Cruise holidays are once in a lifetime experiences for many families who spend months or even years planning their dream getaways.
And while most vacations go as planned, some luxury trips end in unexpected disasters. This was brutally demonstrated in recent weeks when a dad shouted five harrowing words before jumping to his death.
With this in mind, below we look inside some chilling cruise ship catastrophes.
Haunting last words
As briefly mentioned, Dan McGilvray, a 51-year-old financial advisor from Colorado, threw himself overboard on Boxing Day.
He was on a £1bn Caribbean cruise ship called Norwegian Epic when he overpowered his own family, including his mum, before drowning in the sea.
Police in the Bahamas speculated that he could have suffered an adverse reaction to seizure medication and according to MailOnline, he woke up on the afternoon of December 26 screaming: “I can’t take it anymore.”
Despite a search by the Royal Bahamas Police Force, his body was not found.
A spokesman for Norwegian Cruise Line said: “The guest was traveling with a large group and his family on board is being attended to and supported during this very challenging situation. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this difficult time.”
Harrowing photo
Just four months before Dan McGilvray met his death, another cruise passenger lost his life after falling overboard.
The 30-year-old, only named by his surname Li, lived in Taiwan and he boarded the 14-deck Norwegian Spirit cruise liner with his brother.
It departed from Keelung Port in Taiwan on a six-day trip that was to involve stops to Nagasaki in Japan and an island in South Korea.
But just four days after getting on the cruise liner, Li lost his life, and a heartbreaking picture captured a couple and a child looking outwards while the victim dropped from a height. The Daily Mirror has chosen to edit the image above for sensitivity purposes, but you can see the family watching out to sea.
The tragedy happened on August 8, 2024, and search boats managed to find the body shortly afterwards.
One eyewitness revealed: “We were sightseeing on the deck at that time, just looking at the sea, and then we heard a huge noise. Then everyone looked towards us and someone realised that a passenger had fallen into the sea.”
Local media reports suggested the victim lost his footing while standing on the top deck.
‘Sewage on walls’
In a completely different type of nightmare, below we take you inside the time a cruise ship got stranded in the Gulf of Mexico after an engine fire.
The incident in February 2013 saw passengers fighting like “savages” over cold onion and cucumber sandwiches while being surrounded by sewage and urine.
Passengers on the 14-storey US cruise ship Carnival Triumph complained about conditions inside the vessel – including carpet covered in urine and people sleeping in tents.
Food shortages were also reportedly low after the fire caused a power outage. Ann Barlow told CNN: “It’s disgusting. It’s the worst thing ever.”
Her husband, Tony, meanwhile described “sewage running down the walls” while witnessing desperate holidaymakers defecating in plastic bags.
This was after 4,200 people had to queue for just five toilets while it was also reported that there was no electricity or air conditioning.
One woman texted her husband: “Room smells like an outhouse. Cold water only, toilets haven’t work in 3 1/2 days. Happy Valentines Day!!! I love u & wish I was there. It’s 4:00 am. Can’t sleep…it’s cold & I’m starting to get sick.”
Passengers, who were jubilant after finally docking in Alabama, were later given refunds by Carnival alongside compensation of $500. It acknowledged that mechanical problems had plagued the vessel.
Costa Concordia crash
The 290 metres long Costa Concordia – the longest cruise ship in Italy back then – was launched 20 years ago in 2005.
It catered for over 3,700 passengers and with the help of a crew made up of 1,100 people, it cruised the Mediterranean.
But disaster struck on January 13,, 2012, after the huge £400million vessel set sail from Civitavecchia, near Lazio.
It took a detour hours later and hit into underwater rocks causing the cruise liner to partially sink – before captain Francsco Schettino jumped out to avoid death.
Despite coastguards rescuing the 4,252 people on board, 33 deaths were recorded during the rescue mission, including 27 passengers, five staff members and one person from the salvage squad.
One survivor told Reuters on the tenth anniversary: “I remember the screams of the people, the people who were jumping into the sea. I remember the cold and the sensation of terror in everybody’s eyes.
“It is extremely emotional. We come here today to remember, most importantly, those who are no longer with us, and to relive the hell that we went through and try in some way to exorcise it.”
Captain Schettino, who saved his own skin while others risked their lives to help others, was sentenced to 16 years behind bars after being found guilty of manslaughter.
It is now known for being the biggest cruise disaster since the Titanic.
