a passenger went missing during the cruise, prompting an investigation by Hampshire Constabulary upon the ship's return to the UK, per The Telegraph.

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His wife told the Daily Record," He's just gone. I'm never going to see him again."

"I'm devastated. I have so many questions, and I'm not getting any answers to what's happened," said Mcphee, 20.

McPhee says Jones' sister told her the news. "She said there had been an accident and Liam 'wasn't coming back.' She then said she had seen CCTV and he'd gone overboard."

A spokesperson for MSC Cruises said, "We are deeply saddened by this news, and our thoughts are with the family at this very difficult time," per The Telegraph.

The chances of you falling overboard off a cruise ship are extremely low .

In 2023, at least 10 people fell off a major cruise line ship, turning dream vacations into disaster situations — and only two survived the fall into the ocean.

The MSC Euribia can accommodate 6,327 passengers and has a wide range of bars and restaurants, five swimming pools, a wellness spa, a theater, a casino, and a very extensive children's club.

The price of the seven-night Nothern Europe tour on the MSC Euribia start at $950 per person, according to MSC's website .

Watch: One of Europe's deadliest shipwrecks leaves hundreds missing

• Main content

Are you a nudist? Knitter? Golden Girls fan? There’s a cruise for that.

Whether you’re a swinger or just want to practice your golf swing, theme cruises have something for everyone.

Kaity Talley saw the announcement and knew she had to get on board: A cruise exclusively for Hallmark Christmas movie fans? With cookie decorating, tree lighting, movie marathons and karaoke ?

“I got super lucky,” said Talley, 36, of Ontario, Calif. She landed a booking time that got her a spot on the cruise that turned out to be Taylor-Swift-concert- level popular. After it sold out quickly, organizers added a second voyage, which also sold out.

Talley, a Costco manager who also makes TikToks about cruises, expects to bring an entire Christmas wardrobe, ugly sweaters and all: “I’m going to be very corny on this cruise.”

The Hallmark cruise will make its maiden voyage in November, but it’s hardly the first event to gather an extremely niche community of fans and send them out to sea. Theme cruises have catered to groups as diverse as cat lovers , headbangers , Trekkies , conservative activists and zombie aficionados .

There are clothing-optional cruises, faith-based cruises, swingers cruises and cruises for people who want to practice their golf swing .

“If there’s something out there that people like to do, there’s probably a cruise about it,” said Chris Gray Faust, executive director of the news and review site Cruise Critic .

Theme cruises can take many forms, from a small group tucked into a larger sailing to a full-ship takeover. Some are put on by the cruise lines, but most are organized by a travel agency or production company that blocks rooms and venues or charters the entire ship. Those sailings must be purchased through that third party.

Trips are often scheduled during off-peak times, such as January through March or October and November. Prices are higher than a standard cruise, generally reflecting the extra programming or additional perks that passengers get.

Experts say specialty sailings have exploded in recent years as cruise lines have expanded and consumers have sought out more meaningful ways to travel.

“Overall, the travel industry is getting so much more experiential in a number of ways, and theme cruises are the ultimate experiential vacation,” said Chris Hearing, a partner and executive director at Entertainment Cruise Productions , a major organizer of theme cruises. “You get immersed, in our case, in week-long theme cruises where from the moment you walk on the ship, you are surrounded by people that are completely into Star Trek or Comic-Con or motorcycles or ’80s or ’90s music.”

Another producer, Sixthman , got its start in 2001 with a rock-themed event featuring Sister Hazel. This year, the group will pull off 23 cruise events, and the schedule calls for 27 next year, said CEO Jeff Cuellar.

A gateway for cruise newcomers

As the cruise industry builds more ships and tries to cultivate new audiences to fill them, Gray Faust said theme cruises often serve as an entry point.

“It brings a lot of first-time cruisers into the fold,” she said. “They’re fans of whatever the theme is. The fact that it’s on a cruise is almost secondary.”

Howard Moses, a travel adviser, created a site called themecruisefinder with a business partner several years ago and said there are more than 700 cruises listed at any given time, from small groups to full-ship charters.

“It has blossomed in the last I would say 10 to 12 years,” he said.

Talley, who booked the Hallmark Christmas cruise, said theme cruises got her hooked on sailing. She spoke to The Washington Post from Miami after departing a chef-focused cruise and right before boarding a regular sailing on another cruise line. She has been on the Sail Across the Sun cruise, featuring Train and several other acts, four times.

“There’s just concerts happening the entire time,” she said.

Swifties, Trekkies and crafters

Some event production companies sell the opportunity to be in close quarters with the objects of fan affection. Sixthman, which is owned by Norwegian Cruise Line, pitches the events to singers, chefs and others as a way to interact with their die-hard fans who will follow and support them anywhere. And for those fans, it’s a tough chance to pass up.

“You’re not just spending an afternoon, you’re spending your vacation with them from breakfast to lunch to dinner to cocktails and activities,” Cuellar said.

Even though the Hallmark Christmas cruise — which is being put on by Sixthman — hasn’t named the stars who will sail, Cuellar said the event was the fastest sellout in the company history.

“Within like 48 hours of the first sellout, there were people already putting mugs on Etsy that said, ‘I survived the Hallmark presale,’” he said. “You talk about a passionate audience.”

Other cruises are entirely fan-driven, without the presence of any stars.

Jessica Malerman and two friends and fellow travel agents came up with the “In My Cruise Era” trip in October during another group cruise with their agency, Marvelous Mouse Travels . There’s no affiliation with the Taylor Swift empire, but the trip has already sold the maximum 199 staterooms it reserved on megaship Allure of the Seas in October 2024.

Events will include dance parties, trivia, cocktail parties, friendship bracelet swapping and karaoke.

“What people want is the connection and they want to make friends and they want to go on vacation and have a sense of community,” Malerman said.

Chad Kampe, the owner of Flip Phone Productions, put on the first — and second — Golden Fans at Sea cruises in early 2020 after organizing a “Golden Girls”-themed bar crawl several years before. The company produces drag shows across the country.

The sailings have included themed dances, costume contests, caftan welcome parties, scavenger hunts, performances from the Golden Gays drag troupe, appearances from people with ties to the show and some very competitive trivia sessions.

“The ‘Golden Girls’ trivia is the most intense trivia you’ve ever seen,” Kampe said.

The events take place on regular voyages, meaning passengers might end up surprised by the surplus of Blanches, Dorothys, Roses and Sophias. In year one, Kampe said a biker group was also on board.

“They loved us,” he said.

Many theme cruises are organized around hobbies or other special interests.

Melissa Gower, founder of Craft Cruises , organizes an average of 10 knitting cruises a year. The knitters and their needles don’t take over the whole ship, but the sailings include instructors, social gatherings and “private fiber-related tours,” she said.

“I have people who traveled with me in 1999,” Gower said. “They’ve been on 30-plus knitting cruises, and they’re still booking travel with us.”

How to find (or avoid) a niche cruise

The Theme Cruise Finder website allows people to search according to category for upcoming trips. Often, sales will open up during an event for the people on board, so it can be difficult to get a reservation on a popular repeating cruise.

Gray Faust said travelers will often comment on Cruise Critic forums about their surprise at being on the same ship as some kind of group. She said a friend ended up on a cruise with Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans “and she hates Tampa Bay.”

In 2016, more than 1,500 vacationers who thought they were taking a regular Bahamas cruise ended up sharing space with then-Patriots player Rob Gronkowski and fans on Gronk’s Party Ship.

Gary Bembridge, a cruise YouTuber who runs the site Tips for Travellers , recommends people search online for the name and date of a cruise they’re considering to see if a theme cruise shows up at the same time.

Moses, one of the founders of the theme cruise site, is co-president of a separate business, The Cruise & Vacation Authority , which organizes theme cruises as one of its services.

“In general, theme cruises are way more fun than a regular cruise because you’re traveling with like-minded people,” he said.

And if someone isn’t like-minded on a shared ship, he said the theme group tries to be understanding.

“We try to be very respectful of the other guests on board,” he said.

More cruise news

Living at sea: Travelers on a 9-month world cruise are going viral on social media. For some travelers, not even nine months was enough time on a ship; they sold cars, moved out of their homes and prepared to set sail for three years . That plan fell apart, but a 3.5-year version is waiting in the wings.

Passengers beware: It’s not all buffets and dance contests. Crime data reported by cruise lines show that the number of sex crimes has increased compared to previous years. And though man-overboard cases are rare, they are usually deadly .

The more you know: If you’re cruise-curious, here are six tips from a newcomer. Remember that in most cases, extra fees and add-ons will increase the seemingly cheap price of a sailing. And if you happen to get sick , know what to expect on board.

Cruise Ship Passenger Who Fell Overboard Texted Wife About Feeling Seasick Before Going Missing

Liam Jones, 23, was last seen on March 16 as his cruise ship headed for Germany, and Hampshire police are now investigating

A British man who has gone missing from a cruise ship in Europe texted his wife just moments before falling overboard, she said.

Liam Jones, 23, of Scotland, was on a weeklong Northern European cruise with his family aboard the MSC Euribia when he fell overboard on March 16, MSC Cruises told Metro .

According to Jones' wife, 20-year-old Sophia Mcphee, the social work student had just texted her that he was feeling seasick prior to his disappearance.

"He's just gone. I'm never going to see him again," Mcphee told the Daily Record . "I'm devastated. I have so many questions, and I'm not getting any answers to what's happened."

Mcphee said that Jones' sister — who called her to break the news of her husband's disappearance — told her that security camera footage showed Jones falling overboard, However, McPhee said she hadn't been updated on the investigation since.

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"[Jones' sister] said there had been an accident, and Liam 'wasn't coming back,' " Mcphee told the Daily Record . "She then said she had seen CCTV and he'd gone overboard."

Mcphee had last seen her husband on March 14, when he departed their Dundee, Scotland, home to meet his family in Glasgow before they boarded the cruise in Southampton the following day, she said. The family was taking the cruise to celebrate Jones' mother's birthday.

"I've been trying to get in contact with the MSC since Monday, but it's been a headache," Mcphee told the Daily Record . "They're not getting back to me."

Related: Cruise Ship Worker Reveals What It's Like to be in 'Isolation' at Sea Amid Coronavirus

The MSC Euribia was set to travel from Southampton to Amsterdam over the course of several days, with stops in Denmark, Norway and Germany, according to the ship's itinerary. The international cruise line said the ship was headed to Germany at the time Jones fell overboard.

"A passenger on board MSC Euribia went overboard on March 16 as the ship was sailing to Hamburg. This was reported to the authorities," a spokesperson from MSC Cruises told The Telegraph .

"The police in Southampton boarded the vessel today and investigated on behalf of the coroner," the statement continued, per the outlet. "We are deeply saddened by this news and our thoughts are with the family at this very difficult time. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will refrain from disclosing any additional information."

Related: Cruise Ship Rescues 14 People Stranded at Sea for 8 Days as Passengers Look on in 'Shock': WATCH

The incident prompted a response from the Hampshire Constabulary, the outlet reported, and a spokesperson confirmed that investigators have begun looking into Jones' case.

"Officers boarded the vessel today following a report that a man had gone overboard," a Constabulary spokesperson told The Telegraph. "The man’s family are aware, and police are investigating this on behalf of the coroner."

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Read the original article on People .

Hawaii Island man, 78, dies after lawn mower accident

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii Island police are investigating a fatal accident involving an elderly man and a riding lawn mower, according to Hawaii Island Police officials.

Officials say the incident happened Saturday afternoon around 1 p.m. at a home on Nani Waimea Street in Waimea.

Police say a 78-year-old man was found pinned under the riding mower.

According to officials, he was unresponsive and pronounced dead.

His name has not been released.

This story may be updated.

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

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