Guest Tumbles From Icon of the Seas Pool in Bizarre Incident
Key Aspects:
Viral video shows a guest falling over the railing and outside Icon of the Seas‘ Hideaway Pool on Deck 15.
A small walkway and second safety railing undoubtedly saved the guest’s life following their reckless behavior.
The incident occurred on the same sailing when a crewmember tragically jumped overboard and was not able to be saved.
During the same cruise, when a crewmember went overboard from Icon of the Seas following a stabbing altercation and did not survive, a viral video has surfaced of another fall that could have ended just as tragically.
The second incident happened in the evening at the ship’s Hideaway Pool, the aft-facing infinity pool on Deck 15. The guest was at the edge of the pool, dangling over the railing, when they suddenly fell over the side.
The original video is just 5-6 seconds long and shows the guest precariously balanced on the railing. They were bizarrely slapping their own rear before losing their balance and tumbling over the edge.
Though the fall looks like it would be immediately devastating, to be clear, the guest did not fall into the ocean.
Below Hideaway Pool is the Splashaway Bay children’s play area on Deck 7. A fall from Deck 15 to Deck 7 would be extremely dangerous, of course, but the guest did not even fall that far.
There is a narrow walkway and another glass barrier along the outer edge of the infinity pool. Close examination of the video shows that the guest hit that second barrier and fell between the two glass railings.
This means they fell just outside the pool and remained on Deck 15, albeit in a restricted area.
That walkway is for crew only and likely for maintenance, should the pool need inspections or repairs. Clearly, it also serves as an important safeguard against reckless behavior.
Descriptions from onboard witnesses share two stories about that behavior. In one version, the guest was trying to retrieve sunglasses that had fallen onto the safety walkway, but was unable to reach them and overbalanced.
In the second version, the guest was attempting a handstand on the pool railing but severely overestimated their athletic ability.
Witnesses onboard confirm the guest was not injured and crew members were able to assist them in exiting the restricted space.
There is no confirmation about whether or not alcohol may have influenced the guest’s behavior, but it also wouldn’t be surprising. The Hideaway Bar is just steps away from the pool, though the guest does not appear to be holding a glass or bottle.
Cruise Hive has reached out to Royal Caribbean for more information on the incident.
Icon of the Seas returned to PortMiami on time at the conclusion of the cruise on Saturday, July 26. The ship also departed for her next sailing, a 7-night Western Caribbean voyage, as planned.
Not All Guests Show Good Judgment
This incident was fortunately minor, but guests who engage in reckless behavior aren’t always so lucky. Just a few inches’ difference in the guest’s position and they could have been severely injured or killed.
While such incidents aren’t common, they do sadly happen at times. In November 2023, a 16-year-old guest passed away after falling three stories from a balcony into the Central Park area on Allure of the Seas.
The teen’s behavior was never confirmed, but they may have been sitting or standing on the railing at the time of the accident, behavior that is clearly unsafe and prohibited.
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Other silly behavior has often gotten guests banned from cruise lines. For example, two guests were banned for life from Carnival Cruise Line after fishing from their balcony stateroom while docked in Nassau, Bahamas, in April 2023.
Climbing on balconies, misusing onboard equipment, and alcohol-fueled antics are other types of incidents that can happen on any cruise line.
These behaviors are clear violations of guest conduct policies. Repercussions can range from a talk with security to fines, isolation in one’s stateroom, being banned from future sailings, and even legal action.
Guest Tumbles From Icon of the Seas Pool in Bizarre Incident