Passenger aboard Royal Caribbean cruise with Taylor Swift fans falls overboard

by · The Seattle Times

The Coast Guard is assisting in the search of a 66-year-old woman who fell overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship late Tuesday, officials said.

The incident occurred around 9:40 p.m. approximately 17 miles north of the Bahamas’ capital Nassau, an agency spokesperson told the Daily News.

The Coast Guard has since entertained an HC-144 airplane crew and a MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter crew, both from Air Station Miami, to help with the search-and-rescue efforts, which is being led by the Royal Bahamas Defense Force.

The passenger fell off the Allure of the Seas, described by Royal Caribbean as “the most awarded ship in the world,” according to the Coast Guard.

The massive vessel, which was once the world’s largest passenger cruise ship, features 18 decks, a carousel, a zip line, and dozens of restaurants spread among 18 “neighborhoods.”

According to the Royal Caribbean Blog, a fan site not affiliated with Royal Caribbean International, 199 of the ship’s nearly 2,800 staterooms were reserved for 400 Taylor Swift fans who had embarked on a 4-night cruise marking the Florida leg of the singer’s record-smashing Eras Tour.

It’s not immediately clear if the passenger was part of the “In My Cruise Era” sailing.

Representatives for Royal Caribbean and cruise organizers didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday morning.

Officials were searching for the passenger as of 10 a.m., the US Coast Guard spokesperson told The News.