Aussies are the undisputed champions of getting drunk and rowdy in the skies, but this week, a Melbourne family proved that we also have good form when it comes to the high seas, after all 23 of them were kicked a Carnival cruise ship for their loose behaviour.
The Carnival Legend was on a ten-day South Pacific voyage when it dropped anchor off the NSW south coast yesterday, with its captain refusing to transport the group any further following a “violent and destructive incident” on board.
Video taken at around 1:30am on Friday shows a violent brawl in the ship’s nightclub area. Crew members can be seen attempting to break up the fight, kicking one man a he lies on the ground, and at one point, a staff member tries to stop another passenger from filming the incident.
Look, all kidding aside, this really does seem like it would have been a terrible experience for all concerned, and it’s probably for the best that these people were kicked off:
According to NSW Police, six men and three teenage boys were removed from the cruise ship on Friday morning, while a further 14 passengers left with them. Per eyewitness accounts, other passengers were heard loudly cheering as they did their walk of shame.
A member of the family, identified only as Zac, told 3AW that the drama may have started over a thong – as in the thing you put on your foot, not the thing you wear as part of a swimsuit. We’re not quite sure what he’s on about here, but he said:
“This is all over a thong, not a foot, a thong being stepped on and being instantly apologised for … My nephew was threatened as he was returning a soccer … when four or five blokes walked up to him and said ‘don’t worry we’re gonna get ya.’ “
Carnival Australia President Sture Myrmell made a brief statement addressing the incident, without touching on the thong and its alleged place in all of this, saying only:
“Excessive behaviour of all kinds is something that we do not tolerate, regardless of guests or crew members, but until we have conducted the investigation, it’s too early for us to comment.”
Carnival Cruise Line Vice-President and General Manager Jennifer Vandekreeke acknowledged that kicking an entire family group off a ship is “unprecedented”, and noted that individuals concerned had been involved in various other “incidents” on board, without going into specifics.
Police say that the unnamed family was taken to Canberra airport after their removal from the cruise ship, and other travel arrangements were then made for them.
After ejecting the passengers, the Carnival Legend continued to Melbourne, and the level of rowdiness on board has presumably been downgraded to ‘stable’.
