What started as a dream Caribbean getaway ended as an utter nightmare — and now, two dozen Carnival cruise passengers are banned for life.
Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed that 24 guests were slapped with permanent bans after a violent brawl erupted inside a cruise terminal in Galveston, Texas, USA Today reports.
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The incident took place on the morning of Saturday, April 26, just as passengers disembarked from the Carnival Jubilee following a seven-day trip to Mexico and Honduras.
Footage of the fight — shared on Facebook by user Trelle Ray — shows a crowd of travelers erupting into violence near a baggage area. Suitcases are scattered across the floor as barriers are toppled and signs are knocked over. In the middle of the chaos, a passenger is chased down, tackled, and repeatedly punched and kicked by a group of people, all while stunned onlookers film the mayhem.
“It went down this morning,” Ray wrote alongside the now-viral clip.
The incident occurred in the debarkation zone, which falls under the jurisdiction of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In a statement to PEOPLE, Carnival confirmed: “We will not tolerate such behavior, and 24 people have been placed on our Do Not Sail list.”
The fight didn't go unnoticed by law enforcement. According to the Port of Galveston Police Department, CBP “detained several individuals” and port police made one arrest. That person has since been identified as 21-year-old Ethan Meritt-Clark from Chicago, Illinois.
According to court documents, Meritt-Clark told authorities he had been involved in a confrontation onboard the Jubilee the day prior while playing basketball. When he encountered the same group in the terminal, things escalated. He initially claimed he was attacked—alleging he was “hit and stomped” by multiple people—but later changed his story.
He ultimately admitted to pushing an elderly man who had tried to de-escalate the situation, reportedly telling him: “Don’t do what you’re about to do.”
Now, Meritt-Clark is facing serious consequences. He’s been charged with a first-degree felony for injury to a child, elderly individual, or disabled person and is currently being held on a $5,000 bond.
While the full details of what sparked the fight remain unclear, the incident marks yet another black eye for Carnival Cruise Line, which has seen its fair share of mid-voyage mayhem. Just last June, a buffet brawl broke out aboard the Carnival Paradise, with guests throwing chairs and tackling each other in front of horrified diners.
And in 2022, up to 60 people were reportedly involved in a dance floor dust-up on the Carnival Magic near New York’s Verrazano Bridge, prompting a Coast Guard escort back to port.
But while those incidents happened at sea, this latest explosion of violence occurred right on US soil, in full view of customs agents and security personnel. And with video of the fight continuing to circulate online, Carnival has made it clear that this behavior won’t be tolerated.
As cruise season ramps up for the summer, it’s a stark reminder that not everyone leaves their drama at the dock.