- A large fight broke out on a Carnival Cruise Line cruise ship, as seen in a video shared on social media.
- The incident occurred in the buffet area of the Carnival Paradise around 3 a.m. on the last day of a Caribbean cruise in early June.
- Security personnel intervened and escorted one group out of the room and the other group went out in the opposite direction, one passenger said.
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A large fight broke out on a Carnival Cruise Line cruise ship, as seen in a video shared on social media.
A video posted Saturday to YouTube by passenger Nick Richardson appears to show a group of passengers throwing chairs, tackling and punching each other in the buffet area of the Carnival Paradise. Richardson had previously shared the video on TikTok, but the social network removed the clip, he told USA TODAY.
The 43-year-old witnessed the conflict while searching for pizza around 3 a.m. on the last day of a Caribbean cruise in early June. “I woke up because I was hungry,” said Richardson, who lives in Clearwater, Florida. He saw security officers talking to groups of passengers.
Passengers were “talking trash” to each other in the restaurant before the fight escalated, though he’s not sure how the argument started. Richardson estimates about 10 to 15 people were involved in the physical fight.
Security personnel intervened and escorted one group out of the room and the other group went in the opposite direction, he said. Video shows chairs overturned and dishes strewn across the floor and tables — with at least one plate broken — after the incident.
“Carnival Paradise’s security team responded to an incident that occurred on June 6,” spokesman Matt Lupoli said in an emailed statement. “As per our policy, we will not tolerate such behavior and the guests involved have been fined and will no longer sail on Carnival Cruise Line.”
Richardson stressed that the fight was an “isolated incident” and that he thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the trip, which marked his first cruise. He even booked another cruise with Carnival shortly after returning home.
“The security and all the staff there were very, very good,” he said.
The incident comes after a Carnival guest pleaded guilty in February to assaulting another passenger, at one point smashing a glass in his face.
Nathan Diller is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. He can be reached at ndiller@usatoday.com.
