12 Royal Caribbean Guests File Lawsuit Over Hidden Camera Incident in Cabins
Twelve passengers of Royal Caribbean International are suing the cruise line and a former crew member, Arvin Joseph Mirasol, who secretly filmed guests, including children, in their cabins while they were undressed.
The plaintiffs, identified as John, Jane, or Junior Doe in the lawsuit, stayed in cabins serviced by Mirasol during cruises on the Symphony of the Seas in December 2023 and January 2024. Mirasol was convicted in August and sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography.
Allegations and Emotional Impact
According to the lawsuit filed in the Southern District of Florida, Mirasol allegedly uploaded and transmitted the footage to third parties and potentially the dark web without the victims’ consent. The plaintiffs report suffering severe emotional distress, including physical sickness, insomnia, and dizziness, due to the incident.
Spencer Aronfeld, the plaintiffs‘ attorney, highlighted the lasting trauma caused by the uncertainty of how the images might have been used. “Some of the plaintiffs are children – and once an image is on the internet it is there forever,” Aronfeld said.
Claims Against Royal Caribbean
The lawsuit accuses Royal Caribbean of negligence, alleging the cruise line “knew or should have known” about the risks of sexual assaults and video voyeurism aboard its ships. The complaint also references a similar incident on Harmony of the Seas in 2023, where a passenger was arrested for filming minors in a public restroom.
Royal Caribbean is further accused of failing to provide adequate security, training, and supervision to prevent such incidents and of not warning passengers about the prevalence of sexual assaults on its vessels.
Rising Reports of Sexual Crimes on Cruise Ships
The lawsuit comes amid increasing reports of sexual crimes aboard cruise ships. In 2023, the FBI documented 131 alleged sexual assaults on U.S.-based cruises, up from 87 in 2022 and 101 in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The case underscores the importance of passenger safety and the need for cruise lines to adopt stricter measures to protect guests from such violations.