Carnival Breeze accidents and incidents

29 April 2023Ship Listing

(CruiseMapper emailed report by Zachary Sanchez)

Carnival Breeze Tilt Episode, the early morning hours of April 29th, on the end of a 5-day cruise.

The ship experienced a pretty severe lean. I’m assuming due to the cold front that we were sailing into. Lots of reports of broken dishes, fall, opening cabinets. No one was hurt as far as I know. Pretty fun walking slanted around the ship for a while though.

The accident occurred at the end of the 5-day "Western Caribbean Cruise" (itinerary Apr 24-29, roundtrip from  Galveston Texas) visiting Mexico's Cozumel (Apr 26) and Progreso (Apr 27).

04 November 2021Boat Rescue

On November 4, 2021, at ~1 am Texas time (~8 pm UTC), while en route from Mexico back to Texas USA, the liner received an SOS signal from a sailboat and changed course to assist the vessel in distress.

A rescue helicopter was dispatched from USCG Station Galveston to search for the sailboat, which was ~70 mi / 113 km off Galveston TX. Upon arriving at the scene, the cruise ship lowered a crewed lifeboat and rescued the boat's captain (suffering a back injury), together with two passengers and their two dogs. All were transferred onboard, and the injured man was provided with medical assistance. The sailboat remained adrift in the Mexican Gulf.

Carnival Breeze was ending a 5-night Western Caribbean voyage/roundtrip itinerary from Galveston TX to Cozumel and Progreso (Oct 30 thru Nov 4).

16 May 2020Other Incidents

(crew repatriation) In early-May 2020, two Carnival ships - Breeze (from Port Canaveral Florida) and Magic (from Freeport Bahamas) - departed on crew preparation voyages to return the CCL fleet's European crew back to their home countries.

Carnival Breeze was carrying ~1300 staff-crew from England, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Eastern European countries (Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Hungary). For them, CCL planned repatriation via charter flights from Southampton. The ship docked in Southampton on May 16. On the same day were disembarked ~70 crew (citizens of the UK, Ireland, Italy, Australia, Zambia, Romania). On May 17 (still in Southampton) were disembarked ~170 crew (citizens of Spain, Portugal, Hungary). The remaining crew were disembarked in Cadiz Spain and Dubrovnik Croatia.

Arriving in Cadiz on May 21, Breeze picked up crew from the fleetmate Carnival Radiance (fka Carnival Victory). On May 26, Breeze docked at Port Cruz (Dubrovnik) and disembarked 93 Croatians plus the remaining crew from Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Serbia, Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria - all planned for repatriation via buses or charter flights. The Italian crew was also disembarked in Dubrovnic as Italy denied the requested berthing in Port Civitavecchia-Rome.

Carnival Magic arrived in Dubrovnik on May 20 for the repatriation of ~760 crew.

09 May 2020Crew / Passenger Deaths

(crew suicide) On May 9, 2020, a 29-year-old male crew committed suicide while the liner was on a Transatlantic crossing to Europe from the USA. The man (Jozsef Szaller, Hungarian) was found dead in his cabin. He worked for CCL for 3 years (since January 2017) as a shore excursion assistant manager on the Carnival ships Inspiration, Miracle and Breeze. His Sail & Sign card (also used for stateroom access) was last used on May 6.

The Carnival ships Breeze (from Port Canaveral Florida) and Magic (from Freeport Bahamas) were both on crew preparation voyages to return the CCL fleet's European crew back to their home countries. From Port Canaveral, Breeze was en-route to Southampton (England UK) and carrying ~1300 staff-crew.

08 May 2018Boat Rescue

(Cuban refugees boat) On May 8, 2015, while en-route from Key West FL back to homeport Miami, the ship spotted a small raft with 25 Cuban refugees (migrants) trying to get to the USA by sea. The ship stopped and waited some 2-3 hours for the arrival of a dispatched USCG cutter. The incident occurred in Florida Straits, approx 100 ml / 170 km away from Key West.

Note: Cruise ship operators have agreed to inform the USCG if they spot Cuban refugees in the open sea and to rescue them if needed.

Similar Carnival cruise ship incidents happened on Carnival Paradise (March 4, 2014, 24 Cubans rescued), on Carnival Ecstasy (March 25, 2014, with 41 Cubans rescued), on Carnival Dream (May 7, 2014, 39 Cubans rescued) and on Carnival Liberty (August 22, 2014, 11 Cubans rescued). All refugee boats were both unseaworthy and overcrowded.

04 August 2017Crew / Passenger Injuries and Overboards

On August 4, 2017, a 3-year-old girl (injured after falling from a cabin balcony) was medevaced from the ship. The ship was on a 7-day Florida-Bahamas cruise from Galveston TX (itinerary July 30 – Aug 6) and en-route from Nassau to Galveston.

The USCG dispatched a UH-60 Jayhawk helicopter team, airlifted the kid and transported her to Tampa FL According to Carnival’s official statement, the girl fell from her family’s cabin veranda to an open deck area (1 level below) sustaining injuries to her face. When the USCG team arrived, she was in stable condition.

05 October 2015Crew / Passenger Injuries and Overboards

(sexual) On January 2016 (law news), a lawsuit for the alleged rape of a minor was filed in a Florida court. A woman (of Florida USA origin) together with her 15-year-old daughter were on the Breeze ship sailing on an 8-day Caribbean itinerary in October 2015.

On October 3 (2015) the girl was on Atlantic Deck 4 visiting the “Club O2” (teens-only club). While inside the premises, the girl saw a group of 5 drunk males (older than the club’s age requirements) being kicked out. Allegedly, the girl was later attacked by the men on Promenade Deck 5. According to the complaint, she was grabbed by the 5 men, pushed into an elevator, dragged down a hallway to one of their cabins, stripped, forced to perform oral sex, then raped. All this was captured on the ship’s CCTV cameras.

The lawsuit accuses the shipowner Carnival Cruise Lines of negligence for failing to provide “adequate security to protect minor passengers from pedophiles and other sorts of sexual attackers”.

07 September 2015Crew / Passenger Injuries and Overboards

(overboard) On September 7, 2015, a 32-year-old male passenger (reportedly heavily intoxicated) fell overboard but was soon found and rescued alive. The incident occurred while the ship was at sea (off Cuba’s coast) and en-route to Jamaica. After the emergency code “Oscar” was announced, the ship turned around in time, lowered one of its lifeboats and rescued him.

The ship was on 6-day Western Caribbean cruise (itinerary Sept 6-12) roundtrip from homeport Miami Florida to Montego Bay Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel Mexico.

20 July 2015Coast Guard Medevacs

On July 20, 2015, a 79-year-old passenger was medevaced via a USCG helicopter. The ship was ~90 mi (145 km) northwest of San Juan Puerto Rico. The elderly man was transported to Isla Grande Airport, then transported by an ambulance to Centro Medico Hospital.

27 August 2012Structural and Technical Issues

On August 27, 2012, when the ship was docked and embarking passengers in Venice, Italy, strong winds (up to 70 mph / 110 kph) caused its moorings to snap. No injured and ship damages were reported. Over 1 hour later, the vessel was pulled back and re-docked with tug boat assistance then resumed the passengers' embarkation process.

20 June 2012Fire Accident

On June 20, 2012, while cruising in the Mediterranean and en-route to Dubrovnik (Croatia), a small fire broke out on service deck 0, shortly after 2 pm (ship time). The ship’s fire crew was summoned via the PA system. The incident happened in the deck’s forward crew area. Fire doors in this area closed automatically. The Captain announced over the public addressing system that the fire team arrived and extinguished the fire. The smoke didn’t enter any of the passenger areas. The ship continued the voyage normally. All systems were operating normally.

This report is based on unofficial passenger statements. Later, Carnival Cruise Lines’ PR stated there was not an actual fire on the ship, but only smoke in the forward crew quarters. Smoke was from an overheated fan belt in air conditioning unit.

11 December 2011Crew / Passenger Injuries and Overboards

On December 11, 2011, while the ship was docked in St Thomas (USVI), a female passenger walked off the pier and fell in the water between the pier and the vessel. Her son called for help. The ship’s security brought a rope ladder. She climbed it and in a wheelchair was taken to the infirmary. The woman suffered bruises and a broken arm.