An entire family was removed from a Carnival Legend cruise ship this week after a 30-person brawl erupted on board.
The brawl, which was partially captured on video, was slowly building over several days during a 10-day South Pacific cruise, the company said.
The “violent and disruptive acts” started around 1:30 a.m., causing police to board the vessel.
A passenger not involved in the fracas filmed some of the fight that shows multiple people engaged and soon security guards and crew attempting to intervene.
In the end, 23 people were removed from the ship and put ashore.
The unprecedented move to take an entire family off resulted because there were other incidents that members became involved in during the cruise.
Jennifer Vandekreeke, vice president and general manager of Carnival Cruise Line said it was “our last resort.”
The footage captures other passengers cheering as the family is escorted off of the ship.
Passengers said the people in the brawl comprised two groups, which had been warring on and off during the cruise.
One witness said the melee started after one man stepped on another man’s flip-flop, leading to an angry exchange of words before punches were thrown.
“We are so scared after witnessing a traumatic experience with yet again the same offenders. It was a bloodbath,” an anonymous guest said. “We will not be leaving our cabins and are truly scared for our safety and what could happen in the next 24 hours.”
Some guests described the vacation as “the cruise from hell.”
