Royal Caribbean deals with violent drunk; Tests man overboard tech

It's actually fairly rare that you see drunken idiocy on cruise ships. 

People will certainly sometimes have too many drinks, but cruise ship security tends to get involved before the situation becomes too serious. Bartenders and servers are also well-trained in observing when someone is nearing their limit or has already had too much.

Related: Royal Caribbean passengers offer tips for common cabin problem

Sometimes, they just do something subtle like offer the passenger a bottle of water. In other cases, they may just slow walk service to that passenger. It's rare that things become an issue, but bartenders will shut someone off if they're obviously intoxicated.

Security only gets involved when the passenger has an issue with that situation. If that happens, the person involved is usually given the option of returning to their room (and staying there for the night) or risking more dire consequences.

It's rare that things get more serious, but they did on one recent Royal Caribbean ship and Doug Parker has all the news on Cruise News Today.

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Royal Caribbean has late-night drunk incident

Transcript:

This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker. 

Good morning. Here's your cruise news for Tuesday, April 1. 

A late-night incident aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas left passengers rattled on early Monday morning after a reportedly drunk man caused a disturbance on other people's balconies.

Yeah, now according to witnesses on the March 27 sailing, the man accessed the Vitality Spa on deck 11, then went outside, hopped a railing, and began moving across the junior suites on 11. 

Now, around 1 a.m., he started banging on doors, flipping over furniture, and threw a chair overboard. Ship security responded and detained him.

No injuries were reported. 

A reminder to always keep your balcony doors locked, especially at night. 

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Cruise line tests man overboard tech

And one cruise line is now testing a cutting-edge AI system called ZOE, designed to detect and track anyone who falls overboard.

Now, using infrared cameras with a 360-degree view of the ship and smart sensors, ZOE alerts the bridge team in real time. It continuously tracks the person in the water, even in darkness or in rough seas, helping crews respond faster and hopefully saving a life. 

This new tech that Ambassador Cruise Line is using adds an extra layer of both safety and eyes for the navigational team.

19 people were reported overboard last year. And Morella Cruises, a UK-based cruise line, is entering the Newbuild market for the first time, signing a deal with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for two cruise ships. Now, while less familiar to North American cruisers, 

Morella is part of the TUI Group, a company that is a joint venture with Royal Caribbean Group.

The ships, set for delivery in 2030 and 2032, will target the British market. 

If you have a lead on a story, let us know. Tips@cruiseradio.net. 

Have yourself a great Tuesday. I'm Doug Parker with Cruise News Today.