A Royal Caribbean passenger died aboard a nine-month cruise of the world, according to a fellow traveler and the cruise line.
Popular content creator and cruise ship enthusiast Adita who is a passenger on Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise shared that she had witnessed a woman’s body being taken out of a cabin by staffers in a video posted to her TikTok account (@aditaml2759) Sunday.
“Some sad news. We had our first death on the Ultimate World Cruise,” Adita told her followers as she shared updates about the ship’s voyage as it docked in Los Angeles.
She said the guest was an elderly woman who was traveling alone and died in her room.
“I was coming to my room when they were taking the body out so very, very sad for me because I was there to watch,” Adita said from her cabin inside the massive cruise ship.
Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to a Post request for more information on the death. But the cruise line did confirm that a passenger died in a statement to People.
“A guest sailing onboard ‘Serenade of the Seas’ has sadly passed away. We are actively providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones at this time. Out of the privacy of the guest and their family, we have nothing further to share at this time,” the statement read.
Most large cruise ships are required to have both morgues and body bags onboard in case of guests’ or employees’ untimely deaths while out at sea.
The bodies of those who die while at sea are typically kept in the morgue until the ship reaches its next major port of call depending on what arrangements can be made to transport the remains.
The nine-month cruise which launched from Miami on Dec. 10 has inspired TikTokers both on and off the ship to post videos about the unusually long vacation and potential drama among passengers — with some declaring it a “nine-month TikTok reality show,” according to the New York Times.
Adita, who is on the ship with her husband, has gained more than 65,000 followers on TikTok and frequently posts about her days aboard the Ultimate World Cruise.
She shares videos updating followers about where the ship is in the world and seemingly trolls her followers with pineapple swag and signs. But she maintained that she and her husband are not swingers in one video.
The 274-night cruise — Royal Caribbean’s longest available — stops in 65 countries and the ship can hold up to 2,476 guests.
