A cruise vacation shouldn’t be a scary experience, but even a simple accident can turn a happy day into a very frightening one.
A young family had such a frightening incident on Monday, April 14, 2025 while visiting Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Two Oasis-class ships were docked on Monday – Oasis of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas – and a guest aboard Oasis of the Seas witnessed a young child fall between Symphony of the Seas and the concrete pier.
Symphony of the Seas departed Miami, Florida on Sunday, April 13, and the visit to CocoCay is the first port of call on the 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary. While the time of the incident was not disclosed, the ship was docked from approximately 7 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Witnesses to the incident do clearly note that the child’s mother was nearby, and the child was quickly rescued. A cruiser aboard Oasis of the Seas, Henry Yeany, was one such witness.
“The child was rescued in a matter of a few minutes,” Yeany said. “The mother and child got back onboard the Symphony. Please keep a close eye on your kids.”
There have been no details released of the incident, including whether or not the child was closely attended, their age, or if they sustained any injuries.
Cruise Hive has reached out to Royal Caribbean for comment and further information, but has not yet heard back at the time of publication. This article will be updated if additional details are provided.
Symphony of the Seas departed CocoCay on schedule, and there appears to be no delay to her itinerary.
The ship will spend Tuesday at sea, and will visit St. Thomas and St. Maarten on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Friday and Saturday are both sea days while the vessel makes her way back to Miami for debarkation on Easter Sunday, April 20.
Many parents have chimed in on social media expressing their fears for just such a situation, though to be clear, these are speculations only.
It should be noted that when a cruise ship is fully docked, there are bumpers that keep the ship’s hull from rubbing against the pier. That gap can certainly be wide enough for a small child – or an adult, for that matter – to fall through.
Some guests have speculated about why a fence-type barrier is not used when a ship is docked. There is usually signage, however, warning guests to keep away from edges, as well as painted warning lines to highlight the edges of the pier.
Fencing may not be practical as there would have to be significant gaps for the ship’s mooring ropes to be secured. Even when firmly docked, cruise ships can move several feet back and forth with tidal action and waves, which could make fencing even less useful.
Read Also: Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay – Full Guide
When I have visited CocoCay, there have been crew members carefully watching along the pier and reprimanding any guests who step into the yellow cautionary space as they are too close to the edge. It is unknown whether any such crew members were on the pier at the time of this incident.
Many other commenters note that young children can be very quick, and even a conscientious parent might lose sight of their child for a moment or two – all the time necessary for such an accident to occur.
Not the First Similar Incident
In fact, a very similar incident happened in October 2023 for guests onboard another Royal Caribbean ship – Enchantment of the Seas.
At the time, the ship was docked in Salerno, Italy as part of a 7-night Greek Isles cruise. An 8-year-old boy slipped from his father’s grasp and accidentally stepped off the dock and fell into the water next to the cruise ship. His father jumped in and both guests were quickly rescued without any injuries.
Undoubtedly, there will be a full investigation into this most recent incident to ensure all safety protocols were properly followed.
Furthermore, Royal Caribbean may review those protocols as well as signage and warnings at CocoCay to minimize any risk of future incidents.
Cruise Hive’s thoughts are with the young cruiser and his family, hoping these scary moments are quickly forgotten and replaced with happy cruise vacation memories.
