Carnival cruise passengers fined, banned after fighting onboard

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A large fight broke out on a Carnival Cruise Line ship, video footage shared on social media shows.
The incident occurred in the buffet area of the Carnival Paradise around 3 a.m. on the final day of a Caribbean cruise in early June.
Security personnel intervened and escorted one group out of the room and the other group exited the opposite direction, a passenger said.

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A large fight broke out on a Carnival Cruise Line ship, video footage shared on social media shows.

A video posted to YouTube on Saturday by passenger Nick Richardson appears to show a group of fellow guests throwing chairs, tackling each other and hitting one another in the buffet area of the Carnival Paradise. Richardson previously shared the video on TikTok, but the social media platform removed the clip, he told USA TODAY.

The 43-year-old happened upon the conflict when he went in search of pizza around 3 a.m. on the final day of a Caribbean cruise in early June. “I woke up because I was starving,” said Richardson, who lives in Clearwater, Florida. He saw security guards speaking to groups of guests.

The passengers were “talking trash to each other” in the eatery before the clash escalated, though he wasn’t sure how the initial argument began. Richardson estimated that roughly 10 to 15 people participated in the physical fight.

Security personnel intervened and escorted one group out of the room and the other group exited the opposite direction, he said. The video shows chairs overturned and dishes strewn across the floor and tables – with at least one plate broken – in the aftermath.

“Carnival Paradise’s security team intervened in an incident that took place on June 6,” spokesperson Matt Lupoli said in an emailed statement. “As is our policy, we will not tolerate such behavior and the guests involved were fined and will not sail on Carnival Cruise Line again.”

Richardson stressed 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 sailing with Carnival shortly after returning home.

“The security and just all of the staff there, they 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 their face.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.